Eurocamper

Salt Lake City, Utah

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Dry camping at City of Rocks National Reserve in southern Idaho.
![[image]](http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb205/eurocamper/City%20of%20Rocks/100_4277.jpg)
![[image]](http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb205/eurocamper/City%20of%20Rocks/100_4271.jpg)
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2008 Fleetwood Evolution E1
2011 Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab 4x4 Hemi
2007 Nissan Xterra 4x4
Ex 1997 Volkswagen Eurovan Camper
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c.traveler2

Moreno Valley,Ca.

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Joined: 09/04/2004

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Tuweep/Toroweap,North Rim/Grand Canyon
![[image]](http://travelingman2.smugmug.com/Travel/Last-Chance-Get-Away-Of-2009/Tuweep-706/677946626_unfWS-L-2.jpg)
![[image]](http://travelingman2.smugmug.com/Travel/Last-Chance-Get-Away-Of-2009/Tuweep1-108/682732548_xMrZz-L.jpg)
North Kaibab Forest,North Rim
2007 F-250 4x4 /6.0 PSD/ext cab/ 2020 Bunduvry
Lance 815/ 85 watts solar panel (sold)
2020 Bunduvry by BundutecUSA
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Eurocamper

Salt Lake City, Utah

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c.traveler2 wrote: Tuweep/Toroweap,North Rim/Grand Canyon
![[image]](http://travelingman2.smugmug.com/Travel/Last-Chance-Get-Away-Of-2009/Tuweep-706/677946626_unfWS-L-2.jpg)
Wonderful pictures Travelingman.
Last time I was out at Toroweap you could camp right out at the point. I understand that's not the case anymore. How far away is the campground now?
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c.traveler2

Moreno Valley,Ca.

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Eurocamper wrote: c.traveler2 wrote: Tuweep/Toroweap,North Rim/Grand Canyon
![[image]](http://travelingman2.smugmug.com/Travel/Last-Chance-Get-Away-Of-2009/Tuweep-706/677946626_unfWS-L-2.jpg)
Wonderful pictures Travelingman.
Last time I was out at Toroweap you could camp right out at the point. I understand that's not the case anymore. How far away is the campground now?
The campground out by the rim that you are referring to is a day use area and where we were is only a few hundred yards from the rim. In the photo below, those mountains seen are on the south rim, this is seen from our site.
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Simplygib

Grants Pass, OR USA

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Boondocking at Anza Borrego State Park, San Diego County, California
Gary and Zahra
RV Solar 101
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monakayk

CO

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Simplygib wrote: Boondocking at Anza Borrego State Park, San Diego County, California
![[image]](http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z310/simplygib/Anza-Borrego2a.jpg)
WOW!!! You've got a heck of a solar panel on there. So how long will it make your batteries last? Thanks for sharing the photo.
HAPPY CAMPING!!
Mona K
Our Ford Explorer & Jayco Jay-Feather Hybrid Travel Trailer and Camping Photos--CLICK HERE!
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Simplygib

Grants Pass, OR USA

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Hi MonaK,
That's actually just 200 watts worth of panels, 4x50.
I am able to do everything I need or want to do with electricity, and the batteries are back to where they were the day before by 10am the following morning. One day it took until noon, but it was very hazy and overcast that day, and the night before I used my laptop for about 5 hours, surfing online and watching a movie. The laptop with inverter uses roughly 5 amps.
It's somewhat overkill for my needs - which is the way I wanted it, in case of long stretches of cloudy days. I have 2-220ah 6v golf cart batteries, but typically use less than 30ah from the batteries daily. Sometimes I spend a couple of hours online mid-day, but on sunny days that power comes from the excess electricity the panels are producing.
I supplement the solar system with conservation. I have LED and Cold Cathode lights, and only need electricity for the lights, water pump, a small inverter for powering the laptop, and charging cell phone and remote control airplane batteries. Cooking is propane and heat with a portable Mr. Heater that needs no electricity. Also my fridge is one of those old ones that doesn't need any 12v power - strictly propane (or 110v when plugged in, which is almost never).
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monakayk

CO

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Simplygib wrote: Hi MonaK,
That's actually just 200 watts worth of panels, 4x50.
I am able to do everything I need or want to do with electricity, and the batteries are back to where they were the day before by 10am the following morning. One day it took until noon, but it was very hazy and overcast that day, and the night before I used my laptop for about 5 hours, surfing online and watching a movie. The laptop with inverter uses roughly 5 amps.
It's somewhat overkill for my needs - which is the way I wanted it, in case of long stretches of cloudy days. I have 2-220ah 6v golf cart batteries, but typically use less than 30ah from the batteries daily. Sometimes I spend a couple of hours online mid-day, but on sunny days that power comes from the excess electricity the panels are producing.
I supplement the solar system with conservation. I have LED and Cold Cathode lights, and only need electricity for the lights, water pump, a small inverter for powering the laptop, and charging cell phone and remote control airplane batteries. Cooking is propane and heat with a portable Mr. Heater that needs no electricity. Also my fridge is one of those old ones that doesn't need any 12v power - strictly propane (or 110v when plugged in, which is almost never).
Sounds like you have a great set up there.
The DH & I purchased last summer a very small solar panel to help make our battery last longer last summer. We boon-dock mostly on weekenders.....so we only want to make sure that we have batteries to run the fan on our PUP's heater. Refrig/hotwater heater can both be runned with the propane. It still gets pretty cold up in the mountains where we live during the summer nights.
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camperfool

Michigan

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Simplygib - Do you have solar panels on your 5th wheel? If so how many and what is yout battery supply. I have a 50w panel with (3) 12 volt deep cycle batteries.
2006 Keystone Laredo 32RS 5th wheel
Front bunks/rear bedroom
2002 Chevy Silverado 2500HD 8.1 gas guzzler
300 watt solar panels/ solar water heater
dispersed camper enjoying Gods creation
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Simplygib

Grants Pass, OR USA

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No solar on the 5th wheel. Reason is, it stays at home and is always plugged in (I live in it about 9 months out of the year there). I would love to set it up for off-grid solar but due to its location (in the forest) I doubt it would be worth the investment. Too many trees and mountains, too much shade. If I ever took it anywhere I would rig something up, but it never moves. I have the truck camper for that.
Is your 50-watt panel helping? I used to have one 50-watt panel on the Truck Camper, and two batteries. That wasn't a problem when I first installed it because, like MonaK, my boondocking trips were weekenders, and the batteries always would last at least that long. But after I retired and started boondocking for 5 and 6 weeks at a time, it became a big issue. I'd be good for the first 5 days but thereafter was constantly fighting with low batteries (no generator either, for a variety of reasons). This year I finally got serious and bought the three new panels and a good charge controller, plus upgraded the solar system wiring. It's working great now.
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