I know each person's FT lifestyle is different, but of those here I was just wondering what percentage of their time do people here boondock vs staying in FHU campgrounds/RV parks?
I don't know if there is any way to attach a poll to this thread, but this is the essential question:
How often do you boondock?
1. Almost 100% of the time
2. Over 75% of the time
3. Between 75% and 50%
4. Between 50% and 25%
5. Between 25% and 10%
6. Amost never boondock.
This helps me determine where people's heads are at, and why people make the decisions they do, such as rig choice, decision to add solar, accessories, appliances, etc.
Thanks,
Chip
-- Edited by Sushidog on Wednesday 10th of September 2014 02:24:46 PM
This blog is written by a couple who started out in a converted bus and recently switched to a yacht on the open seas.
If you go back about two years in the blog archives they have a lot of stories about their boondocking and urban camping experiences. Lots of good info about fulltiming nationwide. They work for the Red Cross and travel to where ever they are needed during disasters.
FastEagle said
04:23 PM Sep 10, 2014
During our more than four and a half years of full time RVing we put more than 65,000 miles on our trailer. During that time we never bnoondocked or stayed in any parking lots.
FastEagle
-- Edited by FastEagle on Wednesday 10th of September 2014 04:24:32 PM
-- Edited by FastEagle on Wednesday 10th of September 2014 04:25:22 PM
-- Edited by FastEagle on Wednesday 10th of September 2014 04:25:47 PM
Dog Folks said
06:30 PM Sep 10, 2014
#7. Never
The Junkman said
07:57 PM Sep 10, 2014
No plans to ever.. But if the spot was perfect.. I might..
bjoyce said
08:48 PM Sep 10, 2014
Most years we boondock under 10 days a year, a couple years up to about 25 days. Add another 10 or so days on average when we driveway camp off a 15AMP extension cord. Mostly our boondocking is overnights, but places like Quartzsite, National Parks, and some rallies we have boondocked longer.
Technomadia said
09:09 PM Sep 10, 2014
Our first year on the road (in a small teardrop trailer)... would say we boondocked about 90% of the time.
The 2nd-4th years (in a 17' fiberglass egg trailer).. about 50/50.. leaning more towards 60/40 towards the end.
For the past 3 years in our 'new' vintage bus conversion.. we've been about 95% non-boondocking, for a variety of reasons. (family illness keeping us in urban areas, not having our electrical independency completed as a result of it being a non-priority, being east coast bound, taking some volunteer gigs that included hook-ups, needing an engine rebuild along the way, etc.)
We're now getting ready to outfit with solar, and hope to get back to at least dry camping / wild camping about 25-30% of time.
For us, over the years - it's about the versatility of the places we can go. We loved our wild camping days in the early years, but we also love being near people we love and the luxury of long hot showers :)
- Cherie
mpierce said
06:49 AM Sep 11, 2014
Close to 50%.
Lucky Mike said
07:23 AM Sep 11, 2014
4 days a month on average Im not boondocking......those are used for replenishing water , dumping waste and general socializing....
so I would have to say 90% plus yearly!
BiggarView said
08:02 AM Sep 11, 2014
Chip, we haven't started yet, but so I don't know if we "count". We tent camp for now about 7-10 days a year and wish we could do more. I envision about 20% when we go FT, Cindi not quite so much, maybe 10-15% we'll meet in the middle.
FWIW, Brian
dianneandsteve said
08:33 AM Sep 11, 2014
We boondock over 75% of the time.
Howard said
08:54 AM Sep 11, 2014
We boondock 10% - 25% of the time. Probably less than 10% when in the east and closer to 15% - 20% when out west where there is more public land that is large-RV-friendly, and where there are less trees and more sunshine for solar.
Sushidog said
03:47 PM Sep 11, 2014
Wow, Thanks for all the great replies folks! Though I'm not a full-timer yet, when I do get to take a vacation, I like to boondock more than 50% of the time myself. Long hot showers at a CG are the reason it's not 100%. I don't have any solar now, just a small genny to recharge my battery and run my AC for a few hrs at a time when it is really hot and humid out. I'm thinking that if I add a decent size solar system and battery bank (along with more generator capacity) it will allow us to boondock longer and in additional comfort. Truthfully my DW and I are planning on boondocking perhaps 1/3rd to 1/2 the time (more for the wilderness experience and solitude than for the money saved on CG fees - though saving a few pennies won't hurt our tight budget either) I just wanted to see if we are somewhat normal. We have a very limited water supply in our Aliner now, (10 gallons + another 6 gallons in the water heater) so we must replenish it every couple days, especially when we shower. I'm really looking forward to having real water tanks so I can go for a week or more without having to take on more and dump.
For those who boondock often, do you find that taking on water or dumping is your limiting factor? Or is it something else? The Sprinter TT I'm leaning toward has an 81 gallon fresh tank and a 83 gallon gray tank (40 gallon black.) I think I'll be in heaven as I can see this lasting a couple weeks or more with a little conservation effort (easy for me, hard for DW). I'm sure I'll have to take on food and occasionally propane as often as that. How about you guys, what tends to run out first, food or water?
Chip
A-S Travelers said
08:02 PM Sep 18, 2014
Fresh water is our limiting factor. With our 75 gallon fresh water tank, for the two of us, 7 days is easy to do. We dry camp/boondock 50% to 75% of the time.
Sushidog said
08:41 PM Sep 18, 2014
Thanks for the reply, A-S Travelers.
The make and model trailer I'm strongly considering getting has 123 gallon combined black/gray waste capacity, so theoretically I could go through my 81 gallon fresh tank and have room for 42 gallons more, so I could conceivably get a 40 gallon water bladder, something like this: www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/portable-rv-fresh-water-tank-45-gallon/1605 to extend my boondocking time 50% before I have to move the trailer and dump, if this is my limiting factor.
Does anyone have a waste water tank in their truck, so the trailer doesn't have to be moved to dump? I'm wondering if it would be possible to add a portable tank, like a Thetford Smarttote to drain a portion of one's waste water (if only gray water) into which can be more easily transported and dumped rather than breaking camp and moving one's home? I'm planning on carrying a couple small motorbikes with me, so I will be building a ramp into the rear door of my pick-up's topper. I will be using a small winch to lift this ramp. I plan on also using this winch to assist in loading heavy items into the back of the trunk, like a heavy, wheeled generator, or possibly a fully loaded smart tote. I could then dump it while still in the truck bed on the same trip to gather fresh water to extend my stay. The question is how big is too big for a Smarttote? A full 35 gallon Smarttote full of waste water will weigh around 350 lbs, but a smaller tank, requiring multiple dump trips makes less logistical sense. Next is where to store such a large tank when empty? On the rear bumper of the TT (only 35 lbs empty) or inside the bed of the truck? What is everyone else doing? www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/thetford-smarttote-lx-portable-waste-tank-35-gallon/37872
Chip
NorCal Dan said
09:27 PM Sep 18, 2014
We aren't setup for dry camping. Would need a few upgrades to enable. We prefer having FHU's.
blijil said
06:48 AM Sep 19, 2014
In the West up to 25% of the time.
