Camping without Hookups Question

Jcolang · 05-16-2018, 12:22 PM

Hello Fellow RV folks,

I have a Winnebago towable (26RBSS) that is currently in for warranty work for a leaking roof caused by faulty sealant in the roof and wall seams. This posting is unrelated to that issue, it has to do with dry camping or camping without electrical or water hookups.

There are times we would like to camp in areas that are not serviced by electrical or water/sewer hookups. I do have a battery on the trailer. I was wondering if it would be possible to deploy the slide out and the water pump and the awning just from battery power alone. Also, if the battery dies while you're camping and you need to put the slide out back in and the awning is it possible to connect to the tow vehicle and use the power from the tow vehicle to power the slide out and awning retraction?

It would be nice if we could camp without hookups for a day or two in some remote areas without hookups but I'm reluctant to do so with the battery alone. If the battery dies, can the truck recharge the battery and if so, how long would the truck have to idle to charge the battery back up?

I know these are basic questions (it's embarrassing to have to post this).

Thanks for any help.

John in Redmond, Washington

TJFogelberg · 05-16-2018, 01:41 PM

You shouldn't run into any issues dry camping for 2-4 days. Longer stays without hookups are when you would run into issues with regard to power, water, full waste tanks etc.
Happy camping!

old_engineer · 05-16-2018, 02:20 PM

The battery is able to run the slide, awning and water pump. It will also run all of your detectors, lighting and the fridge electronics.

How long the battery will last will depend upon how many amp hours it has and how much current you are pulling. You never want to discharge a battery below 50% to protect battery life. Fully discharging will severely shorten the life and will likely cause charger overload tripping until it has built up a small charge. Google has a lot of articles about RV battery usage and how to determine the discharge percentage and recharge times.

Whether your tow vehicle can recharge the battery depends a lot on what you have. My 2015 F150 can't charge it as the wire gauge is too small. On my truck it was only designed to run low current things like the fridge controls and to maintain the battery charge. You also have to consider even if your tow vehicle is capable of charging your battery do you really want it idling for a couple hours or more. Most folks go with a small generator like the Honda inverter line or solar that can charge the battery directly.

LarryW · 05-16-2018, 05:03 PM

Running the tow vehicle to recharge the battery is the least desirable option when dry camping. First is solar, second is a generator. Not completely refilling your battery/ies daily greatly shortens their life.

Photoman · 05-16-2018, 05:29 PM

Two possible options you might want to consider: 1. Use two Lifeline 6V batteries wired in series which will give you more capacity than one 12 v battery. I have been able to camp 4 days with no problems using these batteries. 2. Get a portable solar pane system - about a 120-160 watt panel should do the job if you have lots of sunlight - check Zamp Solar for a good high end system.

al1florida · 05-19-2018, 06:13 AM

A pair of 6V golf cart batteries purchased at Costco's or Sam's Club for about $80-$90 work just as well as the expensive Lifeline or Trojan batteries.

The expensive batteries "may" give longer life, but only if you are very dedicated to monitoring and maintaining a full charge. Ignore the batteries and they will die as quickly as the big box batteries.

Here is link with detailed info about RV batteries and solar: The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1) Batteries and: The 12volt Side of Life Part Solar & Inverters

LarryW · 05-19-2018, 07:12 AM

I note that while Al says that Costco and Sam’s Club batteries “work just as well” as expensive Lifeline and Trojan batteries, he directs the reader to The 12 Volt Side of Life article on batteries. That author uses Trojan batteries.

“I have a set of Trojan Golf cart batteries that are going on 5 years old and they still have almost all of their original capacity.”

Tucsontoy · 05-19-2018, 08:37 AM

It is all about the camping life style you choose. If you are very conservative on power and water, a week is fine. If you want showers, radio all day and lights, then a day. The small (quite) generators may be a good option to start and grow from there. Over time I have learned how to camp for two weeks and have everything needed for my camping life style.

LarryW · 05-19-2018, 10:53 AM

Tucson, not bringing RV wet batteries back to full charge daily is very expensive.

Tucsontoy · 05-19-2018, 11:37 AM

The original question was not expence but could he go camping. Yes he could. Like many of us, over time he can make upgrades as needed and the pocket book allows.

LarryW · 05-21-2018, 05:08 PM

Nor was the original post about you learning to camp for two weeks...over time.

mazda2924x · 05-23-2018, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jcolang

Hello Fellow RV folks,

I have a Winnebago towable (26RBSS) that is currently in for warranty work for a leaking roof caused by faulty sealant in the roof and wall seams. This posting is unrelated to that issue, it has to do with dry camping or camping without electrical or water hookups.

There are times we would like to camp in areas that are not serviced by electrical or water/sewer hookups. I do have a battery on the trailer. I was wondering if it would be possible to deploy the slide out and the water pump and the awning just from battery power alone. Also, if the battery dies while you're camping and you need to put the slide out back in and the awning is it possible to connect to the tow vehicle and use the power from the tow vehicle to power the slide out and awning retraction?

