Uses for Exterior Outlet

[Gilda]

I don't remember ordering this option, but there it is, an exterior ground fault outlet on the door side of my 13' Scamp. In your experience what do you use it for? I suppose it's helpful if you want to plug in your outdoor string lights. What else is it used for?

[Joy A]

Lets see, hum!!!

1. Coffee pot
2. Fan
3. Toaster oven
4. Crock pot
5. Electric drill
6. Small router
7. Hair dryer while drying the dog
8. Lap top

That's all I can recall at the moment.

[Jim Bennett]

Well, we don't bring along any of the same things Joy does. I like to keep the weight down, and also don't want to be reliant on 120V for anything. Pretty much all I have ever used ours for, is a small electric kettle we bring along for the rare occasion we are hooked to the grid so I can heat water for coffee. Other than the odd charger, a small electric heater for inside is the only 120V stuff we carry at all.

For those of us who mostly boondock, an exterior plug does not get much use at all.

[steve dunham]

We cook breakfast outdoor on an electric griddle . We plug an extension cord into the outside outlet and set the griddle up on the picnic table . Keeps the trailer cool and clean . Great for cooking pancakes , french toast or anything that splatters grease such as bacon . The only problem we had was that Scamp puts the kitchen outlet on the same circuit as the outside outlet so we tripped the circuit breaker on occasion

[Joy A]

Well I too boondock and have used the outside outlets on occasions. I simply start up the generator.

I get antsy when I have a project to do. A number of years ago I had purchased a locking electrical compartment door so while boondocking I installed it using the generator and router to cut the hole. That mod ended up being the latest mod to show off at the Oregon gathering.

I like the idea of an electric griddle. It's been in the 100's here in CA so if I were camping I'd not want to cook inside. However if there were bugs around I'd just start up the A/C and cook inside.

[Eddie Longest]

We use it for outside cooking like others. I also plug in a small bathroom led night light. It lights up the door step and ground just in front of the door. Good when you come into the campsite after dark or returning from bathroom late at night. Does not disturb the neighbors like the upper door light. I just leave it plugged in, it turns on at dusk and off at dawn.
Eddie

[Jim Bennett]

Having never used a genset with my trailer, I never thought about the uses it would afford.

[Brian Van Snell]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We cook breakfast outdoor on an electric griddle . We plug an extension cord into the outside outlet and set the griddle up on the picnic table . Keeps the trailer cool and clean . Great for cooking pancakes , french toast or anything that splatters grease such as bacon . The only problem we had was that Scamp puts the kitchen outlet on the same circuit as the outside outlet so we tripped the circuit breaker on occasion

Steve:
We had a similar problem until I noticed that the current bush at many campsites has a 15 amp standard outlet as well as the usual 30 amp RV outlet. We have a small table outside our trailer where out toaster, electric kettle and electric frying pan live and they are connected via an extension cord to the 15 amp outlet mentioned above. This way we can use our electric heater inside in the winter and run the electric kettle outside and not trip a breaker. We prefer cooking outside most of the time to avoid steaming up and smelling up the trailer.

When we are boondocking we use a small propane stove outside to do most of the cooking and the propane furnace for heating (if needed).

We have an outside power outlet too but we don't use it much since discovering the "current bush" solution.
Brian

[Mary F]

THAT's a good idea, Eddie!

We also have a small-ish (4 qt?) "roaster oven" which is somewhat like a crock pot, except it isn't a slow cooker. It's great for cooking beans (or a chicken). I use it outside, plugged into that outlet, in part to keep the heat out of the trailer, but also because there's no counter space for using it inside.

That outdoor plug is kinda like the air conditioner in that we don't use it often, but when we need it, it's a nice thing to have. And yeah, mostly we use it to plug in the party lights.

[floyd]

We use it for awning lights

[Byron Kinnaman]

About the only time my outside outlet is used is when the trailer is in it's nest and needs a good vacuuming out.
Other than nest time there no good current bush around.

[frank_a]

Coffee pot and toaster, about all I want in the a.m. Have a portable gas grill for cooking, as well as one in our old trailer.

While we don't bring it for weekend trips, we have a big Cabela's camp kitchen we bring for extended stays and a screen enclosure for it. This is left over from our tenting days, or should I say decades...

Frank

[honda03842]

Our most common use is when working on the trailer.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Our most common use is when working on the trailer.

There is that too. It is handy when parked at home doing projects on the trailer.

[Gilda]

Thanks everyone, your ideas are helpful. I suppose, like Mary says, it'll be nice to have one day. Keep the creative ideas coming!

[Jon Vermilye]

I've used mine to power other trailers, power for my large toaster oven, and to feed battery chargers for other campers. Found I use it far more than I thought I would...

[Carol H]

Use mine for my laptop (if battery running low) while sitting outside as well as for awning lights also while using a small electric grill.

It's a item you can live without but if you have it you will find uses for it. Also nice not to have a bunch of extension cords running from the campsite electrical post to trip over.

[Gilda]

I like Eddie's idea to have a soft nightlight outside. I found a way to have a cordless night light. Simply place a solar pathway light in the top of an orange emergency cone. The light charges during the day and glows at night.