Generator Yes, or No ?

fj12ryder wrote:

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:
They may camp where there is alway's electric hook up's, BUT WHAT IF power goes out due to a storm?...Has happened to us several times.....I'd opt for a generator, better to have one and not need it, then to not have one and your batteries run down and you want electricity..

With that kind of thinking , I might as well haul 150 gallons of water in my tank, WHAT IF campground water dries up and I need water?

My thoughts exactly.

We didn't have a generator on our previous 5th wheel and never missed it, ever. We have a generator on this toyhauler and have never used it while camping. But that 450 lb. monstrosity is always along taking up space and being one more thing that needs maintenance.

We tried to get the dealer to remove it when we bought the toyhauler, but they weren't going to give us anything for it if they did, so it stayed.

Ours is up front in the basement, takes up very little space..came in handy June of 2012 when we had a huge wind storm come ( called a Derecho) while camping in Pence Springs WV at our campsite, trees down, power lines down, couldn't hardly get out to do anything because a lot of roads were blocked with down trees first couple of day's...lost power for 5 day's and the water supply (Pence Springs), couldn't pump water...just so happens we had a full fresh water tank, and a generator that we only had to run on occasion...propane ran the fridge, hot water and stove....electric we used when it got very hot and charge the battery....so, from experience, not big, bulky, not taking up a lot of room and for that really bad ONE time, it made life a lot easier when there was no power OR water....The other times we camped and lost power it wasn't no where near as bad as that time.

Oh, I've never owned a generator either until about 3 yrs ago...I did wish I had one a couple of times and since purchasing this one, glad I have one now and felt one would have come in handy in times past...guess some like me, learn the hard way...to me, it was well worth the money.....

I purchased it for a "just in case scenario"....and the above was the worse case..and the generator paid off in spades:)

Lantley wrote:

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:
They may camp where there is alway's electric hook up's, BUT WHAT IF power goes out due to a storm?...Has happened to us several times.....I'd opt for a generator, better to have one and not need it, then to not have one and your batteries run down and you want electricity..

With that kind of thinking , I might as well haul 150 gallons of water in my tank, WHAT IF campground water dries up and I need water?

I have a built in generator and always travel with a full fresh tank.
I am always self contained if need be.
A genset is not required depending on your camping style,many have camped for years without a genset.
However I enjoy the flexibility and convenience a genset provides.
You can overnight at a Wal-Mart,Cracker Barrel, etc.in hot weather without worrying about the heat. Stop for lunch along the way and instantly have A/C and microwave as needed. Of course a generator is great when camping off the grid.
Go into Cracker Barrel and leave the dog in the 5'er with A/C on.
Power Outages at a CG or at home are easy to deal with when your RV is fully self contained.
Built-in gensets are a pricey option. However they will give you a little pay back by allowing for lunches and dinners in the RV while traveling vs. stopping for fast food.
They also keep us out of CG's sometimes when overnighting on the way to our destination.
While portables generators will get the job done, a built in genset is all about convenience. Just push a button and I have full electric to power 2- A/C units and microwave instantly.
No set-up,no put away,no gas cans,no locks or chains,no security issues at all. Just push button convenience.
Because it is convenient, we use the genset regularly. If we had to set up and put it away each time we would be more reluctant to use it.
A generator is not for everyone,however we enjoy the convenience and versatility it provides.

My generator is a portable, located up front and hooked up...not built in..but I agree with you 100% on your analogy.

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:
They may camp where there is alway's electric hook up's, BUT WHAT IF power goes out due to a storm?...Has happened to us several times.....I'd opt for a generator, better to have one and not need it, then to not have one and your batteries run down and you want electricity..

With that kind of thinking , I might as well haul 150 gallons of water in my tank, WHAT IF campground water dries up and I need water?

Say What????? :h Guess the Boy Scout, "Be Prepared" motto came out in me...You could have a really bad storm, a hurricane, a tornado, lose power, but still have water:S..So all those campers out there with generators are not thinking???? REALLY ??? I've been camping several times over the years at campgrounds where we had full hook up's and lost power due to bad weather, but never lost water, though, in your infinite wisdom, even YOU know that too could happen....so it wouldn't be a bad idea to maybe have 50 gallons of water on board, again, just in case.

I still recommend a small generator whether you think it's smart or not and I would imagine the MAJORITY of campers in here would agree..especially in the 5th wheel section.

