With
all the boondocking I've been doing, I have been using my Honda 2000
generator daily, which did the job for me. But, I had to take it out
of the truck box, haul it to the back of the 5th
wheel, gas it up and yank on the cord a few times to get it to start.
I had to have smelly gas cans in the back of the truck. When I was
done, had to get it back up on the truck tailgate and back to the
truck box to get it in there. Not much fun. Plus, I had to listen
to the noise for an hour or so every day.
I
met a solo female Rver in Yuma last month. She had just bought a
solar panel kit in Quartzsite, Arizona - 160 watts, 2 panels on a
hinge with brackets to stand it up. It came in a nylon zipper bag,
complete with controller. She was happy with it. I saw her again
near Thermal, California a few weeks ago and we discussed solar
again, among other things.
When
I got here in Quartzsite, I visited the two solar panel shops. I
decided on a similar unit, but only 120 watts, with a digital
controller that tells me battery level, how much is being input and
how much my rig is drawing. It's a little smaller than the one my
friend had, and mine came with a molded case, which gives it a little
more protection than the fabric bag.
I've
been using it almost a week now. I leave it where it will get the
most sun, usually full sun by 11 AM. By about 3 or 4 o'clock, my
controller is telling me that the battery is full. I bought a little
inverter so I can charge my camera batteries, computer and phone. I
could even watch TV if I wanted to. I don't worry about lights being
on and I can listen to the stereo as much as I want now. As a bonus, I don't have to listen to a generator making noise!
There's
only one thing I have not gotten used to with boondocking. When I
fix a meal and I need to warm something up, sometimes I forget I'm
not connected. I have it all on a plate, ready to go in the
microwave and raise my hand to open the door and notice the screen is
blank – no power. Oh, yeah. I didn't get an inverter large enough
for that, which is fine with me. I lived on a boat for 10 years with
no microwave, and I got along fine without it all that time, but I've
been spoiled living on land again.
Meanwhile,
I've been enjoying boondocking and the quiet since I
don't
have the generator on anymore.
