Stealth camping and my laptop

[MarkVw2017]

Dear Cali Gurus,

Not been on in a while so hope you're all well and still having many wonderful adventures.

One of the things I absolutely love about my Cali which I just didn't expect to, is stealth camping. With the family, sites are defo best for me and them but when Im off working away on my owm, I get a proper little buzz, just driving off to a site with no idea where I will be staying that night, and only looking for somewhere to stealth camp at the end of the day.

I have found some absolutely amazing spots.

So I am now really trying to get proper 100% stealth camp ready (beach owner) but also like creature comforts to allow me to work so I have;

Limo blacked out windows for complete privacy;
A port pottie qube 365
A Webasto parking heater (fitted today and love it!)
Window bags for clothes
Jetboil and ridge monkey for cups of tea & toasties
12v USB for phone charger
12v electric cool box.
The only thing I am missing now, is power for my laptop. The plug only works on EHU, so is there some magic clever ingenious way you Cali crew know of to enable me to charge my laptop, so I can work on it longer than the laptop battery lasts but without killing the leisure battery too quickly either.

My problem is, I find a great spot, but when the battery dies on my laptop, I have to go and find a coffee shop or similar to carry on working.

Any advice gratefully received

Kindest regards

Mark

PS - Thank you in advance ;-)

 

[GrannyJen]

Try here: https://www.power4laptops.co.uk

I have a 12v MacBook Air charger from them.

 

[CannonDale]

Dear Cali Gurus,

Not been on in a while so hope you're all well and still having many wonderful adventures.

One of the things I absolutely love about my Cali which I just didn't expect to, is stealth camping. With the family, sites are defo best for me and them but when Im off working away on my owm, I get a proper little buzz, just driving off to a site with no idea where I will be staying that night, and only looking for somewhere to stealth camp at the end of the day.

I have found some absolutely amazing spots.

So I am now really trying to get proper 100% stealth camp ready (beach owner) but also like creature comforts to allow me to work so I have;

Limo blacked out windows for complete privacy;
A port pottie qube 365
A Webasto parking heater (fitted today and love it!)
Window bags for clothes
Jetboil and ridge monkey for cups of tea & toasties
12v USB for phone charger
12v electric cool box.
The only thing I am missing now, is power for my laptop. The plug only works on EHU, so is there some magic clever ingenious way you Cali crew know of to enable me to charge my laptop, so I can work on it longer than the laptop battery lasts but without killing the leisure battery too quickly either.

My problem is, I find a great spot, but when the battery dies on my laptop, I have to go and find a coffee shop or similar to carry on working.

Any advice gratefully received

Kindest regards

Mark

PS - Thank you in advance ;-)

Sounds great, how much was it for the webasto retrofit.

 

[MarkVw2017]

Sounds great, how much was it for the webasto retrofit.

Cost me £1750, yes very VERY expensive but got a 7 day timer and Webasto heater with OEM vents from exploria and because they are Webasto registered fitterd, also comes with a 3 year warranty. Suppose you can cheaper ones or cheaper somehwhere else, but heard good things about exploria on this forum, and credit where credits due, amazing! Already proving it's worth, stealth camping as I type and it's a very cold morning, so heater on, now literally 5 mins later,lovely and toastie. Wow, so so impressed!!

 

[MarkVw2017]

Try here: https://www.power4laptops.co.uk

I have a 12v MacBook Air charger from them.

Thanks @GrannyJen . I've Got a Dell and can't seem to find.a 12 for mine :-(

 

[kurienp]

Mark, depending on how many leisure batteries you have, how about one of these? Plug into the lighter socket and you will get 240 v to keep the laptop going.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[TripleBee]

Buy an inverter? Like the Ocean has on the left B pillar.
12V -> 220V. Make sure your leisure battery (ies) are full when setting off.

 

[2into1]

Don’t go 12v to 240v only to go back to the 19v or so that your laptop needs. Too many losses. There are chargers on eBay like Grannyjen suggests.

 

[MarkVw2017]

Mark, depending on how many leisure batteries you have, how about one of these? Plug into the lighter socket and you will get 240 v to keep the laptop going.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Would these suck the life out of a leisure battery, I e only got one being a beach?

 

[sapto]

Dear Mark
Look forward to your stealth spot pictures!
What about getting a reletive cheap „covertable“ (most of them charge with USB) Do you work with Office 365?

 

[Brian’s Dad]

Get a laptop with USB C charging (I've got a MacBook) - You then just need a 12V USB C PD charger (anker sell them). I hardly ever use the inverter.

 

[MarkVw2017]

Here's the adaptor tech stuff for you techies if this means anything would this work on 12v?

