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Post by Jason from CO on Feb 13, 2023 11:20:49 GMT -5
Hi all... We just bought a new Venture Stratus SR291VQB. We pick it up in March out of state and are going to camp our way back to Colorado.
We are looking forward to testing it out this year, learning it's quirks, and seeing how long we can boondock with it. We are planning an Alaska RV Adventure in 2024, so we will need some sort of Generator or Power Bank.
What do you all use? What are the pros and cons?
We are looking at a Jackery Power Bank and a 4500W Generator to charge batteries and run the AC. Any other recommendations would be helpful.
Jason
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Post by navylcdr on Feb 13, 2023 19:51:27 GMT -5
Why do you need the Jackery Power Bank? Why not use the batteries installed in the trailer?
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Post by earlelaine on Feb 15, 2023 11:21:49 GMT -5
!st you want a generator big enough to run at lease your smallest A/C whether it's a 13.5k BTU or a 15k BTU A/C. A generator that runs on both gas and propane would be icing on the cake. I asl would have some portable solar system or maybe one already on your rev's roof to keep the batteries charged. I was just at Harbor Freight last week and they are now selling the Jackery products. It's good to have several backup plans when your boondocking. On cloudy or raining days the solar won't charge your batteries, but having the generator will. With their generator you will use at lease 1 gallon of gas in 8 hours so if you run out of gas you can use your propane from your trailer as backup. We were not boon docking and there was an earthquake in California that required the city to shut the electric grid down for 8 hours for repairs. Our RV Park had no power for several hours and it was hot out, it was a good thing having the generator with us. The Jackery solar generator would duplicate what you would already have Solor and a generator. The Jackery is handy though. You can keep it locked down in the bed of the truck expose to the sun to stay fully changed and connect your rv to it when needed.I'm thinking connect with a 20amp plug depending on how big or how many watts the Jackery is. At lease you don't have to feed it gas or propane just the sun.
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Post by navylcdr on Feb 15, 2023 17:07:39 GMT -5
It's hard to believe that people still, even today, live without air conditioning.
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Post by earlelaine on Feb 15, 2023 18:54:42 GMT -5
We could not live without A/C, my wife sleeps with a ceiling and 2 tower fans and that its just the bedroom.
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Post by Jason from CO on Feb 25, 2023 0:59:22 GMT -5
Why do you need the Jackery Power Bank? Why not use the batteries installed in the trailer? I am looking for when we boondock. I need access to my computer for my business and will be able to work while we are travelling. It may be overkill, but I can have my business pay for it too.
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Post by Jason from CO on Feb 25, 2023 1:01:36 GMT -5
!st you want a generator big enough to run at lease your smallest A/C whether it's a 13.5k BTU or a 15k BTU A/C. A generator that runs on both gas and propane would be icing on the cake. I asl would have some portable solar system or maybe one already on your rev's roof to keep the batteries charged. I was just at Harbor Freight last week and they are now selling the Jackery products. It's good to have several backup plans when your boondocking. On cloudy or raining days the solar won't charge your batteries, but having the generator will. With their generator you will use at lease 1 gallon of gas in 8 hours so if you run out of gas you can use your propane from your trailer as backup. We were not boon docking and there was an earthquake in California that required the city to shut the electric grid down for 8 hours for repairs. Our RV Park had no power for several hours and it was hot out, it was a good thing having the generator with us. The Jackery solar generator would duplicate what you would already have Solor and a generator. The Jackery is handy though. You can keep it locked down in the bed of the truck expose to the sun to stay fully changed and connect your rv to it when needed.I'm thinking connect with a 20amp plug depending on how big or how many watts the Jackery is. At lease you don't have to feed it gas or propane just the sun. Thank you for the recommendations. I settled on a Cummings Onan 4500w generator. I am still looking at Jackery's as well, but we are off to a good start. Jason
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Post by WrkrBee on Feb 25, 2023 8:56:03 GMT -5
Hi all... We just bought a new Venture Stratus SR291VQB. We pick it up in March out of state and are going to camp our way back to Colorado. Welcome to the Forum from South Carolina.
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Post by earlelaine on Feb 25, 2023 9:35:23 GMT -5
Jason, if you are going to Alaska you will need more than a generator.You might want to have a 2nd spare tire, I hear some of the roads are brutal and some take a 2nd spare tire because there may not be any services for hundreds of miles, take extra fuel too.
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Post by Jason from CO on Feb 25, 2023 10:37:04 GMT -5
Thank you all for the kind words of welcome. I always appreciate the advice and direction. We are just beginning to plan our needs for Alaska. I have been there many times, but I have only flown there and driven around Alaska. This would be our first time driving up and having our own camper there. We are buying spare tires, as well as a laundry list of other items. This summer, we get to test everything out before we begin the reservations and planning. Maybe I will start a thread about my planning for the trip to AK.
We are having to put off our trailer pick up by a couple of weeks because of weather in Salt Lake City (10"-12" of snow forecast).
Jason
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Post by WrkrBee on Feb 25, 2023 13:45:45 GMT -5
Make sure you have a good jack with enough stroke to lift the camper tire high enough to clear the ground when inflated. I now have a Northern Tool 6 ton bottle jack with a double ram.
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Post by Jason from CO on Feb 28, 2023 9:48:30 GMT -5
Make sure you have a good jack with enough stroke to lift the camper tire high enough to clear the ground when inflated. I now have a Northern Tool 6 ton bottle jack with a double ram. Thank you for that recommendation. I will look into the jack that you have.
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Post by navylcdr on Feb 28, 2023 13:14:12 GMT -5
Also a rechargeable battery powered tire inflator is really nice to have. I have the Black and Decker Matrix system - Drill, light, and air compressor that all take the same batteries.
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bobw
Weekender RV’er
Posts: 94
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Post by bobw on Mar 6, 2023 22:58:29 GMT -5
We've talked about an Alaska trip in 2024 with some camping buddies. My advice is that once you have your route picked out, drive the route on google maps satellite view to see what you are getting into.
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Post by earlelaine on Mar 7, 2023 11:21:53 GMT -5
Jason, If you are still looking at the power banks I would look at the Bluetti to compare to Jackery. I have done all the research on small power banks and all the info points toward the Bluetti Power Bank. If you go to their website their price is cheaper than Amazon. I like the fact you can just lay your iPhone on top and it auto chargers. You can plug a solar system into the power bank to charge it to, you can plug the Bluetti into your car's cigarette 12v plug and your car will charge the Bluetti. It's light weight and it's 7X7X10.
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