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Old 04-19-2009, 11:03 PM   #1
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Trailer: 2005 13 ft Scamp
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Angry

Hi everyone!

We finally have our new (to us) Scamp home after our first outing. Overall we had a good week camping and enjoyed the benefits of the scamp (it sure was cold and windy there and we were glad to have shelter)! We camped for a total of 5 nights (at Sunset State Beach outside of Watsonville, CA) and relocated from site to site for 4 of the 5 nights. It was more difficult to set up and break down camp than we had expected any helpful hints in this area would be appreciated (although I am sure that everyone organizes their campers differently based on their needs). We have a family of 4 (plus 2 dogs) camping in a 13' trailer, and while the size is perfect once we are set up, the loading and unloading was a bit much more than we were hoping.

Anyway, we had some more specific questions. Please

1. Our battery died after the first night. We went to OSH and bought a solar trickle charger, but it didn't charge the battery so we used flashlights for the remainder of the trip...just like in the tent! How long should a trailer battery last when all you are using are a light or two for an hour or so? Does anyone know what kind (size?) of solar system is appropriate for charging the battery? Has anyone here used a wind generator for charging a trailer battery?

2. We couldn't get the 3-way fridge to work on propane. Several very helpful campers in the cg tried to help us, but to no avail. We followed the instructions inside the panel but we could never see a pilot actually light and the fridge didn't get cold! We had to use a cooler with ice... Anyone have any ideas? We KNOW we had propane in the tank because we filled it before we started, and we used the propane stove with great success.

3. My husband and I were sharing the "double" bed in the scamp. The cushions are wider than the table beneath (not to mention the dog-eared edges) so my DH felt like he was going over the edge all night long. He was very uncomfortable and said that if he had his camp pad he would have been sleeping outside. Has anyone run into this problem? Does anyone have suggestions to provide support under the cushions without ruining the table?

for any help!

Sincerely,
Crystal

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Old 04-20-2009, 05:35 AM   #2
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Hi everyone!
3. My husband and I were sharing the "double" bed in the scamp. The cushions are wider than the table beneath (not to mention the dog-eared edges) so my DH felt like he was going over the edge all night long. He was very uncomfortable and said that if he had his camp pad he would have been sleeping outside. Has anyone run into this problem? Does anyone have suggestions to provide support under the cushions without ruining the table?

for any help!

Sincerely,
Crystal
Try pulling the table away from the wall enough to support the cushions at the kitchen edge of the bed. The gap is not as noticeable when at the window edge (you CAN'T roll off from that edge) You could also carry a piece of wood to fill that gap for future trips.

I sleep at "his" side and I agree; when the cushions are not supported I do feel like I am rolling off the bed.
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Old 04-20-2009, 05:52 AM   #3
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Hi: Crystal B... I simply pulled out the table 4"s. then made a cardboard template of the space and cut a piece of board to fit the curved back wall. All well and good if your scamp doesn't have the hinge style table mount!!! Our former Boler table came off the wall completely.
Living on the edge is one thing...sleeping on it's another!!!
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Old 04-20-2009, 05:57 AM   #4
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First times out camping with my trailer it did seem to take quite a bit of time to setup or strike camp. Now I've got it down to a science. Involve everyone in the effort. I don't know how old your children are, but get them involved in setup and cleanup as well. Lawn chairs placed, door map in it's spot. Wood placed for campfire, etc. And, of course it depends upon how much "stuff" I take as to how long it takes. But, I'd rather it take whatever time it takes, than stay home and clean house!
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Old 04-20-2009, 06:19 AM   #5
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hi there, I'm sorry you didn't have more fun on your first outing.

for your 3 way fridge, i'd recommend having it serviced at an RV center, let the pros have the headache, especially when safety is concerned.

and for your battery, have a look at it, is it just a car battery, or is it a deep cycle marine type? the difference is a deep cycle is meant to be depleted and charged, whereas a car battery is not as forgiving. for a solar setup i'd think you wouldn't want any less than a 30 watt system to top up a battery during the day. 30 watts will deliver about 4 amps, enough to put a little life back in. that's what i have, and along with a new group 27 marine battery, i can run my lights at night, and my furnace when it's cold and have the panel charge it back up.

