Battery setup for Boondocking

[Boomer51]

Newbie here; proud owner of a 16' Sport. I envision a lot of remote camping near great flyfishing rivers and need advice on a battery setup that could provide for several days somewhere in the middle of Montana. (Thanks, Hag!) I know a small generator would be part of the mix as well. Thank you!

[sgschwend]

The main battery load comes from running a heater. The RV water heater and refrigerator can run on propane and only use a small amount of electrical power for the controllers. Using LED lamps keep the lighting load small. I guess if you need to watch TV or other such thing then that will take more power.

Many folks setup a non electric heater to eliminate the load on the battery.

In my trailer I have installed a Li-ion 2.2 kWhr battery which provide several days of use even with the furnace running.

fyi, in the PNW the annual average of sunlight is three hours a day, so if you want to go solar keep that in mind.

[Boxite]

If you have a small generator as you mention.... you will be fine with an ordinary flooded-cell battery. Boondocking is not as difficult as some suggest as the main thing you'll need is lighting at night and LED lamps will run for weeks on an ordinary battery. With the gen available... you'll have no issues at all.

As already mentioned, the furnace will pull the most power but unless it's near freezing or below you'l be under a quilt/comforter at night anyway, right? After a day or two....simply use the gen to recharge. We've run the furnace for two nights in temps near freezing without killing our ordinary battery. Driving to the next campsite (4-hour drive) recharged it just fine from the tow vehicle.

[Len n Jeanne]

We have 2 6-volt batteries, plus a Honda 2000 generator. We just bought a second set of batteries that we can keep fully charged, to swap out if need be. Our AS mechanic thinks we don't have enough roof surface to go solar, but it would be good to hear from someone else who knows differently.

We get very parsimonious with our use of battery power when on battery power.. For example, if running the furnace, keeping the thermostat set very low and piling on extra blankets. Turning off the battery at the main switch when we're out for the day. We travel with frozen gel pacs, which keep the fridge plenty cold (picnic cooler style) when it's shut off. If it's cold outside anyway, we don't turn on the fridge fan. The water pump seems to use a fair bit of power, so we try to spare its use.

[AirstreamCSH]

If you don’t already have the 6V lifeline batteries, this will make the difference between anxiety in the morning and peace of mind. Moreover, if you have the room to bring a portable Zamora suitcase solar panel you can float the batteries during the day.
You didn’t mention if your Honda 2000 was propane compatible but if not, the convenience and safety of using propane vs carrying gasoline is significant as you already have the tanks.

[Paprika]

"Our AS mechanic thinks we don't have enough roof surface to go solar..."

Maybe not, but you can use portable panels and set them out on the ground. Your trailer may well be prewired for Zamp solar panels--look for a two-pin SAE connector on the tongue, labeled for solar use.

Or you could add a third-party portable panel or panels. For example, Renogy makes a popular 100W folding "solar suitcase".

[Len n Jeanne]

Paprika, thanks for the tips. I think our nearest AS mechanic (Spokane) is prejudiced against solar for some reason. (Maybe he's had to deal with customers who think they can run a bunch of appliances and their AC off a relatively small solar panel surface area?) However, I think they actually sell the Zamp panels.

We'd just like to keep the batteries topped up, notably when Bambi is parked (outside, without shore power) between trips, as we now disconnect and remove them for long breaks between trips.