Hi everyone , i need to ask some questions about freedom camping . In December we will be picking up a Esperance and i want to know what to add to the rig so that we can freedom camp for about 3 to 5 days (maybe). The rig will have 2x80wts solar panels and extra 100ltrs water tank .Do i need to a generator if so how big ,will i need an inverter ,if so how big .
There must be other Esperance owners out there who do a lot of freedom camping and i want to know what works for you.
Blues man.
Bruce and Bev said
04:54 PM Jun 16, 2016
Hi Patrick.
Can you give us a bit more info please so we can hopefully give you our "sage" advice:
1. What size and how many batteries do you have?
2. How much water does your RV hold (not including the extra 100lt of water)?
3. Do you know approx how much water you guys use each day (or do you both shower each day)?
4. Do you want to run your air con unit?
5. Are your RV lights and TV LED or not?
We've free camped at Esperance before in summer and with some more info, I, and no doubt others can give you some help
JayDee said
05:07 PM Jun 16, 2016
Well you are off to a fairly good start with the solar and water. Yes my view is you need a gennie as back for power. 2 kva should be ample. Common sense is a great mate when bush camping. With the extra water tank you should have enough water for 5 days plus. But if you want to shower daily x 2 people, then may I suggest you don't forget your MUM. Water is a scare commodity when bush camping. We only have 1 x 100 amp hour battery and it works fine for us. An inverter is also a great option. Leave the size for others. You will soon work out what other gear you "Need" to take on your next trip. Have a great time. It is a terrific lifestyle.
Why not use the search button re freedom camping.
A wealth of info will hit your screne. jay&Dee
-- Edited by JayDee on Thursday 16th of June 2016 05:08:57 PM
Izabarack said
06:03 PM Jun 16, 2016
Blues Man wrote:
...... so that we can freedom camp for about 3 to 5 days (maybe).
Always a good idea to have a trial couple of days free camping in the driveway. Start with what you have and add stuff as you need it.
Iza
Blues Man said
02:58 PM Jun 17, 2016
Thank you everyone for your help, the Esperance will have 200LTRS of water , 2x100ah house battries.We would also like the option of running the A/C when it is hot.The lights in the Esperance
are all LED. The rig has a (personal inverter 150wts) what is a personal inverter, it sounds too small to be of any use
Bruce and Bev said
05:04 PM Jun 17, 2016
Sounds like you have all you need, although water is variable, depending on how much you use each day, but from memory you can re-fill you portable tank at the Info Centre (but suggest you check that out by googling them)
Power wise - you should be fine.
The inverter is pretty much useless for most things - 800 watts upwards is practical.
Generator - depends on your air unit. Most people have a Ibis brand in their van and a Honda or Yamaha 2 is sufficient (and a lot lighter to try and lift as well as on your wallet). But I suggest if it is practical, to take your van down to a Honda dealer that also carries generators (most do) and get them to see if a 2 will run your air con ok. Be aware though that you will be able to run nothing else at the same time - like a 3 way fridge or whatever. If you want to be able to drive all the electrical bells and whistles on your van, you will need a Honda or Yamaha 3 - and they are bigger (will it fit where you will want to store it) and can you lift it up and down from your rig or tow vehicle to the ground
Ozzie_Traveller said
10:40 AM Jun 19, 2016
Blues Man wrote:
Hi everyone , i need to ask some questions about freedom camping . In December we will be picking up an Esperance and i want to know what to add to the rig so that we can freedom camp for about 3 to 5 days (maybe). The rig will have 2x80wts solar panels and extra 100ltrs water tank. Do i need to a generator if so how big, will i need an inverter, if so how big. There must be other Esperance owners out there who do a lot of freedom camping and i want to know what works for you. Blues man.
