Another - GENERATOR USAGE thread - my take after a trip out

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by gordon2

REAL campers don't use propane at all, they burn firewood that they cut with their own ax. REAL campers don't use refrigeration. We are all Recreational Vehicle owners, some of who by choice come closer to being REAL campers than others, and some who don't.

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Does a “ REAL CAMPER “ drive to some remote , quiet and pristine wilderness campsite , start up a generator , plug in their trailer , turn on his / her air conditioner and TV and then stay in their trailer until the generator runs low on fuel or it’s time to leave ?
Camping to me is sleeping in a tent , cooking over an open fire , cleaning up in a cold stream or lake , braving the elements and using a fallen log for a toilet .
What we do is RVing

I'm now scared to find out what type of campers we are.
Happy?

Enjoy,

Perry

[charlsara]

I am pretty happy most of the time. That goes up a notch when we are camping, propane, generator or whatever..That should describe most of us ...

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

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I'm now scared to find out what type of campers we are. Happy?

Enjoy,

Perry

In a couple weeks we will be heading up to Northern Minnesota for a week of deer hunting . We will be staying in our deer shack , no running water , no propane , no electricity , no TV , no refrigerator , no cell phone service , not much of any modern conveniences . We have plywood bunks ,a wood stove for heat ( we cut and split the firewood ) a Coleman stove for cooking , a Coleman lantern for light , a portable radio for entertainment, , an outhouse sans walls or roof , the outdoors is our refrigerator , we get our water out of the lake and heat it on the wood stove
Are we roughing it , not by my definition . We are able to get in out of the weather , warm up , cook our meals , listen to the radio , play cards , and get a good nights sleep .
If I wanted to hunt in luxury , I would haul my Escape 21 uo North but that would take away from the ambiance of the hunt .
Staying in a $40,000 trailer is hardly roughing it IMHO

Yes; I am happy , life is good !!

[Steve Carlson]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

an outhouse sans walls or roof

That's what we call a "thunder box"...

[Joe & Cherie]

Originally Posted by Ruban&Martha

Our camper is all-electric and purchasing it was NOT a bad idea .. for us. And yes, we boondock (so far for up to a week, sometimes in cold weather). A Mr. Heater provides heat when needed plus a cook top. A Clam shelter provides extra space if we don't want to cook in the camper when in remote bear country.

Some things were more important to us than integrated propane. Such as the head room and the floor plan. And besides that, the EggCamper is just a cutie.

Nancy

Originally Posted by Uplander

I read your report on “Generator Camping”.
I did not read any of the responses that followed.

First observation: An all electric travel trailer ??? What were you thinking ???
Real campers often boondock and a propane refrigerator and a propane cook top are minimum...plus a propane water heater are minimum equipment for a real camper.
What you own belongs in a RV Park.....staying in a RVPark is not camping...it is a hotel/motel replacement.

I did boondock camping with a travel trailer (propane equipped) and also had a quiet generator by Champion 2,800 watts...it was reasonably quiet and did increase in volume when I fired up my A/C (electric not propane) but the nearest camper was about a mile or more away...I was camping in a state forest...true boondocking....no electric hookups...no public showers...my shower was in my travel trailer. I used my 40 gallon fresh water tank. My generator charged my battery and supplied power for nighttime television viewing.

Might be time to choose between RV Resorts and real camping (boondocking).
Might be time to trade in your all electric mistake or just check into a motel.

Happy Camping !

Originally Posted by jgilliam1955

We almost bought a all electric Snoozy, but got robbed. BUT after buying a Casita & using propane I am very glad for our Casita. Sometimes you do not understand what you need until you actually use it. Buying all electric is a bad idea.

I apologize for the late reply but we were actually real camping in our all electric EggCamper for 5 days with no cell service - just caught up on this thread! We did have electric, but we were in a cool/windy and sometimes wet remote state park (Kelly's Island Ohio). Even took a ferry to get there, our neighbors cleaned a deer taken by bow in the campsite next to us, and we had real wood campfires each night.