you also may want to consider replacing your lights with l.e.d. lights, as they use about 1/10th the draw. think about it, 1 light on for 1 hour is the same as 1 light on for 10 hours, or 10 lights on for 1 hour. way worth the investment.

have fun and stay dry
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Old 04-20-2009, 08:11 AM   #6
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I'm a bit of an organizer....each trip I've taken I find something that might work out better "next time". Ie the placement of pots and pans, where to hide the chairs ect. The fridge needs to be LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL......I got a $2.00 bubble level and for my trailer, I level the trailer according to the fridge. So as I set up I peek in the fridge 3 or 4 times to check the that the level placed in the middle of the fridge is "just so" anything less and my fridge is a stuborn beast and refuses to get cold....also a day or 2 BEFOR my trips I plug it in and get it cold via electricity. The first time trying to lite it took me and a fellow camper oh about 3 beers and much curssing. When I got it home after that trip I leveled it babied it and it still took some time (the trailer is a 77)....nowdays that I've run it a couple of times with success it starts like a champ.

Get those rubbermaid containers and have a place for everything and everything in its place. I have one for food, one for clotes ect and so on. Each time I use something I put it back in its original spot that so next time I go looking for it, its where I expect it to be. You'll get the hang or it and find a system that works for you. Less is more IMO and either send the kids and dogs away from the campsite or set them to task....I find it easier to "do it myself" becasue I know where everything is and the trailer gets to cramped with people mulling about inside while I get set up. Have fun and remember...your camping while everyone else is working.....
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Old 04-20-2009, 09:05 AM   #7
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I'm wondering if you frig. problem is associated with the battery. I would fix the battery problem first.
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Old 04-20-2009, 09:22 AM   #8
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HOLY COW, family of 4 w/2 dogs in a 13'er???? You folks have got guts. I can suggest a few things about setting up, but can't help with more space. One of the things you can do is to make reservations before you get there to lighten up on the moves from site to site if your staying in one park for any length of time The first thing I do is get the trailer into the site like momma wants it, somtimes that takes more tries and time than anything else, then level from side to side with different thickness boards, I then lower the stab jacks on the back to make sure they have room come down, then chock wheels, unhook from tow vehicle and level from front to back, then adjust stab jacks, hook up water, electric, start water heater, crank out awning, unpack lawn chairs etc. Meanwhile momma is inside doing here thing and we're set up in 20 minutes. We do use the plastic containers to pack everything, they work well pack n stack for travel. It just takes a times to get the rythem of things and then it becomes easier, good luck
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Old 04-20-2009, 10:08 AM   #9
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Trailer: Escape 19
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1. Our battery died after the first night. We went to OSH and bought a solar trickle charger, but it didn't charge the battery so we used flashlights for the remainder of the trip...just like in the tent! How long should a trailer battery last when all you are using are a light or two for an hour or so? Does anyone know what kind (size?) of solar system is appropriate for charging the battery? Has anyone here used a wind generator for charging a trailer battery?

2. We couldn't get the 3-way fridge to work on propane. Several very helpful campers in the cg tried to help us, but to no avail. We followed the instructions inside the panel but we could never see a pilot actually light and the fridge didn't get cold! We had to use a cooler with ice... Anyone have any ideas? We KNOW we had propane in the tank because we filled it before we started, and we used the propane stove with great success.

3. My husband and I were sharing the "double" bed in the scamp. The cushions are wider than the table beneath (not to mention the dog-eared edges) so my DH felt like he was going over the edge all night long. He was very uncomfortable and said that if he had his camp pad he would have been sleeping outside. Has anyone run into this problem? Does anyone have suggestions to provide support under the cushions without ruining the table?

Crystal
Crystal,

We have a 2004 Scamp 13.

