3 month stretch - boondocking mostly - need help with power

[Guest]

My electrical ideas have gone from - This is great to holy crap what do I do know. I was going with extreme KISS. Using a power cord from the camps power to a power strip in my TD. Now, the only areas I can find (and I have checked all the opitions), have no electric or water hook-up.

I was thinking of solar panels, inverter/charger, deep cycle batteries. The solar panels I need are too expensive, along with the inverter/charger. Then I thought the D.C. batteries, 400 watt inverter, any car battery charger. A quiet generator came to mind also. My useage would include charging a cell phone 3 hrs, PDA 3hrs, using an electric mattress pad 70watts 5hrs a day (I'm going to be working nights) and a cooler/fridge 7amps/12v (I can use 12v, 120v or propane with this thing). I am totally lost trying to figure out an electrical system. I'm looking for cheap ways to do this. Can anyone help? Thanks, Dwayne.

There was a logical reason for not installing any electrical --- I don't have any idea what I'm doing with electrical.....

[Leon]

I would think that to go 3 months without outside power, you will need something like a generator to run part of the time to charge the deep cycle batteries, and while it is running it can do the cell phone, PDA, refrigerator, etc. At night you can run off the batteries. If you are going to be at one location most of the time, a couple batteries in a box located outside the camper could increase the time between charges.

[madjack]

Dwayne...a couple of thoughts...for extended camping a pair of 6vgolf cart batteries with a hi-power solar system would be the way to go...a small generator(1000-2000watt) can be substituted for the solar but requires a few gallons of gas, daily to operate...the costs of the solar would be a little higher (depending on generator model) but would be offset by the cost of the gasoline...for refrigeration over an exteneded time I would go with something that could be propane powered...

best deal I know of for refrigeration;
http://www.campingworld.com/browse/skus ... 9&src=SRQB

best deal on a generator that I know of;
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=228550

there are quite a few folks that power backwoods cabins and even their homes in an off grid manner here on the board, maybe some of them will reply with suggestions...
madjack

[bdosborn]

Dwayne,

Are you going to be living in the tear in the winter? If not, you probably won't need a mattress heater if your tear is insulated. We have one and don't use it unless it gets down to freezing and thats just to warm it up for half an hour before we go to bed. Also, if you're going to work everyday, why not just pick up ice in town for the cooler instead of using a powered refrigerator? That would cut your electrical usage way down to a level that a cheaper solar panel could handle. Finally, Pep boys has been selling cheap generators lately. Here's a cheap solar panel:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/d ... mber=90599
Bruce

[mikeschn]

Dwane,

I've never fulltimed without power. I would suggest reading this page by a real fulltimer, to get a feel for what camping without power is like...

http://www.where-rv-now.com/Notes/Solar/

Mike...

[ARKPAT]

Very Very good job Mike with the link you had.
I just wish the prices of solar equipment would lower in price.
That is the direction I'm headed in also.
Now where did that spool of wire go.


Pat

[Guest]

Thanks for all the feed back. This forum is fantastic.

The golf cart or deepcycle battery definitly. Dumb question - can I put them in the front box with the 10 lb propane tank if I put a partion between them and put air vents on the outside walls? Solar panels are out of the equation now. 2 reliable sources,in my area, told me there is a huge back order. Germany and California are buying as many as are made. When they become available they will be expensive.

So it sounds like, when I'm gone at night nothing will be used. I could throw bags of ice in the cooler/fridge thing, when I get back in the AM attach the propane to it.

Sounds like the microwave and the coffee maker are out.

I could charge the things I need to with just the battery while I sleep.

It's on the nights off where I could charge up with the generator when needed. This assignment I'm on lasts until the end of November. I'm working in the San Fransico Bay area. The campsites are in the County Parks mostly with a couple I found in State Parks.

I could probably use more blankets instead of the heated mattress pad (crap- wasn't looking forward to that).

Am I on the same page as everyone. There are some excellent ideas here keep'em coming.

Is there anyone who has gone through this? Things getting turned around at the last minute. Dwayne

[Guest]

Sorry about not having any pictures. I need my wife to help me out with that.

[madjack]

dpl, the refrigerator I linked to above runs on propane...they are pretty efficient units(from what I have read) and a standard 20# tank would last a fairly long time...use it for your food stuffs and get an Igloo(better than Coleman IMO) 5day cooler for your drinks and add ice as needed...use a propane stove and make coffee on that...if you don't want a pecolator or drip pot then Coleman makes a MR Coffee type coffee maker that will fit on the stove...you can get a distibution tree that will fit on the propane tank that has a light on top and outlets on the side of it for the frige and stove and a small genereator to charge batteries and provide extra power as needed...all of that would make pretty good boony pack for extended camping....oh yeah Coleman and others make propane fired hot water on demand units for showers and washing...don't forget the shower shelter and porti potty and your good to go....
madjack

[Guest]

Madjack, I already have the fridge/cooler. It's sold by the Dometic Corporation in Elkhart, IN - made in Hungary. That igloo cooler sounds good thow. I like your the ideas in your last post above - I did manage to find sites that had a shower and water available. That portapotty sounds cool.

That small generator sounds interesting. Are you saying it attaches to the propane? Or did I lose you. I did see the distribution tree. The one I have I can attache my camp stove and the fridge at the same time.

Changing the subject - can I put my battries in the same place I have my 10 lb propane tank?

[Guest]

Madjack, The fridge you showed me is the same as the one I have. Pretty cool toy. I definitly would recomend this to anyone.

[madjack]

d, no, the generator that I linked to does not run on propane...there are propane run units and there are conversion kits for that purpose...don't have any idea if they would work on that unit....the propane/battery deal in the box like you had in an above post would be OK as long as they are seperated and vented individually....been thinking about one of those Dometics for awhile now...I take it you like yours??????
madjack

[Guest]

Oh Yah, I got it for $100 less from the local RV place 2nd hand. They used it for conventions meetings what ever. the propane peice was attached. When I 1st brought it home I wanted to see how it would do - so I put it out in the sun, attached and fired up the propane and about 1 hr later it was cold enough to keep my beer cold the rest of the night. It seems pretty effecient I still have propane left.

In my travels I saw those little hondas or the yamahas. They say those are pretty quiet and efficient. Could probably use that in my set-up?

I'm feeling better.... So, propane and ice for the fridge. D.C. battery when needed, Use a small generator to keep battery up to snuff??

what do you think Madjack. I'm heading out to Cali from VT aug 18 for a job I doing for 3 months. Then leaving the TD out there for our son and his girlfriend to use. After that it's their worry.

[Guest]

In thinking about that last post. I did not want it to sound mean. we are helping our daughter pay for college. Our son decided to not go, he went to California instead. So my wife and I decided to give this TD to our son after I'm done with it. I'll tell you what he is pretty resourceful.. He works on a farm in the summer, sleeps in a tent, takes the winter off and buys a seasons pass somewhere and snow boards all winter with his friends. Now that he has a girlfriend though he has been living in an apartment.

[madjack]

d, that sounds like a workable plan to me...I would do something similar in the situation...as to the generators....the Hondas and Yamahas are definetly the cats meow in the generator world BUT you can buy 5 of the one I linked to for what they cost...I don't think they will outlast 5 of 'em no matter how good they are...those units are imported from China by the Buffalo Tool Co out of Buffalo NY...I have done a little reading on them on some RV forums and they seem to be pretty good units and parts are available...however at that price they should be considered almost disposable...here is one of the links I read....
madjack