One Battery or two?

[Earl E. November]

I just bought a new to me 5er. I do a fair amount of boone docking.
Presently they have the 12V battery stored under the stairs to the loft.
It would be a simple matter to put an additional battery up front by the bottles..
Any thoughts..

[Darwin Maring]

The Scamp 5r has the battery outside next to the bottles. If U have a battery inside the camper you need to make sure it is a sealed one that will not emit gas during charging. A real explosion issue.

[Elie BBBurro]

Deep cell and solar do it for me. $250.

[Earl E. November]

Battery is the sealed variety, Battery box is sealed and vented outside. I have another 27 Series deep cycle battery (aka two of them) So the question is really should I and what are the trade offs if I do.

[cpaharley2008]

If you go dual battery route you should replace both of them at the same time, mixing an old battery with a new one will not give you the benefit you want. The older one will drain the newer one down. The new ones should be next to one another so that you can wire them in parallel or series depending on six or 12 volts. If kept separate you will lose voltage thru longer wires. I have dual 105 a/h batteries and can go 3-4 days before recharging. Read up on batteries here:
The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by Earl E. November

I just bought a new to me 5er. I do a fair amount of boone docking.
Presently they have the 12V battery stored under the stairs to the loft.
It would be a simple matter to put an additional battery up front by the bottles..
Any thoughts..

If you do get a second battery, it is best to put them side-by-side, and connect them together (parallel configuration).

I've been dry camping in my 19' using just one battery. I have a generator but really don't have to recharge my battery every day. I got LED lights last year and they make a big difference. But, prior to the LEDs I used a couple of LED lanterns at night.

I keep thinking about a second battery when reading this forum, but haven't really found a need.

Good luck with your new rig.

[honda03842]

In our last trailer we considered adding a second battery but went with Solar Panels instead. They were lighter and did not effect the tongue weight.

[cpaharley2008]

Norm,
Did you ever buy those solar panels you mentioned in one of your posts recently?

[honda03842]

I haven't bought a solar panel yet but will. The end of our summers are always so busy. On top of that we sold our motorhome last week and are now truly 'trailer people'.

We had planned to leave the end of October but are now planning to stay as late as possible since we'll be gone so long.

[Greg H]

I had two batteries on my big fifthwheel, but I only need one on the egg because it only runs 12v lights.

[Perry J]

50 W roof mounted solar panel and group 27 deep cycle battery in my 16' Scamp.
I had all LED lighting.
When the grand kid was along we watched DVDs or TV when it was available in the evening. The furnace ran all night long.
All my camping is boondocking or campgrounds with no hookups.
I have a switch on the charge line on my TV and turned it off when I installed the solar panel.
I have never been short of power.
I'm installing the same set up on my 13' Bigfoot as soon as I finish the interior which should be next week.
John