Plugging in to a tree

[indycamper]

I have shore power and use it whenever I can. The Reason: No Battery! That's right, Gertrude is battery-less If I want electricity when I don't have shore power, I have to use the generator. One of my goals this winter is to figure out how to add a battery!

I noticed that nowhere did anyone state they camped without electricity. It was just a matter of how one got the juice! Do you camp totally without electricity, and what's the longest you have done so?

[Shadow Catcher]

I camped with out power for sixty years, thirty eight of those with Nancy. We are both readers and lying in bed of an evening with the LED lights is so much nicer than a book light, being off the ground and being able to listen to the radio (XM) or nothing but nature sounds is priceless.

[bdosborn]

I know a lot of people will say that its not "real" camping if you use certain modern conveniences but I don't consider anything about camping in a trailer to be "real". In my mind, I haven't done any "real"camping since I hung up my backpack. So don't worry about what people say and put whatever you want in you trailer. My *opinion* is you might as well add shore power and go over to the dark side since you're most of the way there anyways. It's nice to be comfortable.
Or not, after all, it's your trailer.
Bruce

[Rlowell]

Here in Florida the summer heat is unbearable unless you have A/C and thus shore power. I built the Ketza with 110 only as all the camp grounds county/state or Federal all have power hook-ups. If some place does not, we do not go there. The small 5000 btu unit will freeze you out if you do not turn it down, but it is needed.

We finally cool down in mid October and right now we are quit chilly; and I have to work! Two weeks ago it was still hot with lots of bugs in Leesburg, Fl.

Trying to get out again in two weeks.

Rod

[slowcowboy]

I am not putting it in my 2 build. I have never used the power strip and the out lets and the drop cord in my teardrop the power strip lays in my tongue box and just rattles around. the out lets are there on the wall inside and wired into a rv outlet on the side of my teardrop.

But I never have had the chance or the need to use 110 yet.


I camp mostly in my home native state of wyoming and 110 is useless here as we simply don't have it.

most my camping is in national forest and they don't run power poles into the forest.

thats not real to the tree huggers.

I have been with my old teardrop or the 1st one on trips to colorado and a real mans campground at a koa in lava hotsprings idaho.

they have offred me 110 at the campground in idaho last august and told them no need!!!!!!!!!!!

I chose a tent spot instead fo 20 some a night.

I told the clerk behind the countrer that I didn't have nothing that ran on 110 with me as she owed and awed over my homemade mircale and angie and me drove up to the tent spot.

most the time even on a trip I just need a bed and something to eat.

so the new teardrop that angie and me will share in our up coming marriead life won't have a 110 hook up just

12 volt with a battery and one charge line to the trailer plug and that will run a charge line to the tow vehicles altenator.

I get plenty of cheapo power from the car and never really have gotten use out of my 24 watt portable harbor freight solar panal.

most of the time the solar panal sits in my combine at home on the ranch keeping the battery up in storage or jsut laying in the shop.

so no 110 for slow and

I am pretty much in to a very very little to barely using it 12 volt.

I find by running a coleman lantern either white gas or propane that my 12 volt lights thingy is mimal at all.

most my electrical usage goes into a heat and a 12 volt ceramic heator.

and a 12 volt heat blanket on the inside of a army sleeping bag.

thats normaly what draws my battery on a camping trip.

if I run anything else its to recharge the cell phone or blow up my float tube for fishing.

usage of propane and white gas keeps my electrical needs very very minal.

and I am up at sunrise in the summer time so lights are normaly just used a few hours for bed time

unless I sit up around a camp fire and yea propane or white gas for that too.

slow

[slowcowboy]

I got mine from northern tool. they are not bad on current. I don't leave it on all night.

it runs on a timeer with a reset button so if you get cold by 2 in the moring just hit the reset button for a few more minetes of quick heat.

with a army down mummy bag they will roast you out of that teardrop.

they cyle on a timer and will shut off at a set time like 30 minetes 45 or what ever yada.

so they don't constanly draw current.

not sure on amp draw. but with my 300 watt road pro heater on for like 15 to 20 minetes to warm the ambent air and a good amry down bag and the heat blanket.

I can be as good as 60 percent by moring.

I can a lot of times even milke out some more juice in the morings when its chilly if needed out of both the heater and blanket and get a bit more out of the battery.

i got a cableas battery montor right in the wall by my bed in the teardrop and it easy to montor juice in the night by just hitting the red button and its a push button on and off.

stays on if you hold it down.

then the battery gauge lights up and tells you what you got with all juice off.

its with in arms reach of the bed and so using 12 volt for heat at night is way easy for me.

then I got a well insulated teardrop with 2 inch foam in the walls and celling. i have a double roof in my teardrop.

and then to re- charge in the morings I normal just start the suv's car engine and just re- charge and idle the engine like 10 15 minets.

the suvs altenartor with a charge line from my postive post on my suvs battery to the deep cyle in my teardrops tongue box will get me with 19 to 15 minets idle time like up to 70 percent or bettor.

it beats a soalar panal all day and is all rigged up with a roll of wire and a 15 dollar rv selnoid and a toggle switch under the dash for pennys.

I recharged my cell phone this way at walk the winds to as i charged up my battery.

often when camping in the summer above lander, wyoming I just jerk camp and re- charge my battery as I drive down the road looking for a new fishing hole.

