Boondocking with 19CB?

[MAJ]

Please be patient with me all, I'm new to this forum. I've been looking at a 19CB, but can't find any info on it's boondocking capability. Not talking about anything really serious, but just some solitude from time to time. My tow vehicle will easily handle the trailer and while it's not an aggressive off road vehicle I can lock it into 4WD if needed and it has 8 inches of ground clearance so depending on what the trailer can handle I should be able to access some nice places. Has anyone had any experience boondocking with a 19CB? I'd definitely appreciate some wisdom and tips. I also can't find any information on the ground clearance for the 19CB either, so if anyone could share that with me I'd sincerely appreciate it. Thanks in advance for any help anyone can provide.

Michael

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Welcome !!!!

For most "boondocking" covers any off grid camping at a range of locations from the Walmart parking lot to Forest Service dispersed campsites to way down a dirt track on BLM land.

The typical AS trailer is not that great for ground clearance. The Basecamp wins in this regard. They also are not super duper for approach and departure angles. You can add a lift kit to raise them up 2 or 3" to help with this.

As is, they are about as good clearance wise as the typical car or truck. Approach and departure ... not so much. Even with a lift kit you still could find places that this or that truck could go and the trailer would be challenged.

Normal paved or gravel roads are not going to be a big deal. There might be a very steep railroad crossing, it probably will be marked since it will not be "ok" for a lot of folks. Dirt roads mostly are going to be ok. When it starts to turn into a rock crawl or river fording is called for .... nope.

Depending on how long you want to be out, the capacity of your water tanks is going to set a practical max. There is some learning involved in conserving water. There are lots of threads on this.

Next up is power. You have a fridge in the newer trailers that runs on 12V. If you don't have the solar and lithium upgrades, you will need a (possibly quite small) generator even for a couple days out. You also would need to be someplace that generators are allowed. You get into similar power issues running the furnace in cold weather. Again some learning is involved to understand power management.

Bottom line, as long as you don't go to crazy, yes you can get pretty far away from it all with a 19CB.

Bob

[MAJ]

Bob let me first say thank you so much for getting back to me and sharing this very helpful information. I assure you there will be no rock climbing or river fording here my friend, although I would've loved it when I was younger. I'm 60 now and I hate to say it, but I'm disabled because of some back issues, so I have to be real careful with lifting or the Doc says I'll wind up having to have a major back surgery. Definitely not on my bucket list.

From your information it sounds like I could go anywhere I would want to go. The wife's gone, daughter got married so I'm an empty nester. I'm just looking for some quiet places to reflect and relax. If I could bend your ear a little more, are you aware of any way to add a rear bumper to the 19CB that would support a generator I could lock down. There's no way I can lift even a small one? If you've got some thoughts, you could share I'd really appreciate it. Thanks again and...

Stay safe,

Michael

[McStreamy_]

I once saw a 23CB in a campground with a generator mounted above the batteries and behind the propane tanks. No idea how feasible that is with your model and no idea where to get it done. But it could be an option. If you're not concerned about needing to run the air conditioner, solar could be an option for you to keep batteries charged and not need to lug a generator.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Not specific to the 19CB, but to all AS trailers. They really are not built to put weight on the rear bumper. You can easily do damage to them that way. It also makes things like sway a lot worse.

Simple answer for the generator is to have a small one in the back of your truck. It stays there and never gets lifted out. When you need to top off the batteries, you fire it up. Something like a Honda 1000i will do fine for topping off the batteries.

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/to...3068_200833068

A radically different approach ( = more money !!!) would be to swing over to a van. For one person an Interstate 19 (or something similar.... 24X maybe ....) might be fine. You then have the generator built into the vehicle. You also do not have all of the "heavy lifting" involved in hooking up and unhooking the trailer. Getting out and about wise, they are quite capable. ( = in the same league as the typical stock AS trailer ).

Bob

[JeffKim]

We have a 2021 Bambi 16RB with the 90W solar option which includes an upgrade to AGM batteries. Like you've found there isn't a ton of information in one place about boondocking capabilities and the sales literature makes it sound like getting the solar option enables endless boondocking. In reality we found it's does ok if you're sitting in the sun for topping off the batteries but it's not nearly enough to sustain boondocking for any long period of time. You need more power sources to extend battery life.