In the East almost 0% of the time.
The Schweitzers on the road said
09:27 AM Sep 19, 2014
as of now we boondock about 25%. We are on the way to about 50% since our setup now allows for extended dry camping.
Our limiting factor is the grey tank (80 gal). We use the shower every day and cook all meals, therefore need to do dishes every day too.
However, we are only travelers/parttimers (120days/year).
Bernd
A-S Travelers said
01:11 PM Sep 19, 2014
Sushidog wrote:
Thanks for the reply, A-S Travelers.
The make and model trailer I'm strongly considering getting has 123 gallon combined black/gray waste capacity, so theoretically I could go through my 81 gallon fresh tank and have room for 42 gallons more, so I could conceivably get a 40 gallon water bladder, something like this: www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/portable-rv-fresh-water-tank-45-gallon/1605 to extend my boondocking time 50% before I have to move the trailer and dump, if this is my limiting factor.
Does anyone have a waste water tank in their truck, so the trailer doesn't have to be moved to dump? I'm wondering if it would be possible to add a portable tank, like a Thetford Smarttote to drain a portion of one's waste water (if only gray water) into which can be more easily transported and dumped rather than breaking camp and moving one's home? I'm planning on carrying a couple small motorbikes with me, so I will be building a ramp into the rear door of my pick-up's topper. I will be using a small winch to lift this ramp. I plan on also using this winch to assist in loading heavy items into the back of the trunk, like a heavy, wheeled generator, or possibly a fully loaded smart tote. I could then dump it while still in the truck bed on the same trip to gather fresh water to extend my stay. The question is how big is too big for a Smarttote? A full 35 gallon Smarttote full of waste water will weigh around 350 lbs, but a smaller tank, requiring multiple dump trips makes less logistical sense. Next is where to store such a large tank when empty? On the rear bumper of the TT (only 35 lbs empty) or inside the bed of the truck? What is everyone else doing? www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/thetford-smarttote-lx-portable-waste-tank-35-gallon/37872
Chip
Your thoughts are good. A couple of things to keep in mind though: The 40 gallon water bladder does not travel easily on the smooth roof of a vehicle. It sloshes like a water bed used to and can work its way off of the roof. It works easiest if put inside the bed of the p/u. Second, be sure to find some way to secure the SmartTote or you will have 300+ pound container on wheels sliding around in the bed of the p/u.
Are you saying the trailer has a single tank of 123 gallons for black & gray water. Usually there are separate tanks for black & gray. We usually fill the gray before the black is full.
To conserve water, take navy showers, i.e. quickly get wet, turn off water, soap up, the rinse as quickly as possible. Consider only taking one shower in 7 days, and for other times, take an army bath. Water in a bowl and washrag with soap. Clean important parts, and rinse with another bowl of water. If the weather is not overly warm you may find you don't need to bathe every day. For dishes, wash and rinse in pans. Take the wash & rinse water outside and dump by the bushes. Almost all places seriously frown on running gray water on the ground, but if you are discrete, dumping the pans works well.
If you are truly out in the boondocks, you can conserve your black tank by digging a cat hole about 6" deep doing your business in the hole and then covering it up. Be sure to take your used toilet paper back to your trash can. EVERY place I know of that allows cat holes requires the toilet paper to not be buried with the rest of the waste. The paper doesn't break up as well and can make an unsightly mess.
Since we boondock a lot, I have to add some comments about generators. We do have a generator and use it to recharge our batteries by running it for about an hour and a half a day. Most often in the middle of the day. That keeps away from running the generator from the traditional quiet times of early morning and later afternoon evening. My generator usage will end when I install my solar panels this winter. There are few things which make many boondocker's madder than someone to drive up, park near by and run their generator. In the quiet outdoors a nice quiet 2000-3000 watt Honda generator can be heard at least 100 yards away. A large wheeled generator will be very annoying at a 1/4 mile away. Please be considerate and park far away from other boondockers who are not running their generators for long periods. Usually if a RV has solar panels on their roof, they will not be using their generator. If you see a group of RV's with generators, they are usually making enough noise that they don't mind another generator within hearing distance.
Sushidog said
03:20 PM Sep 19, 2014
Thanks for the replies all.
Though I plan on installing a nice sized solar system, probably 1,000 watts or more I have boondocked for years with only my small camp type generator and TV to recharge. I'd really like to go with a 1,500 watt, 8 battery system and a super efficient, mini-split solar air conditioner - if I can figure out a way to carry all this extra weight (I'm toying with several ideas now). This 12,000 BTU high efficiency heat pump can be powered by a single Honda eu2,000 (as it only draws a max of 960 watts on start-up and less than 500 watts while running.) If I forgo the big system with solar ac I will either go with a pair of eu2000s or a single EU3000is (the 150lb wheeled ac I referenced.) Like you, I usually return to the campsite around noon to eat lunch and run my genny for about an hour or so every other day if I'm stationary, as I don't use that much power now. A 55db ac is typically about as noisy than an EU3000is Honda (49-58db)
The camper I'm looking at indeed has 2 waste tanks, an 83 gallon gray and 40 gallon black. If I started to fill up the gray tank but had room in the black I could transfer some gray water in the black tank (I know of many RVers who do this to routinely flush their black tank) thus extending my gray tank capacity. Or I could just keep them separate avoiding any possible back wash and possible contamination of my gray tank and just dump the gray separately using a tote. Yeah I would need to secure it well when carrying it to the dump site, to avoid a potential 300+ lb "poop missile." ;) I'm sure if I got a water bladder I wiuld carry it in my truck bed because of the weight. I have a small 12v pump I use now to transfer water into my Aliner's small 10 gallon tank. It fills it in a little over a minute, so it would take about 5 minutes to transfer 40 gallons. It's a small, but powerful Rule iL500 pump that can also attach to a garden hose for pumping longer distances. Here's a pic:
My DW and I usually take a "Navy" shower every other day, using about 10 gallons/day on average. We use paper plates and foil while boondocking to keep dish washing to a minimum too. Since we don't have a water filter, we drink bottled water now, but this will probably change with our bigger trailer. So if our water consumption habits don't change, I figure we get about 8 days out of a full tank, with another 4 day, 40 gallon refill and it will almost make the typical 2 week limit on most NF/BLM land. Moving and dumping every 12 days or so isn't that restrictive anyway. It's a lot better than dumping my gray water every other day, and black every 5 days as I do now. The way my Aliner is set up now, with a cassette toilet, (and no gray tanks - only a couple 7 gallon blue Aquatainers) I currently don't need to move my camper to dump either black or gray, which is a good thing, as I must dump so often now.
