Mike and Carol

Quartzsite, AZ, Dome Rock. In January there is a big RV show in town followed by a Fiberglass rally at Dome Rock. BLM dispersed camping. Find a spot and camp!

This is Franklin Mountain State Park outside of El Paso. There are only 6 sites.

For those who are new to dry camping and wonder why folks camp without hookups let's post some pictures of places we've boondocked to give and idea of what we're talking about. This is Agguire Spring Campground outside of White Sands NP. It's a BLM campground at about 6K'. You can see WSNP about 20 miles in the distance.

We have never felt uncomfortable boondocking. We have several different modes of camping without hookups. The most infrequent is stopping overnight on our way somewhere. We’ve stayed at Cracker Barrel’s and interstate rest stops (some welcome overnight RV parking). Then there are remote campgrounds run by the FS, COE, BLM that have no hookups, (most in the western states) and campgrounds in National Parks and some state parks. Finally, there are dispersed camping sites where there are no designated sites, just an area where you pick out a spot and camp. We don’t boondock in areas that aren’t okay for RVs to park overnight. I will start a new thread on boondocking sites where folks can post pictures of spots where they’ve been. Mike

We were camped at Palo Duro Canyon State Park for a week a few years ago. The temps were low 90s during the day for the first few days. Then, WHAM, we had 106 degrees and no breeze. We stayed inside with the AC on (fan on low) and we were quite comfortable, temperature-wise. Being cooped up with the loud AC was not fun, so we cut our time at Palo Duro and headed for cooler weather. We use the AC when needed but avoid it when possible. Mike

We found after a few weeks of camping at FHU sites and getting the hang of it we were much more open to getting outside of the traditional campground to take advantage of some really scenic locations. Plus, stopping anywhere on the road while traveling from A to B never poses electricity challenges. Shore power not needed. I don’t know how hard it would be to switch from AGMs to Lithium. My AGMs are almost 5 years old and still doing fine. I think in the next couple of years I will start paying more attention to the progress of lithium batteries. I have a Blue Sky controller, not a Zamp. Steve L (scubarx) has the same set up and just upgraded to lithium’s so I will be talking to him the next time we get together.

When we placed our order we had never camped in an RV before. We thought we would be FHU campers. Although the solar option and 4 AGMs were an expensive option we went for it. As it turns out, we do a lot more boondocking than we thought we would. So many really scenic camping locations and National Park locations are without hookups. It’s nice to be able to go to these locations without worrying about our electrical needs. If you feel confident that you have the ability to install solar panels, solar controller, etc, then you could wait to see what your camping style will be and then go without solar or do your own solar installation if you do camping without hookups.

Hunker down....

Interesting turn of events. Looking forward to what you find out... enjoy the rest of your trip. Mike

David, Brooks AFB is now Brooks City Base, not sure what they do there. I was working at Kelly (Security Hill) in Oct 91, you should have stopped by! We could have discussed future Oliver adventures... 🤪🇺🇸🇺🇸 Mike

Happy Veterans Day to all my fellow veterans! I have some pictures somewhere, they were all taken before iPhone days so they aren’t digital.... Alas, Brooks AFB has transitioned to civilian status. I worked at Kelly AFB here in San Antonio and it is also gone, with parts incorporated into Lackland AFB and Medina Base. Randolph AFB is still here as is Fort Sam Houston, Camp Bullis and Camp Stanley. There’s a reason San Antonio is called Military City USA. Mike

When we are escaping the south Texas heat we will stop at a campground with electrical hookups so we can run the AC. It is loud, so generally when the temps drop in to the 70s after midnight I turn the AC off and open the windows with the fan. We don’t boondock in hot humid weather, it’s just not enjoyable. Summer in Arizona or Colorado at elevation is pleasant. Fall/spring can be very nice at other locations. Winter in the southwest (NM, AZ, southern UT, southern CA) is nice. Our power consumption with no shore power... occasional use of the inverter for the espresso machine, microwave and blow dryer. Maxxfan, lights, water pump and, when it is cold, the furnace (fan). USB chargers for our phones and iPads. The fridge and hot water run off propane. We make coffee by boiling water on the cooktop (propane) and pour over. We grill outside either with the Weber Q or with charcoal. The times I’ve had to use the generator for the batteries was after running the furnace at night followed by a very cloudy day - just a few times over the last few years. I think that’s about it. Mike

I have a 37 lb generator, 2000 watts, very quiet. Champion. $399 at Tractor Supply or online. I got mine for $349 on sale at Tractor Supply.

