320 '22 ('21 or '20) 2nd battery or 2nd propane tank? Both?

renesadae

Just purchased a propane grill for camping only. Since we're missing main ingredient to camp grilling (aka our new T@B) we need a test run to see if we have to return before the cutoff date. Wondering if we should buy another 20#, or smaller one, or if we probably don't need another tank, just borrow a friend's tank to test run the grill for now.

Newbie Assumptions:
Our new 320CSS will come w/one 20# LP tanks and one 12V battery?
Our '22 Tongue Box size is the same as '21 and probably '20?
Our towing capacity w/Subie Ascent is not a deal breaker for carrying extras
We'll likely be 40/60 on/OFF grid
With some earlier-read postings my gray hair remembers there were mix-n-match options T@bbers have jerry-rigged? But my recent super-sprouting gray hairs can't remember if I have to consider my year/model and if T@bbing style makes a big difference?

Q1: Any corrections to the first two assumptions?
Q2: Is the Tongue Box now newly made for two 20# tanks?
Q3: Did the battery get moved inside (or was that someone's jerry-rig)? 
Q4: Any Suggestions, Tips, Tricks, How-To's based on your own experiences?

pthomas745

You don't know what you need....until you work out what you intend to use.  What fridge will you have?  3 way (with a propane option) or just a 2 way (which might mean a need to increase in battery capacity). How do you intend to recharge the battery(s)?  Installed solar? Portable panels?  Have any special needs? CPAP? Laptop use?  etc, etc etc.. 

Yes, one of the propane and 12v battery, as stated. The 320 would have to be jerry rigged for the battery inside the trailer.

Not sure about the tub.

So: get a handle on your fridge option, and exactly what battery will be installed.  And what solar option, if any. 

Jenn Grover is a long time Tab owner who has done great work educating thousands of owners:

https://jenngrover.com/category/tb/power-management/

renesadae

pthomas745 said:

What fridge will you have?  3 way (with a propane option) or just a 2 way…

[GULP]!!! …um, the more I learn about what I don’t know, the more I learn I don’t know! Thanks for the promops @pthomas745.

I thought nuCamp makes a 320CSS and we get what they send us. Don’t the fridges come 3way? And we have solar which I thought was standard for 2022 but we did specify we wanted the built in for sure. No special needs other than 1-2 hrs/d laptop and 2-3 hrs/streaming movie and/or music. A fair amount of cooking on the stove.

I didn’t know we had a choice for how to charge battery on the road. Thought it would be the solar and/or driving time? I know, I have a lot to learn. Jenn Grover homework tonight!

 

Sharon_is_SAM

@renesadae

The CSS comes with a 2 way frig.  The battery on the 320s is installed by the dealer and is typically a non-AGM 75 Ahr or less.  The 320 installed solar is 105 watts with a Victron controller.  I don’t know what a laptop draws, but, if you are boondocking 60% of the time, you will need more battery capacity and likely more solar for the frig and laptop.  Many owners use portable panels to give them flexibility to park in the shade and extend their panels into the sun.  Yes, your solar will charge the TaB battery on the road - if there is sun and, charging while towing is dependent on wiring, distance traveled, etc.  If you haven’t had your harness wired for the Subaru, make sure they use a minimum of 10 gauge wire for the charge wire and the ground.  This will help deliver the power needed to recharge the TaB battery.  The bigger the wire, the better.

The 400 box will accommodate 2 LPGs as the battery is inside the 400.  

ScottG

As noted previously, much depends on how you camp. That said, I've yet to find propane to be a limiting factor. Our habits are pretty consistent--we run the 3-way fridge full time, make coffee on the stove every morning, run the Alde for HW once a day, and heat up the Weber Q grill once or twice a day. All of this costs about a pound of propane per day (most of which is probably consumed by the Q).

A two-way fridge will further reduce the need for propane, but increase the need for power. Again, it all depends on your specifics, but I'd predict in most cases you would be better served with more battery than more propane. 

