New RPod Owner |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587 |
Topic: New RPod Owner Posted: 03 May 2019 at 5:16pm |
We stayed for several days in Dolores along the river for almost a week with some friends from AZ and GA. It was very beautiful. We took US 491 to get eventually to US 5O to head through NV. The western part of CO is very beautiful, but I imagine it gets pretty hot in the middle of July.
We've never had an issue having adequate power to charge our cell phones. I got a combination usb and 12v plug to charge cell phones and such. It is also handy to monitor your battery voltage. We use a small inverter for charging the mac and plug the phones directly into the usb's via the charging cables. Here's what we got from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MTBXHEV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Hope you enjoy your Pod
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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Linda in Montrose
Newbie Joined: 02 May 2019 Location: CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 4 |
Posted: 03 May 2019 at 3:56pm |
Thank you! It sounds like we do live in similar environments and I so appreciate your thoughtful input. We, too, are minimalists--but do like to have our cell phones for photos. We will look into the solar specs you list. This week-end, we are headed to the Dolores River outside of Gateway, CO--Red Rock country before it gets too hot! Thanks again.
Dave and Linda Gann Our 2017 Pod 179 2017 Toyota Tacoma |
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Linda in Montrose
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587 |
Posted: 03 May 2019 at 9:33am |
Linda, we live in a similar climate and camp in higher mountains, the Sierra instead of the Rockies. We have a 3100/2900W Champion inverter generator that we use only when we go somewhere that's really hot [hardly ever].
We use a 100W solar panel for almost all of our energy needs when we camp in the mountains. The panel we have is a flexible one that we can move around to follow the sun and keep it out of the shade of the trees. So far, our experience with the solar system is that it effectively meets all our power needs. I should say that we are minimalists when it comes to using electricity. All our lights are led, we have no electronics in our Pod such as a tele and we rarely use the heater which doesn't use all that much power anyway. Our biggest power requirement is to charge cell phones and my Mac laptop and a small portable wifi speaker. The only thing I would do differently in regard to the solar system is that I should have gotten the suitcase style 100W panel with the built in controller. In the mountains where we both camp, there is plenty of unobstructed sunlight, save a little shade from trees, so the solar panel can work at pretty high efficiency. Overcast and rainy days are minimal and really don't impede the solar system from a practical point of view. It is likely that most of your camping will be above 5,000 ft elevation so the chances of having it so hot that you can't live w/o AC is minimal. You may find it a little on the warm side in the afternoon, but as soon as the sun drops behind a mountain, with the open windows and the exhaust fan in the head you'll find it very comfortable inside.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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Linda in Montrose
Newbie Joined: 02 May 2019 Location: CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 4 |
Posted: 03 May 2019 at 8:24am |
Thank you for the details on solar. We are looking forward to our next trip out.
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Linda in Montrose
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offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Posted: 03 May 2019 at 7:02am |
If you're primarily camping in the mountain West then I agree, you probably don't need a genny. If you do need it, its likely not needed at night when quiet hours are in effect. You're lucky. Here in the lowland Southeast air conditioning is required, and at least to me is most needed on our hot humid nights when you can't run the genny anyway.
I'd suggest trying the solar only to start with and see how that goes. Do also consider getting a dual battery system though. Best is 2 6V golf cart type batteries (GC2 case size). Those are the largest size that will fit in on the tongue rack. That will get you through a few cloudy days if you're careful, or a few days camping under trees.
As TT suggests, try a 100 watt solar kit to start with. You can always add more if needed. It is a personal choice whether you want a portable kit or want roof mount it. This has been thoroughly debated in this forum (more than once ). To summarize that debate: The main pros to a portable suitcase system are: no holes in the roof no installation required you can move it to a sunny spot if you're camped in the shade and you have a long enough cable Main pros to roof mount: one less thing to set up when you get to camp or to store somewhere low risk of it getting stolen less expensive Either way, you don't need to use the solar connector on the side of the trailer if you don't want to, you can connect right to the battery (use an inline fuse on the + terminal though). On needing 120 Vac power to your receptacles, what are you wanting to run? Some household 120Vac appliances are big power hogs so you should try to avoid them. Anything with a heating element in it like a coffee maker or a hair dryer is in that category and is best left at home when boondocking on solar. For charging electronic devices that don't come with a usb charger TT's suggested 300-400 watt portable inverter is the way to go. Put in a cigarette lighter socket and plug the inverter into that as needed. The usb based devices can be charged directly from 12V. You can buy and install a cig ligher socket that has a couple of usb power ports on it too. The rPod TV runs on 120V, don't ask me why. For around 120-150$ you can get a dual 12V/120V one that will mount to the existing swing arm so that you can run that on 12V as well. I installed one and use only usb based electronics so I've been able to avoid needing an inverter for anything in my trailer. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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crw8sr
Senior Member Joined: 12 Oct 2017 Location: Omaha Nebraska Online Status: Offline Posts: 328 |
Posted: 02 May 2019 at 10:20pm |
Welcome to the forum.
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Chuck & Lyn
Izzy, Morkie. RIP Zoe Joy & Gracie, Yorkie 2018 R Pod 190 2019 Traverse In moments of adversity;when life's a total wreck, I think of those worse off than me and really feel like heck. |
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Linda in Montrose
Newbie Joined: 02 May 2019 Location: CO Online Status: Offline Posts: 4 |
Posted: 02 May 2019 at 9:10pm |
Thanks for the info and generator protocol. I understand completely. Maybe we will check out solar units
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Linda in Montrose
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podwerkz
Senior Member Joined: 11 Mar 2019 Location: Texas Online Status: Offline Posts: 966 |
Posted: 02 May 2019 at 7:23pm |
If camping in higher elevations in Colorado you probably won't need the A/C even in the warmer months, especially at night, as much as someone camping in say, south Texas in the summer.
If you can get by without the A/C unit and the microwave, then a 100 watt solar panel, and compatible solar controller, hooked up to your battery, and maybe a small inverter for a few small 120v items should be good enough.
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r・pod 171 gone but not forgotten!
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Tars Tarkas
Senior Member Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1446 |
Posted: 02 May 2019 at 7:03pm |
What OffGrid said. You need at least a 2000w generator to run the air. 3000 is better. My Yamaha 2400isch has been great. Watts pretty much equals pounds, so more watts can get hard to deal with. Quiet hours are for real and some campgrounds don't allow generators at all, at least on some loops. Aside from that, a lot of other campers hate people with generators. Find one that is as quiet as possible. You'll appreciate it too. A generator is really only much good for the air and the microwave -- and keeping the battery charged. A 100 w Renogy Solar Suitcase will keep your battery charged as long as you camp in the sun. You can get a 400w inverter that plugs in to a 12v outlet to run a lot of AC things for a short time. Charging cell phones, etc., is best done with straight 12v. TT
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2010 176
FJ Cruiser |
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PilotPodder
Senior Member Joined: 04 May 2016 Location: Portage, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 305 |
Posted: 02 May 2019 at 5:29pm |
Congrats on the new R-Pod!
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Portage, MI — 2017 RPod 179 - sold / 2017 Toyota Tundra — My RPod YouTube Videos
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