Forum Discussion
JiminDenver
Jun 10, 2014Explorer II
The last time I camped below a mile high was back home. It was hot and muggy but we didn't have air in the house, the cars and certainly not the RV. The lowest I expect us to be this year is 9400 ft.
While you may not do it with a 130w solar system and a pair of 6v batteries, having toys like a hair dryer or microwave is certainly possible with a solar system. My bank is split. A 95 ah grp 27 runs the trailer and a Duracell 8-D starting battery runs a 3000w inverter. That starting battery has a neat trick, it can run a 1875w hair dryer or a 900w ( 1375w running) microwave no sweat.
Last year we only took 230w with us and couldn't use the power, but we didn't have the big loads. This year with the toys we will take between 490 and 720w up with us. I was considering getting a Frigidaire 5000 btu window AC that uses less than 500w but like the generator, we didn't need the air last year.
The year before solar we used the generator a few hours a day, the year before that we used the truck and a set of jumper cables. Each is different in it's simplicity and expense but I have to admit that the solar offers the most freedom. Then again I live in one of the best states for solar vs Michigan which is one of the worse. I remember lots of sunny summer days growing up there but I know the winters are cloudy and grey too.
While you may not do it with a 130w solar system and a pair of 6v batteries, having toys like a hair dryer or microwave is certainly possible with a solar system. My bank is split. A 95 ah grp 27 runs the trailer and a Duracell 8-D starting battery runs a 3000w inverter. That starting battery has a neat trick, it can run a 1875w hair dryer or a 900w ( 1375w running) microwave no sweat.
Last year we only took 230w with us and couldn't use the power, but we didn't have the big loads. This year with the toys we will take between 490 and 720w up with us. I was considering getting a Frigidaire 5000 btu window AC that uses less than 500w but like the generator, we didn't need the air last year.
The year before solar we used the generator a few hours a day, the year before that we used the truck and a set of jumper cables. Each is different in it's simplicity and expense but I have to admit that the solar offers the most freedom. Then again I live in one of the best states for solar vs Michigan which is one of the worse. I remember lots of sunny summer days growing up there but I know the winters are cloudy and grey too.
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