Lithium Battery

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

IMO, the reason for having a "glamper" is to go "glamping"... That means you have a light in the refrigerator (not a cold hand from digging in the ice chest) and you have a light to read a book at night (not a flashlight held in place by your teeth) and a water pump to flush the toilet after using it (not a trip in the rain to the outhouse)....

The best learning occurs with experience and that big investment has all the features to make life better than the "old popup"... Disabling them to try to get a few extra hours without recharging ??? Defeating the conveniences is almost as "primitave" as keeping the popup would have been. In that case, just keep using the popup and avoid even needing a new battery ?????

You'll be fine with what you have and on that first trip, you'll probably be "delighted" that you can enjoy the comfort of both a refrigerator light and a flush toilet without having to count the difference in 8 watts vs 12 watts of battery consumption....

Use what you paid for and enjoy the "glamping"... It's much nicer "with lights and a refrigerator"

I've often thought the same thing!
Spend tens of thousands of $$ on a rv with all the conveniences of home then park somewhere that requires thousands of $ worth of batteries, solar chargers & generators to not use all those conveniences.
We required only 3 things while using ours; water, 50 amp electric & sewer connection. The sewer connection could be optional if not staying more than 2-3 days.
But to each their own!

[Old_Stevenick]

We have some places we’ve gone for many years that don’t have hookups and at Sebago Lake we like the sites in an area without them. So at least some of our camps will be dry. With time we may change to hookups. A new phase in our camping lives begins.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Old_Stevenick

We have some places we’ve gone for many years that don’t have hookups and at Sebago Lake we like the sites in an area without them. So at least some of our camps will be dry. With time we may change to hookups. A new phase in our camping lives begins.

50 years ago, DW and I stumbled on a small, secluded lake in the UP. It's about 12 miles down a dirt road, had only a couple of seasonal cabins on the west end of the lake and a state forest campground with 6 sites on the east end of the lake. There were no hookups, so if camping there, it's all dry camping.

Fast forward to 10 years ago when we moved back to Michigan. I wanted to go to that lake to see if you could still see those "house sized boulders in 100' of crystal clear water and if the fishing was anywhere close to what it used to be...

We drove the road in a 4x4 truck pulling the boat (no camper) and found the campground now has about 15 sites, all still primitive to include no trash barrels and only one pit toilet and a hand pump that produces excellent water. We put the boat in the water and found that it is as clear now as it was 40 years before. We caught small mouth bass in the 1.5 to 2.5 pound range as fast as we could cast a lure. Yep, the lake was as good or better than I'd remembered.

For the past 12 years, we make a 2 week trip "triple towing" the fifth wheel and the boat to spend a couple weeks "in heaven" without electricity, without phones, without sewer and without city water hookups. It's still 12 miles down that dirt road (hope you don't meet someone because there's no place to turn around and it's impossible to back two trailers)...

We dry camp there with the assistance of a generator and two 6 gallon jerry cans to pack water and a 22 gallon "blue tank" to pack out gray water.

So, there are places and times when "having all the conveniences" mean full hookups and there are times when "you can have nearly the same thing with all the conveniences, even microwave and battery charging, with the right planning...

For us, those two weeks are something we look forward to doing every year. My grandson, 24 years old, enjoys the fishing on that lake more than anywhere else I've taken him. It's thrilling to see him lay down his fishing rod and say, "Pop, my arms are killing me"....

So, even with a limited battery supply and a generator, "glamping for a couple of weeks" is not an impossible dream. We do it every year and don't "count watts or make do without a convenience we need or want"... No reason anyone else couldn't do the same thing (within reason) with the same "limited battery power and a means to recharge"....

Now, I wouldn't try it in the SW desert in July without air conditioning, but in northern Michigan, some trips in July need heat rather than air and it's always nice weather "when you're on the lake"....

For me, it's another "Alfred E Neuman" moment: What?? Me worry????

Worst that can happen is the LED's go dim... That's not an inconvenience when you've got a campfire to light the evening darkness.....

[Old_Stevenick]

I like the idea of unhooking to scout campsites. My DW does all the driving and convincing her to do that is another story. I am looking into backup cameras as it's been hard enough with the pop up at times with her having to take directions from me!

[mikec557]

We full timed for just under 2yrs. Drove all over the country and had a great time. We ran into all kinds of "different" camper-people. Some liked full hookup and brought every toy they could haul, some liked to camp primitive, and others who liked everything in between. I say, to each his own. Camp however you want and enjoy yourself. As for me, I'm a Jack of all Trades, Master of none. If someone asks for help or advice on something I can contribute to, then I do. If I can't, then I usually read along and see if I can learn something.

[B-O-B'03]

On our fridge there is a 12V heating element in the panel between the bottom of the freezer and the top of the fridge. It is supposed to keep condensation from forming in that area due to the cold temperatures.

Power to that heater flows through the same circuit as the inside light.

I found an schematic for our fridge on-line and installed a switch to disable the heater when we are boon-docking.

I cannot remember, off hand about the power consumption, but it was persistent, as long as the fridge was on.

-Brian