G'day mate
We're on the wallaby for about 300/365 days each year and we freedom camp all those 300 days & nights. In a nutshell, our MH has:-
* a 100Lt fresh water tank ~ does us about 5 days + an 80Lt grey water tank * 2x 120Ah batteries * 300w of solar panels * a 1000 watt inverter * the 'usual' cassette toilet plus a spare cassette ~ does us 6-7 days all up * 2x 9kg gas bottles
With the above, we run / recharge
* 2x laptop computers - often in use side by side * a laser printer [business use & the main reason for 1000w of inverter] * 5 or 6 digial cameras of one sort or another with their various battery rechargers * multiple "AA" battery devices that are also recharged at regular intervals
ALL cooking is done with gas ALL hot water is done with gas ALL fridge is done with gas
When we bought the MH 12 yrs ago, it came with 2- devices that were dedicated to 240v power ... the aircon & the microwave
The aircon gets turned on for 3 or 4 days every 2 or 3 years - and for that we use a CP The microwave has never been powered on - it has become a storage box
From the above you will see that we're "different" from others here ~ and this is the point of it all. Every one of us has our own way of doing things and our own set of 'essential' stuff that we travel with. As you are starting out, my 100% is for you to go away with only what you've got in the van and see how it works for you, and add stuff -IF- and when you find it is needed
For me, as a Freedom-Camper, anyone with a genny who disturbs the peace & quiet of a riverbank, forested park etc is a bluddy nuisance I have had too many people come to me and say that 'their genny is quiet - we'll only run it for 15 minutes or so' to find when the 240v appliance in the kitchen is turned on, a victa motor mower starts up. We have moved the MH on so many occasions to get away from the noise, it's not funny
Back at Easter we were in Wagga Wagga at a festival, to have 2 parking spots away another MH with the supposedly quiet Onan genny built in. The vehicle parked between him & us took it for one day then moved somewhere else, and we followed the day later. For a supposedly quiet genny, it out-noised the radio when we were trying to hear the news
Hope this helps a bit - and please come back with any queries you may have Phil
Chippy said
11:06 AM Jun 19, 2016
Congrats Phil for a well written reply. You and I travel much the same. I think you summed it up very good with your comment that everyone travels differently. What ever works for you Blues man, do it and enjoy yourselves.
Ron-D said
12:08 PM Jun 19, 2016
We freecamp About 60/40 on average, the car charges the battery on the move,with the fridge on gas /the cooker on gas,that only leaves Led lights, and 12volt tv and they don't draw much power.
Because we only use one 12volt battery our portable 120W solar panel has not mush to feed ,on the very rare occasions heavy cloud cover for days on end, we use caravan parks to charge up our battery, works fine for our style of camping 100 percent freecamping to us can restrict you to missing out on a lot of nice coastal places .
So I guess our needs are a lot less than most , but why have huge battery banks and solar panels if you don't need them,it all comes down to how you want to camp...
Ozzie_Traveller said
03:05 PM Jun 19, 2016
Blues Man wrote:
Hi everyone , i need to ask some questions about freedom camping. Do i need to a generator if so how big, will i need an inverter, if so how big. Blues man.
G'day again
May I pick up on one small part of your OP and offer you some more information
Do i need to a generator if so how big, will i need an inverter, if so how big.
Whether it's a genny or an inverter, each is giving you 240volts x ??? watts of power. The question for you is "how many watts of power do I need?"
Okay - go round the house and look at the maker's voltage label on things you're wanting to use, and make a note of the watts required
Some possibles are:-
jug or kettle ......... 1600w x 10 minutes when in use elec frypan ........... 2400w x 30 minutes when in use TV ......................... 400w x ?? minutes when in use laptop computer ..... 350w x ?? minutes when in use Aircon ................... 3000w to start up, 2400w when in use for ?? hours etc
Now if you decide that you cannot do without these - ie: via using gas for the kettle or 12v for a TV or $75 for a laptop computer 12v to 240v power supply etc.etc. - then either the genny needs to big enough to make 3000watts of power to start the aircon, -or- your batteries have to be able to run an inverter of the same sort of power
High school physics gives us the old formula ... watts = volts x amps - and from this we get the good old "2400w = 240v x 10A" that you see on a small heater at home
BUT ... 3000w from 12v [via a 240v inverter] needs 250Amps of battery power, and so that you do not kill off the battery 'real qwik', you need to double your battery size for some safety margin. ie- you'll need 500Amps of battery for a bit over one hour of usage at 2400w
Q- do you want to travel with 5 x 100AmpHour batteries .... and how will you recharge them?
