About John and Patty Tracey

John and Patty Tracey are full-time RVers who have been traveling around the country in RVs for many years. They both enjoy an active lifestyle.

John is interested in electronics and power systems. Over the years, he has upgraded the power systems in their multiple RVs to be increasingly more advanced using solar panels, lithium batteries, and inverters. He enjoys sharing his knowledge by writing articles to help other RVers improve and understand their RV power systems. He is also into photography, using Nikon cameras. In his free time he plays the ukulele.

Due to some health issues, John is no longer able to do some of his past passions but enjoys the RV lifestyle with his wife Patty.

Patty is extremely outgoing and active. She enjoys making friends wherever they go. Some of her hobbies include playing pickleball, yoga, fitness workouts, and kayaking with John using their foldable Oru kayaks.

Both enjoy traveling around the country full-time in their RV and experiencing all the different places it takes them.

John was first introduced to LiTime batteries through YouTube reviews, which showed their high quality and affordability. He now recommends LiTime batteries after successfully using three of 300Ah batteries in his home power system. Let's take a look at their impressions of LiTime.

1.What were the biggest challenges you've faced living off-grid in a motorhome and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge living off grid is the weather.  Even with a power system as large as ours, having multiple days in a row of rain or full cloud cover can be difficult. On these days we do not recover from our solar panels, the energy we use. Each day we see our batteries’ state of charge get lower and lower. After a week of this weather we usually turn off our inverter at night. When the sun finally returns and begins feeding our solar panel again, our batteries restore back to full capacity in a few days. We need to be conscious not to use high energy appliances if the sun plans on hiding for days. 

2.How do you maintain your batteries to ensure they're performing at their best?

Lithium batteries require very little maintenance. In fact we leave all of that up to our charging systems and battery monitor. These complex, yet simple to use, electronic components keep the batteries from overcharging and over discharging. In a case where our batteries may run low, our battery monitor will trigger a system alarm to let me know. If the batteries actually reach their low limit, the internal Battery Monitoring System (BMS) will turn them off. I have my Victron Cerbo GX system connected to my StarLink satellite internet so I will get a warning even if I am not at the RV. This warning will come at my chosen, preset, low state of charge of 20%. 

3.Was there anything surprising or unexpected when setting up or installing your RV system?

When we decided to build our first RV power system centered around lithium batteries, I realized I had a steep learning curve ahead. I already had a high understanding of both RV and Residential electrical systems. I also know a lot about electronics and batteries.  However both solar and large lithium batteries were new to me. I had a lot to learn.  

I did a lot of research. I learned a lot.  I watched videos from multiple sources on YouTube. I read everything I could from every good website I could find. Will Prowse from DIY Solar / Mobile SolarPower and Nate Yarbrough from Explorist.Life. were both incredible resources. There were and still are some many other great wealths of knowledge out there. I guess I am joining their ranks as I have become a source of information for so many others who are progressing up to lithium batteries, solar and inverters. 

4.When did you first come across LiTime products or why did you choose LiTime?

My first introduction to LiTime batteries was by watching YouTube videos of battery tests done by Will Prowse. His tests were very thorough and he is quite entertaining. Back then LiTime was called Ampere Time.  His reviews and tests of their batteries were always showing they were high quality at a good price. This has not changed even through their rebranding. We ended up buying 3 300Ah batteries that we are running in parallel in our power system. This 900Ah battery system is the heart of our entire power system.  We have never been without power the entire time we have had a large battery bank. I consistently recommend LiTime to others.  If they were not available when I built our power system I would not have been able to afford to build the power system I really need. 

5.Looking back, is there anything you wish you'd known before embarking on this lifestyle on the road and what are the key lessons you've learned along the way?

Before we hit the road we were pretty well prepared. In fact, we lived in our RV in our yard for over a month just to be sure we had everything.  In fact on our travels we discovered that we only missed a few teaspoons and one larger cooking pot. We had our mailing address changed to our daughter's house. We talk almost every day so she would keep us informed. The biggest challenge with living on the move is keeping up with medical problems.  We have most of our prescriptions filled at Walmart because they are in every state. Our insurance includes travel so that really helps.  

Almost all the people we meet who is a full time or part time RVer are great people. This lifestyle seems to breed excellence and heartfulness in into its members.  

Traveling Light Reflections

When our 3 kids were between ages 9 -16 we took our first ever cross country trip. We spent 30 days on the road. Our goal was to see the country, be together and have fun. We set 3 rules to guide us on that first trip. No hotels, No fast-food and No driving at night. We spent those 30 days visiting a myriad of National Parks as well as other magical places in this great country. We did it all tent-camping out of our car.  It was a revolutionary trip for all of us in many ways.  Most importantly, it bred in us, a thirst to travel more and see more. 

Our dream to RV came true with our first 1986 Yellowstone Class C. This thing was run down a heap of junk and was scary to drive. It cost us a mere $3000.  It was a loud, heavy, gas-guzzler with no fuel gauge and dangerously poor mirrors. However, it showed us that we really loved to travel in an RV.

Many years, countless trips and 4 travel trailers later, our kids were grown and we looked forward to retirement and living full-time in our RV.  We had done so much but there was still so much to do and see.  We loved the RV life.  As school teachers, we would spend every summer traveling the country in an RV. Life in an RV is spectacular. It is this phenomenal place where the front yard changes with the days and weeks, but home is always where we are. 

The Good Things in Life

As we grew older we began to enjoy the creature comforts of home.  You know, the simple stuff like electricity, a coffee maker, the internet and of course, Netflix. In my younger years one of my hobbies was building and flying radio controlled model airplanes. This was back before lithium batteries were introduced and even before they became safe. However my interests with the hobby focused on converting or building electric models. The industry did not have the technology it does today so I would build my own batteries from cells in the configuration I needed. It did not take long for the world to catch up. Today we can buy an electric radio controlled, well almost anything, that is ready to fly as soon as you open the box. Well, needless to say, I have always had a high interest in electronics and power systems. So each RV I owned always had a modified power system.  Each increasingly more advanced.

RV life is not all fun and it is not just a vacation.  It is life with all of its obstacles and joys and revelations. It is a journey, as is life in itself.  We are glad to be here and to be able to take the ride.