Boondocking in 2021 Arctic Wolf 298LB

[exponentfrost]

Just purchased a 2021 Arctic Wolf 298LB that comes with a 12V 11cf residential fridge.

I'll be purchasing an inverter generator - but - I also have a second alternator on my truck. Can I just re-charge batteries from the truck? If so, is it faster/fast?

How long (approx.) does it take to run through the stock batteries if running the fridge and a few lights? What if I'm also running heat or AC?

Are there upgrades to the batteries, etc I can do to (significantly) help?

Any other thoughts/equipment I can get to make boondocking easier (wish list?)

Thanks!

[SeaDog]

A generator thru the rig converter should provide the fastest charging rate. Even with the second alternator the charging line on a 7 pin connector is not large enough to provide for a heavy charge. JMHO

[exponentfrost]

What about when driving? Is it (typically) enough to run the 12V fridge from the tow vehicle?

Any thoughts on the other questions?

[Homebrew]

How many batteries does your RV have on board?
More batteries the better.

What size inverter does your RV have ?

Not many stock RVs can run air conditioners without major upgrades. More batteries, larger inverter, solar panels etc.

[SeaDog]

Originally Posted by exponentfrost

What about when driving? Is it (typically) enough to run the 12V fridge from the tow vehicle?

Any thoughts on the other questions?

From what I have read most folks do not have a problem keeping their frig running over a days travel even without a charging line. With your setup I would think a days driving would not only keep the frig running but also keep the batteries charged.

[exponentfrost]

I pick up the RV later this week so don't have all of the details yet - I think I remember 2 batteries on board.

I'm fairly sure I'll need to upgrade things - what's the "preferred" upgrades (product/brand/etc.) for the Arctic Wolf (or similar) in terms of improving battery life? (50a service, 12V fridge, dual air conditioners - although I'd probably only run one if any when boondocking.)

[SeaDog]

I would recommend holding off on changing things like batteries until you actually know what your rig will do and settle on an actually camping style. JMHO You won't have the option of running two ACs unless you have a huge generator to run everything on a 50 amp rig (2 legs at 50) you need about a 12K watt generator

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by exponentfrost

What about when driving? Is it (typically) enough to run the 12V fridge from the tow vehicle?



Any thoughts on the other questions?

Generally, tow vehicles only provide a trickle charge at best. You need to measure the amount of charge on the charging pin of the 7-pin socket, while the truck is running.
The tow vehicle is the least efficient way to recharge the trailer's battery.

[GravelRider]

Originally Posted by exponentfrost

Just purchased a 2021 Arctic Wolf 298LB that comes with a 12V 11cf residential fridge.

I'll be purchasing an inverter generator - but - I also have a second alternator on my truck. Can I just re-charge batteries from the truck? If so, is it faster/fast?

How long (approx.) does it take to run through the stock batteries if running the fridge and a few lights? What if I'm also running heat or AC?

Are there upgrades to the batteries, etc I can do to (significantly) help?

Any other thoughts/equipment I can get to make boondocking easier (wish list?)

Thanks!

As was mentioned, don't change anything until you actually take it out a few times, so you'll see where your rig's shortcomings are based on your camping style.

If your rig comes with two batteries, they are almost certainly going to be two cheap 75ish Ah 12 volt dual purpose batteries (~150ish Ah). The one thing you may consider doing before taking it out is to request two 6 volt batteries wired in series instead of the two 12 volt batteries. The batteries are a dealer-installed item anyhow, and two 6 volt batteries should be a minimal price increase.

Depending on your fridge settings and battery bank size, you could run stock batteries dead in a day. Add in heat, and that could happen even more quickly. A/C requires AC electric input (generator or shore power). There's no way to run an A/C off of your batteries without major expensive $$$$$ modifications.

A 12 volt fridge is not a boondocking-friendly item out of the box. If you do end up boondocking/dry camping frequently, a larger battery bank and solar are going to be must-haves unless you want to run your generator all the time, which few of us do.

Another thing to keep in mind is that none of your AC outlets or your microwave are going to work without shore power, a generator, or an onboard inverter. I'd imagine your camper will have USB outlets for charging phones, etc. However, if it doesn't you'll need to plan accordingly.

[exponentfrost]

Thank you for the info!!

Due to timing, the first trip (other than testing it out in the yard) is going to be cross-country. Most sites we are staying at are camp sites with Shore power, but, at least one won't have that. The bigger issue is I may not have power when I get to the destination for a while (week or two) - that's the part I'm worried about. While I can run my generator a lot, I'd like to get an idea of the options in case I need to act somewhat quickly.

Two questions:
What solar kits and decent inverter brands are "good" and have options that /could/ power the fridge and a couple of outlets (I can figure out sizing if need be.)