The bottom line is:-
a) you [like all of us before you] need to make a list of what 240v stuff you absolutely cannot do without; and b) work out how you are going to power it
-IF- you insist on having lots of 240v stuff in the van, then stick to caravan parks and use powered sites -if- you can get away with one or two 240v items, and use gas or 12v for most stuff, then 2 good house batteries plus a half-decent inverter [maybe 600watts] may well do the job and allow you to do a fair bit of freedom-camping
You will always need to recharge your van battery/ies via CP power or solar panel or a genny. 95% of freedom campers use solar panels
If you were to get a 100watt panel - either fixed to the roof or a fold up portable - then on a good sunny day it will put 3 to 5 amps per hour back into your battery ~ so that each night your battery is again fully charged, free of cost via the sun. By installing 160-200watts on the roof say, it means that on cloudy days, you again have plenty of solar power going into the batteries.
Maybe also, do some sums on the costs of a genny vs say 240watts of solar panels fixed to the roof of your van. You might be surprised at the difference in costs
Hope this also helps a bit :)
Phil
Aus-Kiwi said
04:34 PM Jun 19, 2016
I park away from other campers . When it's hot so we can run our Onan . Most times its run after 8am for 20min about the same around 5 pm . Surprising when you stop out there . There's people camped beside .. So it works both ways .. Some just like to whinge too.. Had a guy asking if we where noisy ? Yet he parked beside a bussy road !! Like wtf ??
Ozzie_Traveller said
04:44 PM Jun 19, 2016
Yeah AK ...
Noise is one of those things that is part of modern life - I have had real estate sales people try to sell be a 'good home' because of its location ~ but on a main road with buses & trucks going past, it wasn't for me
Insofar as freedom camping goes - and keeping in mind the OPs request for information, I won't meander off topic any more :)
Safe travelling matey
Phil
Blues Man said
05:11 PM Jun 19, 2016
Hi fellow travellers , WE are absolutely blown away with the amount of knowledge we have gained. We want to thank everyone for their invaluable knowledge and help that you have all provided
us with .Things are so much clearer now.
Cheers ,Blues man.
JayDee said
08:27 PM Jun 21, 2016
My view
is that I advise other campers near us that we are going to kick start the gennie.
Only once have we had a negative re this.
Gennies are part of Bush camping although not so in National Parks.
If people desire bush camping then they must be prepared to accept other campers needs to also bush camp.
The gennie is always with us, but is only used mainly for Washing machine or battery charge on a cloudy/rainy days.
Hi everyone , i need to ask some questions about freedom camping . In December we will be picking up a Esperance and i want to know what to add to the rig so that we can freedom camp for about 3 to 5 days (maybe). The rig will have 2x80wts solar panels and extra 100ltrs water tank .Do i need to a generator if so how big ,will i need an inverter ,if so how big .
There must be other Esperance owners out there who do a lot of freedom camping and i want to know what works for you.
Blues man.
Can you give us a bit more info please so we can hopefully give you our "sage" advice:
1. What size and how many batteries do you have?
2. How much water does your RV hold (not including the extra 100lt of water)?
3. Do you know approx how much water you guys use each day (or do you both shower each day)?
4. Do you want to run your air con unit?
5. Are your RV lights and TV LED or not?
We've free camped at Esperance before in summer and with some more info, I, and no doubt others can give you some help
Well you are off to a fairly good start with the solar and water.
