Battery and dry camping

[greatheron]

My question is how long will a battery last and what can we use?

I know everyone will say it depends on what you use and for how long!

Can we pull into a Walmart for a night and watch tv or a movie and make coffee using a Keurig coffee maker the next morning? Gotta have my coffee!

 

[ram22]

I paid dealer for second battery and easily get through 3-day weekends on battery only. Buy a generator. I’ve got Honda 3Kw pull start. My buddy had inverter (and solar panels) installed that power his drip coffee maker. I prefer percolator over noisy generator. Tv and A/C and M/W need AC power. Everything else battery.


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[Oregon_Camper]

Batteries will only provide 12v power.

Most RV TV's will need 110v...as will microwave, coffee maker, etc.

Does your RV have an inverter? An inverter will invert battery power (DC) to 110v power (AC)

A Keurig will draw a LOT of power....you're going to need a least a 2000 watt inverter to make that work.

 

[Gaffer]

If you can get by without the A/C all you need is a little Honda 2k generator. Run your hot water and fridge on propane. Chain it up though, or it will get legs and be gone.

 

[Lynn1130]

Can we pull into a Walmart for a night and watch tv or a movie and make coffee using a Keurig coffee maker the next morning? Gotta have my coffee!

The answer to that, as you can see from other comments, is no. The items that run on 120V will be inop for your purposes without shore power or a genny. I ran two 6volt batteries for many years on the pop-up and pull trailer because we do so much back woods camping. After buying the Cyclone we made a turkey hunting trip with just the supplied 12 volt because I did not have time to switch batteries over. It got into the 30s during the night so the heat was running often. At 2 AM I had to get up, get the truck going and jump the trailer battery because everything was dying. A single 12 volt will not make it through the night with any kind of high amp draw.

 

[greatheron]

Thanks for all the replies and examples. It really helped and clarified what we expected. The forum is a great source of expertise, opinions and practical experience. Thanks again everyone!


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[danemayer]

I'm not sure that running a generator in a Walmart parking lot would always be welcome. You should ask permission from the store manager to stay overnight, and while at it, you might ask if he minds your running a generator.

 

[greatheron]

I'm not sure that running a generator in a Walmart parking lot would always be welcome. You should ask permission from the store manager to stay overnight, and while at it, you might ask if he minds your running a generator.

Understood and goes without saying. Courtesy goes a long way!


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[CarterKraft]

2 6V GC2 batteries will go all night no problem with several hours of inverter use after dark. They will also run furnace loads overnight with ECO friendly furnace temp setting.

The question will be how will you re-charge them the next day. Truck umbilical will likely not get you to 100% SOC.

My suggestion although it can be complicated and expensive is 400w of solar. I found it pretty simple to do myself and not really that expensive.
This is my charge output for a 7 day trip to Southern Colorado last week. No A/C usage but dry camping with no generator usage.

 

[greatheron]

Interesting, thanks. I assume you have an app/program that came along with solar(?) to monitor use age like that?


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[BLR]

2 6V GC2 batteries will go all night no problem with several hours of inverter use after dark.

My suggestion although it can be complicated and expensive is 400w of solar. I found it pretty simple to do myself and not really that expensive.
This is my charge output for a 7 day trip to Southern Colorado last week. No A/C usage but dry camping with no generator usage.

Do you have a residential Fridge?

Sent from BLR Logistics

 

[CarterKraft]

Do you have a residential Fridge?

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No i don't and I understand that is a pretty major issue I didn't even consider making the above post. I have seen suggestions that it takes 800w of solar to keep up with a residential fridge. That complicates the system a bit putting your optimal solar array over 1000w. That alone will double/tripple the cost of charge controllers, cables and panels as well as having enough Amp hours of battery to retain the energy for cloudy days/nights make the residential fridge a bit of a burden.

My best bud's Cyclone has a residential fridge and with two 12v batteries he is having a hard time just traveling charging off the truck let alone running off 12v power for any length of time.
I think if he swaps for 4-6 GC2 golf cart batteries or equivalent lithium and 1000w of solar he'll be golden.

- - - Updated - - -

Interesting, thanks. I assume you have an app/program that came along with solar(?) to monitor use age like that?


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Yes the Victron lines have "smart" models that are bluetooth enabled (as well as other communication methods) that allow for control panels or phones to display settings, outputs, etc. Very handy to have when learning how/when you can use the excess power or when you need to chill out and relax on power consumption.
Here is a daily screenshot I took to brag to my brother. There is another screen that shows current input/output and battery charge state. All very easy to view,connect to and change settings in.

 

[travelin2]

I have a VictronConnect controller on my solar


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[Daley07]

I bought 4 RV batteries for Boondocking from Battle Born for a solar project, these batteries are amazing and will work well with any acid. And last 3000 cycles or more. I run 400 to 800 watts all night with no problems. The battery charges very quickly even when it's cloudy. Additionally, it can supply between 14.4 and 14.6 volts, which is enough power to run most RV devices. I can totally use this battery as a backup power source because it is so versatile and reliable.