RE: Can you .....

[JemJen24]

 
Run the A/C when dry camping? If so, how?  Do you use a small generator?  When does the battery come into play and how long will a charged battery operate the lights and a few appliances?

[tlhdoc]

 JemJen24
You can only run AC when dry camping if you have a generator that has enough power to run it.  The real small ones don t.  The battery does not come into to play.  The battery is 12 volt DC and the generator runs on AC power.  As far as how long the battery will work lights and a few appliances, it depends on what the appliances are.  Some will drain a battery in less than an hour.

[Tim5055]

 JemJen24
We have done this once.  Tracy is correct, it takes a fairly large generator to run the A/C.
 
 As far as the battery goes, just think that any device that " creates heat"  is going to drain the battery fairly quickly.  The worst offenders are things like 12v coffee pots, 12v hair dryers and the like.
 
 If you switch one or more of your lights from incandescent to flourescent you will save power and lenghten your dry camping time available.
 
 [link=http://www.title-3.com/DryCamping.htm]Dry Camping[/link]