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:
They may camp where there is alway's electric hook up's, BUT WHAT IF power goes out due to a storm?...Has happened to us several times.....I'd opt for a generator, better to have one and not need it, then to not have one and your batteries run down and you want electricity..

With that kind of thinking , I might as well haul 150 gallons of water in my tank, WHAT IF campground water dries up and I need water?

My thoughts exactly.

We didn't have a generator on our previous 5th wheel and never missed it, ever. We have a generator on this toyhauler and have never used it while camping. But that 450 lb. monstrosity is always along taking up space and being one more thing that needs maintenance.

We tried to get the dealer to remove it when we bought the toyhauler, but they weren't going to give us anything for it if they did, so it stayed.

We also have a 5th wheel. We bought ours aftermarket and had it installed in the "generator bay" area at the front of the 5th wheel.
As far as needing one, it depends on what type of RV'ing you are going to do. We like to stop someplace overnight on our way to a destination and use our generator for cooking and to charge our batteries so we are good for during the night. We also like to go out on BLM land at different times and just chill and be off by ourselves.
If you are always in a park and have hookups, you probably don't need a generator. Hugs, Di

Sprink-Fitter wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:
They may camp where there is alway's electric hook up's, BUT WHAT IF power goes out due to a storm?...Has happened to us several times.....I'd opt for a generator, better to have one and not need it, then to not have one and your batteries run down and you want electricity..

With that kind of thinking , I might as well haul 150 gallons of water in my tank, WHAT IF campground water dries up and I need water?

I have a built in generator and always travel with a full fresh tank.
I am always self contained if need be.
A genset is not required depending on your camping style,many have camped for years without a genset.
However I enjoy the flexibility and convenience a genset provides.
You can overnight at a Wal-Mart,Cracker Barrel, etc.in hot weather without worrying about the heat. Stop for lunch along the way and instantly have A/C and microwave as needed. Of course a generator is great when camping off the grid.
Go into Cracker Barrel and leave the dog in the 5'er with A/C on.
Power Outages at a CG or at home are easy to deal with when your RV is fully self contained.
Built-in gensets are a pricey option. However they will give you a little pay back by allowing for lunches and dinners in the RV while traveling vs. stopping for fast food.
They also keep us out of CG's sometimes when overnighting on the way to our destination.
While portables generators will get the job done, a built in genset is all about convenience. Just push a button and I have full electric to power 2- A/C units and microwave instantly.
No set-up,no put away,no gas cans,no locks or chains,no security issues at all. Just push button convenience.
Because it is convenient, we use the genset regularly. If we had to set up and put it away each time we would be more reluctant to use it.
A generator is not for everyone,however we enjoy the convenience and versatility it provides.

Hi,

If you do not wish to run the air conditioner then it may be better and cheaper to consider a solar system. It does depend on what you wish to run.

We camp for over two weeks at a remote lake in Northern Saskatchewan. Soooo glad we have a generator. Purchased ours after the second year of RVing and havnt regretted it. Big enough to run the AC or MW and HWH.

NC Hauler wrote:
They may camp where there is alway's electric hook up's, BUT WHAT IF power goes out due to a storm?...Has happened to us several times.....I'd opt for a generator, better to have one and not need it, then to not have one and your batteries run down and you want electricity..

With that kind of thinking , I might as well haul 150 gallons of water in my tank, WHAT IF campground water dries up and I need water?

As many have mentioned...it depends on your needs.

Here in the South...A/C is a must have for a good part of the year. If I lived in Minnesota...I would have different needs perhaps. I would winerize my camper and not use it for the winter months perhaps. And having good shade...maybe some fantastic fans are all I would need. Maybe a small Honda EU2000 would come in handy. You could run most things you need when away from a full hookup.

Going full time...if you travel a lot ...you will need a/c to sleep well at night...might want to stop at a Walmart along the way, or a Pilot truck stop...having a built-in generator where you can fire up the a/c and sleep comfortably would be choice during the hot months.

For the snowbirds going to mild dry climates for the winter....many seem to engineer some pretty outstanding solar systems. There is a great deal of satisfaction living off the grid when you want to...and without the noise and fuel requirements of a genset.

Living in FL we get some power outages from time to time with thunderstorms...again, if it's hot and you're stuck inside from the rain...the generator would be nice.

I don't have one now...but my next camper will more than likely include one.