Bill Davidson wrote:

> Depends on how you value power Larry....
> for you it is not worth it...
> for me it is...
> I often camp in remote places for a week or two... no hook ups... totaly
> self contained... the sound of an engine like swearing in a cathedral...
> the solar panel alows me to not start the engine for two weeks and still
> have enough power to run my lap top, etc.... as much as I want...
> may people find spending $400 (and MUCH more) worth it just to make the van
> look good... certainly it is worth that for those of us who want silence and
> power in remote situations....

Bill,
Hey, whatever works for you! That's why Vanagon's have so many different engines
in them.
Unfortunately, most of the places a Westy can get to in the continental US, are
not cathedral quiet. I read a story a few weeks ago about a guy that records
nature sounds, and he said there are only three locations in the country that
are totally quiet, i.e., do not have unnatural sounds in the background. The
article gave the impression that those spots were a few square miles in size,
not like a county.
I live in Utah, which has some fairly remote areas, and I rarely have the kind
of quiet you describe. Same in Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, South
Dakota, and New Mexico. ATVs and snowmobiles everywhere.
I thought I had found a quiet spot in Utah's west desert once, until the two
F-16's came up the canyon no more than 100 meters off the ground, doing at least
400kts. That rather spoils the reverie!
Solar has it's uses, no doubt. If it fits your style, by all means use it. In my
van, the aux battery gets charged often enough through normal engine usage, and
used so little that solar offers me nothing but increased clutter. I like to
keep it as simple as possible.
Larry