BUT - I have to agree COMPLETELY with Nancy!

Buying an all electric EggCamper was NOT a mistake for US nor does it need to reside in an RV park. Our decision was a carefully made, and we bought it AFTER selling our Casita with propane. We have no regrets to switching! I feel like we are still real campers LOL. We camp up to 48 hours boondocking with the fridge running! We added (2) 6V Trojans, and have yet to add solar. We run a 12V compressor style fridge and i LOVE it - it cools so well with no issues, and no fridge vent holes in the egg! I think if we added solar the fridge would run forever. Only uses 4.5amps when running which is ~50% of the time.

We have only NEEDED the generator once (my original post) in 3 years, and I have learned that a $89 heat buddy fixes that problem! Also, our water heater heats from dead cold to full hot in 15 minutes flat! I've timed this with the generator (it idles down at the 15 minute mark every time). So if we need a hot shower, then yes - I need to run genny for "fifteen minutes" per shower! We cook on propane grille with small bottles.

Our water tank capacity it 16 gallons, and if needed I carry (4) additional 7 gallon jugs to top off the tank. I could carry 20 jugs if needed! So, just wanted to point out - all electric boondocking is VERY do-able!

Lastly - and MOST IMPORTANTLY of all, I am 6'6" tall and I now can stand up straight and sleep flat! Our bed is 5" longer than I am! I sleep well now! The only other FGRV being made that I could do this in is an Escape 5.0ta, which we may buy someday, but for now we enjoy the EggCamper, the entire use of our truck bed, and the ability to carry kayaks on a roof rack for our real camping trips!

Lastly - did I mention I converted my generator to run off Propane? Two 20lb bottles on the tongue and no need to carry gasoline! I also us them for a FireBowl for laziness or fire bans.

At the recent Cesar Creek Fiberglass Rally, I heard a newer Casita next to us, and a newer Escape with VERY LOUD air conditioning units - I was shocked at how loud they were. Much louder than the A/C on our old Casita. I'd probably bet their A/C was louder than our Honda generator at running at 1/3 capacity load, powering our EggCamper A/C! The A/C in our EggCamper is a window type unit but fully built in under the dinette sear inside the camper - you can hardly hear it run outside!!

Sorry for the long reply! Just my opinion - YMMV! Happy Camping!

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by Joe & Cherie

At the recent Cesar Creek Fiberglass Rally, I heard a newer Casita next to us, and a newer Escape with VERY LOUD air conditioning units - I was shocked at how loud they were. Much louder than the A/C on our old Casita. I'd probably bet their A/C was louder than our Honda generator at running at 1/3 capacity load, powering our EggCamper A/C! The A/C in our EggCamper is a window type unit but fully built in under the dinette sear inside the camper - you can hardly hear it run outside!!

The noise level of the AC in our 2018 Escape 5.0 is too loud. Hopefully the new owners of Escape with find a quieter unit.

OTOH, we don't camp when it's hot and in over 20 years with AC units we've only used AC three times. Of course, we don't live or camp in SE states. We bought the AC for resale purposes.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

We bought the AC for resale purposes.
Perry

What's a used A/C worth? I think Donna Dee nailed it, forgoing the A/C until she needs it for resale and getting a new one installed under warranty.

[redbarron55]

I think the issue is not new or used A/C but rather one is already installed or not.
Being in the South I probably wouldn't consider one without A/C.

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Does a “ REAL CAMPER “ drive to some remote , quiet and pristine wilderness campsite , start up a generator , plug in their trailer , turn on his / her air conditioner and TV and then stay in their trailer until the generator runs low on fuel or it’s time to leave ?
Camping to me is sleeping in a tent , cooking over an open fire , cleaning up in a cold stream or lake , braving the elements and using a fallen log for a toilet .
What we do is RVing

This is how you end up on "I WAS PREY"

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Ice-breaker

..... A few years ago, we were camping at Dead Horse Point State Park in Utah.... Other than us in our Escape, the campground was almost exclusively filled with tent campers. .....

huh. We were at Dead Horse Point in early June this year, and it was almost entirely giant RVs. We were in the Wingate Camp area, which I guess is a recent expansion as it doesn't show up on google 'satellite' view. No water or sewer hookups, electric only (apparently water has to be trucked in). nice clean baths. way way too many gnats, tho.

