Nite attire?

[Gina D.]

OK, OK.. before you accuse me of asking for too much info..

The extra gas can thread got me thinking of things one can do without an extra electrical boost.

I will not be judgemental about why someone would want to run a gen set all nite. I am sure there are many legitimate purposes for doing so, such as all the "PAP" type machines I see folks here use.. A/C could be considered one of those for folks with breathing issues or those who are subject to heat exhaustion etc. I have a little of both those issues, but I work around them without A/C.

For non essentials (But admittedly niceties) what do you do to reduce or even eliminate electrical use?

As mentioned, I live without A/C and can't see ever installing it. I have only once really wished I had it, but I was comfortable once the sun went down. Battery powered fans work for ME during the day, and at nite.. I don't use any covers. (The rest is nunya. nunya bidnez ) Even in the middle of Mojave, in the summer, I have been comfortable enough to sleep at nite, and in the humid forests of the NW.

I have a hand pump on my sink, as well as an electric one. Frankly, I don't care which one I use. If I have juice, fine, the electric switch gets thrown, but if not, the handle gets pulled. Same effort, same result, pretty much. Except with the pump, I have nicer biceps.

Juice low, can't run the DVD player? This has happened to me. It can be quite tramatic, but I always have a couple books, the paper and/or a magazine in the trailer to calm me. Remember to bring your glasses.

Lights? The lantern you use outside works inside too. It is lonely out there, invite it in for a visit.

For those with a bathroom... poop does not lose it's way in the dark. It will always go downhill, regardless of the brightness factor in the room it is in. (This applies to many aspects of life)

I promise, you will not die of embarrassment and no one will think the lesser of you if your rig is not lit up like a landing strip lined with Pink Flamingo lights.

Coffee percolater.. learn how to master one, ask Grandma. She probably still doesn't know who Mr. Coffee is and she probably won't like him if she meets him anyway.

Radiation is not your unseperable friend. Frozen foods can be "cooked" in boiling water. Float the ready made plastic holding dish in a pan of boiling water. It gets hot and it doesn't care if it's heated from the outside in vs. inside out. I often carry TV dinners in my egg and cook them in just this way. They don't sink unless you tip them over by playing boat races in the pot with more than one dinner. For all other foods.. they still cook the old fashion way.. with a flame.

ALL refridgerators work as iceboxes. They remember thier roots. Have blue Ice in your freezer. Stick it on a shelf when you run low on power.

Battery powered guages, monitors and clocks last a LONG time. None of my safety items run off the house battery, and I always have a supply of Evereadys ever ready. I find it less inconinient to pop in a 9v than dump gas on my shoes.

I always carry a Blackcat for emergency heat. That will NEVER leave my trailer. I also have appropriate bedding for such emergencies.

I have a genset, and I do use it when it is appropriate, so I definately am not anti generator, but I have a back up or alternate source or method for all electrical item needs.

What do you do if you find yourself juiceless?

[Alan #1119]

What do you do if you find yourself juiceless?

You don’t have to spit?

[Craig Nold]

Gina,
I'm not exactly sure what this thread is all about but my first thought was about the time I parked for the night in a rest area that was clearly posted, "NO OVERNIGHT PARKING". I still do it but fully clothed and I leave a light on. When the cops come calling you don't want to be caught in your "jammies".

[Gina D.]

It's about NOT being totaly dependant on electricity to make your camping experience a successful one.

My rig is a home away from home, with all the ammenities, even tho some are done in an unconventional way. I enjoy them when ever possible, but should they not be useable for one reason or another, what do folks do to keep thier camping trip from becoming a disaster?

Mine are a few suggestions that seem pretty obvious and common, but I am often amazed when I go out with folks that have the full nine yards that have a total crash when one system fails. Usually, its directly related to electrical power.

I went with one friend who has a very nice truck camper. If it wasn't for my generator, his food stash would have spoiled because he could not get his fridge running.

Another friend had to start his engine to get the juice to flush his toilet or wash his dishes. Once the engine was off, nothing worked.

The thought of walking to the campground toilets, or pouring water from a jug totally eluded him, even tho I know he had past experience from tent camping. The fact that he had walls and a roof somehow gave him the mind set that things HAD to be done within the confines of his system.

How are you prepared for such a failure?

[Lizbeth]

Originally posted by Gina D.@Nov 19 2005, 11:38 AM
How are you prepared for such a failure?

We always camp with friends. Someone can use usually fix what's broken

My biggest problem is getting cold and then not being able to get warm. That's why I NEEDED the heater in the camper. I have back ups too, a plug in cube heater and a Mr Buddy. I can pretty much improvise with any other outage while camping.

We always have books, catalogs and magazines with us. Sometimes we don't even bring a TV (tho I am longing for a LCD & DVD player).

Then there's tha always good ol' campfire and talking with friends old and new.

[Karalyn]

Gina, I never thought of cooking a TV dinner in a pot of boiling water. Did not think it would work. I am wondering how long you let it boil?
Thanks for the tips!

what is a genset?

[Gina D.]

Karalyn, I KNOW it works. I have done it numerous times.

How long it takes depends on how frozen it is to start with, but usually, a mildly thawed one (Which is what you will end up with in a small rV fridge anyway) will take maybe 10 mins. I have never really timed it. I just check.. when the center of the top is hot, it's done.

The luxury dinners like Marie Calenders that come in a bag you set in a tray, just toss the bag in. They are bouyant. cut a corner to let the steam out, and if you don't mess with them, they stay afloat in the right direction.

The ones that come in a tray.. just float the tray. Same thing. They stay upright and without sloshing around, they cook nicely and don't get swamped!

