Noobtacular
New member
I've been lurking for a while and finally ended up picking up a Phoenix popup camper for my Frontier. It's an 09 model, but the previous owner kept it in great condition. It looks like it was only a shell model and the previous owner used to run his lights off of his starting battery.
My wife and I plan on using this camper boondocking, however we don't have the luxury of doing more than weekend trips and the occasional 4/5 day trip. With that in mind could someone help me out with a battery setup?
We don't plan on using much electricity and only really want to power LED lights inside, outside, and potentially the furnace Fan if it gets very cold.
Basically, what all do I need to get?
- I am unsure if I got with a single 12v battery, or get 2 6v batteries wired in series. I have read of the benefits of the 6v, but am unsure if we would really need this for our shorter trips.
- Can I tap into the truck's factory 7pin trailer harness and use this to maintain a charge on the batteries when driving to a campsite etc? I'd plan on charging the batteries fully at home on shore power before a trip. Could I get something like a 7 way RV blade harness and use the 12v supply to maintain a charge on the battery when driving, and potentially add a bit of charge if needed? If I can use something like that do I also need a battery regulator or Isolator?
- Where should I install the batteries? Can I put them next to the slide in at the sides of the truck bed in a couple battery boxes, room permitting.
My planned list of items I'd get would be:
Some sort of charging option - maybe that harness from Amazon
Wiring, multiple AWG's depending on application
Batteries
Fuse block
battery on/off switch
battery monitor
volt meter with USB charger and 12v plug
Do I need some sort of "overcharging" protection?
Depending on how everything goes camping etc. I would eventually like to add some sort of Solar to the roof.
My wife and I plan on using this camper boondocking, however we don't have the luxury of doing more than weekend trips and the occasional 4/5 day trip. With that in mind could someone help me out with a battery setup?
We don't plan on using much electricity and only really want to power LED lights inside, outside, and potentially the furnace Fan if it gets very cold.
Basically, what all do I need to get?
- I am unsure if I got with a single 12v battery, or get 2 6v batteries wired in series. I have read of the benefits of the 6v, but am unsure if we would really need this for our shorter trips.
- Can I tap into the truck's factory 7pin trailer harness and use this to maintain a charge on the batteries when driving to a campsite etc? I'd plan on charging the batteries fully at home on shore power before a trip. Could I get something like a 7 way RV blade harness and use the 12v supply to maintain a charge on the battery when driving, and potentially add a bit of charge if needed? If I can use something like that do I also need a battery regulator or Isolator?
- Where should I install the batteries? Can I put them next to the slide in at the sides of the truck bed in a couple battery boxes, room permitting.
My planned list of items I'd get would be:
Some sort of charging option - maybe that harness from Amazon
Wiring, multiple AWG's depending on application
Batteries
Fuse block
battery on/off switch
battery monitor
volt meter with USB charger and 12v plug
Do I need some sort of "overcharging" protection?
Depending on how everything goes camping etc. I would eventually like to add some sort of Solar to the roof.