Dry Camping and Battery Charging

[LongWayRound]

Originally Posted by bikendan

So, you're saying that you're going to close up the tent ends, raise the stabilizers, roll up the awning, rehitch the trailer, take out the chocks and the reverse the whole process AT LEAST TWICE, just to dump the tanks and refill the FW tank?

For just the two of us, using water conservation, a 7 day trip would require us to dump the gray tank a minimum of two times and also refill the FW tank twice.
We take a 6 gallon water can to refill the tank and our 15 gallon tote tank to dump excess gray water. We can easily go 7 days without needing to dump the black tank.

So we never have to break camp just to get water or dump tanks.

I think you need to reconsider your water/holding tank strategy.

Well, when you put it like that, I see the purchase of a tote in the very near future. Thanks for the tip!

[joinco70]

Oh my gosh, I am learning so much from this group! Sorry to jump in, but I am waiting for our 23WS to arrive and trying to learn all I can in the meantime. I am going to be dry camping a lot with our three girls, and my husband will join us when he can, so I have a lot to figure out having never spent a night in an RV before! Is this the type of tote I would want to get?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004TO...rds=water+tote

Thanks so much in advance!

[LongWayRound]

Originally Posted by joinco70

Oh my gosh, I am learning so much from this group! Sorry to jump in, but I am waiting for our 23WS to arrive and trying to learn all I can in the meantime. I am going to be dry camping a lot with our three girls, and my husband will join us when he can, so I have a lot to figure out having never spent a night in an RV before! Is this the type of tote I would want to get?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004TO...rds=water+tote

Thanks so much in advance!

I just went to Amazon and ordered one. I noticed one that was "used" for about $25 off. When I read the fine print it was brand new and in perfect order, just had damaged packaging. Not sure if there are any others. I quit looking when I bought that one. Good luck!

[bikendan]

Here's a list of what we find necessary for our dry camping or boondocking:
1. Honda 2000i
2. Barker 15 gallon blue tote tank
3. 6 gallon water plastic jerry can
4. 400w inverter wired directly to batteries, for tv, DVD player and charging electronic devices
5. Two 12v or 6v deep cycle batteries
6. PUGS and Reflectix for the tent ends
7. Battery disconnect switch to prevent parasitic power drains while gone
8. Oxygenics Body Spa shower head

We only use the tote tank for gray water, not black water. You'll fill your gray tank way faster than the black tank. We can go 2 weeks easy before getting close to filling the black tank.
But the two of us can fill the gray tank in just a few days.
Even with water conservation.

[joinco70]

Thank you so much for this info! I don't understand what all of it means, but I will soon!

[Bluepill]

Regarding TV: I use a 17" screen Windows laptop with an internal DVD drive. It will run up to 5 hours on a charge, which means two movies between charging cycles. It gets charged via it's normal 120 volt external power brick when I run the generator.

Another advantage is that I can listen with earphones, which gives the wife a chance to snooze.

Of course, it gets used for internet also, so that's double duty.

[Archicamper]

Depending on your tow vehicle and how much you dry camp you may consider a stand alone propane heater like the Mr. Heater and save the weight of another battery adding to the tongue weight of your camper.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Archicamper

Depending on your tow vehicle and how much you dry camp you may consider a stand alone propane heater like the Mr. Heater and save the weight of another battery adding to the tongue weight of your camper.

You will need to figure in the weight of an extra 20 pound propane bottle. There is a 10 pound size, but they weigh (empty) only a few pounds less than the larger 20 pound (empty) and you can carry twice the propane.

Ventilation is also a factor with the Mr. Heater. They say they can be used inside a tent, but they still produce significant amounts of Carbon Monoxide so their use inside an enclosed camper could be dangerous.

The Suburban camper propane heater vents the exhaust gasses to the outside of the camper and only recirculated camper air is heated (no carbon monoxide threat unless you have a combustion chamber burn-through (damaged heater).

