Adding Shoreline Power

Many of our decisions about outfitting our van are based on our camping habits which favor being outdoors.  We like being outdoors for cooking and eating.  We love sitting around the campfire.  We prefer the more rustic campgrounds such as National Forests that don't provide electrical, water, or cable hook-ups.  But we did add a shore-line power capability to our van because you never know...and it was easy!

Our biggest power need is our ARB fridge, so a 15 amp power inlet was all I wanted.  Amazon filled the bill with a unit by Marinco.

I drilled a 1-7/8" hole in the driver's side of out Transit using hole saw from Amazon since none of our local hardware stores stocked that size.  Putting a hole in your brand new vehicle is always scary, but in hindsight, it was easy.  I drilled from the outside in.

I connected the power outlet to a outlet/surge suppressor  purchased at Home Depot and mounted it to the interior wall panel,

and eventually added a second receptacle that included a USB plug.

We don't always use the shoreline even when we're camping at sites that provide electrical hook-ups, but it's nice to have, especially for charging computers and phones, and it was really install to install.

This installation gives me the confidence to consider installing solar panels.  Not sure I really need them, but if I decide to do so I would go with the portable units that you can move around to face the sun.  GoWesty sells an 80 watt unit that is made by Zamp and comes with a 50 ft. extension cord.