Free camping

[MeganJ]

Hi all. We're eagerly awaiting the arrival of our Expanda and hoping someone can help with advise on free camping. How long can we free camp with just a 100amp battery if we run the fridge and stove on gas and use just the LED lights? Free camping is not something we've done much of and only back in our camper trailer days when we had just basic camping gear and a Urban battery for our Engel fridge.. Tia

 

[MDS69]

You will run out of water before you run out of power. Is your van the outback model with solar panel. Have a look at the solar panel thread as @Dobbie has recently completed a fairly comprehensive test being off the grid.
http://www.expandasdownunder.com/threads/the-solar-panel-thread.1729/page-13

 

[Dobbie]

Free camping! Good on you.

With one battery and solar panel.....if careful, and the weather is ok....then safely up to 14 days.

Water will be the limiting factor.....

We've just done about 18 days and all was fine....even watched lots of tv each night but that's not our usual consumption.

 

[BigSkiddy]

I did a 10 day trip without a solar panel and about an 1 hr driving every two or so days. Didn't come close to running it down.

 

[Dobbie]

Forgot to say that we're no experts but have been free camping for many many years.

We tend to pare things down a bit when off grid but still use all our lights when we wish, including reading in bed at night, and all other things like the pump, the tv, charging multiple phones etc but we do monitor the battery charge very carefully and, if we think we're using too much, we don't watch tv.

Or use the 12v more during the day when battery is charged...for recharging iPads etc rather than at night.

I love watching it come back to 14.4 by 9 am on a good clear day.

(We did a similar experiment in the middle of winter last year and went 15 days easily)

 

[Dobbie]

I did a 10 day trip without a solar panel and about an 1 hr driving every two or so days. Didn't come close to running it down.

Our 18 days was without driving at all....if that helps.

That's why the van and the car are absolutely filthy...we stayed put and the birds crapped all over both of them then the sand stuck.....yuk.

 

[MeganJ]

Thanks all. It's not an outback model and we didn't add a solar panel so I guess a couple of days is all we could do. That's OK for us though, we do enjoy the comforts of a caravan park, but there are a lot of great places that don't have power that we'd like to stay at

 

[Crusty181]

Just using your LEDs, youll comfortably get 4 or 5 days at least.

 

[Jaybird]

Our Discovery has a 100amp battery and a 120w solar panel. We traveled Victoria to Cooktown return, used LED lights , TV, Waterpump and ran fridge, Hot Water and stove on gas. We didnt skimp on any of this and didnt look like running out of power. The weather was mixed and we were away for almost 3 months.

 

[Dobbie]

You could always keep an extra battery in the vehicle. Something in one of those packs with 12v outlets built in. Ours is a Projecta but there are many others.

We don't use ours now as the on board battery is sufficient, but the Projecta was charged up as we trundled along in the car and then for lights, charging etc when needed. We just left it in the car and connected stuff there.

I think, from memory it was under $400 and is still going fine after about 6 years but we keep it fully charged all the time as we use it at home.

That would save weight in the van and keep things simpler.

 

[peterg]

Our record on 120Ah battery is 7 days, probably could have gone a lot longer as battery was only 1/2 drained. Water is the real problem.

 

[Vere]

Thanks all. It's not an outback model and we didn't add a solar panel so I guess a couple of days is all we could do. That's OK for us though, we do enjoy the comforts of a caravan park, but there are a lot of great places that don't have power that we'd like to stay at

Hi from another Adelaide person. If your just running lights then it should last for many days. If your unsure I have battery pack you could borrow for a trial trip.