Chip
-- Edited by Sushidog on Friday 19th of September 2014 03:21:44 PM
A-S Travelers said
06:36 PM Sep 19, 2014
Chip, You have this boondock thing well under control.
Another possibility for more water, is to put a 30-40 gallon water tank in the back of your pickup if you can arrange the room. Here is a link to a company that has many, many sizes and shapes of tanks. One of the tanks may work for you to keep from making a trip to town.
Sushidog said
07:07 PM Sep 19, 2014
A-S Travelers wrote:
Chip, You have this boondock thing well under control.
Another possibility for more water, is to put a 30-40 gallon water tank in the back of your pickup if you can arrange the room. Here is a link to a company that has many, many sizes and shapes of tanks. One of the tanks may work for you to keep from making a trip to town.
Thanks for the link. If I could find a tank that mounts underneath my 3/4 ton Ford (or in the fender wells), sort of like a spare gas tank - that would be ideal, as I will have the bed full with a couple motorbikes, spare gas cans, generator(s) and other goodies while traveling. I can easily remove the bikes from the truck bed temporarily for transporting a water bladder or a tote, but there's no room in the bed for a permanent tank installation.
Chip
jimindenver said
09:08 PM Sep 19, 2014
We pretty much only Boondock. We tried a dry camp ground last year to get some fishing in but those people were generator happy I swear. Morning, noon and night and one guy everything in between. It's lovely to wake to the hum of a Honda 3000 at 5 am. especially after going to sleep with it. So ended our foray into the campground scene.
So back up into the hills we went where we are isolated and hear nothing. It requires some searching and travel on some pretty iffy trails but it's always worth it.
We use two large 245w panels as portables and leave the generator at home unless it's going to be hot which just doesn't happen that often at 9-10,000 ft. They keep the trailer going and allow us the use of the microwave, coffee pot, hair dryer, vacuum and TV/satellite system. Our bank is tiny consisting of a grp 27 for the trailer and a 8-D for the inverter so our big loads are during the day when the sun is shining and those panels can help out. At night it's just the LED lights, TV and furnace.
We take 60 gallons of water for up to two weeks so you can imagine we are pretty conservative. Still we take daily showers and use plates and real utensils that have to be washed. By the time the waste tanks are filling up, the food is running out and we head home sometimes just to dump and reload but usually to get back to work.
This was our site last week. We have a policy of never using the same site twice but I'd use this one again in a pinch.
Sushidog said
06:24 AM Sep 20, 2014
Jimindenver, It'samazing that you could fit that big trailer in such a tiny site.
With 60 gallons of water lasting 2 weeks and showering every day (assuming your "we" is not the royal we, and you have at least one other person you camp with) and assuming you only use 1 gallon a day to wash and rinse your plates, glasses and utensils (a feat of conservation by itself) that means that you use less than 2 gallons of water per shower! 60-14/28 showers = 1.64 gallons of water per shower! I couldn't get soaped down with that little water, let alone have any water left to rinse the soap off. We use about 5-6 gallons per Navy style shower - wet down, turn water off, lather up and rinse off. Heck it takes at least 1 gallon of water ( and half a roll of paper towels) just to wash out a single pot, skillet, coffee pot, cups, BBQ tools and utensils each day, and that's stretching it.
What's your secret? Do you recycle your own urine or something?
Chip
A-S Travelers said
08:46 AM Sep 20, 2014
The Oxygenics shower head is a real water saver. It has an adjustment in the shower head where you can reduce the water flow. Even at low flow it feels like you are getting a good hard spray. I have my flow in the shower head turned down so it takes 1 minute and 20 seconds for one gallon to come out.
Sushidog said
10:12 PM Sep 20, 2014
Actually, I have an Oxygenics shower head in my current camper. It's an older model, without the pause button. I like it a lot, even though I can't turn the water flow completely off, but only slow it down to a trickle. I think I would rather stretch my showering to every 3 days (in cooler weather, of course) rather than slow my water flow down to less than 2 gallons/minute. One of my vices when at home is to soak in a long, hot, shower - something impossible to do when boondocking. Though I have often camped alongside a beautiful, clear stream and have considered the possibility of taking some water from the stream, filtering it and using it to fill my tank for non-potable use, such as showering. Disposing of said water, would still pose a logistical problem, as I wouldn't want to discharge any gray water near a stream. Though if it could be hauled off a short distance and discharged into the environment in a non-polluting way, beneficial to native plants, then I would consider this option. Perhaps one could plumb the camper for the option of bypassing the fresh tank altogether (saving it for potable water, if this is possible), going directly from stream, through a filter and into a demand heater. The little transfer pump I already have would be adequate for the task, attached to a garden hose, as it outputs 4 gallons/minute while the shower head only flows 2 gpm.. Perhaps if the filter was attached around the base of the submersible pump to prevent it from sucking up any sand or grit, which could damage the pump or clog the heater. It only draws 6 amps, so I'm not worried about excess electrical draw with both pumps running at the same time. Then those long "normal" showers would be a distinct possibility if a water source was close at hand. Just trying to think outside the shower stall, so to speak.
Chip
jimindenver said
10:17 AM Sep 21, 2014
Chip
We roughed it while camping for 20 years, so 60 gallon of water is a swimming pool to us. A shower for me starts out by putting the big coffee pot under the tubs tap and catching the water untill it comes out hot. Then with the shower head off, I pull up the diverter and open the cold a crack. I set the pot aside and using a wash cloth as a buffer, open the shower head just enough to let water out of four of the holes. By the time the wash clot is drenched, I know that I wont be scalded so I wet myself quickly and turn off the shower head. Then I soap up the cloth and wash head to toe rewetting the cloth with the dribble that comes out of the shower head. After that it is a quick rinse at a low flow.
The water we capture is heated and used to wash dishes. The silverware goes into a cup with a drop of dawn, filled with hot water and washed. That water is dumped into the next cup and the silver is rinsed in the first cup. That water is used to rinse the next item until it gets sudsy and dumped in the wash tub. This keeps the rinse water clean and lets the wash water build up so that when we do the pots and pans there is enough hot soapy water to do so. We keep a cup in the rinse tub to pick up and pour the water over things that it can't be poured from one item to the next.
