11 Reasons Your RV Doesn’t Need Solar Power

[NMJEEP]

Camped for 35 years without solar or a generator. Just depends on how you camp.

 

[Pedro Dog]

Camped for 15 years without an RV. Just depends on how you camp.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Camped for 15 years without an RV. Just depends on how you camp.

However did we survive? Although, I will say that some of the things they offer for modern convenience are nice. I can do without a cell phone, but I absolutely must have a blender for my margaritas. That kind of thing.

 

[Isaac-1]

However did we survive? Although, I will say that some of the things they offer for modern convenience are nice. I can do without a cell phone, but I absolutely must have a blender for my margaritas. That kind of thing.

The answer is barely, I gave up tent camping after staying at a Texas state park when a tornado came through at about dusk, snapping one of our tent poles, and bringing down a few trees all around us, we patched the tent pole good enough to last the rest of the night I think with duct tape, then spent most of the night listening to chain saws running while the local emergency crews tried to clear the road enough so people could leave the campground by the next morning. As I recall they had the roadway out of the park cleared by about 10 am.

 

[Old_Crow]

The answer is barely, I gave up tent camping after staying at a Texas state park when a tornado came through at about dusk, snapping one of our tent poles, and bringing down a few trees all around us, we patched the tent pole good enough to last the rest of the night I think with duct tape, then spent most of the night listening to chain saws running while the local emergency crews tried to clear the road enough so people could leave the campground by the next morning. As I recall they had the roadway out of the park cleared by about 10 am.

I think our last tent camping experience was a hail storm. When it was over my wife picked up 3 of the hailstones outside the tent and the 3 hail stones filled her hand from the base of her palm to the tip of her little finger, so probably close to 1 1/2" each.

 

[Onyrlef]

Camped for 35 years without solar or a generator. Just depends on how you camp.

An argument could be made that it's our addiction to A/C and Devices (television, smart phone, laptops,) that dictates the way we camp now. I just returned from a 5 day fishing trip at Texoma State Park where I spent 6-8 hrs. each day on the water, on the mtn. bike, cleaning fish, cooking fish, and otherwise knocking around outdoors during the day. I did however notice many of the MH/Fiver camper's were unseen except to walk the dogs or to go out in the evenings. It's their business what brings them there of course, but for me if I were going to sit inside all day I'd as soon stay home. At the same time however, last year at Wichita Federal Wildlife Preserve it hovered around 105° during the day and lows at night in the upper 80's. This girl just up from us was boondocking, sleeping outside in a hammock and was doing fine. It's all relative, I guess.

 

[Ex-Calif]

My last tent camping - 2019.

A Karen in an SUV pulled out in front of me and I dumped the bike. Blew out all the laces on my boot. She didn't see me and didn't even stop.

The next day (first night) my knee had swollen so bad I litlerally could not get up from the ground. I belly shimmied to a tree in the wood line and got up on my feet.

I gave up cross country biking and tent camping the same weekend - LOL...

 

[Pedro Dog]

We've owned an RV for over 30 years, but will occasionally tent camp when we can't get the trailer to some spots we really want to spend time at. It's not that bad.

 

[Isaac-1]

This whole camping thing, really depends on how you see an RV, is it an alternative to a tent, an alternative to a motel room, or an alternative to an apartment / condo.

 

[RKDowner]

An argument could be made that it's our addiction to A/C and Devices (television, smart phone, laptops,) that dictates the way we camp now.

In my case it's my CPAP. I have lead acid batteries with a total 128 amp hours. I can't afford lithium at this time. I only want solar to keep the batteries charged enough to run my CPAP. No illusions about running A/C or the microwave. The trailer door is too narrow for the generator, so it rides in the back of the SUV, but now we need that space for dogs, so solar to the rescue. As it was, since the generator rode in the SUV, we only ran it on propane, it's never seen gasoline. So far I've got $829.32 into the solar project, with only a few things left to buy (mostly screws and wiring lugs). I bought six used 100 watt panels; assuming I'll only get 80 watts out of them because they're used, and assuming I'll park in shade or with cloudy days, they still should be enough to charge 128 amp hours, and I know my CPAP will run all night and leave enough battery for lights, water pump, etc. in the morning. If we need to pull in the slideout and awning and the batteries aren't up to it we can always power them from the car. I am SO looking forward to not dealing with that generator!

 

[Laura & Charles]

This whole camping thing, really depends on how you see an RV, is it an alternative to a tent, an alternative to a motel room, or an alternative to an apartment / condo.
[/QUOTE
“The whole camping thing”

This whole camping thing, really depends on how you see an RV, is it an alternative to a tent, an alternative to a motel room, or an alternative to an apartment / condo.

In our case, it’s door number three (apartment/condo + house). But we don’t see what we do as ‘camping’ (or even ‘glamping’). And we don’t often take spaces a lot of y’all covet. We mostly stay in full service sites in private RV parks or resorts.
Our MO (and focus) will probably change when we stop working and we’ll downsize and seek more boondock experiences.

 

[DonTom]

IMAO, everybody here understood those 11 reasons even well before they read the (rather useless, IMO) article.

-Don- Auburn, CA