Gas Generator, Wind Generator, or Solar Panel for your RV

One of the hardest decisions I had to make was what kind of generator to use to recharge my batteries. Would I purchase enough solar panels to recharge them, a wind generator, or get a gasoline generator. I really liked the idea of free charging just by parking the home in the sun or rasing up a wind generator. This is definitely the green solution. However, as a frugal vagabond, this was a costly option. Then i priced generators and realized, they were all cost;y options. Seems like each was going to cost about $1000.

Wind, solar, or gasoline?
While the wind generator was a reasonable cost, a pole to raise it up was more than the generator. The other problem with wind generators is that they aren't very efficient when camping in the forest so I decided to forgo one for now. I also like to park underneath the shade trees in the forest so there would be areas without enough sun to charge my batteries. There is a work around for that by making the solar panel portable so I decided to look at both a solar panel and a gasoline generator.

Power requirements
On the positive side, I don't use much electricity anyway(15amps a day) which makes solar panels a definite possibility. My stays are usually 14 days and my batteries are 300 amps. So to stay in the 50% range, I will need to recharge after 10 days. Or rather I need to generate 60 extra amps of power in 14 days. That is only an extra 4 amps a day. I also don't need to run a generator when boondocking to power my accessories. I just do without anything that is a power hog on the 12 volt circuit. So, my generator is used to recharge my batteries. I don't have to run it often but when I do, I  can use a few appliances at the same time.

Solar Panels
As I mentioned earlier, the main drawback for me in using solar panels is that I camp in places underneath the trees. I can get around this by making the Solar Panel portable and I did just that with my one solar panel. Sometimes, that doesn't even work very well where I camp. Since I use very little power every day, the panel will more than keep up when it is in the sun. So, as a frugal vagabond, I certainly advocate being conservative with your power requirements. It makes it so much easier to provide for them. A 50 watt panel will give me 4amps over an average of 5 hours of sun which keeps ahead of my 15 amps a day. Don't forget, you can always add more panels later if you find you need more power.

Gasoline Generator
The 2000 watt Honda or Yamaha generator is what I recommend for the following reasons. I don't use my air conditioner unless I am plugged into shore power so I don't need a bigger one to power it. These two generators are very quiet but expect to pay a premium( $900) for their advantages. The 2000 watt generator and a 45amp charger will charge my ( 50% discharged ) batteries in about 3.5 hours. The generator will run for 9 hours on one gallon of gas so it is very economical to run it.  It is also a backup for battery failure and if I decide to boondock longer.

So I recommend a solar panel and a small generator as a backup if you are doing frugal boondocking. The solar panel works to keep me charged most of the time but the generator saves the day when the sun isn't shining or I am in  the deep forest. I also have a backup if the batteries fail.

Batteries are the heart of the RV

Unless you only have one battery, few people want to spend the money to just completely replace all their batteries at the same time. But just like with a used car, you need to monitor the health of your batteries to keep from losing power while boondocking. At some point before batteries fail, you will want to replace them. Keeping the batteries in separate banks with a switch between them means you can replace the batteries only in the bank that fails saving you money. You can even use 12 volts in one bank and 6 volts in another making the combinations virtually endless.

Replacement
If you add more batteries, you will need space to store them in your battery box. You also have to take into account the added weight of any additional batteries. Don't forget when living the simple life, it is best to minimize your need for power instead of complicating your life with more things that fail. Two 12 volt batteries will supply a reasonable amount of power for boondocking. If one of the 12 volts fail, you can still have power from the other one. When replacing your batteries, select the same type or a slightly larger size. It will be the simplest way without having to make any more changes in your power system.

6 volt batteries
A golf cart style battery only provides 6 volts in about the same size package as a 12 volt. The increased space makes them a better battery but you will need more batteries. Two 6 volt batteries will supply about the same amps but if one 6 volt fails you are left without any power. So consider 6 volt batteries as half a battery and you will need two full batteries in case one fails. This means it takes four 6 volt batteries as a minimum. Most setups don't have enough space for those. If you have space and money, go for the 6 volts. If you have a monstrous RV, you aren't living the simple life anyway.

Things you need to know
Your system should include two 12 volts, four 6 volts, or possibly for the adventurous, two 6 volts and a 12 volt separated into two banks with a switch. There are a few rules to follow when wiring up batteries so you need to learn them or let someone else do it. Remember equal cable lengths, and don't wire house power to both terminals on one battery. It needs to be separated across the bank of batteries. See the diagrams. It is best to take a fuel efficient generator along with you.