It would be nice if we could camp without hookups for a day or two in some remote areas without hookups but I'm reluctant to do so with the battery alone. If the battery dies, can the truck recharge the battery and if so, how long would the truck have to idle to charge the battery back up?

I know these are basic questions (it's embarrassing to have to post this).

Thanks for any help.

John in Redmond, Washington

One person mentioned a small generator. I have a Generac 2000 watt, when you are using the high draw items it is a good time to fire it up and let it run for a hour or so to keep the batteries up. Most can run about 5 or 6 hours and a gallon or two, so if you fill it up, you won't need to bring any additional gas. My model has a handle and you carry it like a suitcase. It weighs about 60 pounds with fuel. Keep in mind a small generator will not run the A/C.

LarryW · 05-23-2018, 04:53 PM

Why didn’t you suggest solar, Mazda?

W 69947 · 05-23-2018, 05:12 PM

John, I also have a Winnebago 1706 fb and we enjoy dry camping. I installed two 6volt batteries and this gives me about three times the usage of one 12,volt battery. This is my first trailer We owned 6 different Winnebago motor homes. We have been to 10 GNR's but don't think we will go this year.
Your truck should charge you trailer battery, but it will go thru the trailer 12 volt system and add trickle charge. We purchased a Champion i3100 generator and keep in bed of truck.
Would love to see some Winnebago dry campers start a special trailer interest group. We were some of the first with NO-TOW-BAGOs. We went to Alaska with that group and had a blast.
We now live in South Texas and we have rigged our little trailer as an escape camper. We got 64 1/2 inches of rain during Harvey last year.
Frank W 69947 ( old timer)

vonheise · 05-23-2018, 05:24 PM

I do what you are asking on a regular basis, however I first added a second battery. The batteries will charge some when connected to the truck with a camper plug in to the truck, however yes you could attach booster cables to the camper battery to operate 12 volt systems. You can also crank in the slide with the item provided when you bought the camper. I now have a very quiet Honda 3000is generator mounted to a rack on the back of the camper, and run it for an hour or so every day to charge the batteries back to full. It will also run the AC if it is hot. You can do about anything you want with a camper if you are creative and willing to do the work or pay to have it done.

RonE · 05-23-2018, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jcolang

Hello Fellow RV folks,
John in Redmond, Washington

John you should learn how to retract your slide without power. There is a way to do this, you need to learn it, just incase.
We go into areas without hookups for 5 days at a time. Find a place to dump tanks and refill water. Then head out for 5 more days. Saves money and your not crowded into a park. Look up BLM land and use that. Also COE parks. Google it. You will enjoy a lot more. BLM land is only 7 dollars a night or free. Always in remote areas that are great. Go slow and enjoy, stay safe.

LarryW · 05-23-2018, 07:29 PM

“I now have a very quiet Honda 3000is generator mounted to a rack on the back of the camper, and run it for an hour or so every day to charge the batteries back to full”

Running your generator for an hour a day won’t fill your RV batteries even used to a 60% state of charge. The absorption phase takes much longer...80-85% to 100%. If you are testing the SOC right after charging your measuring surface charge...fool’s gold in the battery world. Read some RV battery basics.

Your suggestions are not...good ones.

Rack on the back. Hopefully reenforced to the frame which may be able to carry that extra weight multiplied by who knows and at the frame’s extreme end bouncing down the highway.

puttin · 05-23-2018, 07:59 PM

Jcolang,

I'm not sure whether or not you'd like to use your a/c or not but if so- a gen would be the only way if dry camping with your rig. A gen will also do all the other things you want to do as well including battery charging. You could add another batt as well which is what I would do but if I had only one device to choose that would take care of all those rv'ing needs, I would choose the generator...and make it at least 3500 watts as well. They are quiet, efficient and fairly economical as well. Solar would be nice if it could do all that a gen could but those systems are clumsy, invasive, expensive, and you're never done fooling around and upgrading them.

LarryW · 05-23-2018, 08:15 PM

“Solar would be nice if it could do all that a gen could but those systems are clumsy, invasive, expensive, and you're never done fooling around and upgrading them.”

I haven’t upgraded my solar since installation. The key is an energy survey computing your average daily AH use times 1.5 or 2. Then buying an adequate solar system.

What’s “invasive” about three panels on my roof, a controller mounted in my forward passthru storage and wiring connecting those two to my tongue mounted batteries?

Expensive? My Westinghouse generator cost $600 years ago while the solar kit was $750 plus wire and Dicor from a another hundred. So $250 more...two TT tires. Time to install was less than I’ve spent changing oil and cleaning the plug on the generator.

AC, no the solar won’t run that but if it’s hot I drive to a cooler area. Learn more about solar...a new concept. Not the same old thing.

Lucyc · 05-23-2018, 09:41 PM

We dry camp frequently with our fifth wheel. We do not have a generator or solar panels. We carry an extra charged battery or two with us. We are very frugal with the power. When dry camping we use campground restrooms. We have a couple of battery lanterns that we use. We bring water in as much as possible to avoid using the water pump. We use the gas heater as little as possible. I hope this helps.