Dry camping with a trailer

korbe wrote:

And I think he did {clarify}.

"Thanks, all. Sounds doable. Esp for a one-night Walmart stay. "

:B

Yeah. I think we here over-thought it :)

Almot wrote:
...........you need to clarify the question, ........"

And I think he did.

"Thanks, all. Sounds doable. Esp for a one-night Walmart stay. "

:B

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
... in the sierra nevadas (trips lasting an average of 2 weeks) I learned to camp from scratch. Same for backpacking - I learned to adapt and love it with basics.

A plywood shed 6 feet by 10 feet would have been a mansion.

Yes. We are getting older. 8 feet by 23 feet mansion of a trailer already doesn't feel roomy enough.

Back to the OP: you need to clarify the question, there are few things to consider. Batteries, fresh water availability, sewage, fridge, do you need A/C or not, can you cook on propane or not.

If camp has potable water, showers and toilets, you can stay there for weeks without a generator, but here are some drawbacks.

Your menu won't be what you had back home because you won't have a fridge. Fridge needs 12V when in propane mode, and together with CO/LP sensors it will suck a single 90 AH to 50% in about 3 days, and this is when you don't use absolutely no other loads like trailer radio or ceiling lights. The battery "doesn't like" to remain in half-empty stage for long time. So you can't run it down to 50% and then stay there for a month. It won't die immediately, but it will sulfate, and you'll have to deal with this later. So if you're staying longer than a few days, just forget that you have a battery at all. So you need canned food, dryfoods etc. Beans, rice and pasta don't need to be refrigerated, so you won't die. Doable, but gets boring after a while.

Lights and radio can be dealt with. You can bring a portable radio that runs a week on a handful of AA, and LED lanterns. My favorite is $1 LED lawn marker, it has a tiny solar panel and a rechargeable battery inside. Cut the stake off, tie some string and hang it outside in daytime, in the evening hang it on the cabinet knob above the counter, it will make enough light to have a supper and make a bed. Now with 500W solar I don't need that tiny lantern in trailer anymore, but it's my favorite for night jaunts to camp toilet.

Cold weather can be dealt with, TAD. You can bring a portable propane heater, though it's better not to sleep with this thing on, so you need a good sleeping bag or duvet.

Our trailers are not really made for drycamping. Heat and sound insulation is often a so-so, light bulbs need to be replaced with LEDs, fans are loud and inefficient and also need to be replaced with better after-market models. People that drycamp a lot, have done all these improvements to their rigs, and more.

Dry camping ability and comfort depends entirely on how your trailer and your other camping equipment matches the needs. This is determined by your own personal desires and how long you plan on staying there along with where you would go to get the items you need (fresh water, dump stations, etc). It's just as easy with a trailer as with a motorhome or any other type of RV as long as it's equipped to meet your needs. The longest stint we ever spent in a disbursed campsite that was also a dry/primitive site, was three weeks. We had a source of fresh water about two miles away from our campsite and there was a NFS campground with dump station about five miles away (had to tow there twice during our stay). We DID have a generator which means we were more comfortable and did not have to be as frugal with electric power but for a short two or three day stay and adequate conservation most anyone can enjoy camping instead of RVing. Many RV parks and some campgrounds are what I go camping to get away from but that's a personal thing and certainly won't apply to everyone.
Good luck / Skip
Good luck / Skip

That’s an extreme case of more unsaid than said.:) Dry camping without a generator is more akin to tent camping than anything. I dry camp almost exclusively, don’t use a generator, don’t use commercial parks, and have a small TT so I have limited tank capacities. Also I have one 12v battery. Still, I can go almost a week before I have to recharge/restock.

If boondocking I carry extra water in 5 gallon cans. In a campground I refill a can at the water source and refill my tank. No tv, microwave, or other electronics and I use only one light unless I temporarily need more. The frig runs on propane. I carry a battery charger and sometimes I can recharge my battery somewhere if I’m in a national park, otherwise I move to a site with electric hu’s for a couple of days. Or I can take the battery out and have it recharged, but I don’t use my TV as a battery charger. No washing the hair or long, hot showers, navy showers or sponge baths are the rule. Also no furnace or ac. But I camp in as high an elevation as I can get so ac is never needed and I can take the cold much better than the heat. In my case battery power is the first to go followed by the water. Propane lasts a long time and so do the gray and black tanks.

It’s somewhat primitive, but that’s how I like to camp and it gives you the flexibility to get away from the mob scene and camp in some great places. Go ahead and do it, it’s very likely you’ll enjoy the experience and you’ll learn quickly what your limitations are. And if you push the envelope too hard you can just move to a site with hu’s and regroup. Good luck.

Everyone's power requirements are different. I would consider a volt meter to be the one essential tool to have. A couple of years ago I bought a DC and a AC meter for around 6 bucks including shipping on ebay. I have them mounted just inside the door. I did install on/off switches but if you don't mind a night light from the LCD display it's not necessary.

The last time we were out for 48 hrs and voltage only dropped to 12.3 with 2 batteries. No TV usage and minimal incandescent lights, ran a Fantastic Fan both nights. There are 12v info threads on here and charts for state of charge. I just remember to think of 12.0v as being 1/2 charge and time for a boost.

What's it like to dry camp in OUR trailer? HEAVEN

Our first trip out we had just the stock trailer and we needed the furnace in sub freezing weather at night. We didn't use the house lights, instead we used battery florescent and LED light to save the battery. We were fine for 3 days/ two nights but when we wanted to extend it to a week I turned the truck around and ran it with the jumper cables attached for a hour. Doing that for the next four days gave us plenty of power for the rest of the week.

The next season we ran a generator a few hours a day. Last year we added solar, this year more battery and a big inverter. Now you would think we took a big extension cord with us because we can use all of the toys and never conserve on power. Luckily we can make 60 gallons of water last two weeks.

Thanks, all. Sounds doable. Esp for a one-night Walmart stay. I guess the biggest thing is no air conditioning. Like the idea of jumping the trailer battery from the tow vehicle.

Our last dry camping trip lasted 6 days in conserve mode. The battery draw down was about 8% per day. Our fresh water was getting low as well as our black tank starting to get on the full side. Figured it was time to head down the hill before the black tank filled up. 2 navy showers a day and LED lights.

Maybe it was because during the summer I hired dunnage mule pack trips in the sierra nevadas (trips lasting an average of 2 weeks) I learned to camp from scratch. Same for backpacking - I learned to adapt and love it with basics.

A plywood shed 6 feet by 10 feet would have been a mansion.

now if the steps don't extend fast enough, or the shower nozzle pulse-o-aerator don't tingle the skin it ain't camping - it must be a concentration camp.

Maybe I have lived for too long...