And as Bob points out a lot depends on what kind of boondocking you're doing. We go to a lot of National Forest campgrounds which have toilets and water, so we haven't had any tank issues. We can go 3 days before the charge on the AGMs gets close to 50%, the bottom before damage can occur. I only know this because I installed a Victron shunt (https://www.victronenergy.com/batter...-battery-shunt) to measure our battery capacity. (Before I did this there is little clue how much charge is left other than the solar controller displays the battery voltage which is like reading tea leaves to me.)

Also as Bob points out the 12V refrigerator is the most consistent drain on power. We quickly learned to keep this at as high of setting as possible (at the point where the freezer doesn't defrost). The lights use next to nothing. You can't run the AC on battery. (Also note that Bambis do not come with inverters, so no expresso machine either). We ran the furnace some, but it isn't too big of a power hog.

We don't have any room for another panel on our roof (maybe the 19' does). To help extend our batteries, I added an external 100W solar panel I can move around to get the best sun angle. Our Bambi comes with an external Zamp solar panel plug in which does nothing other than it is just wired directly to the battery. I installed a Victron 75/15 solar charge controller which can accommodate at least another panel (l now know more about solar than I ever thought possible) wiring it into the rats nest of cables AS puts under the dinette seat (I'm sure the 19' has more room). Now we can plug the panel into the Zamp connector and it will register with the shunt so we can measure how much the panel is contributing.

This probably sounds a lot more complicated that it is, but basically I feel to get something you can boondock with and know what your battery levels are and have a little extra external power, I needed to make those additions. I have something like $500 extra into it (including the new panel). To get to the next level it will take some money for Lithium batteries and a charge controller upgrade ($1,500+) and/or possibly a DC/DC charger ($263, https://www.invertersupply.com/index...ucts_id=194735) to run from our TV. A DC/DC charger basically turns our car into a generator for not a lot of money.

[field & stream]

As others have mentioned, if you get a new trailer with the electric-only fridge the power draw will be a challenge to staying unplugged. My research shows you will need 1-200 watts of solar, one or two lithium batteries, and some favorable sun conditions to last more than a few days. For some a generator is an option, but I wouldn't recommend one to someone with a bad back who is seeking peace and quiet!


Alternatively, up until very recently Airstreams came with propane fridges which use a small fraction (maybe 10%) of the electricity used by the electric-only. So, a used trailer might work better for your intended use.

[GetawA-S]

Michael,

Welcome to the forum! Most who announce themselves as starry eyed newbie campers quickly get showered with a flood of opinions, which they can sort through to home in on their own realities. Camping in 21st century America is not for sissies.
Boondocking: In Tennessee, you are talking shaded NFS or NPS sites, maybe some sunnier one night Harvest Hosts or Boondockers Welcome. Solar will often fall short of the rated output - by a lot. A “portable” solar panel can weigh every bit as much as a small gennerator. A small generator will usually be pull start, which can be as stressful as lifting. Is your TV a pickup with a bed? You won’t want to carry a gas generator inside an SUV.
I hate to say it, but public campgrounds are not havens of peace and quiet anymore. And if you have lung issues, you will come to despise people’s inconsiderate, pathetic attempts at a “campfire” built fifteen smoky feet away from your hastily closed windows. Cue the A/C, which means shore power.
The fridge: this topic elicits as many strong opinions as the choice of tow vehicle. Yes, you can run on propane, but have a plan for juggling the 50ish-pound-when-full cylinder a few times a season. (About the same as a generator or larger solar panel) The absorption (propane) models are very hit-or-miss, performance wise, with fans added in the back of most to cool the coils. (more noise) My personal impression is that the power consumption of a compressor (electric only) style is not ten times that of the propane style, because the control board and fan draw power. That said, I only have experience with the absorption style and our currrent one works surprisingly well.
I’ll give you the same advice I’ve given others: Do your first Boondocking adventure in your own driveway, so you can plug in to shore power to save your batteries from being damaged by draining them below 50%. (See the threads...)
Other members will probably hunt me down for being disloyal to the brand, but there are smaller, well designed van campers (think Pleasureway or a used Born Free) that might fit your needs better, as uncle_bob suggested.
There are lots more threads on these topics to help you in your decision.Whatever you end up with, I wish you all the best!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

A lot of this gets into your budget. If you have $500,000 to spend there are different options than if you have a max budget of $50,000. Needless to say, you get more if you spend more .....

