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Date Created:
April 4, 2008
Category:
Regional, Places & Travel »
RV Travel
Group Type:
Public

Camping

We're now a growing group of campers, tenters, rv'ers, and people who just like to get away from most of it. We're all pretty much interested in where you've camped, what your rig is and better yet - how you enjoyed your stays. So, if you want to talk about your RV-ing experiences, tenting, journeys cross country by motorcycle, or even about the weather when it's just too cold to de-winterize your camp or RV then this will be the place to be. Drop in relive your experiences, ask questions or merely throw a cyberlog on the bonfire of friendships.

Group Forum (22)

Joining The Group — Last Post on May 1, 2008 10:20 PM EST by uafnanook2001

It's Spring and I think I saw the future... — Last Post on April 30, 2008 03:26 PM EST by cowgirldust

First Trip of the Season — Last Post on April 28, 2008 09:26 PM EST by nikintx

First camping Trip — Last Post on April 18, 2008 08:50 PM EST by Frozenoem

I'm alive and now back to the programming... Keeping connected — Last Post on April 14, 2008 12:00 PM EST by Frozenoem

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Group Journals (2)

 

 

 

 

     It’s a fact fuels increasing, electricity costs are rising, and I’m just wondering what alternative’s you’re starting to use or have used. 

    Thus far - for me it’s been diesel, bio-diesel a combination of diesel and vegetable oils, and recovered FREE old fryolator grease. That’s sent me off on a search for finding the  perfect fuel that I can afford to fill my tanks with. Both of my vehicies are diesel for extended use. I have a 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 TDI 1 ton pickup (actually 3/4 Ton with a 1-ton chassis) fuel mileage off the dealers lot  in 1999 was 19 mpg in the dead of winter
@ -20º F’. Since then I’ve put around 180,000 miles on it - hauling firewood, my old 4x4 Raider, moving trailers, truck campers weighing 2800 lb’s, and a couple of travel trailers with maybe 1 mpg in fuel loss towing anything. Max fuel economy is 29mpg with a truck camper in the bed and the A/C running in rushhour DC traffic at 100º degrees in the summer.

     My DW and I also have a 2006 VW Jetta TDI -  with around 41,000 miles on it. That’s been a daily commuter since NEW, straight off the lot mileage was 50mpg, that increased by 2-5 mpg using Biodiesel or either fuel can get us up to 58 mpg gallon in the summer. Diesels love hot and warm (above 60º F)  temperatures.

    I’ve pretty much always expected the cost of fuel to increase and have always been researching what to do when - and do you think it’ll help or hurt the environment. I’m odd that way and the same way with computer recycling.

     Next, bit of joy - I love to camp and also have owned several RV’s in my life. If you’ve ever wanted to figure out what you can live without, and how to conserve energy try to go off in the woods without hookups no water from the tap (unless you have holding tanks) no AC or DC unless it’s off your inverter, or deep-cycle batteries and 12V power supply, or propane for heat, hot water, refrigeration and cooking. You also become very used to the 5-minutr shower with a 6-gallon hot water heater or turning off the water between wash and rinse cycles.

     You soon learn how much that furnace and the fan to spread the heat around consumes.

     You also learn how to conserve the propane and keep your  MooseTracks frozen in the refrigerator/freezer (battery operated indoor/outdoor thermometers) are great for really knowing what that setting of 2 to 5 really is . 
  
    Running your battery charging system off solar panels on the roof for FREE energy, small wind turbines if in a 15 or more mph wind area, or even using that smelly gasoline or propane generator.

    I bought a camp/seasonal home in 2005 - and I’ve been bringing the lessons learned from camping to my camp. Solar and if needed generator for topping batteries on cloudy days. Propane lighting, refrigeration, cooking, water heating, etc. 12Volt lighting for summer (flourescent and led fixtures), Ceiling fans, Drip coffee makers, etc. AC for TV powered by inverter.
    The Wiring is pre-planned, pre-wired box for truck battery12 Volt for the eventual  solar array which will eventually be converted to 24V for a wider array of appliances, and because at 24V I can increase the distance between my solar panels and the camp.
For now it’s one solar panel and a 400 Watt inverter to keep the AC fan going and the cell and TV’s recharged (the one panel ,inverter and battery is a great little unit and cost new $150. 
    And for the A/C side of tings it’s a pre-wired two circuit 30amp generator - that can be increased to 60Amp service., with more circuits. For the eventual usage of inverter for the solar panels from the DC side. The joy of my insurance company says I require my 12V accessories wired as if I were using 220V outlets. So, it’’s separate circuits, separate boxes and a converter/cut-off swith like in an RV for switching between AC and DC circuits or power.

    Major reasons being if you want peace and quiet with no noise or just want to take a ride in your boat - you seek out a place miles from the general population, gated access is great, no electricity, no telephone, no year-round water - just Paradise, Moose and Loons in the Boonies.

    If you live in a camp without  electricity here - your alternative lighting,cooking and refrigeration can be propane like an RV. Or Battery - powered either 12V DC or AC lighting through Solar, Generator or Inverters. And the all important it grows most anywhere Wood for heat - much as I use in my home, because of oil prices it’s just less costly , nicer to look at, and a heckuva lot warmer.

     I also have to admit if I’m disappearing for awhile I have the dreaded oil furnace for heat AND hot water. It’s a really great thing to know that Diesel is #2 or #3 Home heating oil just with a red dye added to say you haven’t paid a road tax on it), It’s also Off-road diesel. Now, the nice and terrible thing about oil furnaces is the cost last winter in Maine I was paying $3.89 per gallon, times a 250 gallon tank. Try filling an oil tank once in awhile for real joy in the midst of the winter, $389 for 100 gallons every month - Really Joyous.

   Back to oil furnaces - if Diesel is Home heatingOil, then you kinda have to think about BioDiesel a combination of old/new style clean diesel AND really clean burning (Filtered soybean or Grease) ala a Fryolator - think French Fries, Cannoli’s, etc. Or straight biodiesel without the use of Diesel fuel added, called B-100 (pure biofuel). 

   Now, remember my truck and car - they also can run on the bio-diesel which I can make
using fryolator grease and filters, or buy pre-made anywhere in the country - in varying amounts of B5 or B-10 a winter time blend of 5 or 10% soybeans or grease to 95 or 90 % diesel. All the way up to pure B-100 or 100% biodiesel.

   The real joy in my  life when running on Bio-Diesel is you don’t smell like your stuck behind a semi- or an old City bus - my exhaust smells like anything from French Fries, Cannoli’s, or Doughnuts. That could be why I’ve always enjoyed Fried foods. 

Last little bit - If I did this journal right you should be able to tell me what you're doing to survive the cost of fuel = gas, diesel, electric, or hybrids.
And if your campers has it affected or do you expect it to keep you from traveling as much -

personally , it won't as long as I can get around 750 miles more or less in the truck or car.