Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Fleet | Keystone RV Models > Fifth Wheels
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-11-2016, 09:08 AM   #1
chillax_n77
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Northern MI
Posts: 30
First ever dry camp

Took our first ever dry camp trip this past weekend since owning an RV (used to tent camp before we had kids). Was kind of nervous about running out of water or filling holding tanks too quickly (3 young kids and the misses). All went well until our battery died our last night. Luckily our cousin let us use the battery out of his boat. Had a blast and kids lived through it with no electronics/t.v. One question I do have is how does one fill the fresh water when there is only a connection for a hose, no actual filling neck? Our unit just has a lever you switch to either use city or to fill fresh tank with water hose.
__________________
2015 Keystone Cougar 29ROB XLite
2016 Ram 2500 HD CC 6.4L Hemi 4.10 gears dual exhaust Demco Autoslide 18K hitch.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...011%20copy.jpg
chillax_n77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2016, 11:51 AM   #2
MerlinB
Senior Member
 
MerlinB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Newport News, VA
Posts: 221
I have a 2016 Cougar XLite 28SGS and in the docking station where you connect your hose there is a vent opening for the fresh water tank. In that vent opening there is a standard screen filter hose washer. You can pull that washer out and stick a filler tube in there to gravity fill your fresh water tank.
__________________
Merlin B.
U.S. Army Aviator, Retired
2016 Cougar XLite 28SGS
2007.5 Ram 3500 DRW
MerlinB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2016, 12:02 PM   #3
Mike484
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 380
You can always plug your trailer up to your truck and recharge the battery.

How long of a weekend was it? I would think a battery should last a couple days, unless your truck isnt charging it when traveling to the site. And, you need to change all your bulbs to LED, they burn 10% of the energy of the ones that came in your unit.
__________________

2016 Passport 2890RL
2007 GMC Sierra 1500
Reese 26000 Weight Distribution and Sway Control
Champion 2800/3100 Inverter Generator

American Ranger Auto Gyro
Mike484 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2016, 01:48 PM   #4
SkiSmuggs
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Vermont
Posts: 367
Replace the inadequate, but standard, group 24 battery with a group 27, 29 or 31. Measure the battery box and get the largest replacement that will fit. Better yet, replace the single hybrid RV battery with a pair of 6v Golf Cart batteries wired in series to produce 12 volts. Folks who dry camp regularly either carry an inverter generator (not the loud construction kind) or install solar on the roof. I have 200 watts of panels on the roof of mine. You can also get a Renogy 100w suitcase portable solar kit for about $275. I also replaced all 12v bulbs with LED that use a fraction of the power that incandescent bulbs.
__________________
2015 Ford F-350 XLT Ruby Red 6.7L Powerstroke, 4x4, Short Bed, Andersen Ultimate Hitch
Cougar High Country 299RKS, Mor/Ryde pin box, 200w solar
SkiSmuggs is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2016, 02:00 PM   #5
Desert185
Senior Member
 
Desert185's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Nevada
Posts: 2,695
I went with two, 6v golf cart batteries and two 2K generators (two in parallel for AC and one for charging batteries, ice maker, Keurig or microwave).

For replenishing water, get a 44 gal bladder tank (see Camping World) and an AC pump from HF or Amazon.
__________________
Desert185 🇺🇸 (Retired Chemtrail vendor)
-Ram 2500 QC, LB, 4x4, Cummins HO/exhaust brake, 6-speed stick.
-Andersen Ultimate 24K 5er Hitch.
-2014 Cougar 326SRX, Maxxis tires w/TPMS, wet bolts, two 6v batts.
-Four Wheel 8' Popup Camper.
Desert185 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2016, 06:59 AM   #6
chillax_n77
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Northern MI
Posts: 30
Quote:
Originally Posted by MerlinB View Post
I have a 2016 Cougar XLite 28SGS and in the docking station where you connect your hose there is a vent opening for the fresh water tank. In that vent opening there is a standard screen filter hose washer. You can pull that washer out and stick a filler tube in there to gravity fill your fresh water tank.
Ah, thanks for the tip! I'll have to remember that!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike484 View Post
You can always plug your trailer up to your truck and recharge the battery.

How long of a weekend was it? I would think a battery should last a couple days, unless your truck isnt charging it when traveling to the site. And, you need to change all your bulbs to LED, they burn 10% of the energy of the ones that came in your unit.
I tried to charge it with the truck, let it run for an hour with periodic revving of the engine to crank up the alternator charging amps. After an hour or so of charging, the batt. lasted 10 min! It died on our 3rd day of camping (thanks for kids leaving lights on, oh, and we were charging our phones as well. LEDs already throughout the coach factory installed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SkiSmuggs View Post
Replace the inadequate, but standard, group 24 battery with a group 27, 29 or 31. Measure the battery box and get the largest replacement that will fit. Better yet, replace the single hybrid RV battery with a pair of 6v Golf Cart batteries wired in series to produce 12 volts. Folks who dry camp regularly either carry an inverter generator (not the loud construction kind) or install solar on the roof. I have 200 watts of panels on the roof of mine. You can also get a Renogy 100w suitcase portable solar kit for about $275. I also replaced all 12v bulbs with LED that use a fraction of the power that incandescent bulbs.
Yeah I've thought about replacing the battery. This is our first ever time dry camping in the 5 years I've owned an RV. If we ever decide to do it more often I'll look into a bigger battery option and a generator!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Desert185 View Post
I went with two, 6v golf cart batteries and two 2K generators (two in parallel for AC and one for charging batteries, ice maker, Keurig or microwave).

