Firstly, welcome to the Forum.  

To set yourself up to free camp means solar. A 12 volt system with solar panels and house batteries.  You can also install a small inverter which will give you 240 volts for small items such as phone charger or laptop for example. To run an aircon and microwave you need 240 volts. A large inverter to run those items off house batteries will flatten them in a very short period of time. Another option is a generator.  If you intend to free camp, forget about large 240 volt appliances. You can use them when you go into a Caravan Park and plug in to power.

Hi Nat & Don, welcome from me too,

The other thing you must consider is water supply. If you are frugal with water you can get away with 10 L per person per day or for some even less. we seem to use that much and we have very short showers when bush camped.

We have added a 100 L water bladder to the floor between the seats in the back of the dual cab and we can use this connected to the van and also use it to carry water from a supply point.

hope that helps

frank

-- Edited by KFT on Thursday 14th of August 2014 03:43:46 PM

Welcome to the gang Natalie and Don, enjoy here and out in the playground.

You have got advice already so won't confuse you with my help at this stage.

Most people do not consider running air-con or microwaves when free camping or bush camping. There are some exceptions, usually those with big motorhomes with big onboard generators. Usually people stay cool sitting under the awning or a shady tree, or do not stay out in really hot weather.

Generally speaking, free camping/bush camping means using gas for cooking & hot water, camp fires if allowed which can also be used for camp oven cooking, heating water in a billy etc. Solar power to run the lights, 12 volt TV, radio, charging appliances and so on. A generator when necessary to charge batteries during prolonged heavy cloud or rain.  

As GerryP said, full self-containment is becoming more important now so that means being able to hold all waste onboard including toilet, domestic rubbish and grey water from the sink & shower. 

Regards, Bev

 

Depends on how the generator is installed or where used? Boxed properly with some sound deadening they are very quiet..
An extra alternator on your tug motor can be a great advantage charging storage batteries from camp to camp..
Depends on your budget ? As said plenty of water storage doesn't go a miss? Hot weather ? Move or stay where there's water I guess to cool down in if generator , air conditioning blows your budget ..

Blue, have you considered that some people need power to run medical equipment so that they can be out there too?

If I needed to do that i would certainly have explained what I needed to do it for and so should others

it is just that not everyone is downright inconsiderate.

just my humble opinion

frank

KFT wrote:

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Blue, have you considered that some people need power to run medical equipment so that they can be out there too?

If I needed to do that i would certainly have explained what I needed to do it for and so should others

it is just that not everyone is downright inconsiderate.

just my humble opinion

frank

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if that were the "genuine" case then they'd be in a proper caravan park with a proper supply of power...

people just HAVE NOT "SET" themselves up properly.. its all too hard.. just get a BIG NOISEY generator and run it half the day and night..

 

why go bush if all you are going to do all day is burn fuel and make noise?

 

do you ever consider those around you and how they must feel listening to YOUR noisy apparatus?

 

why do people think that they are called "camping" grounds and then want to run their van like their households with air conditioners, electric heaters and microwaves running??

 

just stay home or go to a caravan park...

 

-- Edited by Blue on Friday 15th of August 2014 06:56:16 AM

-- Edited by Blue on Friday 15th of August 2014 06:56:47 AM

Bush camping or free camping always brings out this argument.

If you are looking at bush camping the best way is to get out with the very basics you have NOW.

Find a place close to home and get out on the weekends if that's all the time you have and camp with people and TALK to them about what they do and where they go and the things THEY like about bush camping and caravan parks and national parks and what they advise to do.

If that is not possible drive out in your car with a chair and some nibblies and join the people at your local rest stop and ask them for information and most will be happy to talk to you.

Doing this you will not only get the broad spectrum that you will get here but you will see their rigs and see their faces LOL and be able to decipher what sort of person is giving the advise and whether they are similar to you.

We all believe we have the ultimate setup so take all suggestions with a large pinch of salt but don't disregard any, take it home and put it in your memory bank and chew it over with all the rest. Out of a big bag of chaff you may find some good grain

Some of us set our vehicles up to cover our needs and some just go the easy way and do what they want and bugger everyone else.

After you have spent some time with other travelers and also able to feel where your preference lie then consider your options with the rig you have.

We are all different so what I have might not suit you (I use solar and Batteries) and lugging a generator might not suit you so look around before you spend your money.

The cost of a decent generator is similar to a reasonable solar setup (I know some here will disagree so again do your own sums) the difference is that you do not have to carry the weight in the rig, take up space that may be used for something more useful (couple cartons of beer LOL) and also the fuel and oil etc.

If you have special medical needs then take this into consideration. To run these takes little power so design your system around it.

Diesel heaters in my mind are worse than generators as many run them all night and they sound like a jet taking off in the distance and some time not so distant. Take an extra blanket if needed or just get an electric blanket and run it from an inverter as they use little power with a proper battery bank.

Consider portable solar at first if you don't need much power as you can move them into the sun and also follow the sun if needed to generate a lot more power in times when you really need it. They can be mounted on the roof if needed later.

Create a word document or similar and jot all the suggestions / observations down so you can go back and check now and again as you are planning the way you will finally take.

For appliances you will have some that say 12v only while some of us use 240v, we still bush camp but have our rigs setup to allow us to achieve it. Consider the price difference between the 12v appliance and the same at 240v and then do your sums. it is perhaps not for an established rig but for a new rig the savings can be huge. Many are now changing from 12v to 240v but that's another story that should be just in the back of your memory bank now.

While some say use all gas but then you still have to get your bottles filled and the cost is continually rising and you have to actually fond somewhere to fill them and carry them around so you can see we are indeed all different.