After that the wash water goes into the fire bucket and the tub rinsed with whats left in the rinse tub and that too goes int the bucket to make sure the fire is out later. When there is a fire ban the water is used for flushing and I'll pull from the grey tank to do the same.
It sound extreme but after riughing it for so long, it is the lap of luxury for us. We could go longer by showering every other day but after two weeks we will start needing fresh food anyways.
poncho62 said
04:18 PM Sep 21, 2014
Tried boondocking for the 1st time this year while on vacation. Always wanted to try it. I dont know if its officially boondocking if you stay at Walmart or at a casino, but we did that for a couple of nights while traveling...Wife lost more at the casino than a campsite would have cost, but thats life. Also, there was a concert going on at the casino, so there was a parking lot party afterwards...not much sleep that night. We also stayed in a provincial park with no hookups for 2 nights. All went well...I have a group 31 RV battery in the trailer and a 2nd battery in my truck with an isolating solenoid, so had plenty of power for lights etc. I have ordered some LEDs for the trailer, which will help in the future. Hope to try it again next summer.
Sushidog said
05:56 PM Sep 21, 2014
Jimindenver, all I can say is wow, you have got to have the most frugal water usage system imaginable.
Did you immigrate from the desert planet Arrakis or are you the son of an Arab Bedowin? I hear that the Maasai warriors wash their children in urine (as it is sterile). At least you're not that extreme.
These filtering devices allows you to recycle your own pee into drinking water. Just think, if you collect it fresh and use it while it is still warm, say for washing dishes, to make coffee, etc. you save on the cost of fuel to heat it too.
Chip
jimindenver said
10:15 AM Sep 22, 2014
Chip
Luckily 60 Gallons does well for us so I think we will fore go the filtering the pee thing for now at least. ;)
After tenting for so long it is just natural for us. Our needs are met and we get to stay out longer. We use to heat the water by setting the black pot on the edge of the wash basin and aiming it at the sun. In a hour you could wash up, in two it was steaming hot for dishes. Now we take the water we capture from the shower and run it through the coffee maker like a insta hot. The solar powers that so it's free.
Luckily we have solar now and I don't have to tell you know we handled the power. At one point Honey decided the battery was "my precious" and I cared more about it than.....
hotfishtacos said
07:39 PM Dec 31, 2014
We boondock about 50% of the time but prefer to do it more often. If we had more wandering time we would do it more often. My wife is a little anxious when we are camping remote but I carry an equalizer at those times and try to reassure her that everything is fine.
Sushidog said
07:43 AM Jan 1, 2015
Hotfishtacos, If your DW is worried about wildlife (both 2 and 4 legged varieties) you might consider getting her a can of bear spray to carry around as a security blanket. Though the chance is remote that she will ever have to use it, just the thought of having it nearby may make her less anxious and able to enjoy her wilderness experience more.
Chip
hotfishtacos said
06:09 PM Jan 1, 2015
She's not concerned about wildlife critters at all and has 2 cans of bear spray but 2 legged unwelcome visitors make her nervous even though her equalizer is chambered in 44 mag and mine in 45ACP.
The Junkman said
08:11 PM Jan 2, 2015
hotfishtacos wrote:
She's not concerned about wildlife critters at all and has 2 cans of bear spray but 2 legged unwelcome visitors make her nervous even though her equalizer is chambered in 44 mag and mine in 45ACP.
Carry them all the time.. and we all are safer !
And do keep in mind.. the visitors carry too..
Sushidog said
08:49 PM Jan 2, 2015
I'd sure hate to shoot a bear though. The others, well no one want's to take a human life, but I am ready willing and able to defend myself, and I'll leave it at that with no further comment.
As a new member, it is good to know that firearm and political discussions are greatly discouraged on this board, as they are viewed as controversial. An RV forum where this type of discussion is more appropriate and welcome is: z3.invisionfree.com/Freedom_Of_The_Road/index.php
Chip
TRAILERKING said
09:02 PM Jan 2, 2015
Stayed at Walmart on a Friday and Saturday night.........The KOA was booked solid in Bismarck and couldn't get a site until Sunday. So for a (4)four day weekend that would mean it was 50%, hahaha.
Definitely was no problem with having 100 gallons of water.......Barely put a dent in it. We showered sparingly. Wet down, shut off, soap up, rinse off. Inverter ran my CPAP machine with no issues. During the day I ran the generator for a few hours. Super quiet out at the far end of the parking lot and can barely hear it running. We were more worried about some of the strange looking drifters that stay in the lot. There was a guy living in a pick up truck that was rolled (but still mobile). Some windows knocked out and he'd cover it up with a tarp. He'd have a bunch of clothes spread out on guard rails in the rain to wash then leave them in the sun to dry. We were told by another RV'er that ths guy was a regular kind of homeless/drifter.
The Junkman said
07:38 AM Jan 3, 2015
TRAILERKING wrote:
Stayed at Walmart on a Friday and Saturday night.........The KOA was booked solid in Bismarck and couldn't get a site until Sunday. So for a (4)four day weekend that would mean it was 50%, hahaha. Definitely was no problem with having 100 gallons of water.......Barely put a dent in it. We showered sparingly. Wet down, shut off, soap up, rinse off. Inverter ran my CPAP machine with no issues. During the day I ran the generator for a few hours. Super quiet out at the far end of the parking lot and can barely hear it running. We were more worried about some of the strange looking drifters that stay in the lot. There was a guy living in a pick up truck that was rolled (but still mobile). Some windows knocked out and he'd cover it up with a tarp. He'd have a bunch of clothes spread out on guard rails in the rain to wash then leave them in the sun to dry. We were told by another RV'er that ths guy was a regular kind of homeless/drifter.
Yep, some handle "desperation" differently, I think... some just survive and go about their business.. some will "take" .. when they have nothing more to loose. Those are the ones that scare me.
It's not going to be the homeless guy.. usually.. It's the 2 guys crusing around the walmart parking lot looking for a easy mark.. usually just to steal something.. then things go wrong.. I see them alot in small town exit areas..Fortunately, the police are usually around "trying" too.. as it would be a known hot spot. But they can't keep up the pace..
Sushidog said
07:54 AM Jan 3, 2015
Well, I guess wallydocking counts. I don't think I could go through 100 gallons in two nights if I tried. That would easily be a two week supply for us. Considering the 14day BLM land moving rule, that's about right. Now I just need to solidify my plans on harvesting enough power from the sun (and possibly the wind) to stay off-grid indefinitely. If I use my propane sparingly, say for the fridge, cooking (though I plan to add a portable induction range) and only occasional heating, and add a high-efficiency heat pump (powered by a large battery bank and about 2kw of solar) for the bulk of my off-grid heating and cooling needs we should be good to go. Now it's just a question of putting such a system together in a TT that has enough weight capacity for the project, yet is affordable and reasonably durable. I'm really looking at some toy haulers now, like the Work and Play 30WRS model by Forest River or the new 36FKBS (if it specs out) with one piece aluminum roofs.
