Need help in buying a meter.

Sun's out today will post results later today When the sun the strongest at noon.
Thanks for the replies.

I like my trimetric 2025. It has tons of options and just 2 buttons. Made by bogart industries. I think it's high quality.

I was thinking of getting one of these Tenma clamp meters for the trailer. I could leave my more expensive Flukes on the bench or in the tool kit.

I like the second one at $19.99.
I used to teach high school students how to use multimeters, which was a bit risky because connecting the meter for a current (amps) range as if it was a voltmeter caused the selected current range to burn out. The 19.99 meter looks like it has over current protection and auto shutoff to prevent battery burnout, while the cheapo probably doesn't.

Anyway, I suggest you only use the voltage ranges until you master that and have someone to help you in person with current measurement, which is very awkward with a multimeter in an RV.. Voltage is easy and almost impossible to damage anything. Just select a voltage range over 15 volts DC (probably 20 VDC) and touch the red lead to positive and the black to negative.

The meter I have in the RV is this little beauty at $50 on eBay.ca that has regular voltage ranges plus foolproof current readings when used as a clamp-meter.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/UNI-T-UT204A-Digital-Handheld-Clamp-Multimeter-Tester-DMM-Voltmeter-Amp-AC-DC-/261813739440?hash=item3cf5509fb0
Great buy! Takes a month to arrive in the mail, though. You just set the meter to DC amps and clamp the thing around the wire you want to measure the current through.

BTW, you may find an even cheaper clampmeter in local stores but it won't measure DC current. Some even falsely advertise "DC clampmeter" and get away with it because it can measure DC volts.

Thanks everyone who took the time to reply. Will pickup one tomorrow.

I'd say the $9.99 special because the quality of Mastercraft is unknown to me.

If it breaks, you're out $10.

I think I bought a basic digital 2 place multimeter for under $20 at the local Wal Mart in the USA. It works just fine. You overnight at a walmart, go inside in the morning and buy one in the automotive or electrical section in a Super WalMart, no shipping fees or ebay fees.

Another good option somewhat like ewarnerusa's is to permanently install a little panel voltmeter and ammeter (or combination meter) to measure the battery voltage and the charge/discharge current. Those together can tell you most everything you need to know about what's going on with your battery.

Something like this combo meter should do the trick nicely. (Note: I have no experience with this particular meter--but it looks like it should serve.) Look for one that can measure current in both directions; some only work one way, which means you can only measure charging or discharging current, but not both (at least not without an additional switch to swap the shunt connections around).

One advantage of a permanently mounted meter is that you can keep tabs on what's happening without having to muck around in the battery compartment. It's a lot more convenient for monitoring, but nowhere near as versatile for troubleshooting. Ideally you might want both a multimeter and a panel meter.

A multimeter is of course an important tool for your electrical toolbox. But with the OP's statement that they have "no clue" about electricity, I'm not sure how useful a multimeter is going to be in their hands without some training. How about keeping it simple with a display that plugs into a 12V plug in the camper? I used one of these for a couple years and it told me all I needed to know about the battery charging status.
http://www.amazon.com/INNOVA-3721-Battery-Charging-Monitor/dp/B000EVWDU0/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1443191300&sr=8-13&keywords=12V+meter+plug+in

Depending on what voltage it was showing me, I knew if the solar was in bulk, absorption, or float. After the sun goes down I start to see the battery SOC. First thing in the morning the reading will be a pretty good measure of SOC. I don't know Ah in or out, but after using my system for a while I realized that it doesn't really matter if I know this parameter. As long as my voltage is over ~12.2V first thing in the morning and >13V just after the panels are out of the sun in the evening, I know things are going to be fine.

We're weekend warrior type campers and the batteries always get a chance to return to bursting full from solar alone while the trailer is parked at home.

Thanks for the quick replies. There on sale at my local store.
Here a link to the multi meters on sales, looking to spend under $30.
Which one do you suggest I buy?
Multi meters on sale

Thanks. I really appreciate it.