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Old 10-07-2014, 08:26 PM   #41
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Does 2 gen sets beat a diesel P/u . I don't think so . why don't they put a freaking solar panel on that ..... I take my 2000 i where ever I go, and use it.
With no shame .
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Old 10-07-2014, 08:57 PM   #42
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I think we all need to be a little tolerant when camping in public campgrounds. Putting up with generators, kids on bikes, dogs visiting your campsite, smoke , music you don't particularly care for and a host of other things is not the end of the world. If you don't like where you camp, don't camp there.

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Old 10-07-2014, 09:34 PM   #43
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I think we all need to be a little tolerant when camping in public campgrounds. Putting up with generators, kids on bikes, dogs visiting your campsite, smoke , music you don't particularly care for and a host of other things is not the end of the world. If you don't like where you camp, don't camp there.

Doug
True, but some of the things you mentioned don't belong with the others imho. Smoke from campfires, kids playing, dogs, etc. -- those I consider to be part of the fun of camping. Someone blaring their rap music laced with F-bombs? Nobody should have to tolerate that.

Maybe it's generational, but I'm constantly amazed at what passes for acceptable public behavior nowadays. I'd have had a switch applied to my backside if I'd pulled that.
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Old 10-07-2014, 09:42 PM   #44
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Campfires are why you need sheets that are easily removed and washed.
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Old 10-07-2014, 10:37 PM   #45
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I think we all need to be a little tolerant when camping in public campgrounds. Putting up with generators, kids on bikes, dogs visiting your campsite, smoke , music you don't particularly care for and a host of other things is not the end of the world. If you don't like where you camp, don't camp there.

Doug
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True, but some of the things you mentioned don't belong with the others imho. Smoke from campfires, kids playing, dogs, etc. -- those I consider to be part of the fun of camping. Someone blaring their rap music laced with F-bombs? Nobody should have to tolerate that.

Maybe it's generational, but I'm constantly amazed at what passes for acceptable public behavior nowadays. I'd have had a switch applied to my backside if I'd pulled that.
The problem of course is that we don't know what our neighbours will be like until we've moved in. I agree with tolerance - too a degree - but for example not everyone loves dogs wondering into their campground - think dogs (pit bulls) + young children. We don't automatically love your pooch or know how wonderful it is.

Living in community, which is what staying in a public campground actually is, works when we all consider how our actions impact those with whom we live.
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Old 10-07-2014, 11:18 PM   #46
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Living in community, which is what staying in a public campground actually is, works when we all consider how our actions impact those with whom we live.
Well said.
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Old 10-07-2014, 11:23 PM   #47
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I think all these what if's are taken to extremes.

If you go to a campground that says no music after 10:00 and your neighbour plays it until midnight you have a right to complain. If someone uses their generator during the hours their allowed to you can't complain. If it says no campfires, that means no campfires.

I have listened to country, opera, rock and other music in campgrounds, not loud but I can still hear it, does this mean I like it, no, does it mean people playing it should have to shut it down, not at all.

All I was saying if you don't like whats allowed in a certain campground don't go there.

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Old 10-07-2014, 11:32 PM   #48
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You want to be tolerant? Try a SoCal beach campground on Independence Day (sorry, Canadians) weekend! Definitely not for the faint of heart! Find somebody to complain to? Fugetaboutit, they're hiding in an undisclosed location!
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Old 10-07-2014, 11:41 PM   #49
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I think all these what if's are taken to extremes.

If you go to a campground that says no music after 10:00 and your neighbour plays it until midnight you have a right to complain. If someone uses their generator during the hours their allowed to you can't complain. If it says no campfires, that means no campfires.

I have listened to country, opera, rock and other music in campgrounds, not loud but I can still hear it, does this mean I like it, no, does it mean people playing it should have to shut it down, not at all.

All I was saying if you don't like whats allowed in a certain campground don't go there.

Doug
I don't think we disagree. Most people in public campgrounds are conscientious and courteous, and there are no issues. My point was only that some things should be tolerated and some should not.
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Old 10-07-2014, 11:59 PM   #50
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I recall some good ol' boys arriving at 2AM and setting up camp next to us ( wife and I and two 8-year-old girls ). There was f'n this and f'n that until about 3AM.
At 5AM we awoke to "ARE WE ALL HAPPY CAMPERS"? as they packed a boat to go fishing.
All I could do was marvel at their stamina.
Didn't confront them, didn't complain, but were sure glad when they pulled out around 11AM.
To this day, "Are we all happy campers"? echoes through our camp as the rain pounds down and the wind threatens to launch us toward Kansas.
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Old 10-08-2014, 12:16 AM   #51
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Thanks for the clarification Doug.

Glen, Confronting or politely speaking to our fellow campers about their behaviour can truly suck and, in the case you've described cold have just escalated things.
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Old 10-08-2014, 12:39 AM   #52
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Don't want to digress too far from generators, BUT, you reminded me of the greatest payback I ever saw at a campground. A couple was up LATE talking outside their tent. Everyone (myself included) were PO'd but held our mud. At 730 or so, a friend got his bugle and stood 5 feet from their tent and blew the most beautiful reveille you ever heard!
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Old 10-08-2014, 01:53 AM   #53
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Last spring in we camped outside Boulder City, NV. Nice campground and found a nice site. About 11:00 a very obnoxious group pulled in next door. Loud, vulgar, drunk, obnoxious sugared up kids, and way too many for the campsite. Asked them to quiet down, campground quiet time, but were only cursed at. Park host was no help at all. We got up and left early. When hooking up, another camper pulled his truck up to their site and continually pressed the "panic" button. No response from the obnoxious ones but made us feel better.

