Full-Time Camper Tour: My 2023 inTech Sol Dawn Rover Setup
I live full-time in this camper and tow it behind a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. Here's the full tour: the rig, the off-grid setup, the full bathroom that's actually inside it, and what it's genuinely like to live in.
Some links below are affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.
The setup at a glance
Spec | Detail |
Camper | 2023 inTech Sol Dawn Rover |
Dry weight | 2,700 lbs |
Tow vehicle | 2018 Jeep Wrangler, 3,500 lb max tow capacity |
Towing mileage | Around 12 mpg |
Construction | Aluminum frame and body with a fiberglass cap |
Rover package | Extra 3 inches of clearance, off-road tires |
Fresh water | 23 gallons, lasts me a week or two |
Waste | 28 gallon combined gray and black tank |
Water heater | 6 gallon, runs on electric or gas |
Propane | Two 20 lb tanks |
Roof solar | Four flexible panels, around 400W actual |
Air conditioning | Dometic Penguin, about 13,500 BTU |
Furnace | About 15,000 BTU |
Why tow with a Jeep Wrangler?
Honestly? I love this Jeep and I've had it a long time. When I decided to get a camper, I didn't want to give the Jeep up, and that shaped the whole decision.
Max tow capacity is 3,500 lbs and the camper is 2,700 lbs dry, so I can't load it heavy without creeping up on that limit. But it does the job and towing has been a breeze.
Mileage took a hit, obviously. I get around 12 mpg. For reference, with a rooftop tent on it I got 13, so it wasn't an extreme drop. Twelve miles per gallon while carrying your entire home around isn't the worst thing in the world.
The real advantage of a travel trailer
You can drop it. That's the whole thing.
Last week I was up near Mount Katahdin in Millinocket, Maine, and I couldn't bring the camper into the park. So I left it outside, took the Jeep in, and ground-tent camped instead. If I can't take the camper somewhere, the Jeep goes alone, and it's fully built out for that with a sleeping platform and a kitchen.
On the Jeep I run a Thule cargo box on the roof, which holds my paddle board, a ladder, and a lot of utility gear. Storage is scarce in a space this small, so that box made a real difference. There's a side step so I can actually reach it, and a MorRyde trail kitchen drawer in the back.
I also put airbags in the suspension, running around 30 PSI, and I never really get sag in the back.
Outside the camper
Why it's so light
Aluminum frame, aluminum body, fiberglass cap. That's the whole trick. Fiberglass builds are also coveted among camper people and tend to hold their value.
The Rover package adds 3 inches of clearance and off-road tires, and I've been doing a lot of off-roading with this setup. It's handled it like a champ, and I'm genuinely impressed by how capable it is.
The window that sold me
The big front window is one of the main reasons I bought this camper. It's a massive view of whatever you're parked in front of. Combined with the windows all the way around and the tilt-forward design, the inside feels much larger and gets a huge amount of natural light. It's basically a fishbowl in the best way. During the day you can't see in.
Everything else on the exterior
Manual crank awning. I haven't used it a ton, but on sunny days it matters
Exterior storage for leveling blocks, electrical cables, water gear, tools
Two AC outlets and an exterior porch light, which is a bigger deal than it sounds when it's genuinely dark
Screen door and blackout shade on the entry
**Haloview backup camera** with a 7-inch dash screen and integrated TPMS reading all four Jeep tires plus the trailer. I travel solo, and I honestly don't know how people back trailers without one
Solar input for a 400W portable Sunchaser panel, useful when the sun is low and angled
A coax jack, which is completely useless to me since I use Starlink
30 amp electrical input, gravity fill, water heater
Outdoor shower, which I mostly use for cleaning gear rather than showering. Not bringing dirty things inside makes all the difference
Roof solar
I started with two 200W flexible panels and quickly added two more. All in it pulls around 400 watts.
People say flexible panels don't dissipate heat well and don't last forever. Fair. But I've never owned a solar panel that lasted forever either, so if I'm replacing them in five years, that's fine. They use CIGS technology, and whatever the inner workings, they pull well on cloudy days. This morning was overcast and I was still getting at least 100 watts across all four.
Inside the camper
It's open concept. Foyer, kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, all one space. Minimizes cleaning.
Kitchen
Let's be honest: I make coffee here and occasionally the most basic meals imaginable. I cook outside as much as I can to keep the mess out.
Two-burner Dometic stove. A 23 gallon fresh water tank that I go through in a week or two with showering, dishes, and daily use. The 28 gallon combined tank also lasts a week or two, and emptying takes about ten minutes. People are dramatic about emptying black tanks. It's easy.
The 6 gallon water heater runs on electric or gas. On full hookups I use electric. Off-grid it's propane, which saves a little.
One thing people will find ridiculous: I use a Pelican camera divider system for mugs. I wanted to bring real mugs on the road, including my Filson mug with the moose on it, and I didn't want to worry about them cracking. The padding solves it. Same case holds plastic wine glasses and my AeroPress.