That works!

You are correct that you will not be running your AC off of any of the battery options. The AGMs would meet your need for boondocking with the solar. The Lithium would be better, if it is in your budget. We camp for 4 to 8 weeks at a time and our solar and AGMs do fine. Occasionally we run our generator to recharge, but that is the exception. As JD mentions, you have not told us anything about location. Is your Cummins an inverter generator or just a generator (contractor type)? If it is just a generator please consider not using it for camping. Folks that use those very loud contractor generators are the most annoying people, whether it’s in a campground or boondocking at a dispersed area. Those generators are loud and obnoxious. Invest in a quiet inverter generator, your camping neighbors will thank you for it. If you are going to camp in hot, humid weather I would go with the AGMs and use the savings to get a quiet inverter generator. Mike

Warm here, too. We should also have cooler weather by months end. My son just sent me a picture from his back porch in Durango, he’s got the snow shovel out and it’s still coming down.

This is the best advice if you plan on AC use while boondocking. You can get a nice 2K Watt inverter generator for under $500 that will run the AC. We tend not to camp where the weather is hot/humid. We can take low humidity warm/hot weather by sitting outside with a breeze, but if there’s lots of humidity we move on. Mike

This what I used: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KV5WC4K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It’s not available now but the dimensions are listed.

We often carry a large plastic bin in the backseat area of the truck for extra clothes when we’re on an extended trip through different weather areas. Your Rebel has a cavernous back seat area, plenty of room to carry clothing that won’t fit in the trailer cubbies. Mike

Bill, congratulations on your order! Another Texas Oliver. Looking forward to meeting you out on the road. Mike

Looks great, good paint match!

If I remember correctly you get about 5 gallons of propane in a 20lb tank and 7 gallons in a 30lb tank. The 30 is heavier and is difficult for some folks to lift over the fiberglass enclosure when full. Also, with 20lb you can exchange them more easily than a 30lb. With the 30lb you generally have to find a place to fill it. We also carry a 20lb in the truck for our fire pit and as general backup. We’re happy with the 30s, but could live with 20s. Agree with Sherry, solar is what really matters. Mike

We have traveled extensively through out the southwest. Our 2016 has the 320W solar and 4 AGMs and has proven to be enough to keep up with our needs. When boondocking we do heat water for coffee on the cooktop but we do occasionally use the microwave. Also, Carol will use her blow dryer every few days. Our south west camping includes west TX, NM, AZ (north and south) southern CA (Joshua Tree) and southern UT. The only time I had to pull out the generator (2K Champion) recently was last fall (Oct ‘19) when we were camping at Grand Teton NP. We had a 3 or 4 day stretch of cold nights and very cloudy rainy days. Furnace ran all night and the solar never fully charged our batteries. I don’t think that is something you will encounter in the southwest. Plenty of sun in AZ! We’ll be there the month of January into February. We spent last January in NM and AZ and had no issues with our solar keeping up. Mike

Better sound. Replacing the standard speakers with an upgraded model should result in crisper highs and less muddled midrange, especially with a two way speaker. I looked at adding a subwoofer in the space under the street side bed where my Blue Sky solar controller is. There is a subwoofer out connection on the back of the Furrion. Other projects took priority and we’ve been okay with the sound from the standard Jensens. They can get a little boomie and muddled sometimes, depending on what we’re listening to. I don’t like the placement of the speakers at the bathroom end, one pointing forward and one pointing down. Mike

We have been making our way around the National Parks and Monuments and enjoy camping there. A lot of NP/NM campgrounds have no hookups. At those locations we relied on our solar, 4 AGMs and inverter. It was also nice to have the larger propane tanks for the furnace, hot water and cook top. If you were going to camp at FHU sites those options are much less important. Mike