Battery charger vs power converter

A converter stays on all the time it has 120v input while a battery charger shuts off when it thinks the battery is charged (called 'automatic'---if it is a 'manual' it stays on but lets the battery voltage get really high if you don't shut it off)

For an RV on shore power you normally want a converter or "power supply". If all you do is camp off grid and charge with 120v generator power, you can use either a charger or converter.

If you go on shore power and just have a charger, you can stay on the battery for 12v and still have the shore power 120v. With that 120 to run the charger, you can recharge the battery as required. Doing it that way, you don't need a converter.

We boondock for a while and then get a plug in campsite for a day or so.Inthe winter we plug in about every second day.This unit never had a power converter.Thinking one of the battery charges that stays in place sort of like this maybe a bit more powerful as 5 leds do not draw much. http://www.geniuschargers.com/GENMini1

Pretty much narrow it down to...

If you boondock and really heavily cycle your batteries a charger may be the better of the two

If you rarely boondock or generator charge your batteries and instead plug your rig in at home only, a converter may be favored over a charger.

A float charger would maintain the battery after it was fully charged.

Beware of converters with leads and clips posing as chargers. The market is rife with "Idiot Designed" chargers.

A battery charger simply charges the battery - the smart chargers do so in a better manner to prolong the life of the battery.

The power converter converts shore power into 12v power - allowing your lights to work while the RV is plugged into shore power.

The power inverter changes 12v power into "shore power" or 110 power. This allows you to operate items plugged into the household outlets in your RV and/or to plug the inverter into a 12v "cigarette" outlet and plug your 2-prong 110v plug into the other end of the inverter.

Some devices include the smart charger AND converter - some are just one or the other. The inverter is always separate (AFAIK).

What exactly are you thinking about doing ?

Sometimes you can use a "dumb" battery charger to provide 12 V, but without a battery connected too the power wouldn't be very stable.....or clean.