Interior Camp Lighting W/O Hook-ups

[flyfisherman]

Obviously when camping where there's electrical hook-ups all those needs are met - but what about when dry camping ... especially way out in the boonies, what do you do then?

One of the major objectives of my downsizing awhile back was to return to "traveling light" - did not want to be encumbered with a lot on non-essentials, but alas ... it's a constant struggle!  I seem to discard some item that's not used very often only to have three newer ones to take up the space and add to the cargo weight ratio!  So my present Starcraft was a kind of a theme to a "return to basics" ... departing from all those amenities ... eh, non-essentials!

Not having to fool with a battery for the PU, the weight and the up-keep of the thing, was the first thing not to have.  What I did was to have the center pin of the 7-pin connector hot so that I can simply couple to the TV for the inside overhead lighting of the Starcraft (also, the exterior "patio light" works on this, too). Use the overhead lights only when really needed, like when having to eat inside because of weather - doing the dishes and such. I have one of those cheap (Wally-Mart ...$6.95) 4 D-cell table lamps with the diffused lamp shade that's a lot easier on the eyes when a lot of intense light is not required. Usually I will drive the TV every day so the battery gets charged up, however, I have gone three days or so without moving the truck and to date no problems with a low battery.

There has been so much development in lighting this past decade with the advancement of led lighting and all, thought I'd throw this out to see if anyone has some new, innovating ideas on boondock lighting.


Fly

['tiredTeacher]

Not having to fool with a battery for the PU, the weight and the up-keep of the thing, was the first thing not to have.Fly

I, too, spend most of my time in my Starcraft boondocking and try to keep things simple. I moved my tent camping gear over to the pup and called it done.
I'm just wondering why you consider a battery (or two, as in my case) to be too much weight and a maintenance hassle. Two batteries on the tongue added about 20lbs. to the tongue weight. I check them and top them up with distilled water once a year. The converter already on the pup serves as the battery charger, so there's no hassle there. Just plug the trailer in a day before you go anywhere. I do this to pre-chill my fridge anyway.
I've dry camped for days, even running the furnace without power "issues." I'd reconsider the option of having your electricity stored conveniently on the tongue.

[AustinBoston]

What I did was to have the center pin of the 7-pin connector hot so that I can simply couple to the TV for the inside overhead lighting of the Starcraft (also, the exterior "patio light" works on this, too)....Usually I will drive the TV every day so the battery gets charged up, however, I have gone three days or so without moving the truck and to date no problems with a low battery.

Your tow vehicle battery is not a deep cycle battery and it's usable life absolutely will be shortened by this use.  Drawing a starting battery down to 50% of full charge just four times could take years off it's life.

We don't dry camp very often, but for when we do, (and for setting up in the dark) we have a Coleman portable flourescent lamp that runs on 2 of the square 6 volt batteries.  In 7 years, I think we've been through two sets of batteries.  The rest of the time, we don't need that much light.

We also have a coleman propane lantern, but I don't know if we have ever used it when camping, so we seldom even bring it any more.

Austin

[kampingkoge]

I dry camp 90% of the time on property I own.  I have one deep cycle battery for the camper, and a portable jumpstart battery pack (with light/airpump/12volt/110volt outlets) I use for powering the tv/dvd and as a backup in case the main battery runs out of juice.  I even at times run the outside string lights on the portable battery pack. We also use the furnace (a lot at night/off during the day)  We conserve on lighting and water use (electric water pump).  We can usually get 2-3 days (2 nights) out of the batteries.  I am picking up a generator this spring as we plan to drycamp for longer times this summer and will require a re-charging of the batteries.

[chasd60]

We dry camp too. For some reason our batteries never go dead??
We have been camping for over a week and usually watch the tube for the late night news and weather. My grand daughter gets in a DVD before bed and we use the lights frequently and the water pump. I accidently left my outside light on one night and I'll be darned, the battery was still full the next night.
Sometimes I even sleep with the bunkend fan on all night.
 
