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Old 06-07-2015, 05:34 PM   #1
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First Dry camping of the season

We spent a great weekend at Oak Bay Campground in New Brunswick. We decided to take an unserviced site for the first time. Overlooking the bay with a nice deck, the view was so worth it! Watched the tide come in and out from the bay ( oak bay is a little inlet off the Bay of Fundy which has the highest tides in the world). So, on our pop up we have 2-6v batteries with 235AH. And 1 20lbs propane tank. It was very cold both nights with frost warnings so the furnace ran non stop at night. Charged phones iPods and our Bluetooth speaker multiple times, ran the lights & water pump. We ran everything for two nights and barely put a dent in our power supply. We were quite impressed, after getting home and testing the batteries we were at 12.53v which is still about 93% can't wait to do it again!
What set up do you have to get you through a dry camping weekend?
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Old 06-07-2015, 06:27 PM   #2
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Wow! Beautiful view

It sounds like you're doing just fine. Everyone's power system requirements will be unique. It's only important that it works for YOU.. which it sounds like it does.

If anything, I would highly recommend looking into solar. When everything is right in the world it's much easier to maintain moderate energy usage. If you needed to extend your trip or hit rough weather your energy consumption could increase dramatically.

Yes.. you CAN use your TV to supply 12v, but fuel consumption and poor charging makes it more of an "emergency" power supply. And of course a genny is always an option.

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Old 06-07-2015, 06:52 PM   #3
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Thanks, it is a beautiful view, planning on going back many times lol..
Great idea, only wish we could get out on longer trips to make Solar panels worth buying right now, but we only do 2 to 3 day trips. (Work gets in the way of fun lol) If we ever get to take longer trips we do have a genny .Our set up works great, and I agree everyone's needs for power is different. We did take the time and did a lot of research to fit our needs before we even went out dry camping. Didn't want to go crawling back to the CG owner asking for a hookup lol.
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Old 06-08-2015, 02:42 PM   #4
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We set our A122 up for long weekends (max 4 days) of dry camping (just 2 of us plus small dog) in Colorado mountains. The camper came with dual propane installation, and has a 15 gal water tank, so battery was going to be the limiting factor.

After discussions with our rather knowledgeable dealer who pushed simple but less profitable solutions, we settled on 2 parallel size 24 12V marine (semi-deep cycle) batteries. Bigger batteries would not easily fit on existing battery rack space. No solar, no generator and their issues and costs to deal with. Either could be added later if we needed extended dry camping. So far, so good - but 4 days is max I would expect with 30 degree nights and 50 degree days.

Step 2 would be dual 6V golf cart batteries which would take us from 80AH useable to about 115 AH useable - really quite an increase.

I don't really want to lug a generator and gas and babysit the generator/batteries. And solar panels seem like an invitation to wind issues (the same reason we do not have a tent room or awning), not to mention keeping them out of the shade (we prefer shaded sites).

keeping it very simple and light so we camp often
Fred W
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Old 06-08-2015, 05:52 PM   #5
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Thanks for the reply pgandw! Sounds like you're set up well too! We have a Gen but don't take it with us because we know we have enough dc power to get us through a couple days no problem. If we ever do get a chance to hit the road for more time we would probably bring it along. Upgrading to the bigger AH batteries is a good idea, can never go wrong with more power
We love the wooded campsites with lots of shade too, will not camp out in the open again (did it once this year and hated it! Staring at a whole bunch of trailers is just not our thing) .. Our pop up came with the awning and screen room, used the awning but haven't tried the screen room yet, I'm sure when the bugs get thick we will be figuring out how it hooks up lol
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Old 06-08-2015, 07:37 PM   #6
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I had my 228BH set up by the dealer with two series 27 deep cycles, dual tanks and a lift to go places most trailers can't get too. I can run for a long time in cool weather, but I also carry a gen when dispersed camping; just in case. Not a lover of two 6-volts. If one goes bad, then you can't run anything on the trailer. At least with two 12-volts, if one goes bad you still have 12 volts to run the trailer.