I would call that truck guy homeless, not a boondocker. At least he's trying to wash his clothes and stay clean, making the best out of a bad situation. It sure puts things in perspective and makes one thank God for our many blessings.
I've had devastating sickness in my family, divorce, bankruptcy, survived disasters like earthquakes in California, hurricanes in New Orleans, including Katrina, etc. so I can really feel for this guy. Who knows what he's had to endure that forces him into the lifestyle he has adopted for survival? Some may have made poor choices in life, others have had overwhelming tragedies that they have difficulty overcoming - the loss of a loved one, the horrors of war, etc.. I'm sure he's harmless, maybe even a nice guy, just trying to make his way in life, as are we all. There before the grace of God go I.
Chip
Terry and Jo said
10:54 AM Jan 3, 2015
The topics that are showing up lately in this thread are off-topic from the question posed by the original poster. Let's get the discussion back on topic.
Terry
Sushidog said
04:35 PM Jan 3, 2015
Wait, I'm the original poster. Can I get off topic on my own thread?
I guess I don't understand (or agree) how all this does or should work. I'm confused.
Chip
The Junkman said
05:27 PM Jan 3, 2015
0%
hotfishtacos said
05:29 PM Jan 3, 2015
Sushidog wrote:
Wait, I'm the original poster. Can I get off topic on my own thread?
I guess I don't understand (or agree) how all this does or should work. I'm confused.
Chip
How do you tell the moderators from the civilians on this site?
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
06:43 PM Jan 3, 2015
hotfishtacos wrote:
Sushidog wrote:
Wait, I'm the original poster. Can I get off topic on my own thread?
I guess I don't understand (or agree) how all this does or should work. I'm confused.
Chip
How do you tell the moderators from the civilians on this site?
Hotfish- you can't tell who they are until the hammer falls....
Sushi- you can take it off topic, but if it's been running along without veering on it own then its better to start new topic.
Terry and Jo said
07:23 PM Jan 3, 2015
hotfishtacos wrote:
Sushidog wrote:
Wait, I'm the original poster. Can I get off topic on my own thread?
I guess I don't understand (or agree) how all this does or should work. I'm confused.
Chip
How do you tell the moderators from the civilians on this site?
The owners and administrators of the website and the forums are Howard and Linda.
Gene (Genecop) and myself are the moderators of the forums at the request of Howard and Linda, and we try to follow the rules and guidelines of the owners and administrators.
If you have questions as to any rules, check out the following links.
Also, just because one starts a thread on the forum, it does not necessarily give free-rein to the original poster as to what is discussed on that thread. Thus, even if Chip did start the thread, it isn't necessarily "his." Because the topic wandered off towards firearms is what really caused me to "issue" a warning. If anyone wants to talk about firearms, find an appropriate area of the forums and start a thread based on that topic.
bjoyce that's quite the set up on the youtube video. I was shocked to see the guy walking on the solar panels when he was up top cleaning them. Are they that tough to be walking on them??
Sushidog said
11:40 PM Jan 3, 2015
Thanks for the link, bjoyce. I wish the audio was a little better though. That is a sweet set-up with sliding solar panels extending the roof panel area available.
The Boondockabilly folk talk about running their 2 rooftop AC systems off of 8, 250ah, 6v batteries (500 usable ah at 24v or 6k usable watt hours). Given their battery capacity and the current draw of the rooftop ACs, this is not practical, as the math just doesn't support it. Assuming they have 2-13,500 Btu ac which typically draw around 15 amps (1800 watts) each (not counting short duration start-up surges) that means both ACs running together would draw 3,600 watts @120v. Assuming an optimistic 90% inverter efficiency means they need 3,960 watts @24 volts or a 165 amp draw! At that high of a current draw Puekert is going to play havoc on their battery capacity. They will be lucky to get 400 usable ah @165 amp current draw = 2.42 hrs of runtime at night (with no solar input). Now if only one AC was running, then it could run for about 6 hours. If instead, they replaced one of their roof mounted ACs with a single 12,000 btu high efficiency heat pump drawing 11.5a @ 48v dc (or 560 watts with no inverter loss) their battery bank (wired for 48v rather than 24v) for 250 usable ah @48v = 21.74 hrs of AC runtime at full load - enough to cool a bedroom all night for restful sleep, leaving sufficient power for other incidentals too. With their ample solar and wind power generation capabilities they should have enough to keep the batteries topped off too, assuming the weather cooperates.
I'm impressed by the creative idea of adding panels on sliding mounts to reveal panels underneath when deployed. Double the solar gathering for the same footprint. Gotta love outside the box thinking. Chip, I agree the AC could be a challenge but it would depend on the actual need to keep the rig cool. In the heat of a hot southern summer night, probably not going to be able to keep up, but at higher elevation or somewhere that that evening temps are more comfortable that minimal AC usage was required, I don't see that setup being unable to meet the load demand. Still, an impressive set-up, thanks for sharing the link Bill.
-- Edited by biggaRView on Sunday 23rd of August 2015 02:46:16 PM
I know each person's FT lifestyle is different, but of those here I was just wondering what percentage of their time do people here boondock vs staying in FHU campgrounds/RV parks?
I don't know if there is any way to attach a poll to this thread, but this is the essential question:
How often do you boondock?
1. Almost 100% of the time
2. Over 75% of the time
3. Between 75% and 50%
4. Between 50% and 25%
5. Between 25% and 10%
6. Amost never boondock.
This helps me determine where people's heads are at, and why people make the decisions they do, such as rig choice, decision to add solar, accessories, appliances, etc.
Thanks,
Chip
-- Edited by Sushidog on Wednesday 10th of September 2014 02:24:46 PM
So far (we've been FT 2 1/2 mo)
#5 10 - 25% but are hoping to double that.
This blog is written by a couple who started out in a converted bus and recently switched to a yacht on the open seas.
If you go back about two years in the blog archives they have a lot of stories about their boondocking and urban camping experiences. Lots of good info about fulltiming nationwide. They work for the Red Cross and travel to where ever they are needed during disasters.
During our more than four and a half years of full time RVing we put more than 65,000 miles on our trailer. During that time we never bnoondocked or stayed in any parking lots.
FastEagle
-- Edited by FastEagle on Wednesday 10th of September 2014 04:24:32 PM
-- Edited by FastEagle on Wednesday 10th of September 2014 04:25:22 PM
-- Edited by FastEagle on Wednesday 10th of September 2014 04:25:47 PM
The 2nd-4th years (in a 17' fiberglass egg trailer).. about 50/50.. leaning more towards 60/40 towards the end.