 
All kidding aside I did see a guy at Seawall CG in Acadia NP that did exactly what you are doing. He had a small camper and was gone most of the day. He went in his camper to go to bed so he hooked the trailer connector to the TV and had lights for a little while.
 
I changed most of my insdie lights to 6" round flourescents. The dual bulb setup that came with the camper drew 1.4A per bulb or 2.8 per fixture. These draw between .4-.5A each.

[AustinBoston]

I changed most of my insdie lights to 6" round flourescents. The dual bulb setup that came with the camper drew 1.4A per bulb or 2.8 per fixture. These draw between .4-.5A each.

I'll bet they're a little brighter, too.  Are they?

Austin

[wavery]

We dry camp too. For some reason our batteries never go dead??
We have been camping for over a week and usually watch the tube for the late night news and weather. My grand daughter gets in a DVD before bed and we use the lights frequently and the water pump. I accidently left my outside light on one night and I'll be darned, the battery was still full the next night.
Sometimes I even sleep with the bunkend fan on all night.
 
 
All kidding aside I did see a guy at Seawall CG in Acadia NP that did exactly what you are doing. He had a small camper and was gone most of the day. He went in his camper to go to bed so he hooked the trailer connector to the TV and had lights for a little while.
 
I changed most of my insdie lights to 6" round flourescents. The dual bulb setup that came with the camper drew 1.4A per bulb or 2.8 per fixture. These draw between .4-.5A each.

I did the same thing on my boat. It made a big difference but we would be at sea for up to 60 days on one passage and frequently 2 weeks.

The light is more "Pleasant" than the lights currently in my PU also. I just can't justify the expense of changing over to florescent in my PU. I just don't have any problem with batteries (2- series) going dead, even on 3-4 day campouts and we are not stingy with electrical. We even run the microwave on the inverter occasionally.

[dkutz]

The converter already on the pup serves as the battery charger, so there's no hassle there. Just plug the trailer in a day before you go anywhere. I do this to pre-chill my fridge anyway.
I've dry camped for days, even running the furnace without power "issues." I'd reconsider the option of having your electricity stored conveniently on the tongue.

Is this true of all converters?  I just bought a 94 starcraft and have to replace the battery.  I didn't know it charged fro the converter, I thought only from the TV or a charger.

[wavery]

Is this true of all converters?  I just bought a 94 starcraft and have to replace the battery.  I didn't know it charged fro the converter, I thought only from the TV or a charger.

Not all converters will give the battery a good charge. Most earlier models only put out 12.5-13V (including my 2002 Coleman). That will only keep your battery at a minimal "maintenance level". You really need around 14v+ to put a good charge in the battery.

I would recommend getting yourself a battery charger with "Smart" charging capabilities. The size of the the charger is not important as you will probably charge at home, before you leave and can leave the charger on for over 24hrs if need be. It should be 6A or larger. If you will be using it in the campgrounds or with a generator, you may want to consider a 25A charger.

[chasd60]

I'll bet they're a little brighter, too. Are they?
 
Austin

Not yet, too cold out.

[chasd60]

I did the same thing on my boat. It made a big difference but we would be at sea for up to 60 days on one passage and frequently 2 weeks.
 
The light is more "Pleasant" than the lights currently in my PU also. I just can't justify the expense of changing over to florescent in my PU. I just don't have any problem with batteries (2- series) going dead, even on 3-4 day campouts and we are not stingy with electrical. We even run the microwave on the inverter occasionally.

Here at $15.50 each
http://www.kmtparts.com/catalog.asp?prodid=517703&showprevnext=1

[wavery]

Here at $15.50 each
http://www.kmtparts.com/catalog.asp?prodid=517703&showprevnext=1

Good score....If I were having power issues I would definitely get those. That's a great price.

Thanks for the link.. That's a handy store to know about. :sombraro:

[garym053]

Thanks for the website, Chas60!
I just ordered 3. I haven't had a problem with running out of power but figured why not go for it!
Now for LED lanterns for the picnic table!!!