I am heading to Cades Cove + Campground in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park this summer for 9 days. We love the park and everything around it. The only problem is there are no electrical hook ups at the grounds and generators can only be ran from 8am to 8pm. Power in the evenings will be at a premium. I just replaced 26 incandescent lights with LED bulbs. I was amazed at how long the power lasts. I turned on all 26 lights and left them on all night. I came out of the house at 6am this morning and everything was still on burning bright. my battery meter shows 1/2 charge. I have done some research and found my new LEDs use about 1/32th of an incandescent bulb. The LEDs I bought put off a super clean white light almost as bright as a standard 921 bulb. I put a link to the video I watch about power draw below. I also put a link to where I bought them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66GOVj9lhakhttp://www.amazon.com/Jtech-T10-White-Lights-Bulb/dp/B009DVNHLQ/ref=sr_1_1?m=A12J7DMK6HQWCS&s=merchant-items&ie=UTF8&qid=1398779465&sr=1-1&keywords=Jtech+4x+T10%2FT15+42+SMD+12V+LED+White+LED+Car+Lights+Bulb

So is there a problem, question or concern. Generators from 8 to 8 not my kind of camp ground. I like it quite. And after 8 listen to the radio, read or go to bed, if power is a concern.

The national park also has areas where generators are not allowed.

If you have never dry camped before most stock chargers take 2 days or more to charge batteries, I would bring an automotive battery charger that has at least a 15 amp option to charge each battery. The factory charger might put out about 10 amps. I disconected my factory charger and added a PD9160+wizard 60amp charger and it will charge 2 batteries from almost dead to full from 1 to 2 hours. 2 group 29's. In cold (40's)weather I charge once a day, usuall around dinner, do dishes, shower, run electric heater, since I have extra power to use. We do a couple dry camps a year.I am form Michigan and want to camp there real bad, wife and I got married there 11 years ago and have not been back. On the list of things to do, we actually had a bear walk between us on a bycicle ride and we were about 20 feet apart, talk about a rush. We might take a tent for a couple days and then hit a rent a house for a couple more, hopefully next year.I changed all my lights over to fluorescent tubes befor led's came out, wish I waited, to much into them to change again, they did drop my usage in half though.

Yes. While we are in conserve mode, we use our LED's too. No need for generators here.

2 Decent batteries will last 9 days. On my trips without led lights,my first battery lasted 4 1/2 days. I then switched to 2nd batt and took 1st batt and batt charger to washroom/shower building and pluged it in to charge for 4 hrs, there is usually a 110v plug outside. I also have a solar panel i can put on the roof or where ever it can get sun to help out the batt life. I hate the generators too. My coffe is made with an old style percolator.

Great Smoky Mountain National Park (No Power | Good Sam Community

35 Replies

harley4275
Explorer
Apr 29, 2014
2 Decent batteries will last 9 days. On my trips without led lights,my first battery lasted 4 1/2 days. I then switched to 2nd batt and took 1st batt and batt charger to washroom/shower building and pluged it in to charge for 4 hrs, there is usually a 110v plug outside. I also have a solar panel i can put on the roof or where ever it can get sun to help out the batt life.
I hate the generators too. My coffe is made with an old style percolator.
korbe
Explorer
Apr 29, 2014
Yes. While we are in conserve mode, we use our LED's too. No need for generators here.
goingnorth
Explorer
Apr 29, 2014
If you have never dry camped before most stock chargers take 2 days or more to charge batteries, I would bring an automotive battery charger that has at least a 15 amp option to charge each battery. The factory charger might put out about 10 amps.

I disconected my factory charger and added a PD9160+wizard 60amp charger and it will charge 2 batteries from almost dead to full from 1 to 2 hours. 2 group 29's. In cold (40's)weather I charge once a day, usuall around dinner, do dishes, shower, run electric heater, since I have extra power to use. We do a couple dry camps a year.

I am form Michigan and want to camp there real bad, wife and I got married there 11 years ago and have not been back. On the list of things to do, we actually had a bear walk between us on a bycicle ride and we were about 20 feet apart, talk about a rush. We might take a tent for a couple days and then hit a rent a house for a couple more, hopefully next year.

I changed all my lights over to fluorescent tubes befor led's came out, wish I waited, to much into them to change again, they did drop my usage in half though.
beemerphile1
Explorer
Apr 29, 2014
The national park also has areas where generators are not allowed.
Dennis_Smith
Explorer
Apr 29, 2014
So is there a problem, question or concern. Generators from 8 to 8 not my kind of camp ground. I like it quite. And after 8 listen to the radio, read or go to bed, if power is a concern.

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Great Smoky Mountain National Park (No Power

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