Batterys

[brian23]

I am a new to this, my wife and I love to camp and recently purchased a Coleman pop up camper.  The question I have is What is the battery actually used for? someone told us to keep the frig cold while transporting, right /wrong what else?  Thanks

[Billy Bob]

YES it will help keep a already cold frig cold while traveling but you need it for much more depending if your going to dry camp or not.

We could use more info on your PU like what year make and model. But for MOST PU everything is actually 12v power even when your plugged into shore power (120v). There is a converter that takes that shore power and converts it into 12v power to run the lights, power the blower on a furnace if you have one and also to power a propane leak detector if you have one. Not to mention if your PU has brakes, a 12v battery also will set up the break away brakes if the PU becomes unhitched while traveling.

[brian23]

YES it will help keep a already cold frig cold while traveling but you need it for much more depending if your going to dry camp or not.

We could use more info on your PU like what year make and model. But for MOST PU everything is actually 12v power even when your plugged into shore power (120v).


    Sorry , it is a 97 Coleman popup, with a single battery on it now. I bought it from my father in law and he never used the battery and had no idea how to use it.

[Tim5055]

Here are a couple of questions and answers from my Pop Up Camping  Frequently Asked Questions Web Page.  I have edited them to more directly address your question.  Lots more detailed information is there for you and your new to you pop up.

I am looking for a new (used) pop-up, do I need a battery?

That depends on a couple of factors, like does your pop-up have electric brakes and where you are going to camp.  If your pop-up has electric brakes, yes you need a battery in order for the break away switch to work correctly.  Should your pop-up inadvertently disconnect from the tow vehicle while towing, the break away switch will engage the trailer brakes to stop it.  That is provided you have a battery on the pop-up to power the brakes.  See how that works.  As to the second issue, if you are only going to camp in campgrounds that provide electric service at the campsite, a battery is not needed.  But should you decide to dry camp, you will need a battery to power such items as the interior lights (fuel lanterns are not recommended for use in a pop-up), water pump, heater blower, or radio.

What is "Dry Camping"?

The term "dry camping" refers to camping without utility hookups. Your pop-up must be self supporting.  You use your battery(ies) for electric and bring water to the camper in bottles as needed.  Dry camping can take place in either a developed campground which does not have utility hookups or in a remote area such as a National Forest.  

We do most of our camping "dry" in National Forest areas.  You need to worry about your LP gas supply, water supply and electricity.

I'll address the LP gas first. Using it for just hot water, refrigerator and cooking, During warmer months you shouldn't need to worry about a second tank for periods up to around a week. When the weather begins to turn cold and you run the furnace, then you may want a second tank along.

As to the electricity,  your battery will be powering your fan, lights, water pump and any other 12v electric item You will probably only get 2 to 3 days out of a single battery.  Most Pop-ups are supplied with 1 Group 24 battery which will give you 70 - 85 amp hours. I recommend getting a second battery if you are going to go the "dry" route most of the time. If you have space, go for a Group 27 RV deep cycle (not deep cycle/starting marine) batteries. The Group 27 will supply 85 - 105 amp hours.

How long will they last?, You could sit with pencil & paper, figuring the draw of all of your items, compared with the amp hours available in your battery(ies), but this would never be exact due to the many variables (how long/how many lights are on, how long you use the water pump and so on.  What I would suggest is setting your pop-upas you intend to use it and then going to a campground that supplies electric for 3 - 4 days. Do not plug in, just run off battery. See how you do for 4 days.

[tlhdoc]

Welcome to PUT Brian!

I hope you enjoy PU camping.  If the battery was never used it may not be good anymore.  You probably will need to get a new one.  Tim's pages have a lot of great information.