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10:31 am
February 11, 2011
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Chris Tod
| | Sackville, N.B., Canada | |
| Member | posts 21 |
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Hi,
I am a brand new member, still awaiting spring delivery on my new 2011 14RB. I am wondering, would I be better off with 2 batteries, or 2 propane tanks? I plan on dry camping for up to 7 days at a time. Which would be the most 'pain-relieving'? We are on the Bay of Fundy, so we may have a bit furnace use even in summer.
I am thinking of telling the dealer to leave off the incredibly cheap microwave that is provided. What are people doing for ovens? Does anyone actually get use from the microwave?
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2011 Sportsmen Classic 14RB 2010 Ford F150 4.6L V8
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11:02 am
February 11, 2011
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kayaknut
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| Member | posts 376 |
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Post edited 2:55 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut
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11:07 am
February 11, 2011
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Steve
| | San Antonio, TX | |
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Two of anything is always better. If you wire a pair of 12 volt batteries in series you will get double the AH life. The current battery that comes stock with the KZ trailers have an 84 amp hours life. Two gives you 168AH's, but the rule of thumb is to never go below half that. So you get 84AH's with two, and only 42 with one battery.
Having two propane tanks will help especially when running your fridge off it since it would kill the batteries in a day or so. The microwave works great but it won't do you any good when dry camping. Again it'll chew thru your batteries faster than you can recharge them.
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http://haven106.blogspot.com
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11:14 am
February 11, 2011
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kayaknut
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| Member | posts 376 |
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Post edited 2:55 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut
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11:16 am
February 11, 2011
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Chris Tod
| | Sackville, N.B., Canada | |
| Member | posts 21 |
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Hi kayaknut,
I have read your previous posts on solar, with interest. I really am not interested in running low on battery! My dealer is not very encouraging about the ability of a solar charger to keep the battery topped up. Your experience seems to contradict his scepticism.
I like your idea about getting a door put on the ex-microwave shelf!
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2011 Sportsmen Classic 14RB 2010 Ford F150 4.6L V8
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12:03 pm
February 11, 2011
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sandersmr
| | Texas | |
| Member | posts 338 |
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We actually have occasionally used the microwave – cooking inside a couple of times. We have 2 propane tanks – one rides in the back of the pickup, tied down. We use that one mostly to fuel the gas grill or stove that we carry.
I would like to get either another 12 volt in parallel or 2 six volts in series to raise the number of amp-hours. I don't think you want 2 12's in series because that would give you 24 volts of power, wouldn't it?
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2010 16BH towed by 2002 F-150 Super Crew 4.6L V8
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12:10 pm
February 11, 2011
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kayaknut
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Post edited 2:55 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut
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1:38 pm
February 11, 2011
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Steve
| | San Antonio, TX | |
| Moderator
| posts 193 |
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Post edited 8:42 pm – February 11, 2011 by Steve
The Sunsei is great for keeping your battery topped off while the TT power is in light or non-use. However if you plan on using laptops, tv+dvd, satellite dish, microwave oven, and anything else that uses juice you may need a bit more to keep things going.
Here's a link from a full timer boondocker who uses an RV solar power setup … http://rvroadtrip.us/library/s…..nstall.asp. He explains each component and how to gauge your power needs. I realize this might be overkill for what you want, but better to know the bigger picture so you can make an informed decision in what you'll actually need. His site contains fairly detailed explanations without them being overly technical so that you understand how things work.
Steve
PS – http://rvroadtrip.us/library/1…..system.asp this link explains the base electrical system of an RV before you would say get into adding solar panels.
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http://haven106.blogspot.com
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9:38 pm
February 11, 2011
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pfidahospud
| | Post Falls, Idaho | |
| Member | posts 107 |
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Chris Tod-
Had to look up the location of the Bay of Fundy — I'm on the other side of the world in North Idaho :) I plan to camp very similar to you — pretty much off the grid for up to about a week. With that in mind, I ordered our trailer with two group 24 batteries and a roof-mounted 18W solar charger/maintainer. I got a lot of feedback from many different people about propane usage (which ends up being mainly only for the fridge, especially in the summer), and it should last up to three weeks running straight. Although I haven't had a chance to test this theory yet, one tank should be good enough for me. I suppose any frame could be made to accomodate two propane tanks, but there's really not that much room on the tongue of the 14RB, and that will add a lot of weight which may or may not affect your towing vehicle. Pics are available here which might be more helpful than me trying to describe it in words :)
BTW, I totally agree that the microwave is a complete waste of space. Maybe someone on Craigslist would be interested? As for the stove, there are stovetop models available like this one, but the reviews look a bit varried. I don't have one, but have been interested in the possibility in the past. Dutch ovens work great for us with the only drawback being their weight.
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Tow-er: 2010 RAV4 3.5L 269 hp V6 with Tow Pkg ~ Tow-ee: 2011 Sportsmen Classic 14RB ~ Director: The wife
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5:28 am
February 12, 2011
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kayaknut
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Post edited 2:56 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut
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5:49 pm
February 15, 2011
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Mike Magee
| | near Tulsa OK | |
| Member | posts 204 |
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In very cold weather, a furnace will drag the battery down in one night (or less), but one tank of propane will last several days of heavy use. So a second battery will probably make you happier than a second tank.
I use a microwave quite a bit! Nearly all my travel time is in summer, when I'm off work (which is school related). Living in the south, I head north to escape the heat. I always need AC for a night or two until I get into cooler country. That means I'm getting a campsite with shore power, and a microwave comes in handy for fast cooking at the end of a driving day. I wouldn't want to be without a nuke-o-matic. 
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2008 Toyota Highlander – 2011 Escape E14RB
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6:58 am
February 16, 2011
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Chris Tod
| | Sackville, N.B., Canada | |
| Member | posts 21 |
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Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences. We plan to camp along the cold North Atlantic coast and so can see needing a furnace, and needing an oven to back a bicky in when socked in for a day two! My wife's take on this is to add a generator to the toy collection, and have two propane tanks. Is anyone else finding a generator a 'must-have'?
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2011 Sportsmen Classic 14RB 2010 Ford F150 4.6L V8
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9:49 am
February 16, 2011
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kayaknut
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| Member | posts 376 |
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Post edited 2:56 am – January 14, 2012 by kayaknut
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10:24 am
February 16, 2011
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Steve
| | San Antonio, TX | |
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I don't think a generator is a must have item for a week long camping trip. Probably not even for two to three weeks. I think it's one of those items that if you can afford to keep one on standby, more power to ya.
Having said that most of the full timers I've talked to don't have one. Most of them splurged on the extra solar panels and battery banks to make sure they don't run out of juice. The ones who do have a generator, didn't have a elaborate solar/battery setup. They got it because they ran into a situation where they needed one but didn't have it.
You could avoid buying a second LP tank if you get a gauge for it or one of these … http://litecylinder.com/. This obviously is not a must have so much as a nice to have.
Steve
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http://haven106.blogspot.com
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