Everything in the camper has magnets on the cabinet backs, so nothing opens in transit.
Lighting and sound
Nobody likes the big overhead lights. Same as at home. I keep them off unless I'm cleaning or working, and run the strip lights instead. There are blue cabinet accent lights across the whole camper too, which I rarely use but look pretty good if friends are over.
There's a speaker system throughout that connects to the TV and Bluetooth. It sounds great. No exterior speakers, which is annoying.
The bathroom
It's a wet bath, with the same style sealing door as the exterior entry. I thought I'd hate a wet bath. I don't. It dries relatively quickly and you can still use the toilet normally. Full-size mirror by the door, exhaust fan, and a decent shower.
Having a bathroom literally anywhere you park is the single biggest quality-of-life upgrade in here.
Climate and moisture
Dry bags throughout to pull moisture out of the air. Critical in winter, and I've had them out all week with the rain
MaxxAir fan with a water sensor that auto-closes in rain. I run vent covers so I can keep it going even while it's raining, which keeps moisture down and air moving
Dometic Penguin AC, around 13,500 BTU. Overkill for this space, and I can only really run it on shore power because it pulls too much off the inverter. It gets this place genuinely cold
Furnace, about 15,000 BTU. I've used it all week with temps under 30. It's loud enough that you have to get used to sleeping with it, but it makes the space toasty. I felt bad looking out at friends in tents while I sat in here like a castle
Storage, honestly
Not a ton. I wish there were more cabinets instead of cubbies, because I've never figured out the right way to organize the cubbies. Right now I've got protein powder next to books, underwear and socks and toiletries in the same neighborhood. The actual cabinets are great and stay shut while driving.
The big storage compartment holds my Starlink, and this is the hidden hack: the signal goes straight through the fiberglass roof. I get around 250 Mbps with the dish sitting inside, powered off the battery. Nobody can steal it and weather never touches it.
Living room and bed layouts
The table in the center is fully removable. A couple of people have said it's in the way, but I need a table, especially when I'm editing. I'll probably upgrade it to real wood.
The bed has a few configurations. From the factory it's a large bench wrapping the space, which I did like, but I needed the storage underneath. There's an extension piece that pulls the bed out to roughly a queen. You can add another piece to make one enormous bed, but at that point the entire camper is a bed, so I didn't bother. You can also split it into two twins on either side.
Also in here: a TV I didn't think I'd use and now run constantly for background ambience, a converted Coleman lamp that used to be gas and is now electric, and a cowboy hat that goes everywhere with me.
The fridge
Three-way, so it runs on AC shore power, 12V DC, or propane. I run propane almost always, since I'm usually boondocking, and it's genuinely efficient. On battery it eats far too much power, so that's shore-power-only.
Two 20 lb propane tanks handle the grill, the furnace, and the fridge, and that'll run the fridge over a month if I'm not opening it constantly.
There's a latch to keep it shut in transit. I can report that a full dozen eggs once came out of it onto my feet, which in this economy was treacherous.
What full-time living in it is actually like
The thing I've optimized hardest for is not having to break anything down before I move. I've been switching campsites nearly every night, so I keep the amount of loose stuff to almost nothing. Even bouncing down a rough road, nothing goes flying, because there's nothing to fly.
A couple weeks ago I was sitting at that table editing a video and a moose walked past the window about 15 yards out. That's when I knew buying this thing was the right call.
The whole point was to be outside more. With this many windows, being inside still sort of feels like being outside.
FAQ
What camper is this?
A 2023 inTech Sol Dawn Rover, 2,700 lbs dry, with the Rover package for extra clearance and off-road tires.
Can a Jeep Wrangler tow a camper?
Mine does. A 2018 Wrangler has a 3,500 lb max tow capacity and this camper is 2,700 lbs dry, so it works but doesn't leave much margin for loading it heavy. Expect around 12 mpg.
Does the camper have a bathroom?
Yes, a full wet bath with a shower, toilet, exhaust fan, and a sealing door. It dries fast enough that the wet bath hasn't bothered me.
How long do the tanks last?
Roughly a week or two for both the 23 gallon fresh tank and the 28 gallon combined waste tank, with daily use including showers.
Does Starlink work inside a fiberglass camper?
Yes. Mine sits in an interior storage compartment and the signal goes right through the roof at around 250 Mbps. It stays hidden and out of the weather.
How much solar do you run?
Four flexible roof panels totaling around 400 watts actual output, plus a 400W portable Sunchaser panel I plug into the side input.
Final thoughts
It's small, it's filthy most of the time, and the cubbies still defeat me. But it's capable off-road, it's warm at 30 degrees, it has a real bathroom, and I can park it somewhere with a view and work all day.
I'll see you out there on the road.
Related:
Book a 1-on-1 with me if you're planning your own build.
The rest of my gear
Everything else I use on the road, straight from this video’s description. These are affiliate links, so buying through them supports the channel at no extra cost to you.
Comments