Hey allLong time rv'er but never but never a dry camper. As time goes on the more I want to try or even get into it more but first I would need to set up the fifth wheel do so. I understand the concept of conserving power, water, etc.My question is what would be your priority list be and in terms of importance? What are the costs of each item? If you gave your self a $500 starter budget what would it be? Would I need more $$? When it comes to batteries, solar, electrical, I am limited in knowledge in this area. I hear things like needing to upgrade your converter, getting a good battery moniter, etc and those are things I wouldn't have thought about. Aside from needing a generator I'm assuming the first baby step would be to upgrade my cheap stock 12v battery to a pair of 6vs?Thanks in advance for your knowlegeDan

I don't do a lot of dry camping but I do go to concerts and dry camp for several days at a time. My camper came with a genny and with the OEM 12v battery and careful battery use I am able to go for a couple of days before I recharge the battery. I did however replace the OEM fixed voltage battery charger with a good 3 stage charger for more rapid charging.Oh Yes, I also installed a 12v voltmeter and ammeter to monitor my battery use.

1) Do some learning on AC & DC electrical systems and how power is measured.2) Do an assessment of your current power usage.3) Figure out what you could live without from your current power usage.4) Calculate the remaining power needs.Do this before buying anything. - If you are a minimalist camping on moderate weather, you may not need to do anything to dry camp. - If you aren't willing to give up creature comforts, a solar system and other purchases may be a waste of money as they won't meet your needs and you will have to buy a big generator. - Most likely you will fall somewhere in between.If someone tells you to buy X, given what you have told us, run away from the advice as they have no clue what you need.

This tutorial may be of some help. 12v side of life.

Your battery bank is your bank account in amp hours.Your charging sources are your income. System resistance and losses are the banker so you have to return about 10% more than you use out of the bank.So the first question is how much do you need to withdraw each night.Some people use a device like a killawatt meter to get an idea of their energy use. You can do that with shore power driveway camping

We often dry camp until the black tank is full. We use twin group 27 batteries and charge them every 2-3 days using our trusty Honda EU 1000 & smart charger. I looked into solar but did not feel it penciled out for us.

Off grid power 101 | Good Sam Community

23 Replies

2oldman
Explorer II
Sep 13, 2018
This tutorial may be of some help. 12v side of life.
valhalla360
Navigator
Sep 13, 2018
1) Do some learning on AC & DC electrical systems and how power is measured.
2) Do an assessment of your current power usage.
3) Figure out what you could live without from your current power usage.
4) Calculate the remaining power needs.

Do this before buying anything.
- If you are a minimalist camping on moderate weather, you may not need to do anything to dry camp.
- If you aren't willing to give up creature comforts, a solar system and other purchases may be a waste of money as they won't meet your needs and you will have to buy a big generator.
- Most likely you will fall somewhere in between.

If someone tells you to buy X, given what you have told us, run away from the advice as they have no clue what you need.
tenbear
Explorer
Sep 13, 2018
I don't do a lot of dry camping but I do go to concerts and dry camp for several days at a time. My camper came with a genny and with the OEM 12v battery and careful battery use I am able to go for a couple of days before I recharge the battery. I did however replace the OEM fixed voltage battery charger with a good 3 stage charger for more rapid charging.

Oh Yes, I also installed a 12v voltmeter and ammeter to monitor my battery use.

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Off grid power 101

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