This is Wild’s Van Upgrade is Powered by Battle Born Batteries!

Click here to learn more about Logan and David of This is Wild and how they use Battle Born Batteries to power their recent van upgrade.

November 01, 2021

It’s no secret at Battle Born Batteries that helping people get out there and stay out there is our mission. We love it when other entrepreneurs have a similar goal in mind, which is why this week we’re highlighting Logan Barbosa and David Snow of This is Wild. Together, the two enjoy content creation and living the nomadic lifestyle.

Meet David and Logan:

David is a designer who focuses on creating enriching experiences through art and loves to spend time outdoors. As an entrepreneur, Logan is focused on building a business that allows her to create the best home and do it in an eco- and budget-friendly way. Together, the two created their van conversion business to help other people live the nomadic lifestyle in a home on wheels. In addition to This is Wild, Logan is the social media coordinator for the popular Instagram account Van Clans, and David is the videographer and editor. Together, they film tours of the homes on wheels of people across the country. “We both truly love what we do and being able to meet people on the road has been great,” said David. “We’ve both definitely been in roles where we don’t really like the job and were in it for the paycheck, so this has been a nice change of pace.” Davis and Logan posed in front of their yellow van while David holds their dog

Davis and Logan posed in front of their yellow van while David holds their dog

Before upgrading the components, David and Logan were running 100 amp hours of deep-cycle AGM dry cell batteries, 200 watts of solar, an EpEver MPPT 20A solar charge controller, and a Renogy 2000W 12V pure sine wave inverter. Their overall goal was to double the solar for their laptop usage and camera equipment. Now they’re able to comfortably power it all! “When it was just me in the van, I was draining them up so easily,” said Logan. “Having both of us in there has been a game-changer and having batteries to do that without constantly needing to be topped off has been great.” Here’s what Logan and David are running in their 2006 Dodge Sprinter Van, nicknamed “Frankie”: 5 - BB10012 Battle Born Batteries 1 - Battery Isolation Manager 1 - BMV 712 1 - 100/50 SmartSolar Charge Controller MPPT 1 – Victron Smart Dongle 1 - 3000W Multiplus Inverter/Charger Their van has a moderately sized garage area to house the batteries in, approximately 2.25 feet by 5 feet. What are the power draws for This is Wild? Let’s take a quick look!

Item Make/Model and Quantity	Voltage	Watts/Amps	Daily Usage
12 LED Lights	12V	165mA	5 hours
50L Waeco Coolmatic CF Fridge	12V	7A	24 hours
Espar D2L Diesel Heater	12V	Off: 4W Minimum draw: 6W Maximum draw: 31W	24 hours in winter season
Flow Max water pump	12V	9.5A	30 minutes
Fantastic Air Fan	12V	High: 3.3A Low: 1.5 A	4 hours
SunnyTrip Quick Charge USB Outlet	12 input, 5V output	3A	8 hours
Genuine Marine RV Reading Light with USB Port	12V	Light: 250mAh USB: 5V/2A	2 hours
2 2013 Macbook Pro laptops	120vAC	85W max	8 hours
2 iPhones	5V each	2.4A and 3.6A	8 hours charging
Vankyo Projector 1080p	120V	50W	2 hours at 4 times a week
DJI Mavic Drone and Batteries	12V	3500mAh capacity	4 hours once a week, and typically charged through inverter with battery charger
Ninja blender, 1,500 watts	12V	1 Ah Max	Less than 15 mins/ day

Built with long-term adventures and full-time living in mind, David and Logan don’t have to wake up in the middle of the night to check the battery voltage anymore, although David jokes that he does it sometimes because he loves all things technical. They don’t use more than ten percent of their battery bank’s capability a day unless they working on and charging their laptops or camera equipment. The two tested out their system on a month-long trip to British Columbia earlier this year, networking and filming content for Van Clans. David said that the battery system worked excellently, and they were quickly able to work out any kinks that might have hindered future trips. The van builders they’ve met were constantly impressed by David and Logan’s LiFePO4 battery systems and admit that many hadn’t seen anything like it. Battle Born Battery bank inside van compartment

Battle Born Battery bank inside van compartment

“If we would have gone to British Columbia with our previous system we would have ended up in a lot of binds and staying in a lot of hotels,” he noted. “It’s been perfect, we had two technical issues on our end that we were able to quickly resolve.” Logan, David and their dog inside of their van

Logan, David and their dog inside of their van

Want to incorporate a similar system to David and Logan’s in your van? Our Battle Born Energy van 600 amp hour kit is available. It’s the perfect power boost for your system and allows you to run everything you need. To sweeten the deal, each of the components come pre-programmed.

What’s Next for This is Wild?

Currently, David and Logan are preparing for the snow along with their life on their new 100 acre off-grid property, with amenities like a wash house and mini shop. Also, they love it when their fellow van life friends stop by and record tours to make connections that way. Their goal of building a stationary van conversion shop is on track for early spring. “I’ve known I wanted to live in a van since I was sixteen years old and saved up since then to make it happen, and now I’m here doing it! It’s a great feeling,” Logan said. Follow This is Wild on their Instagram and YouTube!