Yes my view is you need a gennie as back for power. 2 kva should be ample. Common sense is a great mate when bush camping.
With the extra water tank you should have enough water for 5 days plus.
But if you want to shower daily x 2 people, then may I suggest you don't forget your MUM. Water is a scare commodity when bush camping.
We only have 1 x 100 amp hour battery and it works fine for us.
An inverter is also a great option. Leave the size for others.
You will soon work out what other gear you "Need" to take on your next trip.
Have a great time. It is a terrific lifestyle.
Why not use the search button re freedom camping.
A wealth of info will hit your screne.
jay&Dee
-- Edited by JayDee on Thursday 16th of June 2016 05:08:57 PM
Always a good idea to have a trial couple of days free camping in the driveway. Start with what you have and add stuff as you need it.
Iza
Thank you everyone for your help, the Esperance will have 200LTRS of water , 2x100ah house battries.We would also like the option of running the A/C when it is hot.The lights in the Esperance
are all LED. The rig has a (personal inverter 150wts) what is a personal inverter, it sounds too small to be of any use
Power wise - you should be fine.
The inverter is pretty much useless for most things - 800 watts upwards is practical.
Generator - depends on your air unit. Most people have a Ibis brand in their van and a Honda or Yamaha 2 is sufficient (and a lot lighter to try and lift as well as on your wallet). But I suggest if it is practical, to take your van down to a Honda dealer that also carries generators (most do) and get them to see if a 2 will run your air con ok. Be aware though that you will be able to run nothing else at the same time - like a 3 way fridge or whatever. If you want to be able to drive all the electrical bells and whistles on your van, you will need a Honda or Yamaha 3 - and they are bigger (will it fit where you will want to store it) and can you lift it up and down from your rig or tow vehicle to the ground
G'day mate
We're on the wallaby for about 300/365 days each year and we freedom camp all those 300 days & nights. In a nutshell, our MH has:-
* a 100Lt fresh water tank ~ does us about 5 days + an 80Lt grey water tank
* 2x 120Ah batteries
* 300w of solar panels
* a 1000 watt inverter
* the 'usual' cassette toilet plus a spare cassette ~ does us 6-7 days all up
* 2x 9kg gas bottles
With the above, we run / recharge
* 2x laptop computers - often in use side by side
* a laser printer [business use & the main reason for 1000w of inverter]
* 5 or 6 digial cameras of one sort or another with their various battery rechargers
* multiple "AA" battery devices that are also recharged at regular intervals
ALL cooking is done with gas
ALL hot water is done with gas
ALL fridge is done with gas
When we bought the MH 12 yrs ago, it came with 2- devices that were dedicated to 240v power ... the aircon & the microwave
The aircon gets turned on for 3 or 4 days every 2 or 3 years - and for that we use a CP
The microwave has never been powered on - it has become a storage box
From the above you will see that we're "different" from others here ~ and this is the point of it all.
Every one of us has our own way of doing things and our own set of 'essential' stuff that we travel with. As you are starting out, my 100% is for you to go away with only what you've got in the van and see how it works for you, and add stuff -IF- and when you find it is needed
For me, as a Freedom-Camper, anyone with a genny who disturbs the peace & quiet of a riverbank, forested park etc is a bluddy nuisance
I have had too many people come to me and say that 'their genny is quiet - we'll only run it for 15 minutes or so' to find when the 240v appliance in the kitchen is turned on, a victa motor mower starts up. We have moved the MH on so many occasions to get away from the noise, it's not funny
Back at Easter we were in Wagga Wagga at a festival, to have 2 parking spots away another MH with the supposedly quiet Onan genny built in. The vehicle parked between him & us took it for one day then moved somewhere else, and we followed the day later. For a supposedly quiet genny, it out-noised the radio when we were trying to hear the news
Hope this helps a bit - and please come back with any queries you may have
Phil
We freecamp About 60/40 on average, the car charges the battery on the move,with the fridge on gas /the cooker on gas,that only leaves Led lights, and 12volt tv and they don't draw much power.