A boondocking trip across the Southwest States

There are many places in the US for dry camping or boondocking. Places to camp for free but do not have services so your RV must be self contained with its own toilet, electricity, and water. The long term places( at least 14 days) are usually found on some kind of public property like BLM land, forests, or grasslands. For short stays, you can find overnight camping in many places like rest areas, businesses, and even multiple days in city campgrounds. Some of the city campgrounds may even include services.

Across the southwest to the LTVA sites.
My plans are simple. I started with the criteria that each site much be no more than 200 miles part and allow camping for at least 14 days. Every 14 days, I plan to stay at a campsite with services so I can recharge my batteries, fill my water tanks, dump my holding tanks, and take that all important long hot shower. So, I spend no more than 4 days in a paid campsite every 2 months. By the way, the forest service does have some really reasonable campsites for a low fee that includes electric, water, and hot showers. Each excursion is planned for two months which includes 4 stops.

This group of 2 month excursions will take you from the Oklahoma panhandle all the way to the LTVA sites near California. Of course, you can stay less at each site and take less time for the total trip.

1. The Grassland Excursion

2. Northern New Mexico

3. Western New Mexico

4. Eastern Arizona

5. LTVA

Vagabonds make many friends

The life of a vagabond takes him to many new places throughout the year. With each new place comes the opportunity to meet new friends. All you have to do is be friendly and say hello. People are always wanting to find out where you have traveled and where you are going. They are curious about good spots you have found they may be interested in exploring. Since you met them at this place, changes are good they like the same kind of spots you do. So, you get a chance to make connections all over the country and with each connection a chance to reconnect somewhere down the road.

Extended family on the road
You can develop quite an extended family being a vagabond. This happens because you start enjoying the conversation and soon several people are wondering aloud if they is a mutual destination that appeals to the group. Soon, you have a caravan of sorts traveling around together. The core group stays together and various individuals join for a time then move on. It can be fun getting to know the various personalities while listening to their life stories. As an individual, I tend to move throughout the whole traveling group but couples will latch on to a group and become their own family.

Vagabonding is about experiences
The things in life that you get to live over again by thinking about them are what makes life special. These experiences are what define us and make vagabonding so much fun. Each day brings a new experience and each move brings a whole new set. Life is meant to be lived and the opportunities to do just that on the road are enormous. The advantage being found in relocating if the current area doesn't make you happy. So, if you are ready to find those rich experiences that define your life, try vagabonding, the life is full of them.

Vagabond excursions through boondocking

When I am vagabonding, I make plans to stay in one area of the country for at least 2 months so I can minimize the driving time. This also saves gas and allows me to explore the area. Since most free campgrounds come with a 14 day limit, I plan 4 separate areas to camp in for those two months. At the end of the 14 day boondocking, I stay in an improved campground with full services. This one day and night gives me time to take a couple of nice long hot showers, recharge my batteries, and refill my water tanks before heading out to the next campsite. I try and  find one close to the next boondocking site so I am not hauling water all over the country.

Here are 3 examples of my 4 x2 week excursions. Each one contains 4 places for boondocking in the same area. Click on the photo to see more information.

Northern Arizona and Utah
See the grand canyon and the wonderful sites of southwestern Utah

Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi
Take a leisurely trip through the south to do some canoeing, hiking, and fishing.

Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina
Enjoy the mountains with a side trip to the Smoky Mountains National Park

Making money as a vagabond

It is fall again and this reminds of Christmas jobs to support the vagabond lifestyle. As a vagabond, you have to decide which type of work appeals to you. Some like to work along the way wherever they are at the time. Each month they make what they will need for the next months food, lodging, etc. Others, like to work hard for a couple of months and take the rest of the year to just enjoy life. I fall into the latter group ao when I work, I like to work and get it over with because I can plan my budget from that income. It doesn't mean that I don't work the rest of the year because I will trade services for lodging or pick up some extra work to pay for repairs or replacements.

Money making in the fall
If you don't mind hard work, one of the best places to work for people with an RV is one of the three Amazon warehouses. They need a lot of people during the last 4 months of the year and you can do very well there. It is hard work but if you are capable of doing the work, you can get around $10 an hour with a lot of overtime. They will also pay for you to stay at a campsite while you work which is an added benefit. Their warehouses are located in Coffeyville, Kansas, Campbellsville, Kentucky, and Fernley, Nevada. This is a great opportunity in the fall to fill up the coffers for more vagabonding next year.

Christmas Help
Amazon isn't the only one to add extra help during Christmas so look around where you are at for those extras Xmas jobs. If you are doing affiliate marketing online, get those Christmas pages done. For those who are selling T-shirts and other printed gifts, roll out those Christmas designs for the early shoppers. And those that are close to an urban area, don that Santa suit for entertaining the children while you earn. If you want to make money this fall, it is time to get started because the season is here.