For the past 3 years in our 'new' vintage bus conversion.. we've been about 95% non-boondocking, for a variety of reasons. (family illness keeping us in urban areas, not having our electrical independency completed as a result of it being a non-priority, being east coast bound, taking some volunteer gigs that included hook-ups, needing an engine rebuild along the way, etc.)
We're now getting ready to outfit with solar, and hope to get back to at least dry camping / wild camping about 25-30% of time.
For us, over the years - it's about the versatility of the places we can go. We loved our wild camping days in the early years, but we also love being near people we love and the luxury of long hot showers :)
- Cherie
so I would have to say 90% plus yearly!
Chip, we haven't started yet, but so I don't know if we "count". We tent camp for now about 7-10 days a year and wish we could do more. I envision about 20% when we go FT, Cindi not quite so much, maybe 10-15% we'll meet in the middle.
FWIW, Brian
We boondock over 75% of the time.
We boondock 10% - 25% of the time. Probably less than 10% when in the east and closer to 15% - 20% when out west where there is more public land that is large-RV-friendly, and where there are less trees and more sunshine for solar.
For those who boondock often, do you find that taking on water or dumping is your limiting factor? Or is it something else? The Sprinter TT I'm leaning toward has an 81 gallon fresh tank and a 83 gallon gray tank (40 gallon black.) I think I'll be in heaven as I can see this lasting a couple weeks or more with a little conservation effort (easy for me, hard for DW). I'm sure I'll have to take on food and occasionally propane as often as that. How about you guys, what tends to run out first, food or water?
Chip
The make and model trailer I'm strongly considering getting has 123 gallon combined black/gray waste capacity, so theoretically I could go through my 81 gallon fresh tank and have room for 42 gallons more, so I could conceivably get a 40 gallon water bladder, something like this: www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/portable-rv-fresh-water-tank-45-gallon/1605 to extend my boondocking time 50% before I have to move the trailer and dump, if this is my limiting factor.
Does anyone have a waste water tank in their truck, so the trailer doesn't have to be moved to dump? I'm wondering if it would be possible to add a portable tank, like a Thetford Smarttote to drain a portion of one's waste water (if only gray water) into which can be more easily transported and dumped rather than breaking camp and moving one's home? I'm planning on carrying a couple small motorbikes with me, so I will be building a ramp into the rear door of my pick-up's topper. I will be using a small winch to lift this ramp. I plan on also using this winch to assist in loading heavy items into the back of the trunk, like a heavy, wheeled generator, or possibly a fully loaded smart tote. I could then dump it while still in the truck bed on the same trip to gather fresh water to extend my stay. The question is how big is too big for a Smarttote? A full 35 gallon Smarttote full of waste water will weigh around 350 lbs, but a smaller tank, requiring multiple dump trips makes less logistical sense. Next is where to store such a large tank when empty? On the rear bumper of the TT (only 35 lbs empty) or inside the bed of the truck? What is everyone else doing? www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/thetford-smarttote-lx-portable-waste-tank-35-gallon/37872
Chip
In the West up to 25% of the time.
In the East almost 0% of the time.
Our limiting factor is the grey tank (80 gal). We use the shower every day and cook all meals, therefore need to do dishes every day too.
However, we are only travelers/parttimers (120days/year).
Bernd
Your thoughts are good. A couple of things to keep in mind though: The 40 gallon water bladder does not travel easily on the smooth roof of a vehicle. It sloshes like a water bed used to and can work its way off of the roof. It works easiest if put inside the bed of the p/u. Second, be sure to find some way to secure the SmartTote or you will have 300+ pound container on wheels sliding around in the bed of the p/u.
Are you saying the trailer has a single tank of 123 gallons for black & gray water. Usually there are separate tanks for black & gray. We usually fill the gray before the black is full.
To conserve water, take navy showers, i.e. quickly get wet, turn off water, soap up, the rinse as quickly as possible. Consider only taking one shower in 7 days, and for other times, take an army bath. Water in a bowl and washrag with soap. Clean important parts, and rinse with another bowl of water. If the weather is not overly warm you may find you don't need to bathe every day. For dishes, wash and rinse in pans. Take the wash & rinse water outside and dump by the bushes. Almost all places seriously frown on running gray water on the ground, but if you are discrete, dumping the pans works well.
If you are truly out in the boondocks, you can conserve your black tank by digging a cat hole about 6" deep doing your business in the hole and then covering it up. Be sure to take your used toilet paper back to your trash can. EVERY place I know of that allows cat holes requires the toilet paper to not be buried with the rest of the waste. The paper doesn't break up as well and can make an unsightly mess.
Since we boondock a lot, I have to add some comments about generators. We do have a generator and use it to recharge our batteries by running it for about an hour and a half a day. Most often in the middle of the day. That keeps away from running the generator from the traditional quiet times of early morning and later afternoon evening. My generator usage will end when I install my solar panels this winter. There are few things which make many boondocker's madder than someone to drive up, park near by and run their generator. In the quiet outdoors a nice quiet 2000-3000 watt Honda generator can be heard at least 100 yards away. A large wheeled generator will be very annoying at a 1/4 mile away. Please be considerate and park far away from other boondockers who are not running their generators for long periods. Usually if a RV has solar panels on their roof, they will not be using their generator. If you see a group of RV's with generators, they are usually making enough noise that they don't mind another generator within hearing distance.
Thanks for the replies all.
