Dry camping

[Tonybrown32]

Originally Posted by Kboreen

We actually went dry camping, setting up camp at 3 pm. At 10 am the CO2 detector started beeping due to low battery. We did not use much power, and used propane for hot water and the refrigerator, and turned on the furnace once when we woke up to warm up the trailer. We are arguing with the dealer - they claim that we need to upgrade to 6 volt batteries in order to go dry camping, and we disagree. Thanks for your confirmation that we are thinking correctly.

Interesting... we are also pretty new to our RV this spring, learning the ropes as you are. We have a Shamrock hybrid IKSS, purchased used.

We have 1 group 24 RV/Marine battery that came with the rig, and is about 3 years old... we did our first dry camp at a nearby state park in June. Arrived on a Friday evening about 5-6pm, and our older single group 24 lasted until bed time Saturday night when our LP detector low voltage alarm also went off... with no shut off for the thing, I disconnected it to shut the thing up. We had just enough power left to pack up Sunday morning, and get one of the 2 slides in, then connected to the truck to finish up...

I know, it's not ideal, and not good for the battery, but I planned on replacing it anyway soon and researching 6v vs. 12v as you are right now.

I like the two 6v concept, but also like having a 2nd battery on hand just in case there's a problem with the battery... I don't want to have to carry four 6v batteries for that piece of mind, and we don't plan to dry camp that often... and we only camp maybe 3-4 weekends a summer anyway..

For our needs, I'm thinking I'll just get a bit larger single group 27 or 31 Marine/RV battery (whichever is largest and still fits on my tounge rack), and a 2nd one to carry in the truck bed as a spare... then swap out the discharged one for the spare one if necessary during a dry camp weekend...

Two group 24 batteries would fit on my rack, and I could connect them in parallel for convenience, but after reading how a bad cell on one battery in parallel can ruin the 2nd battery quickly, why bother taking that risk with how easy it is to swap out a battery sitting on the tounge in a battery box.

[Kboreen]

We also contemplated changing to two 6v batteries. But there wasn’t room on the tongue unless we spent a lot of $$ to change all the platforms with welding, etc. The two 12v batteries are working great, and we installed a solar panel. Working like a dream now and enjoying our camping!

[Tonybrown32]

Originally Posted by joeuncool

All of this doesn't even get into the whole lead acid/AGM (absorbed glass mat)/lithium battery talk. BTW lithium's are way cool and the way to go by far but hoo-boy are they expensive right now. Thousands.

I would get lithiums in a heartbeat if they weren't so outrageously expensive.. they tick all the boxes don't they! I'd even pay 2-3x the cost of a wet cell deep cycle of similar size, but not 10x.

They are certainly worth the investment though if you are a full time RVer maybe, and spend a lot of time travelling, boondocking, and have a good solar setup.. I could see investing in lithiums for that type of purpose.

[Tonybrown32]

Originally Posted by Kboreen

We also contemplated changing to two 6v batteries. But there wasn’t room on the tongue unless we spent a lot of $$ to change all the platforms with welding, etc. The two 12v batteries are working great, and we installed a solar panel. Working like a dream now and enjoying our camping!

Good to hear.. and exactly why I'm thinking of sticking with two 12v, in case one fails, we still have 1 battery to supply at least some power for a while... if one of the 6v batteries have a problem, you got nothin'.

So do you have both 12v batteries on your tounge then in parallel? I didn't think 6v batteries had a much bigger footprint than group 24 12v batteries... curious if you have your 12v in parallel or if you just swap out the discharged one when depleted... sounds like almost nobody uses just one 12v and swaps out a new one, everyone seems to connect in parallel.

[Kboreen]

We use 12v in parallel. The 6v were too tall to fit under the curve of our trailer front. Also, most tip outs have a way to manually crank them in if you don’t have power. You might want to research this issue.

[Tonybrown32]

Originally Posted by Kboreen

We use 12v in parallel. The 6v were too tall to fit under the curve of our trailer front. Also, most tip outs have a way to manually crank them in if you don’t have power. You might want to research this issue.

Ahh, got it.. height issue, not width... thanks! My rack is on top of the tounge, and will just barely hold two group 24 battery boxes. Another reason I'm thinking of just getting a couple group 27 or 31s, just keeping one on the tounge, and the other in the truck... likely my only option if I go above group 24 size without welding modifications as well.

Yup, the slides have hand cranks if needed... I'd rather just hook up to the truck though unless it's some issue other than power.. lol..

Happy camping!

[bikendan]

If two Group 24 12v batteries fit in the tray, two 6v golf cart batteries will also fit. Same footprint but they are a little taller.