For replenishing water, get a 44 gal bladder tank (see Camping World) and an AC pump from HF or Amazon.
Wow, seems overkill but I guess if you dry camp a lot....and I guess, as you can see from above, I have an option of taking out the screen for the overfill and using a water can to refill.
__________________
2015 Keystone Cougar 29ROB XLite
2016 Ram 2500 HD CC 6.4L Hemi 4.10 gears dual exhaust Demco Autoslide 18K hitch.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...011%20copy.jpg
chillax_n77 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2016, 04:42 PM   #7
Desert185
Senior Member
 
Desert185's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Nevada
Posts: 2,695
Just to clarify...two gens total. Two running in parallel for AC or just one for charging, etc. Not overkill. You can buy just one bigger one that will run an AC or go with two smaller, 2K gens.

You really need a gen to charge the battery. Running the TV isn't going to do it.
__________________
Desert185 🇺🇸 (Retired Chemtrail vendor)
-Ram 2500 QC, LB, 4x4, Cummins HO/exhaust brake, 6-speed stick.
-Andersen Ultimate 24K 5er Hitch.
-2014 Cougar 326SRX, Maxxis tires w/TPMS, wet bolts, two 6v batts.
-Four Wheel 8' Popup Camper.
Desert185 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2016, 07:43 AM   #8
Ram189
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Frederick, Md
Posts: 202
90% of what I do is dry camp.

I have the water bladder and an old water pump converted over to run off the 4 pin connector in the truck. Plug it in and turn on the running lights and she will pump 50 gals. of water in 10 or 15 minutes.

First thing I did when I bought my trailer was installed a 2nd 31 series battery. I have run 2 batteries forever and a day and did ok with them. My son is 10 now and with all the gadgets we run a generator a lot at the race tracks we camp at so we can keep tablets and phones charged. When I go with my buddies we live off batteries for 2 or 3 days most of the time with a 2k generator to recharge when needed.
__________________
2013 Ram 3500 DRW 4WD Crew Cab
2014 Montana High Country 338DB

https://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...ps110a0f22.jpg
Ram189 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2016, 09:12 AM   #9
Cabindweller
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 69
Sitting in a Dodge dealership parking lot right now, "dry camping"...

One question... While running on battery my TV, AC fan and none of my outlets seem to work. Is this normal or is there a switch that I need to flip somewhere? It seems that all off my lights and bathroom exhaust fan (all things directly wired into the camper) work just fine. Thanks.
__________________
2016 Cougar 336BHS

2017 F350 SuperDuty - Lariat, Crew Cab, PowerStroke, SRW, 4x4
Cabindweller is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2016, 02:48 PM   #10
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,846
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cabindweller View Post
Sitting in a Dodge dealership parking lot right now, "dry camping"...

One question... While running on battery my TV, AC fan and none of my outlets seem to work. Is this normal or is there a switch that I need to flip somewhere? It seems that all off my lights and bathroom exhaust fan (all things directly wired into the camper) work just fine. Thanks.
Apparently you're having "tow vehicle blues" ???

As for your TV, A/C and outlets, they are all 120VAC and only work when your "shore power cord" is plugged into either an outlet at the campground/home or into an outlet on a generator. There is no "inverter" in any Keystone product to provide 120VAC power to those appliances/outlets.

All of your lights, roof vent fans and water pump will work with 12VDC (battery power) as long as the battery is charged. Depending on the size of your battery and your use of power, you may be "lights out" in as little as a few hours or with conservative use, you may have "days of lights"....
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2016, 04:38 AM   #11
theasphaltrv'er
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: 4 Corners ..The land God 4 got
Posts: 203
Morning.... Again have the same set as you. I tried gravity feeding the water thru the vent hole ...won't work. Lets a gallon or so in, then stops, cuz air can't get out. Then when you hook a hose to it to fill the tank, it'll blow that water back out of the vent hole.
What I did was buy another water pump like the one in the 5er and manufactured a setup to where we can pump water out of a 5 gallon jug into to the FW tank or straight thru the system. Works like a charm. Also use this setup to winterize the system.
__________________
13 F-150 XLT HD Ecoboost
14 Cougar 26SAB 5er
Pullrite SuperGlide 15K
Life is fantastic & gettin
better every day
theasphaltrv'er is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2016, 07:24 AM   #12
Cabindweller
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 69
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Apparently you're having "tow vehicle blues" ???

As for your TV, A/C and outlets, they are all 120VAC and only work when your "shore power cord" is plugged into either an outlet at the campground/home or into an outlet on a generator. There is no "inverter" in any Keystone product to provide 120VAC power to those appliances/outlets.

All of your lights, roof vent fans and water pump will work with 12VDC (battery power) as long as the battery is charged. Depending on the size of your battery and your use of power, you may be "lights out" in as little as a few hours or with conservative use, you may have "days of lights"....

Yep, apparently I got some bad DEF. 5 hours at a dealership on our way to vacation (and $250). They got it taken care of and we arrived at our first destination. Thanks for the info. My wife has since informed me that she now has NO interest in dry camping. I'm not too crushed...
__________________
2016 Cougar 336BHS

2017 F350 SuperDuty - Lariat, Crew Cab, PowerStroke, SRW, 4x4
Cabindweller is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 10:38 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.