Game-changing RV power is here with the Mastervolt Power Package

More and more RVers are looking for more and more power in their rigs. As lithium batteries and the technology that surrounds them improves, we’re getting better systems. I have been participating in a prototype with my 2022 Rockwood Mini Lite. This camper has an option called the Mastervolt Power Package, which truly has changed the way I have been camping. 

The Mastervolt Power Package

Available in a very limited number of Rockwood Mini Lite and Flagstaff Micro Lite trailers, the Power Package is a system designed and built by Mastervolt. The actual system I have is a bit different, as it was put together before final production was settled on. But what the package will include is a 400 amp-hour lithium battery and a 3,000-watt inverter. 

This inverter has an unintegrated 160-amp inverter/charger, so the system can easily accept those 1,000 watts of solar along with panels one might want to plug into the “solar on the side” connector on the trailer. 

The solar power is harnessed through a 60-amp MMPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) solar controller. 

Honestly, this is all the kind of thing electricity expert Mike Sokol talks about in his Just Ask Mike series at RVtravel.com. He is far, far more qualified to speak to the details of this system than I am. So why am I here? 

Safety

Naysayers of things like high-performance RV batteries and electric cars and anything else that their grandfather didn’t also use will wonder about the safety of this system. All of these RV systems have a number of safeguards in them. 

The batteries have freeze protection which disables them from accepting a charge outside of their temperature range. There is an automatic shut-off, should you completely deplete the battery in this system. Incidentally, lithium batteries can be fully discharged and bounce right back when they see a charge. 

I also can’t imagine completely discharging this system except, maybe, if you’re running the air conditioner overnight. There wouldn’t be any sun, of course, yet there would be an increased load of said air conditioner. 

There are battery management systems so you can’t overcharge the system. I can speak to the smart design in that all the wiring, protection circuits and subsystems are extremely well thought through and designed to accommodate the loads and demands of this system. 

You can duplicate the capabilities of this system as a do-it-yourselfer. You could probably duplicate the specs of this system for a much lower price than the MSRP of this system. 

But the Mastervolt Power Package is extremely well-integrated and just works. All the wires, controllers, and cables are designed by one company to work—and work right together. And they do. 

There is so much power and there are so many variables going on here that I like having a “responsible party” that has made sure it works and works well. 

Camping experience

My experience with the Mastervolt Power Package and my own camping style are what brought me to the table. I like to boondock and have done a lot of that since I picked up the trailer in May. 

Having a system like this is game-changing, quite frankly. 

My wife is the one who takes care of our camping reservations and does most of our route planning. 

In our previous trailer, our longer traveling journeys would be a night in a developed campground to charge up our batteries and then potentially a night at a Harvest Host or Boondockers Welcome location. These are usually totally off the grid. 

Now we have no preference as to where we stay. We have spent a full month completely without any power while mooching at my wife’s sister’s house. No reason to plug in, quite frankly. The nights were cool enough that we didn’t have to run the air conditioner, but we did during the day and relied on the solar to keep things charged up. 

We got to stay in some really fascinating places that had no power, including a Harvest Hosts location where the homeowners took us for a ride in a Rat Rod based on a 1921 Fire Engine. We stayed at an Alpaca farm and bought a blanket. And we have stayed at all sorts of state parks and other places with no power. 

Power is no longer an issue. Really, our biggest challenge is water. But we have a 55-gallon fresh water tank and finding dump stations for the 30-gallon gray water tank isn’t much of an issue. 

Running the air conditioner with the Mastervolt Power Package

Air conditioners are what everybody talks about when asking about this system. Yes, we can run the air conditioner. How long? That depends. 

If there’s a decent amount of sun, the amount of power the solar panels bring in exceeds the demand of the air conditioner. But if we are camped where there is absolutely no sun whatsoever, then the AC can run for about 4-7 hours, depending on the setting. 

If it’s full-blast non-stop, you have about four hours of run time. If you can dial it back so the system cycles, then you increase the length of time you can run the system. It’s simple math. 

But what most of us have on our roof is a relic. RV units have been designed to use a lot of power. It’s cheaper to build them that way and there hasn’t really been a reason not to. You go to a park; you plug in; you use lots of energy. 

But as we seek more and more ways to camp that aren’t RV parks, things are changing. The biggest change is in the Truma Aventa air conditioner, which is probably the most efficient RV AC system out there. 

The one installed in my RV is a more modern unit, as well. It is a 13,500 BTU unit that utilizes soft start technology to reduce consumption. 

As demand for better and more modern AC units increases, RV AC manufacturers will follow through with better solutions. We’re starting to see this now. And reducing the demand will change the game further. 

Mastervolt

The heart of this Power Package system comes from a company called Mastervolt, which you will have heard of if you’re a sailboat aficionado. Mastervolt has been building systems for sailboats since 2008. The company has established a reputation for building systems that are really well-integrated and well-designed, as they would have to be. There is no towing service when you’re 100 miles offshore, so these systems have to work well. 

The company not only makes the big battery that is the core of this package but also the inverter, the shunts, the charge controller and all of that. The one thing that comes from others is the solar panels, and those are Go Power! panels. My trailer has four 190-watt panels on the roof, but the production models will have five 200-watt panels. 

Yes, I’m jealous. 

It’s not just Rockwood

In fact, Mastervolt has announced partnerships with a number of RV makers. I’ve written about the Thor Sequence Class B that has the Mastervolt system. You can also get a system similar to what I have in select NoBo trailers as well. 

And our own Mike Sokol has been testing a Rockwood Geo Pro trailer with a smaller Mastervolt system aboard. These have been available to order for about a year. There are more than a few in the various Geo Pro and ePro forums that I troll where folks have had good experiences with them. 

I have also raved about the Winnebago Micro Minnie 2018DS with the FLX package. My friend Robert Morales, aka Traveling Robert, was beta testing a prototype of this system and loved it. I can understand why. 

It’s not just Mastervolt

Mastervolt isn’t the only company that is making more advanced lithium and solar packages available to customers. I have very often written about the Keystone SolarFlex system, as well. 

Keystone’s SolarFlex package is standard on all their trailers, with the base system coming in with 200 watts of solar on the roof. From there, there are various upgrade pathways to systems with up to 1200 watts of solar on the roof. 

Keystone’s system is differently integrated than the Mastervolt system. But the company has partnered with Battle Born/Dragonfly battery company and uses off-the-shelf components to create a variety of solar solutions for models in their lineup. Keystone’s system is scalable, which is a plus. It is also available on all their trailers, but the fully capable system is limited to some of their larger models. 

Still, it’s a great solution, too, if not a bit different than what I have. 

In summary

The style of camping I do is something that is happening more and more as RV parks become more crowded. I don’t like spending a premium on camping and then being so close to a neighbor that whatever they’re watching on TV comes into my camper. 

With options like BLM land, Harvest Hosts, Boondockers Welcome and other similar services, I can save a lot of money on camping. But the better thing is that I can open the door to better experiences. And more different experiences. 

I’ve never been to a campground where I go for a ride in a vintage fire truck nor one where I can walk among the alpacas. There are certainly nice places out there, but not having to seek them out and pay the price has a tremendous value to me. 

Plus, when I do want to run the microwave or charge my laptop or even run the air conditioner, I’m doing it silently and without having to find gasoline.

The Mastervolt Power Package isn’t for everybody, but it does open the door for people who appreciate this kind of experience. And the systems are only getting better and more reliable. 

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