When living in Moab and desert camping most of the time, solar would have been perfect; but never needed. Now that I am living in ID and camping primarily in pine tree campgrounds or dispersed areas, solar probably would not be a great idea. But solar is a viable alternative to those who camp in areas without many tall trees.
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Old 06-08-2015, 07:58 PM   #7
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Hi f5moab, good point about the 2 6v, have to keep that in mind if we decide to upgrade
Sounds like a good wilderness rig all lifted up! You can Get into a lot of remote places with that!
Happy camping!
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Old 06-09-2015, 04:40 PM   #8
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We've dry camped for greater than 7 days on only a single 12V deep cycle battery.......

Course we were camping...not luxuriating!

We had a propane stove and lantern....used the single patio light on our popup camper.....watched a wood fired campfire instead of a TV......carried hand LED flashlights and heated everynight with the furnace and blower. No problems...made the kids recharge their damned cell phones while driving to town, or at the single AC outlet next to the sink in the forest camp's bathroom.


Even though we now have this hybrid TT with Microwave, TV, entertainment center.....we still expect to be able the dry camp for a week or longer on the dual 6volts golf cart batteries we ordered.....more lights, but they are all LEDs, power awning and jack (but we won't use them daily!)

What I'm saying is keep using that hand cranked fishing reel I see in your picture. Enjoy the sights and sounds of your campfire, and the nature sounds around your campsite (not those from an AM/FM/CD/MP3/etc.)
There's now pretty good LED lanterns with self-contained batteries that rival the light output (but not the nostalgic hisssssssssssss) of a coleman propane fueled mantle light.

Keep the 12V consumption down to what's necessary to have light to play cribbage and euchre inside, to run the furnace enough to be toasty under that thermal blanket and you'll last a week or better "no sweat!"

If your sport's team is in the playoffs while you're up camping; then see my informative post titled, "Finding the remote sport's bars in the deep boonies with the coldest taps and passably high def screens"



peace/out
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Old 06-09-2015, 04:46 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by George_Lisa View Post
Hi f5moab, good point about the 2 6v, have to keep that in mind if we decide to upgrade
Sounds like a good wilderness rig all lifted up! You can Get into a lot of remote places with that!
Happy camping!
Yes, it goes almost anywhere, but not without a price in wear and tear. After about 2.5 years, I had to replace the springs a few weeks ago. Cracked one, and the shackles, which had a 9/16 inch hole had an oval that was about 3/4 inch; up and down.

Also, need to travel with distilled water. The rough trails will cause the electrolyte to shake out of the batteries when bouncing around.
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Old 06-09-2015, 05:20 PM   #10
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Thanks sparty047 ....Unfortunately that's not a fishing pole, it's a tree... I said the same thing it looks like a pole lol..
Yes TV is good for days when it's raining, but thats pretty much it, we enjoy nature so don't spend much time inside, campfires and hiking and sight seeing is our entertainment.. Music too, we like to play a little music
We do limit our 12v usage too, replaced all lights with LED, and have an LED lantern and it works like a charm!
Sounds like you're set up pretty good for a 7day trip! That's good dry camping.
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Old 06-09-2015, 05:22 PM   #11
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Yes, it goes almost anywhere, but not without a price in wear and tear. After about 2.5 years, I had to replace the springs a few weeks ago. Cracked one, and the shackles, which had a 9/16 inch hole had an oval that was about 3/4 inch; up and down.

