Anyone else finding the Victron Orion TR Smart a bit overkill for a small van build?

Genuinely curious whether I'm overthinking this for my Transit Custom build. Running a fairly modest 100Ah Fogstar Drift LiFePO4 and a 40A MPPT from the roof panels, so the alternator charging is really just a backup or for winter top-ups when the sun disappears.

The 18A isolated DC-DC version feels like the sensible fit, but every time I go to pull the trigger I end up looking at the 30A and wondering if the extra headroom is worth it. Problem is the 30A almost doubles the cost and takes up noticeably more space behind the cab — space I genuinely don't have loads of.

Has anyone actually found themselves wishing they'd gone bigger after fitting the 18A? Or is that just GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) doing its usual damage? 😄

I did consider going non-isolated since the Transit's chassis is shared earth, but everything I've read suggests isolated is the safer long-term choice, especially if I ever want to adapt the setup for my next project — possibly a narrowboat conversion, so that's a whole different kettle of fish.

Would love to hear from people running smaller LiFePO4 banks — is the 18A genuinely enough for keeping things topped up on the move, or does it struggle if you're doing short runs rather than motorway miles?

@BorderCamper interesting question but I'd push back slightly. I ran a cheaper B2B charger on my narrowboat for about a season before switching to the Orion TR Smart, and the difference in how it talks to the rest of the Victron ecosystem was honestly worth the premium alone.

The thing people forget is that "modest" setups have a habit of growing. Your 100Ah Fogstar becomes 200Ah, your 40A MPPT gets a friend — suddenly that "overkill" charger is working exactly as hard as it should be.

That said, if you're genuinely certain you'll never expand and you're not already invested in the Victron GX world, the Sterling B2B units do a solid job for less money. No Bluetooth handholding though, which either bothers you or it doesn't.

@BorderCamper I'd say it depends on your use case honestly. The Orion TR Smart's big selling point for me was the Bluetooth monitoring and proper absorption/float profiles for lithium - if you're already watching your system closely via the MPPT app anyway, the overlap feels real. That said, for a 100Ah bank you're unlikely to ever pull the full 30A from it regularly, so you're paying for headroom you might rarely use. Have you looked at the Sterling B2B range? Slightly less polished app experience but solid reputation and often better value at lower amperages. The main thing I'd not compromise on is proper lithium charging profiles regardless of which unit you go with - a dumb DC-DC will genuinely shorten your Fogstar's lifespan over time.