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We plan on buying some wooded acreage to set up an outdoor base camp using a wall tent for now, maybe an RV at some point. We'll probably run grid power to the site eventually, but in the meantime we're looking for a power source to run stuff like a Dometic fridge, basic lighting, a CPAP machine, maybe a TV, and maybe a coffee maker which would of course would have a higher wattage requirement than your average carry-around Jackery.
I'm a complete novice when it comes to off-grid power so I'm not sure what our best options would be. I know there are pretty substantial battery banks that can get a reasonably frugal family of four through an entire weekend without needing to be recharged (unless maybe they all really like coffee). And I've given some thought to a generator so running out of power won't be an issue as long as we keep an adequate fuel supply on hand.
A third option I've considered is a combination of both -- use the generator to charge up the battery pack if/when needed. It seems a bit Rube Goldberg-ish and unnecessarily redundant and probably some efficiency loss from transferring power to an intermediary storage device instead of powering the stuff straight from theg generator. But it combines the assurance of adequate power reserves but without having a generator making noise all weekend, and it will only be running when absolutely needed and won't be wasting gas during low-load operation.
As dense as the canopy cover is on the property we're looking at, I don't know that solar is a practical option.
Wouldn't the first thing being done be clearing an area for your base camp.
You need to figure out how much power you are going to use and how often you are going to use it/be there. Then get the best option for the money you want to spend.
As for your coffee maker, use your stove and make it the old fashioned way by boiling water. There are some good camping percolators out there. Our Scout troop uses one something like this one for the adults https://www.amazon.com/Coletti-Bozem...dp/B01HZYPQVG/ I don't drink coffee, but the other adults say it makes great coffee.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Use solar to keep the batteries charged when sunny, but also use an inverter generator. If you get a two way, which will run off of AC power or propane. For the AC power a 2,000 watt inverter generator will suffice, but if you have an RV with AC and need to run it, you will need at least 3,000 watts. inverter generators produce cleaner power and are quieter than the big generators. Costco currently has the Firman 3,200 watt on sale for $649. We have the 2,000 watt for our trailer, but cannot run our AC on it. Most of our camping is at sites with hookups, though.
Combo of battery+solar and gas generator (as mentioned) is your best bet. If you're just using a generator, you'll kill yourself trying to keep enough fuel around, and drive yourself nuts with the noise.
Wouldn't the first thing being done be clearing an area for your base camp.
You need to figure out how much power you are going to use and how often you are going to use it/be there. Then get the best option for the money you want to spend.
Most of the land I'm looking at is managed forest land -- in essence, I'd become a tree farmer in exchange for an 80% reduction in property taxes. That means I'm very limited in how much land I can clear for a base camp. I've got about 1.5 acres tops that I can clear and build on -- and that area will still be surrounded by 80-foot-tall mature pines. So I don't think I'll be getting much sunlight even in the cleared area, but maybe I'm underestimating how much direct sunlight that 1.5 acre patch will get in a day.
Meanwhile, withdrawing land that's already enrolled in the program is quite expensive; you have to pay back all the tax benefit you received going back to when the property was enrolled in the management program, which is about $130 per acre, per year since it was enrolled. And enrollment stays with the land if/when you sell it unless the buyer withdraws it from the program. By my calculation it would cost about 10 to 15 grand to withdraw most of the properties I'm looking at.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1200RT
Combo of battery+solar and gas generator (as mentioned) is your best bet. If you're just using a generator, you'll kill yourself trying to keep enough fuel around, and drive yourself nuts with the noise.
Right, the point of getting something like a 2 or 3kWh battery bank is a) bring a large but still portable-ish store of power with us from home, and b) minimize the use of a generator. That is, have the generator run full-steam to refill the battery bank if/when needed and then shut it off instead of having it run all day at low load to power a fan and some lights and a TV or whatever. If I can get enough clearing to get decent sunlight during the day, I'll use solar too. But I'm trying to get a gauge of how realistic such a plan is if solar proves to be impractical.
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