Plugging in to a tree

[bdosborn]

Yup.




Bruce

[parnold]

I have shore power, but have only used it about 10% of the time. I have a solar panel that I take with me if I will be out for more than a couple days. My shore power, actually charges my battery, and I continue using my 12v lighting. It's also handy for air conditioning or heat, which I have used each of only once.

[droid_ca]

I was noticing that there's lots of trailers here with shore power.
Is it really that necessary to have it? The reason I ask is that I go camping all over the place and I've never plugged in to a tree. In fact I've never seen plug ins at any place I've camped even Government campgrounds.
So the question would be could you live without it?

Steve

What about a currant bush I heard that might work

[parnold]

I guess with air it must get pretty hot where you camp.
We went camping in the 90's but it was at a river so jumping in really help, and the fishing was great!

I used the a/c in Indiana last year during a heat wave. Usually just the fan in my roof vent is enough to keep me comfortable, but when it was in the upper 90's for days, the a/c was nice.

[Shadow Catcher]

I'm with Bruce

As much as anything it is to power this (a Waeco in disguise)


One of the things noted in the ice chest shoot out was the fact that unless the items in it are in the melt water there is danger. The Waeco refrigerator potentially suffers from this in that the coolth is stratified but we found that frozen stuff left at the bottom stayed mostly frozen while the stuff at the top was still cold.

[CliffinGA]

Steve here in the south in spring and fall when its cool at night we can use our fan off the battery but in summer or when its getting hot and humid here, you won't see us with out an ac and we need power for it.
cliff

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Shore power is a convenience for me, not a necessity. I plug in when its available, but it isn't one of my prerequisites for a campsite. One advantage to setting up your camper for shore power is resale value, if you think you may one day part with your trailer.

And a setting your trailer up for shore power also lets you charge an on-board battery up easier when you do make it back to civilization.

[jeff0520]

We mostly camp in Alabama, where it can get absolutly killing hot in the summer. The plan for the Command Post is to have the shore power setup, and to carry a 3400 watt generator to power A/C and the fridge when we are out in the bush. When we shut down the generator to go to bed, we'll turn off the switch to the fridge circuit and just leave the door closed till morning. I am planning on having 3 AGM deep cycle batteries in the tongue box, and an inverter big enough to power up the A/C. I know the batteries wont last long with that kind of load, but I'm hoping once the sun goes down, if the inside is pre-cooled on Generator power, and maintained on the inverter, by the time the battery saver low voltage disconnect shuts down the 110v power, we'll be asleep and wont notice till the morning.
The shore power hookup will also allow us to just plug the camper in when we get home, and it will be charged up and ready to go next time we are. Bonus, it can be a guest bedroom if we need

[jstrubberg]

You can forget camping in the midwest betweeon June and September without power.

Well, I guess you can if you want to, but I ain't doing it! I don't get any enjoyment out of sweating tight to the sheets at night.

[bc toys]

We go camping in June- July Aug Sept in Vegas we just go up on higher ground Oct -May we camp in the valley. this way we get to enjoy all year long.

[Shadow Catcher]

OR you can put in the wire, with out connecting it yet!

[GuitarPhotog]

Over half the times I've been camping with the teardrop, I've had hook-ups. The rest of the time I'm good for about 5 days on battery, so it's no problem if I don't find an electric tree.

<Chas>

[nevadatear]

In the west hook ups are pretty much limited to private rv parks, which we rarely partake, and the need is all about humidity and heat, from what I read. Temps are cool in the eves here, so we never use power plugged in. However we plan some day to camp in the south and east in the summer, and for weeks at a time, we we have 110 and and inverter for that time. But for now, never plug in, even the few times we stayed at a commercial place.

[indycamper]

I have shore power and use it whenever I can. The Reason: No Battery! That's right, Gertrude is battery-less If I want electricity when I don't have shore power, I have to use the generator. One of my goals this winter is to figure out how to add a battery!

I noticed that nowhere did anyone state they camped without electricity. It was just a matter of how one got the juice! Do you camp totally without electricity, and what's the longest you have done so?

[Shadow Catcher]

I camped with out power for sixty years, thirty eight of those with Nancy. We are both readers and lying in bed of an evening with the LED lights is so much nicer than a book light, being off the ground and being able to listen to the radio (XM) or nothing but nature sounds is priceless.