I can also heat my bed ahead of time with the 12 volt heator and not run down my battery by idleing the car or

if I really want to I can heat my bed as I drive down the road with the 12 volt heator on as I drive and pull my teardrop.

with the cars engine running the battery will stay up at 70 perent much like your cars battery while the heator runs with no loss of charge on the teardrops battery.

once you shut the car off the heator draws the battery down on the teardrop just like leaving your lights on in your car.

but then I am good about conserving my 12 volt battery on my teardrop and its easy with mimal 12 volt usage to get plenty of juice out of a battery in one night.

for me in wyoming 12 volt is way to easy to use with only one deep cyle battery.

slow

[Shadow Catcher]

The Road Pro pulls 6.7 amps http://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-12-Volt-F ... B0009Y2CFS
That strikes me as a hefty draw, some versions have a 30 to 45 min timer.
This argues for monitoring the battery closely as a few hours of use could really drain even a substantial deep cycle. The intent is obviously to use it only to take the chill off.

[bc toys]

I got my blanket at the T/A truck stop they carry them it will run 2 nights on a fully charged battery. I'm looking into a way to build me a timer that will turn on and off on the hour. On lie 30 min and off for about 2 hr.

[sleepy]

I have not yet begun to build my teardrop but I'm reading and planning right now. My intention is to build and use the camper as tho it is a plywood pup-tent. No plumming. No propane hoses. No water tanks. No wiring. No built in electric lights. No electric fans. No built in sink. Right now I car camp and use a small tent. I use a one gallon water jug. A flashlight. A single burner portable propane stove. One skillet and one pot. One french-press coffee maker. I also do not want to use any, or very little factory make fittings. By this I mean aluminum moldings and trim strips. Anything that reminds me of factory made things. I intend to use a harbor freight frame to start with.

When I have been backpacking I've been impressed with how little one actually needs. Also How well you can see in the dark when your eyes are dark adapted. The campfire is usually just fine for everything like light. And a flashlight. The new LED lights make headlamps very good flashlight replacements. I hang up a flashlight by a short string inside the tent when needed. I'll do the same in the teardrop. The early 1930's homemade teardrops may have been similar to this minimalistic style. I'll have more money for gas and food too. But I really don't think many people would like this kind of thing. But for me it helps to give me the feeling of "now we are camping". RV-ing seems like a whole nother thing. No thanks.
Sleepy

[Shadow Catcher]

I have tent camped for 50 years and taking it with you and being very comfortable beats it all over the place Unless you are a masochist And yes I do know those that are in BDSM and in fact did my senior honors project on the physiology of abuse (long story) which had never been studied before.

[Mukilteo]

To each their own. What ever works for them.
Me, I've gotten soft over the years and like the little fiddly bits that make it more comfortable.

[canned o minimum]

Personally, I like wilderness camping and like Slow says... ain't no electric trees out thar. But...when I do git to camp in a place WITH 110, I loves to decorate with lites and such and usually have sum sorta theme goin on in camp to look at and enjoy.

My teardrop( now sold) had 110 and with it , I mostly only used it fer outside lighting and inside fer reading.


One a these days Imma check into that solar stuff....

[Mukilteo]

Hmmm, where's the sagebrush with the outlet?
I still prefer boon-docking.

The sad part is now I have the van, I can't get to this spot.
Not enough ground clearance. Got one dry creek to cross and a steep hill climb.
My little 4X4 Nissan pickup had no problem with it.

[bobhenry]

Very Very appropriate for this topic.......

I posted this 11-4-2008 and if you have read it I appologize but for the rest of you here is the post reposted....

At our fall Salamonie Lake gathering I told John Spratt about my 1st boy scout experience without power. Our Scout master Ed Forester (no kidding) asked us Scouts to find him a tree that had been hit by lightning. We scattered 4 - 5 directions and were to report back in 5 - 10 minutes. Well a tree WAS located ( Probably an old elm with blight) . The top was ratty and blasted out so Mr Forester said that it indeed had sustained a lightning strike. After his speach to convince us he pulled out his hunting knife and carved 2 small slits in the tree trunk and from a pouch he then produced his electric razor. He inserted the power cord into the 2 slots that had been carved, turned on his razor and started to shave to the total and absolute amazement of 10 - 12 of us 1st year scouts.

At my age now , I bet he had packed extra batteries

[slowcowboy]

road pro draws plenty. but is not a problem. I run 10 to 15 minets than shut it off.

I got plenty of insulation in my teardrop to slove a heat problem. and I also run a northern tool heat blanket on the inside of my sleeping bag and its on a timer.

as for drawing a deep cyle down. no big deal just start the car and re- charge it in the moring while you drive to a new camp site or eat breakfast.

cars got the battery back up in 15 mintes of idle time.


as for big draw no problem.

I only use my battery mostly for lights and I can light a coleman up if I need all the battery for the heator.

but even then I can use lights mimal and also run the heator with its big draw and run the heat blanket.

and I still got juice by moring to take the chill off if it drops in the night.

I camp in summer time heat that most the time is no colder than at the most 28 degreas.

any colder the teardrop is at home and is buttoned up for the winter.

slow