1. There are a lot of variables on the battery, and others here will surely chime in. Solar charging will take a pretty serious investment if you want to recharge in just a few hours. The conventional bulbs, small as they are, use a lot of power, so they could be the culprit. Or, your battery could just be at the end of its life. Look for discussions here about converting to LED lights if you plan to go without 120V for extended periods. I think I've seen some discussion about wind generators as well, but I don't think that's very practical or worth the cost. For us, we usually camp where electricity is available, and the tow vehicle charges the battery reasonably well while we drive. We have stayed overnight without AC power, though, and did fine even with the orginal bulb setup..... but we have LEDs now.

2. The propane fridge works really well, even though it may seem hard to light. The flame is really tiny, so if the ambient light is very bright, you won't see it. Often, you can hear a little pop as the propane lights if you listen carefully. Be sure to hold the knob down for 30 seconds or so to give the thermocouple a chance to heat up. Otherwise, when you let up, it extinguished the flame. After a minute or so, you can feel heat around the chimney area just above where the little peep-hole is located. Oh, and if you haven' used the propane for some time, light the stove first to help get air out of the system. Trailer leveling is important for the fridge to work well, but it doesn't impact your ability to light the propane. If you really can't get it to light, better go for service.

3. Early on, I cut a 1/4" piece of plywood, about 12-14" wide, to put across that edge of the bed. It's long enough to overlap the closet and sink area at either end. When the dinette is set up, the plywood goes under the front bunk. I rounded the corners and sanded all the edges, so it doesn't snag the cushion fabric. Totally solves the problem. It really doesn't take much, but without it, the bed really is uncomfortable.

I hope this helps. It takes time to sort these things out, but overall it's a lot of fun.

Parker



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Old 04-20-2009, 11:11 AM   #10
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Cut a piece of 1x6 pine to fit from side to side resting on the ledges, sand and urethane. Pull the table out from the wall and place the board between the table and the wall. When you make up the bed leave the board there as a handy shelf for kleenex and deck of cards etc.
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Old 04-20-2009, 04:48 PM   #11
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Try pulling the table away from the wall enough to support the cushions at the kitchen edge of the bed. The gap is not as noticeable when at the window edge (you CAN'T roll off from that edge) You could also carry a piece of wood to fill that gap for future trips.

I sleep at "his" side and I agree; when the cushions are not supported I do feel like I am rolling off the bed.

Thank you Carol Ann! I didn't think to try to pull the table away from the wall. That would have been easy!



Crystal
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Old 04-20-2009, 04:49 PM   #12
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Hi everyone!

We finally have our new (to us) Scamp home after our first outing. Overall we had a good week camping and enjoyed the benefits of the scamp (it sure was cold and windy there and we were glad to have shelter)! We camped for a total of 5 nights (at Sunset State Beach outside of Watsonville, CA) and relocated from site to site for 4 of the 5 nights. It was more difficult to set up and break down camp than we had expected any helpful hints in this area would be appreciated (although I am sure that everyone organizes their campers differently based on their needs). We have a family of 4 (plus 2 dogs) camping in a 13' trailer, and while the size is perfect once we are set up, the loading and unloading was a bit much more than we were hoping.

Anyway, we had some more specific questions. Please

1. Our battery died after the first night. We went to OSH and bought a solar trickle charger, but it didn't charge the battery so we used flashlights for the remainder of the trip...just like in the tent! How long should a trailer battery last when all you are using are a light or two for an hour or so? Does anyone know what kind (size?) of solar system is appropriate for charging the battery? Has anyone here used a wind generator for charging a trailer battery?

2. We couldn't get the 3-way fridge to work on propane. Several very helpful campers in the cg tried to help us, but to no avail. We followed the instructions inside the panel but we could never see a pilot actually light and the fridge didn't get cold! We had to use a cooler with ice... Anyone have any ideas? We KNOW we had propane in the tank because we filled it before we started, and we used the propane stove with great success.

3. My husband and I were sharing the "double" bed in the scamp. The cushions are wider than the table beneath (not to mention the dog-eared edges) so my DH felt like he was going over the edge all night long. He was very uncomfortable and said that if he had his camp pad he would have been sleeping outside. Has anyone run into this problem? Does anyone have suggestions to provide support under the cushions without ruining the table?

for any help!

