Truck camper camping without hookups.

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ahurtinalbertan

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May 9, 2009
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Hi everyone,

I have just purchased a 2006 Bigfoot 9.5FS camper to put in the back of my 2002 F350. The majority of our camping will be without any hookups. We dont run A/C or a microwave or electronics. Mostly just some night-time indoor lighting, running the water pump and maybe the odd margarita blended in a magic bullet.

Will my unit be able to handle this? How often should I charge up my battery with my truck running and for how long?

Also I am curious about how long i can run the fridge on propane- I am guessing as long as I have propane..? How long to drain the 2x20lb tanks I will have?

Thanks for any input- especially if you are avid truck-camper-ers.
 
Charging is going to depend on how often you run the furnace which uses 12DC to run its fan.  2 tanks will last a while if the fridge is the only thing you run, the furnace will determined if that while is long or short. 

Things to consider:

1.  Double up your batteries.  Make sure they are true, RV, deep cycle units.
2.  Change your cabin lights to LED units.  Use a butane camp lantern for outside lighting.
3.  Install a solar power system.  (Many bucks but may be worthwhile for a bugs-in-the-teeth boon docker.)

Go to a commercial campground with full hookups and spend a long weekend unhooked to calibrate your battery and propane use.  That way when things go dim or cold you can hook up, or fill up.
 
We used to have a Fleetwood "Caribou" truck camper when we pulled our horses to great trail riding.  My camper battery would be charged by the truck battery.  When we drove, it kept the camper battery charged; but when we stopped to camp and used the camper, the battery would not drain the truck battery.  I always forget what that is called, but it's a one way switch of some kind to allow the camper battery to be charged; but not drain the truck battery when the camper was used.

Our method when we dry camped (no hookups) was to run the truck for about an hour in the morning  to keep the battery charged.  That was with heavy use.  Normally, I would only need to run the truck every couple of days.  We were very careful with our lights, pumps etc.  If we used the furnace, that would drain the battery pretty quickly.  You can also invest in a Honda i2000 generator (or something similar) which will charge your battery very nicely.  It will also run a 13,000 btu A/C and a small microwave; but not at the same time.  That method of charging the battery worked the best. 

We now have a big diesel pusher and sometimes I think about the great times we had with that camper....lots of fun.  My son and his family now have it and are having a great time.

Marsha~
 
You are likely referring to a solenoid. I am installing one which will be activated by the ignition so the truck and rv batteries will be separated while parked without unplugging the trailer. If the rv batteries get low at least the truck will start.
 
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