The End All/Be All of Non-Slide Rigs - Or No?

Tiger4x4RV wrote:
I like your planning and pairing ideas. Good choices on truck, equipment, and TC.

Low profile? My Tiger is low-profile in dimensions (barely over 9 feet tall, just under 20 feet long, 87 inches wide), but not in the attention-getting class. I've been driving small 4x4 Class C's since 1991, camping mostly at USFS, BLM, or boonies. I am not a full-timer, but I am out camping often. Lots of curious looky-loos have stopped by to see the vehicles. Am I sorry for my vehicle choices because of this? NO! Surely you can be briefly nice to these folks and then disengage.

Generator choice: I don't have one. Don't have solar either. The batteries charge from the heavy-duty truck alternator when I drive. Fine for me, because I rarely stay in one place more than 3 days. This approach might not work for you. If you get portable generators, where will you safely haul the gas cans? The factor of having generator and fuel feed built in would be easier on your back and on storage issues. Or maybe get lots of solar an skip the generator?

Saving propane by not cooking? Huh? Maybe the real issue is that you don't like to cook? :-) I cook a bit every day (no oven) and buy propane maybe once every year or two. Your plan (buy cooked food in town, eat off this stash all week) requires very good and dependable refrigeration of suitable volume. A 3-way frig on propane is fine if you can level your rig and if the weather is not too warm. I recently bought a small portable 12V frig-freezer for the hottest weather. You might consider getting such a frig (see marine catalogs or Expedition Portal for info; a real frig, NOT a cooler).

Will you need a furnace? Propane. Will you need air conditioning? Generator.

Anyway, I think you are on a good track with your plan and you have plenty of time to work on any issues that crop up.

Great points. Yeah - I've been mulling over the Honda vs Onan issue. Seems with the AC on the Northern Lite, you need 2400 watts to start and 1800 watts to run thereafter. Will be towards the coast in Oregon most of the summertime - but will have to run it some days. Doesn't get too cold there in the winter. May go down to Arizona or South Cali in the cold months. Have also considered the back issues and the possibility of having to have two Hondas as well. I may have to go with the Onan if that turns out to be the case.

I know...I know. I'll be nice to people and let them see my new camper. Not a total hermit, yet. Will likely have a huge grey beard down to the ground and some bad BO from all that boondocking/isolation before long. Big crazy eyes with my thick glasses, too! "What the hell are you looking at! It's just a camper, you vermin!" Just kidding. Don't want folks to think I've set up camp in their lot. Low profile, baby.

You only buy propane every year or two? I must have this whole propane issue wrong. Was thinking I'd go through two 20LB tanks easily within a week or two. Three showers per week, fridge running constantly, with furnace running during weather in the 40s in winter would go through two tanks a week easily, right? In summer time the same, but instead of furnace, the AC once or twice a week for a few hours a day on hot days. That's got to suck a ton of propane.

The 3-way fridge doesn't stay cold? WT..! Do the fridges break down a lot, too? I though once the thing was cold it stayed cold easily! Dang it, now I'm getting really pissed off! :->

You calling me a cooking-hater?! :-> No really - thought that would save on propane If I just bought pre-cooked and heated it up in a pan or in the stove when ready to feast. Too funny!