Sincerely,
Crystal

Thank you all so much for the helpful tips and suggestions. I will try them next weekend and hope for the best!

Crystal

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Old 04-20-2009, 04:51 PM   #13
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Crystal,

We have a 2004 Scamp 13.

1. There are a lot of variables on the battery, and others here will surely chime in. Solar charging will take a pretty serious investment if you want to recharge in just a few hours. The conventional bulbs, small as they are, use a lot of power, so they could be the culprit. Or, your battery could just be at the end of its life. Look for discussions here about converting to LED lights if you plan to go without 120V for extended periods. I think I've seen some discussion about wind generators as well, but I don't think that's very practical or worth the cost. For us, we usually camp where electricity is available, and the tow vehicle charges the battery reasonably well while we drive. We have stayed overnight without AC power, though, and did fine even with the orginal bulb setup..... but we have LEDs now.

2. The propane fridge works really well, even though it may seem hard to light. The flame is really tiny, so if the ambient light is very bright, you won't see it. Often, you can hear a little pop as the propane lights if you listen carefully. Be sure to hold the knob down for 30 seconds or so to give the thermocouple a chance to heat up. Otherwise, when you let up, it extinguished the flame. After a minute or so, you can feel heat around the chimney area just above where the little peep-hole is located. Oh, and if you haven' used the propane for some time, light the stove first to help get air out of the system. Trailer leveling is important for the fridge to work well, but it doesn't impact your ability to light the propane. If you really can't get it to light, better go for service.

3. Early on, I cut a 1/4" piece of plywood, about 12-14" wide, to put across that edge of the bed. It's long enough to overlap the closet and sink area at either end. When the dinette is set up, the plywood goes under the front bunk. I rounded the corners and sanded all the edges, so it doesn't snag the cushion fabric. Totally solves the problem. It really doesn't take much, but without it, the bed really is uncomfortable.

I hope this helps. It takes time to sort these things out, but overall it's a lot of fun.

Parker

Hi Parker,

We did hear a "pop" so I wonder if it was lit and we just couldn't tell. We left it "on" for a while and it didn't feel appreciably cold...but then it was a cold environment so our hands were chilly before we started.

Thank you for the good ideas.
Smiles,
Crystal
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Old 04-20-2009, 04:52 PM   #14
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HOLY COW, family of 4 w/2 dogs in a 13'er???? You folks have got guts. I can suggest a few things about setting up, but can't help with more space. One of the things you can do is to make reservations before you get there to lighten up on the moves from site to site if your staying in one park for any length of time The first thing I do is get the trailer into the site like momma wants it, somtimes that takes more tries and time than anything else, then level from side to side with different thickness boards, I then lower the stab jacks on the back to make sure they have room come down, then chock wheels, unhook from tow vehicle and level from front to back, then adjust stab jacks, hook up water, electric, start water heater, crank out awning, unpack lawn chairs etc. Meanwhile momma is inside doing here thing and we're set up in 20 minutes. We do use the plastic containers to pack everything, they work well pack n stack for travel. It just takes a times to get the rythem of things and then it becomes easier, good luck

Hi Bill,

Well, we figure that the 13' trailer is a LOT bigger than the tent we used to all crowd into!
We will be investing in some containers for storage very soon.

Thank you.
Crystal
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Old 04-20-2009, 07:32 PM   #15
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You probably had a sick battery and need to replace it with a marine *deep cycle*. Marine batteries come in three flavors:

1. Starting
2. Hybrid of starting and deep cycle
3. Deep cycle, aka trolling

You want the last kind, not one that says starting anywhere on it.

You also want to install the wiring to recharge the egg battery with the tow vehicle's charging system.

If the fridge won't light, and depending on the control board it may not light if you don' t have adequate voltage from your battery, one thing to check is the burner tube outside for insects or nests or webs blocking the air flow -- Probably the number one cause of no workee...