Also, need to travel with distilled water. The rough trails will cause the electrolyte to shake out of the batteries when bouncing around.
Sounds like a rugged machine and you've put it to the test! Hope you wear out another set springs, that'll mean you have used her well!
Good tip on carrying distilled water.. Good to have on hand!
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Old 06-09-2015, 07:34 PM   #12
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Most of our camping is dry camping and 2 6 volt batteries work great for us. We don't watch TV, maybe a DVD if we get rained out from the campfire. LED lights and music till quiet time. Got Renology solar panels and will try them out the end of June.
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Old 06-10-2015, 04:04 AM   #13
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hi noseeums, pretty much the same as us expect with solar. What do you have for wattage?
Happy Camping
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Old 06-10-2015, 05:46 AM   #14
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Smile

100 watts. Worked well at home on a weekend, charged up batteries. Just a matter of how good the batteries are. Going away for a week dry camping and will post our power results.
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Old 06-10-2015, 06:07 AM   #15
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I dry camp for 7 days quite often and have 60W of solar. We have never come close to running the batteries down to 50%. We have the solar panels on a 25 foot wire so they can be moved into the sun depending on the site we have. It is amazing how much power you loose even if only part of the panel is in the shade.
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Old 06-10-2015, 02:22 PM   #16
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100 watts. Worked well at home on a weekend, charged up batteries. Just a matter of how good the batteries are. Going away for a week dry camping and will post our power results.
Very nice, please do post your results very interested in how well they perform for you.
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Old 06-10-2015, 02:25 PM   #17
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I dry camp for 7 days quite often and have 60W of solar. We have never come close to running the batteries down to 50%. We have the solar panels on a 25 foot wire so they can be moved into the sun depending on the site we have. It is amazing how much power you loose even if only part of the panel is in the shade.
Good idea having the long cords, you just never know where the sun is going to be when camping. You must be very conscious of your power usage to get by on 60W. But if it works, good for you!
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Old 07-23-2015, 11:24 PM   #18
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A late addition..
Great info, I am new to this. I have one battery and debated going to the 2x 6v format. If I was to add another batter case would the be an issue charging?

My fridge drains the battery within a day. Is this normal? I realize dry camping it would run off the propane. Solar is interesting as well, was looking at the panels at Costco. Thanks
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Old 07-24-2015, 12:01 PM   #19
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A late addition..
Great info, I am new to this. I have one battery and debated going to the 2x 6v format. If I was to add another batter case would the be an issue charging?

My fridge drains the battery within a day. Is this normal? I realize dry camping it would run off the propane. Solar is interesting as well, was looking at the panels at Costco. Thanks
I assume you have a PUP with the 3 way fridge that runs continuously. (Some high wall models have larger thermostatically controlled fridges, the following does not necessarily apply). The DC mode generally has poor cooling performance, and will generally eat a battery flat in a matter of hours (5-8 amp draw for most small fridges on DC).

Once disconnected from the tow vehicle, I run the fridge on AC (if available) or on propane. The propane draw from the fridge is very small in comparison to other propane appliances - a single full propane tank will easily power the fridge by itself for at least 3 weeks.

For dry camping, my goal is to minimize battery usage - battery, then water, runs out long before propane. I don't want to have to babysit a generator or solar panels, so I installed sufficient battery to carry us (with reasonable usage of the heater - heater fan is biggest draw) for 4 days/3 nights of dry camping.

Maximum charge rate for my WFCO converter is 30 amps. Maximum charge rate for batteries is 20% of AH capacity. My dual 80 AH batteries could safely accept 32 amps of charge when in bulk charge mode, so the 30 amp rating of the converter is about right.

If I had dual 6V golf cart batteries (220 AH total at 12V), I could charge faster than the converter can put out, but I really don't see the slightly longer recharge time as an issue when I don't carry a generator. The converter could be replaced with a higher capacity (and more reliable) unit if faster recharge of a bigger battery bank was wanted when AC is available.

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Old 07-27-2015, 10:03 PM   #20
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We got a 45 Watt solar panel at HarborFreight on sale for $130. We don't use much electricity anyway, as we switched to LED's and charge the phones in the car for the most part, but the solar panel was our security blanket, and worked great.
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