Thanks, folks!
Boy, I cannot believe how much gas those little generators use. It sounds like my van at idle does not use much more, maybe not any more. I do not have an accurate count on how much it is using -- but it looks like about 1/2 gallon for 2-4 hours.
As for SOC and how do I know: I ran the same loads on multiple days, and charged till the charger shut off. This was 3x faster when I charged by plugging into the wall. Surprised me!
If money was not an issue, I would get everything: genny, solar, more batteries, fat wire to alternator, PSW inverter... but all that would cost me about what I bought the van for, and I have had a lot of expenses this year. I'm looking at my usage patterns, and what will give me the most bang for the buck.