We have 6 or 8 stories of "interesting" camping experiences from over the years, both tent and trailer. Dredging up a remembered phrase will now set both of us to laughing.

In our Shasta we have two 12V batteries for a total of 160 Ahr, so some 80 Ahr usable. We don't have solar or a generator so depend of full hookups for charging. Without hookups we can last about 3 days with heavy furnace use, in the teens (degF) at night (on maybe 1/3 of the time). We use the ceiling fan sparingly when hot so can go for quite a while. I think with heavy fan use we could go 3-5 days. If we don't use furnace or fan we can go a very long time, the only loads are LEDs, water pump & minimal electronics changing.

In our 19' with solar I'm thinking we can go indefinitely with fan use, or even with using the furnace (i.e. not winter). With a 160 w panel I'd expect to get up to 60 Ahr a day. That should keep up with our 25 Ahr use if it's sunny. If not, well we don't know yet. We'll check this over the next few years.

A Trimetric battery monitor goes a long ways in helping us effectively use our batteries in both trailers.

Thanks.

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Don't want to digress too far from generators, BUT, you reminded me of the greatest payback I ever saw at a campground. A couple was up LATE talking outside their tent. Everyone (myself included) were PO'd but held our mud. At 730 or so, a friend got his bugle and stood 5 feet from their tent and blew the most beautiful reveille you ever heard!
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Old 10-08-2014, 10:15 AM   #54
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Living in SoCal, we're always having one calamity or another. Either its an earthquake, fire, locust plaque, or whatever and keep the trailer semi-ready just in case.

I've wondered how much solar power and battery storage I might need to run our 4.7 refrig 24/7 assuming plentiful sun.
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Old 10-08-2014, 10:58 AM   #55
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If you know the model Greg, you can figure out (roughly) how many amp hours it would use per day. But, that will vary based of course on the duty cycle. From that you could get a good estimate of how much power you'd need.
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Old 10-13-2014, 02:56 PM   #56
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Great, good responses, both sides of the issue. Thanks - I'm sold....and going Solar. Best fits my needs. Have begun surfing the net for wisest components, shall cob together my own personal kit.

I'm liking the Morningstar SSD-25RM Sunsaver controller. Remote monitor? Hoping to find two 80 watt panels I can book and make a traveling case for, -may settle for two 60's.
60 feet total of -um-10 or 12 gauge wire, in two sections? I notice the kits use 14 gauge. Anderson connectors?
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Old 10-13-2014, 03:39 PM   #57
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Great, good responses, both sides of the issue. Thanks - I'm sold....and going Solar. Best fits my needs. Have begun surfing the net for wisest components, shall cob together my own personal kit.

I'm liking the Morningstar SSD-25RM Sunsaver controller. Remote monitor? Hoping to find two 80 watt panels I can book and make a traveling case for, -may settle for two 60's.
60 feet total of -um-10 or 12 gauge wire, in two sections? I notice the kits use 14 gauge. Anderson connectors?
You're right Myron, most of the kits use 14 gauge wiring. They also use small alligator clips and you have to connect to battery terminals directly. You could always wire your own connectors though.

If you wanted to go all out, this one is the highest wattage I've seen in the folding suitcase type - 200 watts. Can be had for under $900 and includes the controller:

NEW - Zamp Solar 200 Watt Portable Solar Kit.
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Old 10-13-2014, 03:43 PM   #58
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Take a look at the Blue Sky 30 solar controller. It was one of the few controllers I found that could charge dual 6 volt Interstate batteries at the proper level. Interstate recommends a charge rate of 15.3 volts.
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Old 10-13-2014, 04:10 PM   #59
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Take a look at the Blue Sky 30 solar controller. It was one of the few controllers I found that could charge dual 6 volt Interstate batteries at the proper level. Interstate recommends a charge rate of 15.3 volts.
Not even the Blue Sky 30 will give you the Interstate "recommended" absorption or equalization voltages. But their MPPT technology in some of their other chargers will provide a boost to that level.

A couple of things to be aware of though when charging at higher volts ( and this is from my Dad who has a background in electrical engineering and is far more knowledgeable on this than I am):

1- charging at higher levels will increase heat. The batteries should be ventilated, and if they're in your storage box they won't be.
2- charging at higher levels means the batteries will consume more water, so more maintenance. My Dad says charging at 15.4 instead of 14.4 can increase the water consumption rate by as much as 50%.
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Old 10-13-2014, 05:05 PM   #60
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Those are good points about charging at high rates. I believe that all flooded batteries that Escape installs are ventilated. That would be a requirement of RVIA and/or its Canadian counterpart and the other compliance standards that they use. Water loss is going to occur at a more rapid rate with high charge rates, which is something that needs to be monitored on any flooded battery system.

The Blue Sky Sun Charger 30 does indeed charge at the Interstate recommended rates, it is adjustable up to 15.5 volts. Likewise it is also adjustable as to the equalization rates recommended by Interstate. The two most important benefits of charging at the recommended rate are: improving the "run" time of your battery by having it completely charged and longer battery life.

The built in WFCO charger will only fill your batteries to 76% of their useful capacity. This thread discusses this further. If you are boon docking for an extended period this is significant. Studies have shown that batteries should not be allowed to drop below 50% charge at the risk of shortening battery life. These same studies have found that keeping your batteries above the 75% charge level will double their life expectancy over using the 50% charge level.
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