I don't know how many times I've woken up on freezing Alpine mornings in my van "Beans" to find my old AGM leisure batteries seriously struggling or completely dead. If you’ve ever tried running a campervan through winter on lead-acid, you’ll know the routine: weak solar, short drives, voltage sag, and constant “can I make it through tonight?” battery anxiety. This winter I tested the Renogy 12V 200Ah Smart LiFePO₄ Battery with Self-Heating  (Bluetooth BMS) in my van, paired with a Renogy 40A...

Buying a used van to convert into a camper is one of the most exciting — and risky — steps in the process.  I know this firsthand. Years ago, I picked up a 2012 Ford Transit L3H3 for €7,000. It had 150,000 km on the clock and looked solid at first glance. But over the next few years, I've spent somewhere in the region of €15,000 on repairs, rust treatment, and unexpected servicing. It taught me the hard way that a cheap van isn’t always a bargain — especially when rust sets in and reliability...

One big question I had was: can a high-capacity portable power station  really keep my off-grid campervan powered through the harsh winter months? Late this Autumn in Chamonix, France, with temperatures plummeting well below freezing and my solar panels barely trickling in any charge, I decided to find out by testing the BLUETTI Elite 200 V2  in my campervan. I've lived in my van for many winters, typically struggling for electricity as the sun wanes, I was eager to try this 2 kWh power...