Bob

[99TJSE]

Hello MAJ,

Bob is correct in what he says here.

Wife and I boondock our 2020 19cb Caravel extensivly. State land, Forest Service, and BLM land.

A few quick observations...

Tires - the fine ST tires that Airstreams come with make me nervous as all get out off pavement.

The lead acid Interstate batteries last about a day and a half to two days with conservative use. A small generator is essential and a portable solar panel is very nice to have.

Watch your tankage. You can fill the gray tank with two enthusiastic showers. We get about five or six days out of the black tank. About that out of the fresh tank.

The two propane tanks last ten days to two weeks.

We've had no issues with ground clearance yet, but we always walk a route we're unsure of.

Any specific questions you have, fire away.

We're based in Oregon, so keep that in mind. Your mileage is going to vary.

[215Airhaus]

If you get the solar package, you should be good for as long as you want in terms of power, assuming you're not concerned with running your television and oven. My wife and I have boondocked for days with two dogs, and the real limiting factor was water and AC for the pooches.

I think you are going to be able to do nice long stretches out there no problem if you get just the basic solar package. No generator needed.


See you down the road!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Even with solar, if you are running the furnace ( it is that time of year ....), the number of days off grid will be limited. How limited depends a lot on things like it being 15 vs 45 outside and you liking it 55 vs 85 inside ....

Bob

[field & stream]

Originally Posted by 215Airhaus

If you get the solar package, you should be good for as long as you want in terms of power, assuming you're not concerned with running your television and oven. My wife and I have boondocked for days with two dogs, and the real limiting factor was water and AC for the pooches.

I think you are going to be able to do nice long stretches out there no problem if you get just the basic solar package. No generator needed.


See you down the road!

Question: what do you mean by “the solar package“?

If you mean 180w of solar panels and two lithium batteries then it is probably correct that it will go nice long stretches. But with hot days with warm nights and poor solar conditions maybe not. That electric only fridge will pull 30-50 amp hours per day.

If you mean add a 90w panel and stick with the lead acid batteries then the odds are unfavorable.

[lookingin]

We do some boondocking but never in rough terrain with a 2020 cb19. We find that a lot of remote areas that make good boondocking have very good alternatives with campsites and many of the campsites have water. Pick your individual site out in advance, so in a campground with say 30 individual sites we might decide on two or three that work for us but find they work especially well and can match boondocking locations.

We carry a 55 gallon spare fresh water tank in the back of the SUV, we don’t pull with any water, grey, black or fresh. We use a lot of electricity working remote and running a small dishwasher. Demand for power you will find only increases even in more limited use cases.

We were able to fit a large solar/lithium build in our CB19. The Victron components we fit under the front left kitchen table bench, the right side bench I removed the drawer and mounted three 24v batteries. We fit four 100w panels on top by removing the TV antenna and adjusting the placement of the left rear panel. Initially we started out traveling with a remote set of panels but since adding the third battery that was not necessary. This gives us over two weeks power off grid and that would be in worst case scenario in shade. The hard part was getting all the components to fit within the front curved space areas. I could write a small book on the installation and approach I took.

Even with removal of the two acid batteries this increased our tongue weight by quite abit. In total over 100 lbs, we partially countered that by installing a rear tow hitch attached to the frame (65lbs). The basket and bins we keep light and never have to take them off. With some attention to the scale numbers and capacities the rig tows very stable.

Our two fully remote “offroad” boondocking areas have zero challenges with clearance so there is virtually no risk of damage or getting stuck. Super nice BLM areas that should have been declared National Parks I will keep secret.