Being retired, I get to stay in one deserted campsite after another - it sucks. 😎
But, there's a caveat and that would be the 'house' batteries. Being single, they don't have to run much but ... I'm not an eco freak but solar has come a long way in the last few years and it got my attention. How much would I need? That's a deep effin' rabbit hole and I'm no scholar so I figured WTF, buy from a reputable supplier and give it a try. So I bought a 100 watt panel and MPPT controller from Rich Solar and hooked it up. My logic - if 100 watts isn't enough, I can buy another 100 watt panel, how hard can it be.
Short version - I haven't spent any extended time at one spot this summer, just a few days, so I won't profess to know siht. But so far, I'm happy with my purchase and can buy another 100 watt panel for ~$100, give or take. I bought two extension cords, a 10'er and a 30'er, plus the 10'er that came with the panel. This gives me many options on panel location, heck, I haven't even unwrapped the 30'er once I figured out how to open the screen in the middle of the RV, extending my placement from the front of the RV (as seen below) to the very back end of the trailer (also seen below) to keep it out of harm's way when there are people around. The panel is light enough to carry around and fits 'just right' in the bathroom, under and behind the towel hanging from its rack.
Someday, I might mount it/them on the roof but then I'm drilling into an RV roof and they're known to leak, so ... And then I can't aim them at the sun. 🤔
This is my first 'deployment'. There's a bungy cord at each upper corner holding it against the RV so the wind, usually blowing in Utah, can't blow it over.
View attachment 358142
Life on the trailer, you can see that there's the potential for damage if lying on the ground with so many people around.
View attachment 358143
The big house battery drain in an RV in cooler temps is the furnace motor and fan. Geebus, that thing must have 100 horsepower for all the noise it makes.
And I'm tired of listening to the damn thing. I bought a Mr. Buddy(?) catalytic that runs on 1 lb. propane bottles. I love how quiet it is but I hate having to refill the bottles all the time. This thing is a delight, it super quiet and the noise it makes is like a muted Coleman lantern, and I grew up to love that tune. It's just enough for my small Class C at safe temps for my outside plumbing, about 30*. Below that and I'm not enjoying myself wondering iffn I'm going to freeze (and break) something I don't want to replace (thinking black tank here).
I like it so much, I bought a long propane extension hose to run it off a 20 lb. propane bottle, which I'll keep outside. I'll be testing that out shortly, I'm headed to the desert as soon as my Talon's CV parts show up.
View attachment 358141