Living in Oregon where almost all appliances are electric, and on the Gorge, where wind and power outages are a way of life, I figured this out easily. Boiled the water on my campstove or woodstove.

You need to make sure the dinner "floats" and is not resting on the bottom of the pan. That could get ugly real quick.

[jack maloney]

Having learned to live for weeks on nothing more than I can carry in a pack, I look on my basic UHaul as a sybaritic luxury. And any time I think about adding a gadget or gizmo, I ask: do I really need this? If so, how have I managed to enjoy camping up to now without it?

When you think about what we put into things in terms of shopping, buying, storing, organizing, carrying, towing, maintaining, repairing and - ultimately - discarding them, you begin to realize the truth: we don't own things - things own us. And the fewer things we have, the more we own ourselves.

[Brian B-P]

Originally posted by Karalyn@Nov 19 2005, 04:13 PM
what is a genset?

"Genset" is short for "generator set", which in turn means a generator and the engine which drives it. When people refer to their Honda (for instance) generator, they really mean a generator set, since the generator is really just the part that makes electricity, and needs something (the engine) to turn it.

[Brian B-P]

There are a couple of brands of convenience meats sold here which are complete (small) roasts, sealed in plastic - they have pork, beef, turkey, etc. While the package is obviously intended for microwave heating (to be "ready in 10 minutes"), once you slide the stuff out of the outer paperboard sleeve and peel the plastic seal off the top of the microwave-safe plastic tray, you see that the meat is actually in an inner bag. There are both uncooked and precooked versions, depending on brand and location.

One consequence of this extreme over-packaging is that it is an annoyance to use, since the meat is removed from the inner bag (and dumped in the tray) to microwave; another is that you can ignore all of the outer packaging (the paperboard sleeve, plastic seal, and microwave tray) and just drop the unopened inner bag in boiling water. The package instructions list the boil-in-bag alternative, and suggest that it is "great for camping". It does seem like a handy idea for the trailer, with all of the extra packaging left at home.

By the way, these are refrigerated products (not frozen) but it's still an extension of the idea that convenience foods don't necessarily require a microwave or electrical power.

[Time K]

What's a TV dinner?

[Gina D.]

Brian, yes. The Hormel brands are all quite good, and even if not camping, I buy them for home use.

Being single, cooking an entire roast is obsurd. You can docotor these to taste as well with your own spices.

My favorite is the pork roast. I cannot justify buying and entire one to cook on my own, and in a trailer it would be a major hassle anyway!

I usually have one meal as an intended Meat dish, then the leftovers are just enough to use in spaghetti sauces etc.

The price is quite reasonable for these fully cooked items, around 4 bucks here in So. Cal. It is REAL meat, not frozen TV dinner pressed crap.

I will have a few of these with me on my upcoming long trip. Easy to do, full meals when you add veggies and a bread.. and the clean up is a snap.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally posted by Mike T@Nov 19 2005, 07:21 PM
What's a TV dinner?

What's TV?

[Renee K.]

Hey Gina! You got it right! Its bad enough that we have to have horse power without horses, to pull our little eggs. I'm glad for all my experiences with primitive camping and back packing. I was never bored or lonely, and I truly pity those who are, when they don't have everything with them that they had at home. If I was that bad off, I'd stay home! I've had people come by and take pictures of my camp broom made out of pine boughs. I do, now, use a cpap but it is more for the protection of others! My snoring would empty out a campground in a couple of nights! By the way, you can now package many of your own prepared foods in heatable bags. I also like many items dried in food dryer to use for light weight and saving space.
Renee

[RJordanX2]

Hey Renee K., What brand 'O Dog is that? It looks very much like my moms pup.
Randy and Renee

[Frederick L. Simson]

This topic is why I have studied the origonal design of the 16', bathroom equipped, trailer. I am dependant on 12 volt battery power to pump water from my tank.

Thank you, Gina for the little extra battery. That came to the rescue when I discovered that my main battery had failed, during a boon-docking trip.

[Time K]

Originally posted by Byron Kinnaman+Nov 19 2005, 09:36 PM-->

What's TV?

[Elsie G.]

Originally posted by RJordanX2@Nov 20 2005, 08:54 AM
Hey Renee K., What brand 'O Dog is that? It looks very much like my moms pup.
Randy and Renee

[quote]

I'm not Renee, but I can answer your question... She's a Pomerainian. They come two ways - "smart & stupid." Jetta is very smart! But I've had two others, one of which was TOTALLY STUPID. He was born that way, and was the runt of the litter. His Mom was Shadow! She was smart too, she kept taking him out of the box, and putting him behind the toilet. Sometimes dogs have a way of correcting a problem, but we humans like to intervene.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally posted by Mike T+Nov 20 2005, 06:46 PM-->

Ahhhh!!! I know what TV is, Tow Vehicle.
Now what in the world is a Tow Vehicle dinner???

[Gigi]

Gina, I love this thread! My favorite part of camping is to get away from everyone and it usually involves no electricity for the stay. But, it's so worth it!

While out shopping today, I found a little portable DVD player with a battery that has life for 3-4 hours! And, I bought an adapter so I can recharge it with my car. I don't care that much about watching TV, but, it's nice to have a movie at night. And, I sometimes paint some of the scenes from my travel photos and this little honey will be great to use when I want to reference that photo.

This gadget plays movies, CD's, and runs off a battery. I like it and it was around $80 at Wally world today.

A paint buddy posted this next guy:

Shower from Cabela

Now, I have a place to shower, and when the weather is too cold to paint outside, my preferred way to paint, I have a shelter!