[Mitzi Agnew-Giles]

Joe- I also have the all-electric- and I have found that an electric kettle and a 200 watt heater plus fleece blankets top and bottom, along with a light coating of petroleum jelly applied every 6-8 hours or so, keeps one adequately warm at least into the 30s-40sF*. Did you read labels on your clothing? You want really cheap polyester or acrylic sorts of fabric- remember Cotton kills! (My Boy Scouts could chant along with me on our January Florida backpacks and remote Summer Camps lectures) Heck silk will keep you warm too, as will usage of plastic or emergency Mylar shiny foil survival gear. I pick up Silk quite cheap at the local Goodwill in PB County- but polyester works too!

I remember taking my 5 year old grandson snow tubing in the N Carolina mountains and staying in a small barely heated 12x12 cabin where the water had to be let run to prevent freeze-up- between the silk and wool and warm-not cotton - outer layers clothes and greasing up we wound up overheating. Had we been stationary we probably would've been fine. And no, that was a year that snoiwmaking machinery-like the year I took my DS and it was in the 50s and he skied in a Tshirt- was not needed.

So did you really apply all your knowledge to reducing your generator load? or did cotton and dry skin sneak in somehow?
Just my 2 cents worth...

[GingerB]

Originally Posted by Mitzi Agnew-Giles

Joe- I also have the all-electric- and I have found that an electric kettle and a 200 watt heater plus fleece blankets top and bottom, along with a light coating of petroleum jelly applied every 6-8 hours or so, keeps one adequately warm at least into the 30s-40sF*. Did you read labels on your clothing? You want really cheap polyester or acrylic sorts of fabric- remember Cotton kills! (My Boy Scouts could chant along with me on our January Florida backpacks and remote Summer Camps lectures) Heck silk will keep you warm too, as will usage of plastic or emergency Mylar shiny foil survival gear. I pick up Silk quite cheap at the local Goodwill in PB County- but polyester works too!

I remember taking my 5 year old grandson snow tubing in the N Carolina mountains and staying in a small barely heated 12x12 cabin where the water had to be let run to prevent freeze-up- between the silk and wool and warm-not cotton - outer layers clothes and greasing up we wound up overheating. Had we been stationary we probably would've been fine. And no, that was a year that snoiwmaking machinery-like the year I took my DS and it was in the 50s and he skied in a Tshirt- was not needed.

So did you really apply all your knowledge to reducing your generator load? or did cotton and dry skin sneak in somehow?
Just my 2 cents worth...

If it’s not too personal a question, what is the function of the light coating of petroleum jelly? Sounds messy.

[nmc79]

We are currently at a small WMA campground in Florida. Amazingly peaceful and the most beautiful sunsets on the bay. One guy has a Honda 2000 inside a styrofoam box. You can barely hear it unless you are 20’ away.

Another couple moved in right next door yesterday. They fired up a 4500 watt frame generator right at dinner time. We had to move inside to eat because it was so loud we couldn’t hear each other from across the picnic table. It ran for 5 hours while they sat inside watching tv. Generators are allowed until 10pm. But geeze, you couldn’t hear anything but that loud POS throughout the whole campground.

If you can afford a 40k truck and a 30k camper, you can afford an inverter generator.

[Jon in AZ]

Yes, I’ve also observed that the difference between the best generators and the worst- noise as well as exhaust fumes- is greater than the difference between the best generators and none at all.

Somehow we have to get smarter about generator restrictions.

It wouldn’t hurt to write to the operator about your experience. One complaint won’t make much difference, but if enough people complain...

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by GingerB

If it’s not too personal a question, what is the function of the light coating of petroleum jelly? Sounds messy.

Some people apply a thin layer before they go outside in the winter to protect skin from windburn and other harsh elements. But that’s a wind chill thing not for inside.