Need Help with Purchase

[Clayrn]

Me and my wife are looking to purchase a travel trailer. We have never owned before but love to camp in the mountains. Her family is buying some land in the mountains (N.C) as well. There will be an oportunity for electric and water hookup but not immediately. I want to buy a nice camper that sleeps 4-6, tows easy, etc. I have been looking at the TM, however I feel like I will not have immediate access to power, so I need to know what if anything (lights, refrig, etc) will run off battery and if the TM come with LP generators, etc. Any help toward the right first purchase would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Bill]

Almost everything can run from either battery power or propane. The big exceptions are the air conditioner and a microwave if you have one.

12-volt and/or propane-capable appliances include refrig, stove and oven, all lights, water pump, water heater, furnace, radio, and toilet.

Propane is easy to carry to your site, of course, but you will need some way to recharge the battery. A couple solar panels is a nice idea for a fixed installation, assuming you have a sunny spot to put the panels in. A small generator (like a Honda EU1000i) is also a good idea. If you want to run the air conditioner, you will need a bigger generator. Some people have found that a Honda EU2000i will run the airco - some have found that it will not, and suggest either a pair of EU2000i or a slightly bigger gen such as the Yamaha 2400. For a private location such as you describe, you can also use a homeowner-contractor grade generator, but they are noisy enough that you shouldn't plan to bring it along when you hit the road to some real campgrounds.

Bill

 

[Joe-TMO]

The lights are 12 volt and run off the battery. The refrigerator will run from 12 volt DC, 120 volt AC, and LP gas. The water pump and toilet also are 12 Volt.
The limiting factor is the charge on the battery. If you are really conservative and only turn on the lights 'when you want to see something' you can probably run 3 or 4 days before the battery will be discharged. The other limiting factors will be your water supply and the need to dump your waste water.

 

[tahoenge]

We bought our 2000 3023 this summer and love it. We added one small portable solar panel (it's about 1'x4', sorry don't know the details) and found we never needed the 2nd battery. We ran lights, toilet and my laptop.
On the sleeping arrangements, usually it is just my husband and myself but have also camped with my son, his wife and their two small children for up to a week. It is a little bit of a dance first thing in the morning, and eventually we will put the little kids in their own tent, but it works for us.
We tow with a 2006 Ford Explorer with a weigh stabilizer hitch, and it's like the trailer is barely there.
good luck!
nancy