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"Boondocking" - Our First Experience Documented
A few months ago, our cousins said “Why don't you come down to NC this autumn & we’ll go camping for 4 or 5 days in the mountains at Julian Price on the Blue Ridge where we camped as kids.” “Sounds great!” we replied, that is, until we found out there were no hookups and realized we would never make it beyond a day or two with the standard group 24 marine battery as our only power source. In our entire first year of T@B ownership we had enjoyed staying in 9 different campgrounds, mostly state parks but all with hookups, and we never even made it out of Virginia. That's when I began thinking & reading more seriously about a new battery & a solar panel.
After lots of forum study, searching & reading what experienced boondockers had to say, and thinking about our own needs, we decided to get a single 150AH 12V golf cart battery, a 100W solar panel, smart solar charge controller and a smart battery monitor. I spent the next couple of months getting these modifications installed, as I have previously documented (see links at bottom).
I am happy to now report that our first boondocking* trip was a complete success, and thanks to our cousins, we had this beautiful site with good sun to try out our solar panel for the first time. My careful preparations paid off nicely, and if anything, we may have been a bit overly prepared with some things, but I'm totally okay with that!
* (I use the term "boondocking" loosely, or "dry camping" if you prefer, but we were in a national park campground with limited facilities & not in the wilderness, just without any hookups at the campsite.) We made use of a bathhouse for showers & solid waste, which effected the stats listed below, especially the gray tank. We brought a 6-gal portable waste tank if needed to avoid an extra trip to the dump station, but never used it.
Site photos from the trip have been posted (link at bottom), but before I forget, here are some notes & stats I gathered for future reference that I found interesting – some from the Victron monitoring devices & apps, and others from my own observations..
* (I use the term "boondocking" loosely, or "dry camping" if you prefer, but we were in a national park campground with limited facilities & not in the wilderness, just without any hookups at the campsite.) We made use of a bathhouse for showers & solid waste, which effected the stats listed below, especially the gray tank. We brought a 6-gal portable waste tank if needed to avoid an extra trip to the dump station, but never used it.
Site photos from the trip have been posted (link at bottom), but before I forget, here are some notes & stats I gathered for future reference that I found interesting – some from the Victron monitoring devices & apps, and others from my own observations..
The solar panel can actually exceed the rated wattage!
Nice to be able to see a daily solar & battery history of how we were doing with power generation.
When I first saw this on the Battery Monitor app, I wondered how I could be generating 152W from a 100W panel, but then realized I snapped this screenshot just before heading home when it was mounted on the car, which was contributing amps too. The 18AH consumed was probably a typical day’s usage.
I like how the battery history page shows at upper right the Amp-Hours used since the last charge cycle, and below that the total used for the trip.
We were fortunate to have mostly sunny days with temps mostly in the 40’s and 50’s, but ranging from upper 20’s to lower 60’s, with only about 4-5 hours at or below freezing during the last night. One afternoon was totally overcast, and another day was sun & clouds mixed, but good sun otherwise, and we managed to recharge every day within a few hours or less.
This screenshot is from the day before we left, which was not the coldest, but you can see the battery monitor was reporting 37° from the sensor on the battery at 8:37am. That info, along with voltage is shared with the Solar Charge Controller via bluetooth network, so the two devices share information such that charging parameters can be adjusted & compensated for temperature changes.
A cold front blew through one night, with 40+mph wind gusts, but the solar panel with tie-downs remained solidly in place on the ground for the duration of our stay. We kept it facing south at 36° angle (our latitude at the park) The solar panel also survived travel on the roof of our Sienna van & remained solidly in place, as did the cables connected to the rear and to the trailer at its connection on the tongue & to the charge controller in the battery tub.
The only issue we had with high winds was not having our Pahaque visor tied down to the ground, resulting in it flipping up above the roof and banging into the antenna pole, but nothing was broken or disturbed other than our sleep, because it was a bit noisy. We thought having the tie downs wrapped around the stabilizers would prevent this, but it did not.
We used less than half a tank of propane, which was what we started with, to run the Alde, frig, and stove. I almost changed the tank before the last night when freezing temps were expected & the pressure gauge showed in the low zone, but knowing I had an adapter to easily connect a 1-lb canister if needed during the night, I left it on. Conveniently, it ran out during the drive home the next day with just the frig running. I had a spare 20-lb tank, but we didn't need it.
I also brought an extra 6-gal tank for dumping excess gray water, but we didn't even fill the gray tank half way. We also didn't need the 5-gal fresh water tank & water pump to add water, as we never ran out, but the SeeLevel showed we had zero remaining. Beginners luck!