The Mr. Heater localizes the heat causing the room with the heater to get very hot and the areas farthest away stays cold. The camper's heater is ducted so (while in no way perfect) the heat gets distributed better for the same amount of propane burned.

[mdstudey]

We just spent 8 nights on full hook up. When the GW tank filled I emptied it. So I know that we will really need to conserve. If we are dry camping we will use the toilet available (unless boondocking). If your little ones are to young to use the campground toilet, then maybe you and wife can to help with it filling up. Also be sure little one's use as little TP as possible. I know they can tend to use a lot. I am new at this as well, but I have learned a lot on this forum. I really miss the tent camping, but health issue requires me to move up to a TT. It is a lot easier on this old body. I think hubby is thinking the same thing. The blue totes seem to be pretty expensive and I have not figured out how to empty it. Do you need a pump and what hoses do you use with it?

[Herk7769]

You use your sewer hose and gravity at the dump station.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXpT-0ncj6Y

[mexicoinsuranceeb]

Originally Posted by LongWayRound

Rockwood Roo 19, 2016 model

We will be out for 7 nights, weather will be fairly cold, so heater will be on. No AC use anticipated. Other than that we will run the TV a tad and heat the mattresses at night.

My question is this: I have a 2,000 watt generator that I can run daily during generator hours.

1) Should I plug the shore power straight to the generator to charge the batteries, or should I get a battery charger and charge the battery from the charger that is powered by the generator. I understand the converter will charge that battery, but will it give it a high quality deep charge on a few hours of generator power?

2) Will a single (stock) 12V battery be enough to run the heater fan and the mattress heaters all night? I have little ones and I don't want to risk leaving them in the cold at 4am.

Many thanks in advance! Sorry if this is a silly question. Very new to this.

Not a silly question, I have (do) both just in case. It seems I help others more than myself with dead batteries. Always better to be prepared and the weight of the charger is minimal for the times it has helped.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by mdstudey

The blue totes seem to be pretty expensive and I have not figured out how to empty it. Do you need a pump and what hoses do you use with it?

We got our Barker 15 gallon tote tank for $25, on Craigslist.
As Herk said, you use the same hose you would at the FHU spot.
You do the same way you would do at the dump station.
Once hooked up, you raise the handle end.

I'm sure that there are YouTube videos on how to do it.

[jrmorris]

I have a Honda 2000 generator and have used on 3 different trailers. Plug shore power plug directly to generator. I have found that the time the generator is running, powering Wifes hair dryer, etc. that my batteries (I have 2) keep a good charge for what ever is needed at night.

[pdqparalegal1]

Pioneers kept warm with blankets and hides. Don't need electricity. Man up!!

[acadianbob]

Originally Posted by pdqparalegal1

Pioneers kept warm with blankets and hides. Don't need electricity.

Yes, 3 blankets and 2 dogs in our camper. It's cold at night in the Big Horns at 7,000 feet. We just do a burn in the morning to take the chill off; while running the 2000i to keep the batteries from drawing down. The furnace fan takes over 5 amps!

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

I don't have experience with generator charging of batteries, but I would suggest you get a 2nd battery and put it in parallel. Furnace can take down one battery in a night. Add the mattress heaters and I'm not sure even 2 batteries will do. Get some sleeping bags?

I'm sure others will chime in on charging and power use.

DITTO

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

The mattress heaters on my Roo 19 were 150 watts. If he runs both, that's 300 watts.

Now that I think about it, they run on 110VAC, so unless he uses an inverter, he can't use them anyway.

I am not sure of math done it my head these day but sounds like those bed heaters will kill two batteries without any help from the furnace.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Tom48

I am not sure of math done it my head these day but sounds like those bed heaters will kill two batteries without any help from the furnace.

Mattress heaters won't work on 12v DC.
They are 120v AC ONLY.
so they have no affect on battery power.