Though I plan on installing a nice sized solar system, probably 1,000 watts or more I have boondocked for years with only my small camp type generator and TV to recharge. I'd really like to go with a 1,500 watt, 8 battery system and a super efficient, mini-split solar air conditioner - if I can figure out a way to carry all this extra weight (I'm toying with several ideas now). This 12,000 BTU high efficiency heat pump can be powered by a single Honda eu2,000 (as it only draws a max of 960 watts on start-up and less than 500 watts while running.) If I forgo the big system with solar ac I will either go with a pair of eu2000s or a single EU3000is (the 150lb wheeled ac I referenced.) Like you, I usually return to the campsite around noon to eat lunch and run my genny for about an hour or so every other day if I'm stationary, as I don't use that much power now. A 55db ac is typically about as noisy than an EU3000is Honda (49-58db)
The camper I'm looking at indeed has 2 waste tanks, an 83 gallon gray and 40 gallon black. If I started to fill up the gray tank but had room in the black I could transfer some gray water in the black tank (I know of many RVers who do this to routinely flush their black tank) thus extending my gray tank capacity. Or I could just keep them separate avoiding any possible back wash and possible contamination of my gray tank and just dump the gray separately using a tote. Yeah I would need to secure it well when carrying it to the dump site, to avoid a potential 300+ lb "poop missile." ;) I'm sure if I got a water bladder I wiuld carry it in my truck bed because of the weight. I have a small 12v pump I use now to transfer water into my Aliner's small 10 gallon tank. It fills it in a little over a minute, so it would take about 5 minutes to transfer 40 gallons. It's a small, but powerful Rule iL500 pump that can also attach to a garden hose for pumping longer distances. Here's a pic:
My DW and I usually take a "Navy" shower every other day, using about 10 gallons/day on average. We use paper plates and foil while boondocking to keep dish washing to a minimum too. Since we don't have a water filter, we drink bottled water now, but this will probably change with our bigger trailer. So if our water consumption habits don't change, I figure we get about 8 days out of a full tank, with another 4 day, 40 gallon refill and it will almost make the typical 2 week limit on most NF/BLM land. Moving and dumping every 12 days or so isn't that restrictive anyway. It's a lot better than dumping my gray water every other day, and black every 5 days as I do now. The way my Aliner is set up now, with a cassette toilet, (and no gray tanks - only a couple 7 gallon blue Aquatainers) I currently don't need to move my camper to dump either black or gray, which is a good thing, as I must dump so often now.
Chip
-- Edited by Sushidog on Friday 19th of September 2014 03:21:44 PM
Chip,
You have this boondock thing well under control.
Another possibility for more water, is to put a 30-40 gallon water tank in the back of your pickup if you can arrange the room. Here is a link to a company that has many, many sizes and shapes of tanks. One of the tanks may work for you to keep from making a trip to town.
Thanks for the link. If I could find a tank that mounts underneath my 3/4 ton Ford (or in the fender wells), sort of like a spare gas tank - that would be ideal, as I will have the bed full with a couple motorbikes, spare gas cans, generator(s) and other goodies while traveling. I can easily remove the bikes from the truck bed temporarily for transporting a water bladder or a tote, but there's no room in the bed for a permanent tank installation.
Chip
We pretty much only Boondock. We tried a dry camp ground last year to get some fishing in but those people were generator happy I swear. Morning, noon and night and one guy everything in between. It's lovely to wake to the hum of a Honda 3000 at 5 am. especially after going to sleep with it. So ended our foray into the campground scene.
So back up into the hills we went where we are isolated and hear nothing. It requires some searching and travel on some pretty iffy trails but it's always worth it.
We use two large 245w panels as portables and leave the generator at home unless it's going to be hot which just doesn't happen that often at 9-10,000 ft. They keep the trailer going and allow us the use of the microwave, coffee pot, hair dryer, vacuum and TV/satellite system. Our bank is tiny consisting of a grp 27 for the trailer and a 8-D for the inverter so our big loads are during the day when the sun is shining and those panels can help out. At night it's just the LED lights, TV and furnace.
We take 60 gallons of water for up to two weeks so you can imagine we are pretty conservative. Still we take daily showers and use plates and real utensils that have to be washed. By the time the waste tanks are filling up, the food is running out and we head home sometimes just to dump and reload but usually to get back to work.
This was our site last week. We have a policy of never using the same site twice but I'd use this one again in a pinch.
Jimindenver, It'samazing that you could fit that big trailer in such a tiny site.
With 60 gallons of water lasting 2 weeks and showering every day (assuming your "we" is not the royal we, and you have at least one other person you camp with) and assuming you only use 1 gallon a day to wash and rinse your plates, glasses and utensils (a feat of conservation by itself) that means that you use less than 2 gallons of water per shower! 60-14/28 showers = 1.64 gallons of water per shower! I couldn't get soaped down with that little water, let alone have any water left to rinse the soap off. We use about 5-6 gallons per Navy style shower - wet down, turn water off, lather up and rinse off. Heck it takes at least 1 gallon of water ( and half a roll of paper towels) just to wash out a single pot, skillet, coffee pot, cups, BBQ tools and utensils each day, and that's stretching it.
What's your secret? Do you recycle your own urine or something?
Chip
The Oxygenics shower head is a real water saver. It has an adjustment in the shower head where you can reduce the water flow. Even at low flow it feels like you are getting a good hard spray. I have my flow in the shower head turned down so it takes 1 minute and 20 seconds for one gallon to come out.
Chip
We roughed it while camping for 20 years, so 60 gallon of water is a swimming pool to us. A shower for me starts out by putting the big coffee pot under the tubs tap and catching the water untill it comes out hot. Then with the shower head off, I pull up the diverter and open the cold a crack. I set the pot aside and using a wash cloth as a buffer, open the shower head just enough to let water out of four of the holes. By the time the wash clot is drenched, I know that I wont be scalded so I wet myself quickly and turn off the shower head. Then I soap up the cloth and wash head to toe rewetting the cloth with the dribble that comes out of the shower head. After that it is a quick rinse at a low flow.
The water we capture is heated and used to wash dishes. The silverware goes into a cup with a drop of dawn, filled with hot water and washed. That water is dumped into the next cup and the silver is rinsed in the first cup. That water is used to rinse the next item until it gets sudsy and dumped in the wash tub. This keeps the rinse water clean and lets the wash water build up so that when we do the pots and pans there is enough hot soapy water to do so. We keep a cup in the rinse tub to pick up and pour the water over things that it can't be poured from one item to the next.
After that the wash water goes into the fire bucket and the tub rinsed with whats left in the rinse tub and that too goes int the bucket to make sure the fire is out later. When there is a fire ban the water is used for flushing and I'll pull from the grey tank to do the same.
It sound extreme but after riughing it for so long, it is the lap of luxury for us. We could go longer by showering every other day but after two weeks we will start needing fresh food anyways.
Jimindenver, all I can say is wow, you have got to have the most frugal water usage system imaginable.
Did you immigrate from the desert planet Arrakis or are you the son of an Arab Bedowin? I hear that the Maasai warriors wash their children in urine (as it is sterile). At least you're not that extreme.
Speaking of which, here is the ultimate water conservation tool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7ZfVPTh4ic or this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6bVCXdBuD0#t=12
These filtering devices allows you to recycle your own pee into drinking water. Just think, if you collect it fresh and use it while it is still warm, say for washing dishes, to make coffee, etc. you save on the cost of fuel to heat it too.
Chip
Luckily 60 Gallons does well for us so I think we will fore go the filtering the pee thing for now at least. ;)
After tenting for so long it is just natural for us. Our needs are met and we get to stay out longer. We use to heat the water by setting the black pot on the edge of the wash basin and aiming it at the sun. In a hour you could wash up, in two it was steaming hot for dishes. Now we take the water we capture from the shower and run it through the coffee maker like a insta hot. The solar powers that so it's free.
