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 usually only have one on at a time. I have no idea how long the battery will/should last, just running lights. I replace it about every 4 years. I don't even have a meter to tell me how much life is in it. A generator seems like a big investment, and there is the maintenance to think about as well, although it would be nice to have at home in an emergency. If I just hook up to my vehicle to recharge, how long does that take? If I'm in a spot for a week and then drive a day to another area, is that long enough to recharge? As you can see, I'm pretty ignorant on all of this but it just hasn't been a concern until now. Since retiring a few years ago, my goal has been longer trips. That didn't become possible until now, with the loss of my mom a few weeks ago. I don't like listening to other campers' generators so I've been reluctant to get one but the site I have this summer for a week is so private, no one would have to listen to it but me.

Your battery also provides power for the gas alarms, refrigerator circuit board and possibly your water heater circuit board. So there is more to consider than just lights.

I carry a small 2KW Generator in the tail gate corner of my covered truck bed... Wouldn't leave home without one for sure... Not many days goes by without me firing it up for something... Here recently I have been getting a quick battery charge in my truck sitting in the Walmart and Food Lion parking driving Ms Daisy around grocery shopping. I keep running down my truck battery that needs replaced. So here I sit for five minute running the generator which is powering up my 10A Battery charger so I can start the truck again haha... It needs a new battery for sure... Best PLAN B thing I can think of...We are usually the last ones leaving the camp grounds we stay at and I use it to jump start other campers of them having their doors all open loading up etc...When we are camping off-road which is mostly the way we camp I will run my 2KW generator every morning where allowed starting at 8AM for three hours charging up my 255AH battery bank from its 50% to 90% charge state so we can do all of this all over again for the next day/night run off the batteries. We usually draw 23-25AMPS DC current from our battery bank between 4PM and 10PM each evening running the things we want to run when camping off-road... This drops me down to the 50% charge state by 8AM each morning... This is probably alot more than others do when they are camping off-road but this is what we do haha... Roy's imageMy battery bankRoy's imageRoy Ken

The first time we were away for more then a few weeks it was for almost 3 months. We took a generator and only used it three times. If the battery got down we would get a campground for a few days, plug in and go site seeing. One day plugged into the tow vehicle will not charge the battery. 40 nights at $25 a night could get you a good generator, only you know what you want.

Sounds like you have taken it pretty easy on your method of camping and never needed any more. That works in your favor if you are going to extend your trips. In short, yes your TV will recharge your trailer as you drive if the lead to your battery from the 7 pin plug is live. You will only be charging a few (5-10) Amps at best.Batteries charge quickly to about 75% -85% charge, but to get the final top off go very slowly. your battery is likely holding about 85 amphrs total capability. To recharge fully would take a full day of driving. If your trailer has space to add a second battery, that would be a good first step, A generator to recharge and let you run other items would obviously help too, you could also add a solar panel to trickle charge the batteries to extend their operation, this has the added benefit of keeping them topped off when the trailer is not in use. There are many threads on here giving the technical information on how to measure usage and determining drain on your batteries, Read a few, try using a voltmeter on your next trip to see how much you are runnoing the battery down and then you can figure out what you want or need to get what you want from your setup.

The solar fanatics will be chiming in and in your case they are probably right assuming you will park where the sun can get to them.Yes your car can charge the battery but it or the trailer may not be wired for doing that.LED lights would help and at $1 each on EBay not a big investment.

Do I need a generator? | Good Sam Community

Steve_B_
Explorer
May 14, 2017
I don't have water tanks either! No bathroom. Used to that. Four lights, but only use one at a time. CO2 detector. Old fashioned camping. Transistor radio.
toedtoes
Explorer III
May 14, 2017
In that case, I would do a driveway run and see how much battery you use over a week.

I suspect you would do fine with one or two group 31 AGM batteries. When you run them down, find a campground/RV park with electrical hookups for a night. Hook into shore power and re-charge your batteries, take a shower, do some laundry, and then head back out for another week or two of dry camping.

With your basic camping (similar to my style), I don't think you'll need a generator.
RoyB
Explorer II
May 14, 2017
kerrlakeroo wrote:
RoyB!!!!!!!! I'm shocked :E, aghast! :?
Your battery's arent color coordinated.

I noticed that too when I took the covers off for the photo... They were all purchased at the same time so probably only the one off colored one is the new one and the other two are older new ones haha...

I got them in 2008 and just last season they started to not perform well and lose their charge rather quickly... Not bad for 8-9 years of service which most was off-road really hard on the batteries. I think all three have the same model number...

I'm working on a new battery bank now which will fir inside the angles shown on my battery bank tongue area and hopefully will have two groups of two GC2 6V batteries in series for a 440AH battery bank... This will be the TORKLIFT 7710RS battery box which has the single solar panel on the lid for trickle charging the bank when in high sun...

Roy Ken
phillyg
Explorer II
May 14, 2017
Your furnace uses 12v power and my experience is that one battery won't last the night.
2oldman
Explorer II
May 14, 2017
Steve B. wrote:
I don't have water tanks either! No bathroom. Used to that. Four lights, but only use one at a time. CO2 detector. Old fashioned camping. Transistor radio.
No, you don't need a generator. And it's CO, not Co2.
kerrlakeRoo
Explorer
May 14, 2017
After seeing the followup post I dont believe you need a genny, Your usage seems so low that simply having a single good battery and if you wish a small solar trickle charger should cover your needs. There are plenty of small 10-15 watt solar chargers out there for less than fifty bucks. If you end up needing more add a second battery later.
Steve_B_
Explorer
May 14, 2017
OK, CO. Got my carbons mixed up. And, no furnace to worry about either. Look at my trailer - it's old fashioned, basic camping. A step above a tent. A very comfortable step. Looks like I won't need a generator. Maybe it would be cheaper to buy an extra battery to take along. No room for a second on the trailer.
time2roll
Nomad
May 14, 2017
Second battery and a couple LED lights would go a long way.
If you camp where there is any sun consider 200 watts solar.

Generator probably also needs you to upgrade the converter to 3 stage so you are not running it all day.

If you want to charge from the vehicle just use some HD jumper cables direct battery to battery. More of a crutch than a viable solution. Still need to idle the vehicle for an hour or two minimum to get a decent charge in a low battery. Some vehicle may work better than others.
ppine
Explorer II
May 14, 2017
How disciplined are the people you travel with? Do you travel in winter when there is a lot more darkness? Do you have any slide outs? Do you ever listen to music or charge devices? How many days do you boondock camp at a time? do you use LEDs? I bought a generator and use it fairly often on trips longer than about 4 days. solar panels are your other option.

It is very awkward to be ready to go home but not have enough juice to operate a slide out.
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
May 14, 2017
Steve B. wrote:
My trailer has a single battery, and I only use it for lights, and usually only have one on at a time. I have no idea how long the battery will/should last, just running lights. I replace it about every 4 years.

That seems a little short to life expectancy. Are you using a true deep cycle battery like a Trojan T-1275 or just a "dual purpose" marine battery ?

Steve B. wrote:
If I just hook up to my vehicle to recharge, how long does that take? If I'm in a spot for a week and then drive a day to another area, is that long enough to recharge?

Without going into technical details, a vehicle's charging system will never 100 percent recharge your battery. It will prevent it from going dead.

Steve B. wrote:
I did just get 3 LED light bulbs to replace what I had, they take half the power. I discovered that they don't work base up, so I can't use one of them in the fixture over the dinette.

You have to figure this one out ! LED bulb use SO MUCH LESS electricity than standard bulbs. I am sure there is a solution out there !

As others have mentioned, even a small solar pannel will help a lot.

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