On a related note, weren't 3-way (propane option) fridges discontinued in all 320 models as of 2021?

MarkAl

As mentioned, wait until you get yours to decide how to modify. I would recommend a 2nd 20# tank (cheaper than smaller) and it is available to switch back and forth if needed if nothing else. I would maximize battery over tank capacity but much depends on your location and off grid style. Don't rush in to it, the journey is part of the adventure. I did have our dealer put in 2 batteries as I knew we would need them for our planned adventures and didn't want to replace 1 small new one with 2 6V big ones - they easily fit in the front box much easier than the pre-2021 models.

Sharon_is_SAM

Regarding the propane use, in an effort to minimize, we are leaving our second 20# tank at home and we are instead taking a 5# LPG tank for the grill.  We figure we will simply have the tanks filled more often or exchange the large tank.  This is for our upcoming 2 months on the road.  

AnOldUR

My original plan was to add a gas port for our grill, but haven't gotten around to it. For now, I top off and carry four refillable 1lb bottles. Also bought an adapter so that in an emergency I could use a 1lb as short term backup if the 20 runs dry.

renesadae

MarkAl said:

I did have our dealer put in 2 batteries 

@MarkAl So your dealer swapped out your one 12V for 2 6V's? And this gives you longer boondocking use of lights, TV/radio, outlets, etc (other than A/C and M/W? What 6V's did you get - AGM? Deep Cycle? How many Ahrs? 

So I'm thinking (maybe?) like you? We already know we are going to be boondocking more than not, especially this first year. Especially since we don't have any reservations, and will pretty much be winging it for a week or two stretches of explorations, after a couple of driveway weekend dry runs of course. So again, like you, maybe we want to just start off with a bit of a bump in unplugged camping hours?

renesadae

Sharon_is_SAM said:

Regarding the propane use, in an effort to minimize, we are leaving our second 20# tank at home and we are instead taking a 5# LPG tank for the grill.  

@Sharon_is_SAM Yes! I think that's what we'll do. A 5# will be something we can keep at home for grilling, or take with us for the grill use on long trips or days off the grid. I'll feel better having a bit of a backup until we have enough months/miles in that we know how much of the 20# we typically use.

ChanW

Ditto the consensus on electric over propane.

We changed out our 20# tank for two ten pound tanks - one is in the battery box and the other (if we're going to need it - ie: only for longer trips) strapped down in the bed of the truck.

Nearly always camp without hookups, never have run out of propane unexpectedly. We have the propane fridge (which only sips fuel). Winter camping you'll need much more propane, of course.

Battery is probably what you'll want more of. Especially using electronics the way you've indicated.

We have @ 220aH in two 6v deep cycle traditional wet-cell golf cart batteries, plus 200A of solar. For us this has been plenty, but we spend very little time in the camper, and never use more than lights and fan, and a little bit of pump and heat.

But as has been said, work your way into it slowly -- It's more fun that way!

mntrails

We took delivery of our 2021 T@b 320S in May 2020.  After a few short outings it was obvious we needed more battery for just the basics of 2 way refrigerator, pump, lights, etc. Getting beyond 24 hours with clouds or heavy leaf cover seemed to be a constant challenge. I upgraded the batteries this spring to 2 6V Lead/Acid wet cells (nothing exotic) @ 215 Ah.  A trip to the east coast and back primarily boondocking worked well.  Even with 2-3 cloudy days, the batteries maintained a reserve with the factory solar until we either had full sun or traveled.  After getting back, I refilled the propane and found I'd only used 6 lbs of the 20.  That was used for quick cooking morning and evening and heating water for dishes and an occasional shower - I'd also run the heat for a couple nights prior to leaving while driveway camping.  

Have fun trying things.  I know I asked about upgrading the battery upon delivery and found the price to be as much or a bit more than if I did it myself later and took the stock battery - but I'm sure every dealer can be different.  Good luck!