Luckily we have solar now and I don't have to tell you know we handled the power. At one point Honey decided the battery was "my precious" and I cared more about it than.....
Chip
She's not concerned about wildlife critters at all and has 2 cans of bear spray but 2 legged unwelcome visitors make her nervous even though her equalizer is chambered in 44 mag and mine in 45ACP.
Carry them all the time.. and we all are safer !
And do keep in mind.. the visitors carry too..
As a new member, it is good to know that firearm and political discussions are greatly discouraged on this board, as they are viewed as controversial. An RV forum where this type of discussion is more appropriate and welcome is: z3.invisionfree.com/Freedom_Of_The_Road/index.php
Chip
Definitely was no problem with having 100 gallons of water.......Barely put a dent in it. We showered sparingly. Wet down, shut off, soap up, rinse off. Inverter ran my CPAP machine with no issues. During the day I ran the generator for a few hours. Super quiet out at the far end of the parking lot and can barely hear it running. We were more worried about some of the strange looking drifters that stay in the lot. There was a guy living in a pick up truck that was rolled (but still mobile). Some windows knocked out and he'd cover it up with a tarp. He'd have a bunch of clothes spread out on guard rails in the rain to wash then leave them in the sun to dry. We were told by another RV'er that ths guy was a regular kind of homeless/drifter.
Yep, some handle "desperation" differently, I think... some just survive and go about their business.. some will "take" .. when they have nothing more to loose. Those are the ones that scare me.
It's not going to be the homeless guy.. usually.. It's the 2 guys crusing around the walmart parking lot looking for a easy mark.. usually just to steal something.. then things go wrong.. I see them alot in small town exit areas..Fortunately, the police are usually around "trying" too.. as it would be a known hot spot. But they can't keep up the pace..
Well, I guess wallydocking counts.
I don't think I could go through 100 gallons in two nights if I tried. That would easily be a two week supply for us. Considering the 14day BLM land moving rule, that's about right. Now I just need to solidify my plans on harvesting enough power from the sun (and possibly the wind) to stay off-grid indefinitely. If I use my propane sparingly, say for the fridge, cooking (though I plan to add a portable induction range) and only occasional heating, and add a high-efficiency heat pump (powered by a large battery bank and about 2kw of solar) for the bulk of my off-grid heating and cooling needs we should be good to go. Now it's just a question of putting such a system together in a TT that has enough weight capacity for the project, yet is affordable and reasonably durable. I'm really looking at some toy haulers now, like the Work and Play 30WRS model by Forest River or the new 36FKBS (if it specs out) with one piece aluminum roofs.
I would call that truck guy homeless, not a boondocker. At least he's trying to wash his clothes and stay clean, making the best out of a bad situation. It sure puts things in perspective and makes one thank God for our many blessings.
I've had devastating sickness in my family, divorce, bankruptcy, survived disasters like earthquakes in California, hurricanes in New Orleans, including Katrina, etc. so I can really feel for this guy. Who knows what he's had to endure that forces him into the lifestyle he has adopted for survival? Some may have made poor choices in life, others have had overwhelming tragedies that they have difficulty overcoming - the loss of a loved one, the horrors of war, etc.. I'm sure he's harmless, maybe even a nice guy, just trying to make his way in life, as are we all. There before the grace of God go I.
Chip
The topics that are showing up lately in this thread are off-topic from the question posed by the original poster. Let's get the discussion back on topic.
Terry
Wait, I'm the original poster. Can I get off topic on my own thread?
I guess I don't understand (or agree) how all this does or should work. I'm confused.
Chip
How do you tell the moderators from the civilians on this site?
Hotfish- you can't tell who they are until the hammer falls....
Sushi- you can take it off topic, but if it's been running along without veering on it own then its better to start new topic.
The owners and administrators of the website and the forums are Howard and Linda.
Gene (Genecop) and myself are the moderators of the forums at the request of Howard and Linda, and we try to follow the rules and guidelines of the owners and administrators.
If you have questions as to any rules, check out the following links.
Welcome to the RV-Dreams Community Forum
Guidelines and Suggestions - Please Read!
Also, just because one starts a thread on the forum, it does not necessarily give free-rein to the original poster as to what is discussed on that thread. Thus, even if Chip did start the thread, it isn't necessarily "his." Because the topic wandered off towards firearms is what really caused me to "issue" a warning. If anyone wants to talk about firearms, find an appropriate area of the forums and start a thread based on that topic.
Terry
To get things back on track, here is someone who is going for 100% boondocking - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbBNC-jCV7E. They posted the video to the G+ Fulltime Rv Living Community, https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/100402361255548325477.
The Boondockabilly folk talk about running their 2 rooftop AC systems off of 8, 250ah, 6v batteries (500 usable ah at 24v or 6k usable watt hours). Given their battery capacity and the current draw of the rooftop ACs, this is not practical, as the math just doesn't support it. Assuming they have 2-13,500 Btu ac which typically draw around 15 amps (1800 watts) each (not counting short duration start-up surges) that means both ACs running together would draw 3,600 watts @120v. Assuming an optimistic 90% inverter efficiency means they need 3,960 watts @24 volts or a 165 amp draw! At that high of a current draw Puekert is going to play havoc on their battery capacity. They will be lucky to get 400 usable ah @165 amp current draw = 2.42 hrs of runtime at night (with no solar input). Now if only one AC was running, then it could run for about 6 hours. If instead, they replaced one of their roof mounted ACs with a single 12,000 btu high efficiency heat pump drawing 11.5a @ 48v dc (or 560 watts with no inverter loss) their battery bank (wired for 48v rather than 24v) for 250 usable ah @48v = 21.74 hrs of AC runtime at full load - enough to cool a bedroom all night for restful sleep, leaving sufficient power for other incidentals too. With their ample solar and wind power generation capabilities they should have enough to keep the batteries topped off too, assuming the weather cooperates.
Here's a link to a company that sells "walk-on" solar panels: www.bruceschwab.com/solar-power/rugged-walk-solar-panels/
Chip
Wow................Learn something everyday.
I'm impressed by the creative idea of adding panels on sliding mounts to reveal panels underneath when deployed. Double the solar gathering for the same footprint. Gotta love outside the box thinking. Chip, I agree the AC could be a challenge but it would depend on the actual need to keep the rig cool. In the heat of a hot southern summer night, probably not going to be able to keep up, but at higher elevation or somewhere that that evening temps are more comfortable that minimal AC usage was required, I don't see that setup being unable to meet the load demand. Still, an impressive set-up, thanks for sharing the link Bill.
-- Edited by biggaRView on Sunday 23rd of August 2015 02:46:16 PM