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Boondocking; how to... Newbie questions

Guidotheguide

Active member

Boondocking questions​

I may have missed the forum/thread that deals with virgin boondockers like myself, so my apologies if I'm in the wrong place.

I have some questions that probably have simple "duh" answers that I'm just not seeing, but here goes.

When boondocking, what do you do about fresh water? I'm assuming you fill up your fresh water tank before entering the camping area, but if you're a good distance from the camping area, that's a whole lot of weight added to the trailer at 8.3lbs per gallon; with possible problems caused by that extra weight, especially if you're already close to your GVWR?

What do you do with the black and grey tank waste if you're staying a few days or more?

Do you find having a dual fuel generator is the best way to go, with solar/battery as a back up?

Has anyone used a solar powered generator?

Any other thoughts or suggestions beyond what I've asked about?

I know there are going to be a lot of differing opinions, and each one has its place based on individual needs and likes; having said that, let the fun begin!

Thanks in advance!
 

Shelly S

Well-known member

Boondocking questions​

Hello,
You are correct, you fill your fresh water tank before you arrive at your boondock location and yes you have to include that weight in your gvwr numbers.
As for as the black and grey tank go, in some areas there is actually a honey pot truck that will come around and for a small fee 20-50$ they will pump you out. It has been a while since I have witnessed that so it may be more now. I am sure it will depend on the size of your holding tanks.
Personally I prefer a different fuel source than solar for my generator. I have solar panels and I like them but if the sun is not out I need my generator to work. In my case I have a valor and my gen is gas. Not sure if I answered all your questions here but it is a start and just my opinion. The most important thing IMO is proper planning for boondocking.
 

Guidotheguide

Active member
In that case, I have a few additional questions.

How many start/running watts does your gen have?

How much does it weigh?

Why did you go with a single fuel as opposed to a dual fuel gen.

How many watts are your solar panels and how many do you have?

6v or 12v batteries and how many?

In series or parallel?

Sorry to throw all these at you, but since you have real world experience...tag, your it🙃

Thank you!
 

Shelly S

Well-known member
In that case, I have a few additional questions.

How many start/running watts does your gen have?

How much does it weigh?

Why did you go with a single fuel as opposed to a dual fuel gen.

How many watts are your solar panels and how many do you have?

6v or 12v batteries and how many?

In series or parallel?

Sorry to throw all these at you, but since you have real world experience...tag, your it🙃

Thank you!
I have the Onan gold series 5.5kw gen and It came from the Alliance factory Installed when I purchased my camper. I am not sure what it weighs but it is calculated in my dry weight. If I add the 30 gal of gas then I do have to add that weight.

I did not worry about the gen being dual fuel because I also have solar.

I upgraded the solar pkg to the solar+pkg.
I have 3 panels that are 12v 320w each.
A 65a solar controller, 3000 watt inverter and 3 100amp hour Li batteries that are in parallel.

I do want to improve my solar so that I can run everything on the camper for an extended period of time.

Also, failed to mention yesterday that in some areas there are fresh water trucks that will deliver fresh water to you.
 

Trent Mills

Well-known member

Boondocking questions​

You can "boondock in place". It may be a good way for you to try out your capabilities and learn about usage but not risk filling up the black tank at 11:00 PM in the middle of nowhere!
Just empty the black and gray tanks, fill up the fresh tank and disconnect from the water, sewer and electrical where you are. Then relax and act like you are camping for however long you want. Don't cheat. Most places don't care if you fire your generator up for a little bit, you need to exercise it anyway.
That will give you an idea of how long you can last and how rough you need to camp to last that long.
 

Shelly S

Well-known member
You can "boondock in place". It may be a good way for you to try out your capabilities and learn about usage but not risk filling up the black tank at 11:00 PM in the middle of nowhere!
Just empty the black and gray tanks, fill up the fresh tank and disconnect from the water, sewer and electrical where you are. Then relax and act like you are camping for however long you want. Don't cheat. Most places don't care if you fire your generator up for a little bit, you need to exercise it anyway.
That will give you an idea of how long you can last and how rough you need to camp to last that long.
Great advice Trent !
 

Guidotheguide

Active member
You can "boondock in place". It may be a good way for you to try out your capabilities and learn about usage but not risk filling up the black tank at 11:00 PM in the middle of nowhere!
Just empty the black and gray tanks, fill up the fresh tank and disconnect from the water, sewer and electrical where you are. Then relax and act like you are camping for however long you want. Don't cheat. Most places don't care if you fire your generator up for a little bit, you need to exercise it anyway.
That will give you an idea of how long you can last and how rough you need to camp to last that long.
That's one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments.
Great idea, thanks.
John
 

Guidotheguide

Active member
I have the Onan gold series 5.5kw gen and It came from the Alliance factory Installed when I purchased my camper. I am not sure what it weighs but it is calculated in my dry weight. If I add the 30 gal of gas then I do have to add that weight.

I did not worry about the gen being dual fuel because I also have solar.

I upgraded the solar pkg to the solar+pkg.
I have 3 panels that are 12v 320w each.
A 65a solar controller, 3000 watt inverter and 3 100amp hour Li batteries that are in parallel.

I do want to improve my solar so that I can run everything on the camper for an extended period of time.

Also, failed to mention yesterday that in some areas there are fresh water trucks that will deliver fresh water to you.
Thank you Shelly, that helps me put more of the solar puzzle pieces together.
John
 

Guidotheguide

Active member
John there are some excellent videos from the rally that are posted on this forum that discuss solar specifically.
Thank you, I'll dive into those! I'm still learning how to navigate all of this. There is no shortage of info out there; however, there are many facets to this issue and I'm not exactly an electrical prodigy, so it's hard to know the right questions to ask, let alone knowing the correct answer when you see it. I appreciate your help🤗
 

johnda98

Well-known member
I have the Onan gold series 5.5kw gen and It came from the Alliance factory Installed when I purchased my camper. I am not sure what it weighs but it is calculated in my dry weight. If I add the 30 gal of gas then I do have to add that weight.

I did not worry about the gen being dual fuel because I also have solar.

I upgraded the solar pkg to the solar+pkg.
I have 3 panels that are 12v 320w each.
A 65a solar controller, 3000 watt inverter and 3 100amp hour Li batteries that are in parallel.

I do want to improve my solar so that I can run everything on the camper for an extended period of time.

Also, failed to mention yesterday that in some areas there are fresh water trucks that will deliver fresh water to you.
did you do anything else to your Solar setup ? apart from the above. We are considering 2 wind generators - for roof mount at boondock locations - can daisy chain into the solar panel feed .. charge at night.. just not to run in high output during the day.. it not over feed the 65Amp solar controller
 

Shelly S

Well-known member
did you do anything else to your Solar setup ? apart from the above. We are considering 2 wind generators - for roof mount at boondock locations - can daisy chain into the solar panel feed .. charge at night.. just not to run in high output during the day.. it not over feed the 65Amp solar controller
At this point we have not done anything else. We do plan on increasing our solar panels and storage enough to run everything for 24hrs.
 
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