Hi guys, first time posting and new to the group.
My wife and I just purchased a 1999 Lance 915 slide in truck camper.
We are planning a 3-4wk trip this winter up around Montana and Colorado.
The truck has a gas heater that we'd like to use throughout our trip. I haven't been able to figure out exactly how much power it draws (the manual doesn't show it either).
The camper has a water heater, it'll be running a few led lights, and will need to power our laptops/phones at times. We also would like to be able to use our vitamix (1350 watts) for a few minutes a day.
I have a harbor freight 100watt solar panel kit I could use (I know it's crappy)
Ultimately I'm trying to decide on what the cheapest most easy/practical way to power the camper for these 3-4wks.
I would like to stay under $500
My thoughts are that I should just buy a $450 westinghouse igen2500 quiet portable generator and just use that for the time and be done with it. I feel like it's a simple way to do things. Just plug it in and deal with the noise we might hear.
Other option is going the battery route, but I really don't know what I would truly need for something like that (other than batteries and some sort of dc-dc charger).
I don't plan on using the camper much at all in the next 6months after the trip, so I feel like the cost of the battery(ies) would just be a lot more maintenance than I want to jack with.
I know this is very limited and general information, but I'm hoping you all might be able to provide some advice just based on your own experience. We're both in nursing school and just want an easy break while we have the time off. Am I right to go the generator route?
Thank you in advance for your time and help!
My wife and I just purchased a 1999 Lance 915 slide in truck camper.
We are planning a 3-4wk trip this winter up around Montana and Colorado.
The truck has a gas heater that we'd like to use throughout our trip. I haven't been able to figure out exactly how much power it draws (the manual doesn't show it either).
The camper has a water heater, it'll be running a few led lights, and will need to power our laptops/phones at times. We also would like to be able to use our vitamix (1350 watts) for a few minutes a day.
I have a harbor freight 100watt solar panel kit I could use (I know it's crappy)
Ultimately I'm trying to decide on what the cheapest most easy/practical way to power the camper for these 3-4wks.
I would like to stay under $500
My thoughts are that I should just buy a $450 westinghouse igen2500 quiet portable generator and just use that for the time and be done with it. I feel like it's a simple way to do things. Just plug it in and deal with the noise we might hear.
Other option is going the battery route, but I really don't know what I would truly need for something like that (other than batteries and some sort of dc-dc charger).
I don't plan on using the camper much at all in the next 6months after the trip, so I feel like the cost of the battery(ies) would just be a lot more maintenance than I want to jack with.
I know this is very limited and general information, but I'm hoping you all might be able to provide some advice just based on your own experience. We're both in nursing school and just want an easy break while we have the time off. Am I right to go the generator route?
Thank you in advance for your time and help!