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Old 04-20-2009, 08:08 PM   #16
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Name: Parker
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Hi Parker,

We did hear a "pop" so I wonder if it was lit and we just couldn't tell. We left it "on" for a while and it didn't feel appreciably cold...but then it was a cold environment so our hands were chilly before we started.

Smiles,
Crystal
Crystal,

You may be expecting to feel more refrigeration than is possible in that short amount of time. Not much is happening inside the fridge except heat transfer via the fins in the back. You should be able to feel that they're cooling off after a few minutes. You're more likely to feel the heat over the propane burner a lot sooner!

Have fun!
Parker
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Old 04-27-2009, 11:38 AM   #17
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2. We couldn't get the 3-way fridge to work on propane. Several very helpful campers in the cg tried to help us, but to no avail. We followed the instructions inside the panel but we could never see a pilot actually light and the fridge didn't get cold! We had to use a cooler with ice... Anyone have any ideas? We KNOW we had propane in the tank because we filled it before we started, and we used the propane stove with great success.

Crystal
Crystal the suggestion to plug in and start the fridge up the day before is a good one! I do that. It takes a long time for the fridge to get cold. I can never tell when I first start it up if it is cooling or not! I put a plastic milk jug with frozen water in it when I first start it up. It helps it out a little & if it stays more or less frozen over night I know the fridge is working.
I use a cooler outside for drinks - keeps the number of times the fridge needs to be open down and helps to keep things in the fridge safe and sound. This is important in hot weather as the fridge is designed is such a way that it does not do so well in real hot weather if the door is being opened often. I bought a small fan for mine to try out this year - will see if that helps out.

The other thing you might try is to start the stove up first. My water heater will never light unless I have started the stove up before hand. It helps to clear the gas lines.

The other suggestion to look for spider webs etc is also a good one. I had that problem last year.

You can also add a few stick on LED Dot lights around the trailer to cut down on DC use.

I also use large bins for storing stuff. One holds everything needed for set up & another holds all the dogs things. I like Brandy do the set up & take down myself. Faster, less confusing as I know where everything is & that it gets put back where it belongs. LOL Must be a "girl thing"! The bins make good wine & cheese or jello shooter tables ouside while camping (Brandy did you hear that? I'm looking forward to Fort week-end - its a highlight!) and the bins go back into the trailer when on the move.

Re the dogs. I also like to use those small hooks with suction cups on them. Attach them to the outside of the trailer by the door for hanging leashes and messy dog towels.

You REALLY are a brave person having that crowed in a 13'. I once spent a few very rainy days on the wet coast with a girlfriend, two kids and two large dogs in a 16' and I thought that was over load! LOL

Carol
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Old 04-27-2009, 12:30 PM   #18
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Crystal, Welcome to the fiber family. Hope your outings become easier, I agree with Chris about the fridge issue maybe from the whole battery issue, But you may also want to check the fuse's, cause the one and only time I couldn't get my fridge to run on gas, there were fuse issues. (though no one at the time could see the fuses were an issue) (long story about people who want to help when they have been drinking tooooooo many beers) But was told that 'our' fridge had an electric start! So if the battery was an issue then it wouldn't help start the fridge. Well battery charged, still didn't run on gas so on to what I questioned in the beginning.................... The fuses.

I also agree with others, make reservations ahead of time so you won't be moving camps every night. I would never! To much work! It's suppose to be fun. As others have said, you have a crowd in your little egg, but if it works for you that's wonderful! It will just take time to get a system down for what to take, where to store it, etc to make it a comfortable journey. The first few times camping it's trying to figure out what you want with you, the rest of the camping season is about deleting all the stuff you don't/won't use so no use in dragging along. Enjoy! Robin
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Old 04-27-2009, 03:59 PM   #19
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I also like to use those small hooks with suction cups on them. Attach them to the outside of the trailer by the door for hanging leashes and messy dog towels.
Ooh, I like that idea. Brilliant! I even have two extras that I can use for that now.

