Wired for the Weekend

⚡Wired for the Weekend: Powering CamperJam in Vanilla

By John Nickolls – Campervan Gadgeteer, Solar Whisperer, and Festival Fridge Strategist

There are few things more glorious than the electric hum of CamperJam — a sprawling, sun-drenched symphony of VW Transporters, pop-tops, air-cooled classics, dogs in bucket hats, and awnings festooned in more LEDs than a Glastonbury stage. But among the tunes, laughter, and chorizo breakfast wraps, one element quietly defines whether your weekend is a triumph or a tragedy: power. Glorious, humming, fridge-chilling power.

This isn’t my first rodeo. My campervan, Vanilla — a 2022 VW T6.1 Highline — isn’t just a place to sleep. She’s a self-contained, solar-augmented, battery-balanced rolling command centre. I don’t rely on electrical hook-ups. I don’t beg for sockets. I don’t mutter darkly about flat drone batteries. I show up fully charged, carefully balanced, and ready to last four days without a single drop of mains current. This is my full CamperJam power strategy — and Vanilla’s time to shine.

🔋 The Power Line-Up: An All-Star Cast

Vanilla’s energy ensemble isn’t just well-planned — it’s a precision-orchestrated festival force.

At the heart of it all is the Jackery Explorer 1000. Boasting 1002Wh of capacity and around 900Wh of usable juice, it’s my go-to unit for medium to high-draw gear: the portable cool box, projector, even the occasional induction hob session.

Running alongside it is the ultra-reliable Jackery Explorer 240 — smaller in size but perfect for lights, charging phones, running the Sonos Roam, and anything USB.

The big gun? A borrowed EcoFlow Delta 2 from my brother David (who, quite sensibly, isn’t attending). It packs 900Wh of usable energy, fast-charging capabilities, and enough inverter power to launch a coffee grinder into orbit. It’s the power station equivalent of a bouncer: calm, big, and very handy when the crowd (of gadgets) gets rowdy.

Now, let’s talk core systems. Vanilla’s built-in 110Ah lead-acid leisure battery is the heartbeat of the van’s factory electrics. This powers the essentials: the Webasto diesel heater, the 12V sockets, the lighting — and crucially, the built-in campervan fridge. Kept in good shape by Vanilla’s roof-mounted solar panel and monitored via a Victron SmartShunt, it’s a dependable and steady source of energy that hums along quietly in the background.

Then there’s the Jackery SolarSaga 80W panel. Deployed beside the van each day and rotated like a sunflower, it provides clean, silent power to top up my portable Jackery units. Combined, Vanilla’s roof solar and the portable SolarSaga give me between 400–500Wh per day of solar-generated electricity — more than enough to keep the lights on and devices purring.

🧊 Fridge vs Cool Box: Division of Chill

I’ve split cooling duties intelligently. The built-in fridge — a 12V compressor model — is powered solely by the leisure battery, which is in turn kept alive by the roof solar. It’s a closed-loop system: food stays cold, power stays balanced. This fridge runs 24/7, and it keeps the essentials safe — milk, eggs, steaks, cheese, butter, and emergency sausages.

Meanwhile, the portable cool box — my mobile drinks and overflow fridge — is powered by the Jackery Explorer 1000 during the day. It’s perfect for al fresco use, freeing up the main fridge for food and letting me access a chilled can without clambering into the van. With the ability to run the cool box for 6–10 hours depending on ambient temperatures, I rotate charging and usage between the Jackery and the EcoFlow to keep it consistently cool throughout the festival.

🔄 The Power Workflow

Each station has a defined role:

• 🔶 Jackery 1000: Powers the portable cool box, the projector, and occasional induction hob use

• 🔷 Jackery 240: Handles phones, camera gear, Sonos Roam, AirPods, LED lighting, and smaller devices

• ⚡ EcoFlow Delta 2: Steps in for drone battery charging, high-demand spikes, and when the Jackerys need a break

• 🟩 Leisure Battery: Powers the built-in fridge, Webasto diesel heater, USB sockets, and interior lighting

• ☀️ SolarSaga 80W + Roof Solar: Constantly feeding energy back into the system, topping up both leisure and Jackery batteries

Through careful rotation and knowing each unit’s strengths, I can go all four days without dropping below 30% capacity on any one unit. I check levels each morning, plug the SolarSaga in, shift loads between stations, and let the sun do the heavy lifting during the day while the power banks take over at night.

🎯 Real-World Usage

Here’s a snapshot of what I typically consume during CamperJam:

• 🧊 Fridge (built-in): ~480Wh over 4 days (via the leisure battery)

• ❄️ Cool box: ~300–400Wh over 4 days (via the Jackery 1000)

• 🎥 Projector (2–3 hours per night): ~300–360Wh

• 💡 Lights, music, phones, watch, sunglasses: ~250Wh

• 🚁 Drone + camera charging: ~200Wh

• ☀️ Solar top-up (daily): ~400–500Wh/day

Total consumption: ~1,600–1,700Wh across the festival

Available capacity: ~3,000Wh storage + ~1,600Wh solar over 4 days

Conclusion: I’m cruising at around 50% load. In festival terms, that means I’m comfortably powered with enough headroom to be generous to others or run bonus kit like an outdoor projector or even a blender.

🛠️ Final Thoughts: Power Isn’t Just Practical — It’s Glorious

With this setup, I don’t just “manage” power — I rule it. I move through CamperJam confident that every LED, every chilled can, and every gadget is covered. I’m the camper who can run a film night and charge someone else’s speaker without blinking.

Vanilla’s setup, with its blend of built-in and portable, lead-acid and lithium, fixed and fold-out solar, isn’t just overkill — it’s beautifully balanced overkill. And that’s exactly what a great festival van should be.

So while others juggle extension leads or sheepishly ask the stewards where the charging tent is, I’m reclining in my chair, drink in hand, pop-top cinema glowing behind me, fridge humming contentedly, and enough reserve wattage to toast a marshmallow with a USB lighter.

CamperJam powered by Vanilla: loud, bright, and absolutely never flat.