All things considered, we were very happy with the performance of our battery and solar panel, as well as our good fortune with propane, holding tanks, and surviving both freezing temperatures & high winds (which both happened at night while our Alde kept us nice & warm). The daytime temps & abundant sunshine made for a pleasant trip.
Special thanks to @JKJenn Grover for “jump-starting” my battery education (her pun, not mine), and the many others here whose ideas & contributions on this forum made it possible for us to expand our adventures. It's a real testament to the collective knowledge power of this forum (or is that “power knowledge”?). In any case, if you've made it this far, thanks for listening, and I hope some of this will help someone at some point.
Reference Links:
Our First Boondocking Campsite Photos:
My Solar Car Roof & Ground Mount Mods: (posted in @elbereth's topic)
My Battery Monitor Installation Mod:
https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/106983
Cell Phone Signal Booster & Antenna Added:
https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/104267#Comment_104267
Re: My experience trying to buy a nüCamp aluminum platform
One thing that I would point out is metals prices have risen significantly due to tariffs so this is probably one reason that the prices people are being quoted today are much higher than what they heard a year ago.
Also from the Dealer standpoint they are going to want to be compensated for the time and effort of handling parts orders. It’s not really reasonable to expect them to do this for free.
I’m not saying that the prices people are getting today are reasonable or that I agree with the NuCamp decision about how parts are sold, but these are two factors that people ought to keep in mind.
Also from the Dealer standpoint they are going to want to be compensated for the time and effort of handling parts orders. It’s not really reasonable to expect them to do this for free.
I’m not saying that the prices people are getting today are reasonable or that I agree with the NuCamp decision about how parts are sold, but these are two factors that people ought to keep in mind.
T@b 400 Bin Mod
Bought a piece of wire shelving to make a back for the bin. Now I can toss loose things like chocks, sewer elbows etc. In there without losing them.
Re: Leveling
I use two Anderson levelers for winter (long term storage) as a means to possibly reduce flat spot by cradling the tires similar to how some collector cars are stored long term.
Re: sewer hose storage
I would prefer not to spend $40 on a 64" sewer hose storage tube. I keep hoping to find a pvc drain pipe to strap to my tongue but my hoses don't fit inside a 4" tube. A 6" tube is humongous! I see that some of you have pvc pipe tubes mounted to the tongue. Your sewer hoses must be much smaller than mine, which have 5+ inch diameter end fittings. Looks like I'll either have to spend money on the $40 tube or buy smaller diameter hoses. ideas?
Re: Questions about towing TAB 320cs-s and two Kayaks with 2017 Honda Ridgeline,
I don't think you need a new tow vehicle just for the kayaks. The T@b sticks up so high, there won't be much extra drag, especially with a lower roofed vehicle. We carried 2 fiberglass sea kayaks to Jasper and back and actually got a little better mileage than usual (might have been the higher altitude?). Getting the kayaks up there with an under 5ft. spouse is a challenge, so a lower car would be better in that regard.
If you're dead set on getting a new TV, pay attention to the torque ratings more than the horsepower. We've towed with both the 6 cyl Subaru Outback and the Xterra, and the extra torque of the Xterra is noticeable, even though horsepower ratings are similar. If the Ridgeline torque is not much more than the Lexus, you won't notice much improvement on hills. Of course the Sequoia will have torque and HP to spare pulling the T@b.
Re: sewer hose storage
@Nan I used metal straps with nut and bolt. The last thing I want to worry about is zip tie failure on the road. I picked it all up at the local hardware store. I also drilled small drainage holes about every three inches along the bottom, which also helps with ventilation. Do this when the tube is empty. Someone back a ways had to replace his sewer hose when he left it in the tube while drilling holes. Good luck!
Re: Rooftop vent screen
Here is the thread by DurangoTab.
Re: Western Canada T@B Group?
@SueBC there is a couple with a Tada in Vancouver, I believe, and he is active on the FB T@da, T@b, T@g Camper Trailer Owners closed group. I think there are others, too, but I can’t remember who right now. Yannis would know though!
Re: nüCamp revised — Purchasing from the Parts Department effective 1/1/2019
I told them I would not sign any papers unless it was noted about the screen and they ordered one right away. After pushing back a few times, and me threatening to walk out minus the Tab, they changed their tune. Part was ordered, but they weren't happy they had to order it. I was able to confirm with NuCamp that a screen door was in the unit when it left the factory.
The dealer I have to work with is General RV and they are the only dealer in Michigan that sells Tabs. I really dislike them and do not look forward having to deal with them more.