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RoyBell
Explorer
Jun 20, 2015

dry camping/boondocking question

Every year I go to a music festival where we boondock from Thursday morning until we pack up Monday. I always had my pop-up and never had an issue. Fridge ran off propane and there wasn't many lights. We would run the generator a little during the day to top off the battery and run some fans outdoors and music.

Now I have this 28' bunk house and I am afraid it's gonna drain the battery pretty quickly. The fridge requires electricity to work off propane (or so I am told) unlike the pop up. The awning needs power to open and close (will close when leaving or if storm is coming). Water pump is much larger. I would pressurize the system on the PUP then turn it off so keep some juice.

I am not sure what else is going to suck the power when the battery is connected. Radio seems to always be on and connects to my phone even when off and in my driveway.

I did pick up some LED lamps to replace all the incandescent ones which will help tremendously.

Will running the generator for a couple hours a day be enough to keep it charged? Whats the longest people can go with a single battery and larger trailer if they are trying to conserve?
  • Take a hand held voltmeter with you & check the voltage @ the battery each morning & early evening. Don't let the battery get below 50% SOC. Using the generator & a portable battery "smart" charger will work best for re-charging, & take less time if your converter is the older style.



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  • Not sure what converter it is. I just purchased the camper a couple weeks ago. Cruisers Radiance model. Not planning on showering in the camper, but it could happen. The heater may run. Sometimes it gets in the 50s over night, other years it's never below 80. Or we could bring extra blankets...
  • You will get a faster charge if you use a battery charger instead of the converter only.
  • There will be a big difference in how long it takes to charge your battery depending on the output voltage. If max is 13.6 or so it will take forever. You want a converter that can do 14.4 or more
  • Two hours a day should be fine if you conserve. Going to depend a bit on your converter. Most just slow charge at 13.6 volts. Post the model for best answers. I would always recommend two batteries minimum for off grid camping.

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  • X2.
    You will be fine. The heater is the power hog, but I doubt you will be using it on this trip.
  • It shouldn't be a problem. The fridge requires 12v when on propane not electricity and uses next to nothing. Pump doesn't need to run much. Are you going to shower in the TT? Then the pump will run but I don't think they use much power either. We can go 2 or 3 days on one battery without topping it off each day.