You also mentioned:
"There's no way to run an A/C off of your batteries without major expensive $$$$$ modifications."
Can you give a high-level on what those modifications would be?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by exponentfrost

You also mentioned:
"There's no way to run an A/C off of your batteries without major expensive $$$$$ modifications."
Can you give a high-level on what those modifications would be?

You would need to tow a second trailer just for the amount of batteries you would need to have, to run the a/c for more than 30 minutes, plus a large inverter and massive amount of solar.
The costs and logistics would be WAY more costly and difficult, than just simply buying a 3000w+ inverter generator.

[GravelRider]

Originally Posted by exponentfrost

Thank you for the info!!

Due to timing, the first trip (other than testing it out in the yard) is going to be cross-country. Most sites we are staying at are camp sites with Shore power, but, at least one won't have that. The bigger issue is I may not have power when I get to the destination for a while (week or two) - that's the part I'm worried about. While I can run my generator a lot, I'd like to get an idea of the options in case I need to act somewhat quickly.

Two questions:
What solar kits and decent inverter brands are "good" and have options that /could/ power the fridge and a couple of outlets (I can figure out sizing if need be.)

You also mentioned:
"There's no way to run an A/C off of your batteries without major expensive $$$$$ modifications."
Can you give a high-level on what those modifications would be?

There are a bunch of reputable solar companies. Here's an article on RV solar and listing some top names. https://www.rvtalk.net/best-rv-solar-panel-kit-reviews/

I used two 400 watt Qpower residential panels on my rig, though most people don't use large residential panels. Like panels, there are many charge controller companies to choose from. Make sure you get an MPPT controller, not a PWM.


Lets first look at the energy requirements to run A/C. If only running one A/C unit (let's figure 15,000 BTU), you're looking at 1500 watts, which is 115 amps at 13 V. So every hour of usage, you'll burn through 115 amps, plus 10% lost to the inverter, so about 125 amps per hour to run the A/C. To put that into perspective, your camper will probably come with about 150 amp hours battery bank. Because it is lead acid, that means you can only use half that battery bank, so your camper will come stock with a usable battery bank of 75 Ah.

So, lets say that you are going to use your A/C 6 hours per day, that means you'll need 750 amp hours just for your A/C, plus your fridge and whatever else you'll need to power, so lets call it 900 Ah. Because of the massive energy requirements, you'll need lithium, as lead acid can't discharge that quickly. Lithium runs $500-1000 per 100 Ah, so you'd be looking at between $4500 to $9000 just for the batteries.

Then you'd need solar to recharge that massive battery bank. You usually need around 3 watts per 1 Ah of battery bank, give or take, to keep up with your battery bank. So you'd need 2700 watts of solar. The toughest part is finding real estate on an RV to fit 2700 watts of solar panels. Oh, and if you'll be parked in the shade, you might need to double that number.

Once you get that all sorted out, you'll need to find an MPPT controller large enough to handle that and work on all the wiring, including some very large wires to handle all the current. And you'd need a massive inverter to power the A/C.

This is why nobody runs A/C off their batteries.

[MO311fan]

Originally Posted by exponentfrost

What about when driving? Is it (typically) enough to run the 12V fridge from the tow vehicle?

Any thoughts on the other questions?

I have a Grey Wolf 29te with a 12v fridge and factory “juice pack”. We just finished a 2400 mile trip and our fridge was great. Left out in the sun, you can start the fridge a few hours ahead of a trip (we keep it at a 2 setting to try to preserve battery). Hooked up to our vehicle it will keep the fridge going constantly. And if you stop to eat/gas up etc the battery takes over and solar is helping the battery. No problems.

I don’t think left in the sun, with my deep cycle/marine battery the fridge would last 24hrs. Especially if we used anything else.

[exponentfrost]

What about the following:

Westinghouse iGen4200 (any other suggestions on a generator?)

Two 12V 100AH Lithium Phosphate batteries (so they work in low temperatures) - I had looked at 6V batteries, but, I read you should only use them to 50%, whereas Lithium can be used to 80% and charge faster?

Solar panel kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...KIKX0DER&psc=1

[FFred]

What solar kits and decent inverter brands are "good" and have options that /could/ power the fridge and a couple of outlets (I can figure out sizing if need be.)

You also mentioned:
"There's no way to run an A/C off of your batteries without major expensive $$$$$ modifications."
Can you give a high-level on what those modifications would be?



NO battery options are realistic to run an air cond besides a gen set 24/7,

The usual 12v fridge will bring down a pair of 6V deep cycle batts overnight.

Your dealer sold you a rig that is not ideal for boon docking, it needs the power pole .