Wolf Pup 18TO Black Label

Maticuno · 04-23-2019, 04:59 PM

Finally had a chance to take the new trailer out for a trip. Everything worked wonderfully, including the couple of mods I did. Even after reading, watching, and being told how quickly we'd go through the fresh water tank, I was still shocked when we ran dry 1.5 days into a 2 day trip.

**bikendan** · 04-23-2019, 05:39 PM

Yep, dry camping or boondocking takes some getting used to.
Especially water and battery power usage.

Maticuno · 04-23-2019, 06:00 PM

Battery power wasn't an issue. The inverter only ran the coffee maker in the morning, and tv in the evening. The solar briefcase I built topped us off within an hour or two.

tom39 · 04-23-2019, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikendan

Yep, dry camping or boondocking takes some getting used to.
Especially water and battery power usage.

It absolutely does take some getting used to. Probably the 1st boondocking trip my DW and I took we ran out of water within the 1st 24hrs of a 4 day trip. Spent the next few hours the 2nd day finding water jugs and transporting water. Not how we wanted to spend our time but it proved to be a good lesson and learning experience.
My DW and I are still is not a fan of water conservation showers but we have adapted and learned to make it work.

**bikendan** · 04-23-2019, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maticuno

Battery power wasn't an issue. The inverter only ran the coffee maker in the morning, and tv in the evening. The solar briefcase I built topped us off within an hour or two.

I was speaking generally. Those are the 2 things most newbies to dry camping/boondocking, have difficulty with.

2thdr · 04-23-2019, 06:38 PM

Would you like to share your build list for your solar?

Maticuno · 04-23-2019, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikendan

I was speaking generally. Those are the 2 things most newbies to dry camping/boondocking, have difficulty with.

Before the next trip, I'm going to make a filler hose attachment for my two 5 gallon water cans and pick up a portable waste water tote. Between that and using more disposable dishes, I should be able to get another couple days out of the system.

Maticuno · 04-23-2019, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2thdr

Would you like to share your build list for your solar?

Except for the aluminum channel I used for the pop out legs, it's all leftover or scavenge from other projects (I used to live off-grid solar).

2 X 100W Renogy Panels
1 X Trace 40A PWM Charge Controller
25' 10/2 outdoor low voltage lighting wire

The panels are pretty old and have some visible burns between some of the grids, but I was still getting about 130W at peak charge.

2thdr · 04-23-2019, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maticuno

Except for the aluminum channel I used for the pop out legs, it's all leftover or scavenge from other projects (I used to live off-grid solar).

2 X 100W Renogy Panels
1 X Trace 40A PWM Charge Controller
25' 10/2 outdoor low voltage lighting wire

The panels are pretty old and have some visible burns between some of the grids, but I was still getting about 130W at peak charge.

About how many Amp-hours is your battery capacity? Are they 12V lead acid? Are your solar panels 12V or 24V? Thanks.

Maticuno · 04-23-2019, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2thdr

About how many Amp-hours is your battery capacity? Are they 12V lead acid? Are your solar panels 12V or 24V? Thanks.

176Ah between the two 12V lead acid Interstate batteries. The panels are 12V.

2thdr · 04-24-2019, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maticuno

176Ah between the two 12V lead acid Interstate batteries. The panels are 12V.

Thanks so much. I am trying to get my head around what I am going to do. I think a portable "briefcase" to start. The two 100W panels seem huge but anything less than 200W seems like a waste of money. An article I read said to go with 24V and an MPPT controller for better efficiency and ability to use smaller gauge wire, but that may be old information. Just going to use my two flooded 12V deep cycle batteries for now with plans to upgrade to 6V later.

Maticuno · 04-24-2019, 05:08 PM

An MPPT charge controller hooked to higher voltage panels than the battery is definitely the way to go. Even my two 12V panels I could have wired in series to make one 24V panel, but the spare MPPT controller I have is too big to fit inside the "briefcase" I made. I may upgrade this later if necessary, but at the moment, I'm not using enough battery power to warrant further efficiency upgrades.

2thdr · 04-24-2019, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maticuno

An MPPT charge controller hooked to higher voltage panels than the battery is definitely the way to go. Even my two 12V panels I could have wired in series to make one 24V panel, but the spare MPPT controller I have is too big to fit inside the "briefcase" I made. I may upgrade this later if necessary, but at the moment, I'm not using enough battery power to warrant further efficiency upgrades.

I was thinking about wiring the MPPT controller between the external port already on the side of my trailer and the batteries, mounting it inside my front storage space. I probably also want to put a monitor in the circuit as well.

Maticuno · 04-24-2019, 09:23 PM

If I needed more power, that was going to be the plan for me. You just have to keep venting in mind. Under full power, those charge controllers can generate a fair amount of heat.

2016Pup · 04-26-2019, 02:31 PM

Any more pics of the trailer, especially the slide out? I didn't know the black labels had a slide out....

Maticuno · 04-26-2019, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2016Pup

Any more pics of the trailer, especially the slide out? I didn't know the black labels had a slide out....

I think only the 18TO and 16PF have a slide. With the hide-a-bunk behind the sleeper sofa, it actually sleeps all 6 of us.

2016Pup · 04-29-2019, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maticuno

I think only the 18TO and 16PF have a slide. With the hide-a-bunk behind the sleeper sofa, it actually sleeps all 6 of us.

Wow, I really like that layout and the ability to have a couch and still have a sort of bunk setup. What I would give to have a 4 person table too......Nice!

Maticuno · 07-01-2019, 11:47 PM

In the process of ridding the cabinets of a mouse, I discovered that the block out plates under the sink weren't really hiding much, if any mechanical. So I took them out, reused parts of them, and built a raised shelf over the mechanical that is under there. I more than doubled the useable cabinet space. I'll get around to staining the new wood once we get back from the next trip.

2thdr · 07-02-2019, 09:13 AM

Very nice!

Boomerweps · 07-02-2019, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maticuno

In the process of ridding the cabinets of a mouse, I discovered that the block out plates under the sink weren't really hiding much, if any mechanical. So I took them out, reused parts of them, and built a raised shelf over the mechanical that is under there. I more than doubled the useable cabinet space. I'll get around to staining the new wood once we get back from the next trip.

I discovered the same thing in ALL the cabinets that have panels to hide plumbing and power/antenna cables. Haphazardly slapped in to block a view, no consideration of wasted storage space. Took them all out and cut them for tighter fit greatly adding storage space. Even the panels under the forward bed hiding the water heater and pump were put in at a space wasting angle.

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