What do you use that generator for?

[steamboatscott]

I’m sitting at a remote BLM camping area listening to 3 people run their generators into the night after having already ran them all day. Temps are not warm enough to need AC. So, I have to ask the generator users: what do you all need that much power for?

My family uses the electricity fairly liberally, at least in a traditional definition of “camping” (no cell booster, no TV, etc). We can easily go 3-4 nights without dipping the dual 6 volt battery system below 50%. And when we need more power, our $250 suitcase solar charger is both cheaper and quieter than a generator.

I seriously don’t understand why so many people need a generator.

I am even more confused as to why people want to drive out into the boondocks to listen to a generator all day long. It’s loud enough at my site, I can’t imagine how loud it is when the engine is right next to your camper.

What am I missing?

[Jay2504]

Is it warm enough to need/use the AC? Jay

[AbdRahim]

Run it most of the night at truckstops.

[steamboatscott]

Originally Posted by Jay2504

Is it warm enough to need/use the AC? Jay

Nope. I edited my original post to clarify.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by steamboatscott

Nope. I edited my original post to clarify.

We primarily dry camping. So we use our 54db Honda 2000i inverter generator for a couple of hours each day to recharge the battery. Also to run the microwave once or twice a day. The furnace is the biggest drain on the battery. So the 2 hours a day is to replenish battery power used.
I also don't understand the need to constantly run the generator all day, unless you need to run the a/c.

[dward51]

If it was cool they may be running electric heaters instead of the LP furnace? Gas for genny is easy to come by in the boonies, but not so much for refilling an LP tank (at least not always).

Or they could be trying to make up for that poorly maintained and old single 12v battery they have that barely holds any charge.

[NMWildcat]

There are as many answers as folks who use generators. They might have medical equipment, they might watch TV constantly, they might like the white noise of a generator, they might do it just to piss you off. All we can do is guess unless you go talk to them.
We are at NASCAR and one neighbor about three rigs away was running his 24/7 and we were curious so went to talk to him. Turns out this is their first trip and don't know much about any aspect of RVing. W/O the generator, nothing worked in their RV, so they thought they had to run it constantly. They didn't realize the battery cutoff was employed. So now we have new friends with lots of questions

[MtBiker]

Far to many believe that they need to their batteries to 100% every time they charge. Getting your batteries charged over 90% is just a waste of fuel and annoying.
Charge em up to 100% when you have show power.

[frank4711]

we do not boondock .... we have travel days when driving to distant campgrounds we stop and sleep at truck stop or rest area and run Predator for AC ... opinions on temp and when AC is needed vary here in Fl there is not a single month when we do not need AC at some point ... what was the temp at the site and humidity?

[tomkatb]

I think likely Lack of knowledge!

Too many do not know why a trailer comes with a cheap battery, brakes, far from enough to boondock in most cases.

Can’t do the math.

The dominance of rv’s with residential fridges maybe. The majority of rv’s they say have these fridges.

We do not boondock but, can go three days off the power. With a cpap!

[NJKris]

I chalk it up to ignorance. There are people who are just clueless how annoying they are to other people, whether is their engine noise, their stupid dogs that bark all the time, or their lack of volume control on their mouths.

[Oldbears]

I think some of them need all that power so they can blare their music all day, and leave their porch lights on all night.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by MtBiker

Far to many believe that they need to their batteries to 100% every time they charge. Getting your batteries charged over 90% is just a waste of fuel and annoying.
Charge em up to 100% when you have show power.

This assumes that their batteries will actually deliver their advertised power when fully charged.

More than just a few times I've encountered people that have to start their generators shortly after they arrive because their batteries are old or poorly maintained.

The worst offenders in my experience are those with the large class A's and it doesn't matter if they need A/C or not.

[HangDiver]

Originally Posted by steamboatscott

I’m sitting at a remote BLM camping area listening to 3 people run their generators into the night after having already ran them all day. Temps are not warm enough to need AC. So, I have to ask the generator users: what do you all need that much power for?

My family uses the electricity fairly liberally, at least in a traditional definition of “camping” (no cell booster, no TV, etc). We can easily go 3-4 nights without dipping the dual 6 volt battery system below 50%. And when we need more power, our $250 suitcase solar charger is both cheaper and quieter than a generator.

I seriously don’t understand why so many people need a generator.

I am even more confused as to why people want to drive out into the boondocks to listen to a generator all day long. It’s loud enough at my site, I can’t imagine how loud it is when the engine is right next to your camper.

What am I missing?

Your idea of camping and mine are the same, but others have young children or family members that might need their TVs, hair dryers, air conditioners, etc., in order to participate in family outings.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by HangDiver

Your idea of camping and mine are the same, but others have young children or family members that might need their TVs, hair dryers, air conditioners, etc., in order to participate in family outings.

My how things have changed. When I was still a young child we just went camping. Usually in a tent but sometimes with a friend who had a travel trailer. TV? A/C? Hair Dryers? Didn't have them at home so they didn't get taken along.

Travel trailer had a hand pump for water in the kitchen sink, a porta-potty that had to be emptied by hauling the base to a dump station, and lights at night came from a propane lamp (with coleman mantle).

Heat on cool nights came from 6 people and a couple of dogs in the small trailer.

People really don't "Camp" anymore, they just bring their hotel room with them.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by steamboatscott

I am even more confused as to why people want to drive out into the boondocks to listen to a generator all day long. It’s loud enough at my site, I can’t imagine how loud it is when the engine is right next to your camper.

What am I missing?

With all respects, many people view a running generator that they can hear just like non-smokers view smokers that they can see.

Just hearing the generator at all triggers the same emotion that a non-smoker might have by just seeing the smoke.

When I was at Quartzsite last January I could "hear" generators all around but as for the volume? Was only enough to hear but if I'd had the radio on outside the generators would have not even been noticeable.

Now the dude who was parked next to me in an RV park in his Monaco Signature running his main engine for hours is a whole different story. Apparently his A/C was broken and he wanted to cool down the coach using the dash air. Good thing I was just stopped for the night and not staying.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

People really don't "Camp" anymore, they just bring their hotel room with them.

x2

About the only time we use our generator is to 'exercise it' or use the a/c while we have lunch in the rig while traveling.

However, if we were boondocking and wanted to watch the television which is 110, we'd have to use the generator and to top off the batteries. At the Balloon Fest, the fumes and noise from all the generators was most annoying.

[NMWildcat]

Most of y'all would never survive NASCAR camping. Life's too short to always be annoyed by trivial stuff.

[Flywithlloyd]

The only time that I dry camp is when I'm at one of the "motorcycle parties" (Wetzelland, June Bug Boogie, etc). And, I run that generator 22.5 hours out of the day.

Nobody cares. Everybody is too drunk, or distracted by he nudity. [emoji2379]

[BarabooBob]

I run mine to charge the battery for about an hour if the furnace was used much overnight. While I was at Glacier, I noticed the guy next to me using his Champion to charge his TT vehicle off of the 12 volt output. I informed me that the 12 volt put out a very low amount of power and that they would get more of a charge connecting the TT cord to the gen with a 30/20 adapter. They proceeded to tell me that the salesman told them to do it their way. I didn't argue.