Do I need a generator?
I've been camping for years and haven't felt the need for a generator but now I will be doing more trips without hookups available. My trailer has a single battery, and I only use it for lights, and ...
Forum Discussion
Steve, my trailer and my style of camping is very much like yours -- minimal power consumption. We do have a generator but almost never use it. We have two group 31s and a 120 watt portable solar panel, which tops us up almost every day. Honestly, we don't need the generator, but I am one of those very risk-adverse people -- what if the sun does not shine for a full week? Plus we have the generator for emergency home use, so we drag it along when we camp. It just sits in the truck, doing nothing.
My advice is to try a week of camping with no generator and see if you really need one.
By the way, your post mentioned that you don't have a meter for your battery. You DO have a hand-held multi-meter, right? You really need to keep tabs on the batteries -- they say you should never run a battery down below 50 per cent state of charge, or 12.1 volts. If you do, they say it will greatly shorten the battery's life span.
I'm not an expert, so I don't really know if what they say is true, but I follow their advice.
My advice is to try a week of camping with no generator and see if you really need one.
By the way, your post mentioned that you don't have a meter for your battery. You DO have a hand-held multi-meter, right? You really need to keep tabs on the batteries -- they say you should never run a battery down below 50 per cent state of charge, or 12.1 volts. If you do, they say it will greatly shorten the battery's life span.
I'm not an expert, so I don't really know if what they say is true, but I follow their advice.