Read through as many threads as you can on solar, builds etc on this forum and then ask questions as you go along, again sorting the wheat from the chaff.

Hope this does not confuse you and helps in some way.

Regards
Brian

Well said Brian, a practical approach to a difficult problem and all our needs are different.

I have evolved for 3 years on the road and my set up is very different now.

Hopefully I am still learning.

John

 

Thankyou to all for your advice :) I have MS and feel the extreme cold and heat very much. I cannot sleep at night if it is too hot, and therefore need cooling to keep my core temperature from blowing out too high and causing relapses. I want to be able to travel around while I still can. We have only just started to travel after husband retired to be my full time carer. He is also 66 so was time for age retirement anyway. He has worked hard for all his life, so is loving being able to get to finally see a bit of our beautiful country, but it is expensive to stay any length of time in caravan parks, so weighing up our options so that we may be able to get away more often. We are pensioners, so don't have a large budget. We would definitely take other peoples comfort into consideration in regards to the generator. If any of you know any other people with MS, you will probably be aware of the problems we face with extreme temperatures. So, I guess to the ones that say to stay home if we need air conditioning, my life consists of being home most of the time, and I don't need or want to stop the only thing that I am still capable of doing. I don't want anyone to take offence, but I am just trying to explain why a generator is sometimes necessary for health reasons with some people. But as I said, we will be considerate of other campers. We operate under the premise of "do unto others that you would want done to you". I am not a religious person, but always like to treat others as I would want to be treated. Happy camping peoples, and maybe we will run into some of you during our travels :) Once again, Thankyou to those who have offered advie. Much appreciated x

We have decided against a generator for now and will get pure sine inverter and 110ah deep cycle battery and see how we go :)

NatalieC wrote:

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Thankyou to all for your advice :) I have MS and feel the extreme cold and heat very much. I cannot sleep at night if it is too hot, and therefore need cooling to keep my core temperature from blowing out too high and causing relapses. I want to be able to travel around while I still can. We have only just started to travel after husband retired to be my full time carer. He is also 66 so was time for age retirement anyway. He has worked hard for all his life, so is loving being able to get to finally see a bit of our beautiful country, but it is expensive to stay any length of time in caravan parks, so weighing up our options so that we may be able to get away more often. We are pensioners, so don't have a large budget. We would definitely take other peoples comfort into consideration in regards to the generator. If any of you know any other people with MS, you will probably be aware of the problems we face with extreme temperatures. So, I guess to the ones that say to stay home if we need air conditioning, my life consists of being home most of the time, and I don't need or want to stop the only thing that I am still capable of doing. I don't want anyone to take offence, but I am just trying to explain why a generator is sometimes necessary for health reasons with some people. But as I said, we will be considerate of other campers. We operate under the premise of "do unto others that you would want done to you". I am not a religious person, but always like to treat others as I would want to be treated. Happy camping peoples, and maybe we will run into some of you during our travels :) Once again, Thankyou to those who have offered advie. Much appreciated x

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 Natalie I have a friend with MS who camps and she finds the cool mattress topper helps her in the hot times. A blue gel type thing. Good luck with your travels.

I have never had a problem with anyone using a generator they are very quite now days , ppl usually have them on a long lead and place em well away from others . From your post above it sounds like its a backup you really need , I would get one .

Its only a bit of white noise anyway , not worth getting upset over but some ppl are easily upset

Regards Jacko.

beiffe wrote:

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If you need the generator to be able to travel then it will limit not only the places you can stay but the level of closeness with nature , if that means anything to you.
I find that sitting outside early in the night is usually cool and if you leave the windows open there is usually a breeze to cool your rig. Once it is cool then you can retire.
I believe there are mattress coolers as I have a pillow with a lining that appears to be always cool.
It is hard when you have a medical problem that does not allow you to enjoy the comforts that most of us take for granted, but to get everyone at a camp site to give the consideration needed will be hard. If you decide you do need the generator to run all night then you may have to be more selective and stay in spots less popular where there are few people.
It is possible to run an aircon from batteries and many do but you need a special setup to enable this to happen and the information is not freely available to the general public. Another thing to consider is the cost of the fuel to run a generator all night as I think most portable ones have about 6 hours to a tank of fuel so it will need to be filled during the night
I suggest that you first try using your rig as it is, especially now while it is cooler and then see how you go as it warms up towards summer.
As you gain experience you may find that by adapting the way you spend your days you may be able to be comfortable bush camping but go to a caravan park on the really hot days and use the aircon.
There are good fans that run on 12v and there are also some very good 240v fans that use little power, so if going for more batteries you may select the 240v option as these fans can be bought for $20+ where the 12v ones cost over $100 try this one for $114 on ebay number 291079267780 or type in Calfrimo fan.
Don't be put off by anything anyone says, just get out there and try as many have found the EXPERTS are not that clever at times and many have found that what is not possible does actually work and can enhance you comfort level. nothing ventured nothing gained
So often I see people work till RETIREMENT age and then they can not enjoy the time they have left because of ill health, that is one of the reasons I tell people to get out there as soon as they can as you could be dead tomorrow so why not enjoy each day as it comes.
Regards
Brian

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some sensible suggestions there brian...

 

the cost of any generator running fuel all day long you may as well be on mains power..

 

my mrs has sleep apnoea so has to run a breathing machine all night long..

 

but like I was saying earlier on, we increased the size of our solar panel and added an extra battery...

 

so it all runs silent  and for days on end that are cloudy..

 

it embarrasses me of the thought that I was annoying someone for my inconsideration of running a noisy generator when I could simply set myself  up smarter..