Crystal,

True, a 13' is not huge for four people and a dog, but on the other hand, a lot of people set up a screen tent or an awning (or both) and then cook and lounge outside - so maybe that's an idea (not that you said you were too crowded, but just in case). Also, some folks set up a tent for the kids to sleep in (depending on how old they are and if they would like that).

On the battery running down. Well, even if the battery is in top shape (which it likely isn't), one battery can run down faster than you think. I've lived on boats where we lived 24/7 on our battery power, and even with a "house bank" of four or six batteries, we had to watch our consumption. And we had solar and wind generation.

I don't say this to discourage you, but only to let you know that it's not at all hard to run a single battery down, even just with lights (with conventional bulbs). If you enjoy figuring, you CAN plan it all out so that you know what you have and what you're going to need. If not, just ignore the next section

Basically, everything electrical draws a certain number of amps (which really means amps per hour). Any given battery stores a certain number of amp hours. You shouldn't run a battery below 50% charge (it greatly reduces its life). If you can keep it up to 60% so much the better. So if you have, say, a 100 amp hour battery, you really have 50 amp hours to play with (we're not counting recharging here).

So you can calculate the amp draw of things like lights, furnace fan, water pumps, personal fan, etc. and compare that to your battery reserves. Then if you come up short after doing your calculations, you either need to use fewer amp hours, have a bigger battery, or recharge faster (or use slower).

Light bulbs can be real hogs, especially if you have two or three on at once. As others have mentioned, LED bulbs, cold cathode bulbs, etc. draw much less. We used kerosene lanterns quite a bit (that might not be so great in a small camper though). I've taken to wearing an LED headlamp (Petzl tactikka, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Petzl-TacTikka-Headl...e/dp/B0007Q3R34 -- it runs forever on 3 AAA batteries and the light is always right where you want it (unless you are looking at someone you're talking to )

If your bulbs or electrical items list watts but not amps, you can convert to amps (which is what you want to use in your figuring). You simply take the listed watts and divide it by volts (in this case that would be 12). The answer is amps.

It sounds a bit complicated, but it's not that bad once you sit down with pencil and paper, and like a friend of mine says: "If you can't put a number on it, it's voodoo"

The second half of the equation is how much you're putting back into your battery(ies). The most practical ways for most small campers are either to plug in at a campground (and run a converter or charger) or to use a solar panel.

But really (and this is backing up a bit), a lot depends on how you plan to camp most:

1) Full hookups all the time? Then plug in, burn 110v electricity with abandon and perhaps just put 110 volt items in your camper instead of 12 volt items.

2) Some hookups and some "dry camping"? Then you probably do want to keep the 12 volt items in your camper for when you dry camp. You now have two choices for when you are plugged in: You can either install a converter, and convert the campground's 110 volts to 12 volts and use your 12 volt stuff that way. Or, you can install a a 12 volt charger, and charge your battery with that, and then use battery power.

3) Mostly dry camping (or another option for #2 scenario): Install a solar panel to charge your battery and run your 12 volt items from that. This dovetails well with the 12-volt charger in #2.

There are also meters that can help you to know how much amperage you're drawing and how full your batteries are. One of these would be worthwhile, IMO, if you were going to camp on 12v most of the time or use the 12 volt charger scenario.

I hope this wasn't too lengthy or confusing... Also I'm sure others here know more and can probably explain better.

Raya
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New Owner.... 85 13 ft. Scamp... needs lots of work Joe Steadman Care and Feeding of Molded Fiberglass Trailers 41 03-27-2012 08:50 PM
do think this would work with a Scamp 5th? Phil Underwood Jokes, Stories & Tall Tales 3 10-12-2008 07:01 AM
Finally got a Scamp! Axle/suspension perhaps needs work HustonFamily Towing, Hitching, Axles and Running Gear 27 04-06-2008 01:22 PM
The work on my Scamp on Youtube.com Bob H Modifications, Alterations and Updates 4 03-14-2007 12:30 PM
Finally got a Scamp! Axle/suspension perhaps needs work HustonFamily Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 0 01-01-1970 12:00 AM

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