43 replies to this topic

[cwdtmmrs]

I carry a very small Honda EX350 "lunch box" generator just in case I need to charge a dead battery or supplement the house battery. It only weighs 17 pounds and  is extremely quiet. Put it in a Styrofoam ice chest and you couldn't find it 20 feet away. It won't run an A/C, but will run everything in my camper. I have only used it once.

 

CWD

 

PS. If you can drive there, you aren't really in the "wilderness". 

[Wallowa]

 

 

PS. If you can drive there, you aren't really in the "wilderness". 

 

Correct...I travel in wilderness settings on foot...BUT You do drive to wilderness trailheads...which are usually 'pollution' free locations; no people, no noise, no artificial light...nominally a great place to establish a FWC site and then venture in on foot.

 

Phil

Edited by Wallowa, 11 June 2016 - 06:26 PM.

[Bombsight]

I beg to differ on that "not in the wilderness if you can drive there" bit.

 

.... and I bet everyone of your butts would be using a generator to stay warm if it meant getting any sleep.

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[craig333]

Limited use certainly , but I remember a thread when dirty dog was adamantly opposed to generators and someone mentioned, hey I spend weeks at a time in the winter with no sun, what else can I do? Believe me, in the winter your generator isn't bothering me. 

[Bombsight]

Some days in the south, extreme heat doesn't make for much difference.

 

High humidity makes for very understanding neighbors.

 

.... this could be the reason for the big difference in the way the north thinks differently from the south.

Edited by Bombsight, 12 June 2016 - 10:17 AM.

[idahoron]

Why do I use my generator. Well first I don't have solar and I am not sure I want to. Second, in the summer when I am fishing I need my freezer with the bait in it to stay frozen so when I leave for the day I turn on my fan on my three way fridge. It keeps the bait frozen and the the fidge cold even in temps in the 100's. I need to charge the battery, use a fan have lights watch a movie, so I use my Honda EU2000. I didn't get a heater so when I am deer and elk hunting I use a small electric heater.  

 

https://www.amazon.c...ort zone heater

 

It is an awesome little heater. On those kind of trips it is easier to get gas than it is propane.  So I can use the electric heater and cut down use on my buddy heater. I use the buddy only over night. And the little electric heater keeps the camper WAY warmer than the buddy does. 

 

If you see my ATV, generator, boat, and dog I would guess that your best bet for a quiet camp is to keep on looking.  

Edited by idahoron, 12 June 2016 - 12:04 PM.

[Jollyrogers]

I use a Honda 1000 to recharge batts. Up in the GWNF where I camp, I am in the shade. if I am camping more than 2 nights, gen goes. I don't piss anyone off, because 1 it's super quiet, and 2 there is no one around cause I am in the middle of nowhere.

[Kodachrome]

Is it wrong to take advantage of designated "Generator times" in campgrounds when solar isn't powerful enough?

 

No and to be honest, if I am in a campground like that there are usually other noises that are more abrupt and annoying than the drone of a small modern generator. My beef with them is the burning of fossil fuels, we need to be finding more and more ways to reduce that as fast as we can, the next ten years on this planet will be a "Make or Break" pivotal outcome in that regard. 

 

I took care of the Winter camping and shade thing by installing what is now 550W of solar feeding two independent battery systems. 300W of that is a 20 pound removable panel assembly that plugs into a 15 foot long extension cord of 8 gauge wire. Solar is the way to go on many things, we are only now just reaching the point of it being a truly disruptive technology. I have had in person conversations with Shell CEO Marvin Odum about this, we are actually working on a pilot program to convert some resort golf carts to 100% solar for an annual event that is nationally known....can't fight the inevitable forever so it is best to be on the leading edge of the innovation side.

 

Everything should be at least partially photovoltaic now, the paint on electric cars, the LCD screens on our mobile devices, and even the soft tops that make up the upper portions of our pop up campers should have a type of solar strand in order to optimize solar harvest. 

Edited by Kodachrome, 13 June 2016 - 02:14 PM.

[Bombsight]

 optimize solar harvest. 

Im in 100% agreement!

[Advmoto18]

One thing I don't like is when someone fires up their generator and then leaves camp. If I have to listen to it so should they. I've harbored some unkind thoughts to those people. 

 

Commando raid...

Mission:  OFF Switch - ENGAGE

 

If you don't have the common courtesy to enjoy your noise with your camping neighbors...you deserve to be raided.

 

 

Likewise, I try to avoid campgrounds allowing generators or where I get to enjoy the side view of a 32' Airstream 15' from my camp site.  But, often times when traveling, such cannot be avoided.  Noise, loud camping neighbors, etc. go with the territory...campground.

Edited by Advmoto18, 18 June 2016 - 11:37 AM.