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Friday, April 17, 2015

Low cost camping and electricity



One of the very last things I did to the van before our trip was to install a 105 watt solar panel on the roof. That very day it started snowing, putting an end to my outdoor driveway projects. I'm glad I got the job done.

Normally we count on campgrounds having at least 15 amp electric service. This camping season we did without conventional electric power more often than not.

My lovely wife has a discount card that allows us to camp half price at Federal Campgrounds. That's great, but a lot of Federal campgrounds have limited electrical hookups. Those fill up first. Everyone who could get away from the cold north this year appears to have done so. Campgrounds have been busy. The only sites available have been non-electric. The next two campgrounds on our journey north don't even have electric sites. Having our own power also allows to dry camp in places like Walmarts and truck stops.

The last few days have been cloudy and rainy. Even so, we've been getting enough power to run my
c-pap, charge the phones, computers, tablet, and hotspot. Being connected to the Internet sure makes travel much easier. We can find what we need and where to go.

-Sixbears

4 comments:

  1. Yes, it is a good feeling that you don't need to be hooked up to have all the conveniences. I have a diesel generator that can run both my roof ACs when going down the road with power to spare. It runs off my main fuel tank, but like most RVs, it will shut off when the fuel level drops below a certain point.

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    1. I think your generator puts out more power than my whole house uses. No suffering for you!

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  2. Saw a van the other day with two solar panels on the roof.
    There were no markings on the van, so I don't know what they were used for.

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    Replies
    1. Could be anything. Maybe the van was set up for stealth camping.

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