How long can you realistically dry camp?
Never having dry camped before, we plan to do so on our trip out west this summer. We'll be gone for 3 months, and we'll be looking for ways to camp a little cheaper for some nights. We have a gener...
Forum Discussion
There is no reason not to tow with the fresh tank full, just be aware of how it changes the weight/balance of the trailer depending on whether it's fore or aft of the axles.
How long you can last without hook ups depends on # of occupants, equipment and conditions. Two of use can go about a week on 50 gals from our fresh tank, plus a some gallon jugs from WalMart for making coffee, cooking, drinking, etc. That would include washing dishes once per day after dinner and a short shower every other day. If you have some portable 5-gallon water jugs (Aqua-tainer is one brand) you can go get water somewhere if you run out. It's also helpful to have a blue tote to drain the gray tank if it fills up, you just need to find a place to dump the tank....many Love's and Pilot locations have RV dump facilities.
Tips for conserving:
- Wash dishes once per day, and fill sink with soapy water, do not wash under running water.
- Use a handheld shower head with an on/off button. Once the water is up to temp, wet yourself and shut to off. Soap up and then rinse, do not leave the water running when in the shower. This is called a "Navy shower".
- Don not leave water running when brushing your teeth.
- Do not leave the water running while shaving. Fill the sink halfway and rinse the razor there.
On the electric side, changing bulbs over to LEDs saves a lot of energy. We have 2 6v batteries wired in series to produce 12v, and can easily go 3 or 4 days with no generator if we need to....but we also have an inverter to power the TV and change the various phones, etc., so watching TV in the evening cuts us back to 2 days. No solar (yet) but we do have a 2000w Honda (nice and quiet) that we run for a few hrs/day to charge the batteries. If you want to use the microwave, or other electric appliances like a hairdryer, coffee pot, toaster, etc, you will need a generator, these draw too much power to run from batteries or solar. Two batteries is about the minimum you should have, 4 is better if you have the room for them. 12v OK but 6v pairs are better for duration between recharges.
The biggest battery killer is the furnace motor...if it's cold out and you are running the heat a lot, you will need to recharge the batteries more often, or need more batteries to last between recharges.
Biggest conservation tip is turning off lights when you don't need them, OR changing to LEDs. Aside from that, figure what you want to power off the grid and go from there.
How long you can last without hook ups depends on # of occupants, equipment and conditions. Two of use can go about a week on 50 gals from our fresh tank, plus a some gallon jugs from WalMart for making coffee, cooking, drinking, etc. That would include washing dishes once per day after dinner and a short shower every other day. If you have some portable 5-gallon water jugs (Aqua-tainer is one brand) you can go get water somewhere if you run out. It's also helpful to have a blue tote to drain the gray tank if it fills up, you just need to find a place to dump the tank....many Love's and Pilot locations have RV dump facilities.
Tips for conserving:
- Wash dishes once per day, and fill sink with soapy water, do not wash under running water.
- Use a handheld shower head with an on/off button. Once the water is up to temp, wet yourself and shut to off. Soap up and then rinse, do not leave the water running when in the shower. This is called a "Navy shower".
- Don not leave water running when brushing your teeth.
- Do not leave the water running while shaving. Fill the sink halfway and rinse the razor there.
On the electric side, changing bulbs over to LEDs saves a lot of energy. We have 2 6v batteries wired in series to produce 12v, and can easily go 3 or 4 days with no generator if we need to....but we also have an inverter to power the TV and change the various phones, etc., so watching TV in the evening cuts us back to 2 days. No solar (yet) but we do have a 2000w Honda (nice and quiet) that we run for a few hrs/day to charge the batteries. If you want to use the microwave, or other electric appliances like a hairdryer, coffee pot, toaster, etc, you will need a generator, these draw too much power to run from batteries or solar. Two batteries is about the minimum you should have, 4 is better if you have the room for them. 12v OK but 6v pairs are better for duration between recharges.
The biggest battery killer is the furnace motor...if it's cold out and you are running the heat a lot, you will need to recharge the batteries more often, or need more batteries to last between recharges.
Biggest conservation tip is turning off lights when you don't need them, OR changing to LEDs. Aside from that, figure what you want to power off the grid and go from there.
