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I have a question about charging the battery while dry camping...

I would LOVE to have a small Honda generator. However, I have my little travel trailer and a Sienna van. There's no place to stow the generator and small gas can while traveling, right? I can't see anyway around stowing problems, so I'm wondering about a solar set-up to just charge the battery...

Any advice on either method? I have ZERO knowledge about solar power. And, I do have to be VERY careful about weight.

Thanks!

I've been very intrigued with Solar systems as well, I did some research here once,
http://www.backwoodssolar.com/
I'm not sure I really learned anything other than its gonna cost me more than I thought.
There were some other places to do research as well but I don't seem to have those
links anymore, I must have purged them.

we have both a genny and solar that we use when dry camping....we use the solar till its used up then turn on the genny....or just charge up the batterys when we are in a hurry...
Not sure of the weight of the panels dh says that they aren't heavy but I've never picked one up we have 3 and not enough need atleast one more and two more batterys but then we are big!! 36 ft. 5th wheel
what kind of battery's do you have the best for dry camping I understand is the golf cart battery's as I said if I understand right
hubby is asleep or I'd ask him some questions to get more information maybe I'll add to this later
sheila

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snowball wrote:what kind of battery's do you have the best for dry camping I understand is the golf cart battery's as I said if I understand right
hubby is asleep or I'd ask him some questions to get more information maybe I'll add to this later
sheila

Well, wake him up! Naw - nuttin' worse than a ruined nap!

I have a single deep cycle (27 ? ? ?) marine battery. Not that I do much dry camping, heck, not that I do MUCH camping of any kind, but I would love to be able to dry camp longer than 2 days. And the All-Girl Westward Ho - Part Deux MIGHT just yet happen this September. I'm SOOO excited.

I've done some reading about solar, but none of what I read ended up clear and comprehended in my mind. That's why I figure I'll get some wonderful first hand knowledge here. After a basic understanding, maybe the internet articles will make more sense.

The battery is from when we got the trailer in August '07 - is it time for a new one?

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Well, because you are my Sistah, I shall divulge to you my vast knowledge of solar power,,,,,,ready?

Okay, there's these thingy's on top of your roof,,, that, like, the sun shines on, you know, and that goes down into your rig and makes stuff work,,,, got it?

VickieP wrote:Well, because you are my Sistah, I shall divulge to you my vast knowledge of solar power,,,,,,ready?

Okay, there's these thingy's on top of your roof,,, that, like, the sun shines on, you know, and that goes down into your rig and makes stuff work,,,, got it?

OMG - I just spit tea all over my laptop! Thank goodness it doesn't have sugar!!!

ROFLOL!!!!! Just to funny Vickie!! But, basically, you're right. That's pretty much the way it works.

Vickie,.... you are so funny! thank goodness I hadn't gotten my coffee yet or I'd have a mess on my keyboard..... yep,.. post a "spew alert", please!

Mitch...I have the Honda 2000i genny,... love it. I stow it in the back of the Ford Explorer. I keep a 2 gal. gas can in the bottom of a battery box strapped to the tongue next to the one bat I have there. Works great. I like having the gen as I can use it during the winter for the house when the electricity is out. It will run almost everything if I don't do it all at once. Won't run my furnace but I have aux. propane heater for that purpose.

Now,..is it safe to go get my coffee?

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That's a great idea for the gas!!! THANKS!!

Does the generator in your Explorer make the car smell like gas all the time?
I don't think I could stand that.

I hate when George has me fill the gas cans when I go to town.
Even empty, they stink.

Vicki, Thank you! I now understand solar and had my first laugh out loud for the day!

Mitch, on a more sober line, I would seriously check with your rv-trailer supply and find out what the weight of a small solar panel would be. If it's not to heavy, you could have it mounted on top of your trailer, and since you only have one house battery you shouldn't need a very large one. You need to understand, though, that with only one battery, you're not going to be able to run your heavy load appliances like micro or coffeepot. Basically just lights and tv. There's also the cost factor, do you have an inverter built in to the trailer? You need that or a 12V tv. You also need a ....oh hell there goes my memory again.....anyway it's a doohickey that keeps the solar panel from overcharging the battery. I would compare the cost of panel and accessories against a small genny. There's my 2 cents, probably only worth a penny tho.

sharon wrote:There's also the cost factor, do you have an inverter built in to the trailer? You need that or a 12V tv. You also need a ....oh hell there goes my memory again.....anyway it's a doohickey that keeps the solar panel from overcharging the battery. I would compare the cost of panel and accessories against a small genny. There's my 2 cents, probably only worth a penny tho.

the 'inverter' - that's most of my corn-fusion. Boy, this is gonna make me sound like a blonde ( now, now...no insult intended...I was a blonde once or twice! ), but what's in my trailer's power center??? Is that not an inverter?

Mitch,... absolutely no odor from the generator. The gas cap is very tight and has an air lock on it that you open when you want to run the gen. And the Honda 2000i is light enough for me to lift it even with gas in it.

Cedar518 wrote:Mitch,... absolutely no odor from the generator. The gas cap is very tight and has an air lock on it that you open when you want to run the gen. And the Honda 2000i is light enough for me to lift it even with gas in it.

And you can travel with the gas-filled generator in the car?

I think the mounting of a small gas can on the tongue has solved my main problem!
Well, the MAIN problem will be getting sweetie to part with 800 bucks!!!

I'm kinda stoked!