Because we only use one 12volt battery our portable 120W solar panel has not mush to feed ,on the very rare occasions heavy cloud cover for days on end, we use caravan parks to charge up our battery, works fine for our style of camping 100 percent freecamping to us can restrict you to missing out on a lot of nice coastal places .
So I guess our needs are a lot less than most , but why have huge battery banks and solar panels if you don't need them,it all comes down to how you want to camp...
G'day again
May I pick up on one small part of your OP and offer you some more information
Do i need to a generator if so how big, will i need an inverter, if so how big.
Whether it's a genny or an inverter, each is giving you 240volts x ??? watts of power. The question for you is "how many watts of power do I need?"
Okay - go round the house and look at the maker's voltage label on things you're wanting to use, and make a note of the watts required
Some possibles are:-
jug or kettle ......... 1600w x 10 minutes when in use
elec frypan ........... 2400w x 30 minutes when in use
TV ......................... 400w x ?? minutes when in use
laptop computer ..... 350w x ?? minutes when in use
Aircon ................... 3000w to start up, 2400w when in use for ?? hours
etc
Now if you decide that you cannot do without these - ie: via using gas for the kettle or 12v for a TV or $75 for a laptop computer 12v to 240v power supply etc.etc. - then either the genny needs to big enough to make 3000watts of power to start the aircon, -or- your batteries have to be able to run an inverter of the same sort of power
High school physics gives us the old formula ... watts = volts x amps - and from this we get the good old "2400w = 240v x 10A" that you see on a small heater at home
BUT ... 3000w from 12v [via a 240v inverter] needs 250Amps of battery power, and so that you do not kill off the battery 'real qwik', you need to double your battery size for some safety margin. ie- you'll need 500Amps of battery for a bit over one hour of usage at 2400w
Q- do you want to travel with 5 x 100AmpHour batteries .... and how will you recharge them?
The bottom line is:-
a) you [like all of us before you] need to make a list of what 240v stuff you absolutely cannot do without; and
b) work out how you are going to power it
-IF- you insist on having lots of 240v stuff in the van, then stick to caravan parks and use powered sites
-if- you can get away with one or two 240v items, and use gas or 12v for most stuff, then 2 good house batteries plus a half-decent inverter [maybe 600watts] may well do the job and allow you to do a fair bit of freedom-camping
You will always need to recharge your van battery/ies via CP power or solar panel or a genny. 95% of freedom campers use solar panels
If you were to get a 100watt panel - either fixed to the roof or a fold up portable - then on a good sunny day it will put 3 to 5 amps per hour back into your battery ~ so that each night your battery is again fully charged, free of cost via the sun. By installing 160-200watts on the roof say, it means that on cloudy days, you again have plenty of solar power going into the batteries.
Maybe also, do some sums on the costs of a genny vs say 240watts of solar panels fixed to the roof of your van. You might be surprised at the difference in costs
Hope this also helps a bit :)
Phil
Noise is one of those things that is part of modern life - I have had real estate sales people try to sell be a 'good home' because of its location ~ but on a main road with buses & trucks going past, it wasn't for me
Insofar as freedom camping goes - and keeping in mind the OPs request for information, I won't meander off topic any more :)
Safe travelling matey
Phil
Hi fellow travellers , WE are absolutely blown away with the amount of knowledge we have gained. We want to thank everyone for their invaluable knowledge and help that you have all provided
us with .Things are so much clearer now.
Cheers ,Blues man.
is that I advise other campers near us that we are going to kick start the gennie.
Only once have we had a negative re this.
Gennies are part of Bush camping although not so in National Parks.
If people desire bush camping then they must be prepared to accept other campers needs to also bush camp.
The gennie is always with us, but is only used mainly for Washing machine or battery charge on a cloudy/rainy days.
Jay&Dee