Boondocking questions

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AnthonyRM
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Boondocking questions

My wife and I will be picking up our Scamp 13 footer in the summer. This will be our first experience with a camper. We have both been active campers over the years, backpacking, bicycle camping, motorcycle camping, and more recently car camping. So we have been moving towards more comfort as the years pass. We are ready for a camper, but still wish to maintain a level of solitude found with camping. We have ordered a 13 footer because it is small, easily transported and can be used in more remote tenting areas. We have ordered the dual propane tanks and larger group 27 battery pack. We also intend to use our battery Coleman lamps which shed an enormous amount of light in our tent, and our last tent is actually larger than the camper! I have been reading posts about solar arrays, generators, shore power, which is not at this time, what we are looking for. We intend to cook and wash dishes outside whenever possible. My question is, when boondocking, where will we actually need electricity. There is no bathroom or shower. I assume the water pump for the sink will use some electricity when we use it.  Am I correct in understanding that the 4.6  cubic foot refrigerator that comes with the camper will be charging from the car when we are traveling? I wasn't aware of that but read it in a recent post. At any rate, I would prefer to use it in gas mode. Is there a pilot light on the stove that will need electricity? Similarly, is there one on the gas heater and refrigerator that will use electricity? We have a cabin in northern Vermont, and all of the gas appliances run independent of electricity, which is a nice feature when the power goes out. I was assuming the camper will also. Am I correct? So, if we have plenty of propane and propane runs the heater, stove, and refrigerator, and we use battery lamps and we don't turn on the Fantastic fan, or whatever fan Scamp installs, where will we be using electricity? Thanks to all who might enlighten me! This post was not intended to be this long!! Anthony. 

mk evenson
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Boondocking

Anthony, I believe that the 13' Scamp comes with a 1.9cu ft ice box but can be upgraded to a 1.9 cf fridge. The 4.6 cu ft does not appear to be avail in the 13' Scamp.

I too will be getting my new Scamp this year and your questions are helpful. I have read the answers to your questions on these forums, can't remember the answers or the posts and might suggest a search. I am sure you will get all the answers soon.

Mark

Thanks for making us feel so welcome.
If you have a choice, Please buy, "Made in America"

AnthonyRM
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Boondocking

Mark, yes, you are correct. We ordered the camper with the 1.9 cubic foot refrigerator. 

Anthony Memoli

mk evenson
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Scamp manuals

Anthony, I just reviewed the Scamp manuals @Scamptrailers.com.

http://www.scamptrailers.com/ask-scamp/owners-manuals.html

These video manuals go over all the questions you asked above, I believe. Good Sunday afternoon viewing!

Mark

Thanks for making us feel so welcome.
If you have a choice, Please buy, "Made in America"

Scamper Campers
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Power

My wife and I camp a lot without shore power.  We have a 2016 13' Std. with a big bed.  We have an icebox, no bath, furnace, and dual tanks.  When we know that there may be a time when we need power.  I have a small 4 cycle generator that we carry in the bed of our Frontier along with extra gasoline.  (We ordered a backsplash in our 13 and I'm glad we did, we cook inside.)  All the light bulbs in the interior are LED.

We have owned 2 older Scamps, one of them had a dead refrigerator, the other had a poorly installed small dorm refrigerator.  For us, simplest is best.

 

Bob H.  one of the Scamper Campers

AnthonyRM
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Power

Thanks Bob. We thought about getting the ice box but opted for the refrigerator.

Anthony Memoli

AnthonyRM
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Scamp manuals

Thanks Mark! Much appreciated. Looks like we are both on a learning curve with our new Scamps.

Anthony Memoli

AnthonyRM
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Gas furnace fan draw!

In  viewing the videos forwarded in Mark's post, I see that when the furnace is on, there is also a fan in use. Does anyone know how long the heater can be used when not hooked up to a power source before draining the batteries? If boondocking, how many nights can the furnace be used? Thanks. Anthony

Anthony Memoli

ELongest
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Depends

Depends on temp., furnace duty cycle and battery capacity. The NT 16 SE furnace draws about 2.3 Amps. (10 Hours of continuously running =23 Amp hours) . WAG: One maybe two nights without charging your battery and that depends on other loads.

Eddie

AnthonyRM
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Depends

Thanks for the info Eddie. That is not a long time if you are out for a few nights, Then we get back into a noisy generator to recharge the batteries. It seems to me that this is a design flaw and that you should be able to use the heater without the fan and thus no electricity. In our Vermont cabin, we have an on demand heating/water system which requires electricity, but we also have an Empire propane heater that runs totally independent of electricity in the event the power is out. On that system there is a blower if I wanted to use it (requiring electricity), or it runs without the blower (no electricity needed). There is a wire from the heater to a thermostat on the other side of the room. If the main system goes down and the temperature drops to a predetermined setting, the propane heater turns on, raises the temperature back to the predetermined setting and then shuts down, all without electricity. The blower is totally unnecessary and I do not use it. This unit heats a three floor structure without electricity. It seems to me that Scamp could use the same design. Why do you need a blower for a camper that is 10' long and 6'6" wide? Anthony

Anthony Memoli

RocheACri woods
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Power users

I'm a newbie myself and have had my 13 foot, front bunk, option package with added fan and 12V outlet, for about 6 weeks. When I chose options, I was going for somewhat of a "glorified tent" version of the Scamp.

Here's what I know. You light the stove yourself, no electric needed. As far as my digging into the 1.9 cu. ft. Dometic refrigerator owner's manual went, I don't think it has a thermostat controlled by electricity. (It doesn't explicitly say.) I don't have an electric pump for the sink, only the manual one, nor do I have a water heater, so I can't comment at all on those. I also don't have a furnace, but I think they have a fan and thermostat that would require electricity. Others will know for sure. So in my one-step-up-from-basic Scamp my lights, fan, and whatever I have plugged into the 12V outlet (charging phone etc.) are what take 12 volt power. The stove and refrigerator are what use propane. The fridge will use DC when driving only.

OK, I've exhausted my limited knowledge base. I'm sure the more seasoned Scamp owners will chime in and I'll learn more too. I hope you figure out the best configuration for your needs.

Sarah

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