 

[Brian’s Dad]

Here's the adaptor tech stuff for you techies if this means anything would this work on 12v?
View attachment 51622

Looks like your laptop needs 19.5V, 130W, so you'll need an inverter rather than a cigarette adaptor. Forgive my ignorance, does you beach have leisure batteries / an inverter already fitted?

 

[MarkVw2017]

It has

Looks like your laptop needs 19.5V, 130W, so you'll need an inverter rather than a cigarette adaptor. Forgive my ignorance, does you beach have leisure batteries / an inverter already fitted?

It has a plug socket but only works when on EHU :-(

 

[MarkVw2017]

Dear Mark
Look forward to your stealth spot pictures!
What about getting a reletive cheap „covertable“ (most of them charge with USB) Do you work with Office 365?

Not today thanks Costa, got my own cafe

 

[MarkVw2017]

What about one these? Any thoughts?

 

[Brian’s Dad]

It has

It has a plug socket but only works when on EHU :-(

a 12V inverter will work - just need to make sure you don't flatten your starter battery.

 

[MarkVw2017]

a 12V inverter will work - just need to make sure you don't flatten your starter battery.

Would it not drain the leisure battery, seen this in Argos, any good?

Buy Energizer 500W Power Inverter | In-car accessories | Argos

Buy Energizer 500W Power Inverter at Argos. Thousands of products for same day delivery £3.95, or fast store collection.

www.argos.co.uk

 

[Brian’s Dad]

Would it not drain the leisure battery, seen this in Argos, any good?

Buy Energizer 500W Power Inverter | In-car accessories | Argos

Buy Energizer 500W Power Inverter at Argos. Thousands of products for same day delivery £3.95, or fast store collection.

www.argos.co.uk

If you've got a leisure battery that will work fine, or this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00INW611Y/?tag=eliteelect-21

It's cheaper. I've got no idea how quickly it will drain your leisure battery. Someone will be able to give you a rough calculation on battery for drain. For £30 you could just buy it and give it a go?

 

[Grimsa]

Inverting 12v to 240 back to 19 is inefficient as already mentioned by others.
You just need to replace the laptop mains input psu with a 12v input psu
I run a mac in my beach all day and more easily like this but it's same principle in any laptop. You just need to match the output to your current mains psu.
I use one from bat power available Amazon UK etc...

120W Laptop Car Charger High Power Delivery for HP Laptop Car Charger Asus DC 12v-24v Auto Charger Vehicle Charger CCH2

BatPower CCH2 120W Laptop Car Charger High Power Delivery for HP Pavilion, Envy, EliteBook, Spectre, Split, Mini, Chromebook, G Laptop Car Charger DC 12v-24v Auto Charger Vehicle Charger

batpower.com

But there are plenty of manufacturers out there.

 

[MarkVw2017]

I suppose the next question should be then, how long would 19.5v 130w take to drain the battery if I used an inverter with just a my laptop, an hour, two hours, all day, all week? I still have no idea what the leisure battery in Cali's, like a mystical creature

 

[Walrus]

I use one of these with my Dell

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01M9IZHA3/?tag=eliteelect-21

 

[Paul Grice]

I was looking for tips on stealth camping only a couple of days ago as need to stealth camp in a municipal carpark next week after a night out.....

Do you stealth camp with roof down?

I find it really difficult turning the seat into a bed when the roof is down so have left it in bed format..... with all the sheepskins rugs it does make it look a bit like a dogging van!

I just bought a black single sheet (£9) from Dunelm, and attached a 4 inch strip of velcro to each side of one end and a 4 inch strip easier side of the plastic bit of the ceiling just behind the seat belts. (I also cut off exactly half of the sheet and hemmed it). The result is a blackout/privacy blind that hangs down just behind the seats, the width of the sheet is the same as the van and now that it is cut in half it hangs down to just above the floor. Takes 10secs to put up and take down and hides my now rather dodgy looking interior from snoopers.

 

[CannonDale]

Cost me £1750, yes very VERY expensive but got a 7 day timer and Webasto heater with OEM vents from exploria and because they are Webasto registered fitterd, also comes with a 3 year warranty. Suppose you can cheaper ones or cheaper somehwhere else, but heard good things about exploria on this forum, and credit where credits due, amazing! Already proving it's worth, stealth camping as I type and it's a very cold morning, so heater on, now literally 5 mins later,lovely and toastie. Wow, so so impressed!!

View attachment 51618View attachment 51619View attachment 51620

Nice fit and Exploria have a great reputation, how long did it take them to do it.

 

[2into1]

Do you stealth camp with roof down?

I find that helps (sorry).

Roof down, blinds down in the back, curtain dividing the cab off behind the front seats in driving position, so it just looks left overnight. An air safe hook can be used for ventilation (still not much).