# Finally We Bought Our Dream Camper!



## Tracy (Jan 8, 2011)

*Dry camping?*​
*How to get power for 4-7 days?*

Generator1571.43%6V deep cycle batteries628.57%

*Where to put a bike rack for 4 bikes?*

Rear of RV628.57%On te tow vehicle1571.43%


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## Tracy (Jan 8, 2011)

We just bought our Outback! 312BH. We upgraded from a pop up that we have used to camp in all 48 states since 2002. We have 4 children and a golden retriever. As teachers, we have 4-6 weeks each summer where we camp. A family tradition passed along from the 60's! I have two questions...1) Bike rack? I read some information that putting a 4 bike rack on the rear of the RV isn't a good idea. How to bring bikes? 2) Dry camping...we are National park lovers and we plan on most of our trip "dry" with some full hook-ups in between. What do you suggest for power? A generator? I read about "Trojan deep cycle 6V batteries...how does this work?

Thanks and we are excited!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Let me be the first to WELCOME you to Outbackers.com!!

Glad you are here and congrats on the new Outback. Have you taken delivery yet?

What is your Tow Vehicle (you will see people reference that as TV)? I had a hitch installed on the back of my prior Outback (welded on) and it worked great to carry bikes. I now have a hitch on the front of my F-350 to carry the 4th motorcycle or to park the Outback in some tricky locations.

Don't use a hitch that clamps to your Outback bumper...you'll lose the bikes and the bumper.







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Power is a big topic around here. I have 2x6v batteries and can go for about a week without having to charge them. We all are pretty good about saving power. One trips over that, I have a small Coleman 1850 generator that does a great job of topping off the batteries. While not as quite as a Honda, I bought it from some guy for $150 after his Y2K panic and it starts EVERY time on the first pull. It will not run the AC, but that is not a concern here in the PNW (BTW..where are you from?)

I'm sure you will have a ton more questions and there are a LOT of smart people here that are more than willing to help....just ask.


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## Jewellfamily (Sep 25, 2010)

Welcome to outbackers. We just bought our 312BH as well. Mine currently has a single deep cycle 12v battery for power and this 312BH eats it up pretty quick. My last camper had 2 6v deep cycle batteries in series and they lasted a lot longer. I could go for 3-4 days at a time and never had trouble, so am going to upgrade back to the 2 6v batteries option next summer. Take a look on the internet for the batteries and you will get a good feel for what it out there. Price basically goes up as AH (amp hour) goes up.

The hitch on the rear bumper is a no no. There is information on this site in the forums that talk about this topic and what people have done. I was going to put one on the rear bumper, but information I saw in the forums stopped me. There are some options people have done that tie a bike rack to the frame under the bumper.

You will get a million opinions on the generators. If you are looking to just charge batteries, just about any model will work. If you want to run your AC, microwave, etc...the power requirements go up. A 3000W honda should run your AC, but may not run the AC and microwave at the same time. A friend of mine has 2 2000W hondas with a parallel cable that works pretty good and they are light enough to move around. Honda and Yamaha make good generators and they are sought after because they are extremely quiet (60 decibel range), the problem is they are expensive. You can get cheaper high wattage generators, for much cheaper, but they tend to be pretty loud.

I dont have a generator yet. I want to go with the 2 2000W hondas paralleled together, but if you are looking at Honda or Yamaha in the 3000W range, you are looking at spending about 2 grand, and I'm going to have to save for a while for that.

Enjoy your new Outback. We love ours!


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Wow, that's quite a step up from a pop up!!!

I love dry camping and would recommend dual 6V batts. If you like the sound of generators and neighbors like me rolling their eyes, then there's plenty of options. If you like to surprise people, roll in with your suite on wheels and power it off batts and Solar.








We had a 5th wheel (35+ ft) and you should have seen the ranger's reactions at the NP's when they started to explain generator rules and I politely interrupted them and explained that we didn't own one and did solar instead. Sure, I was more limited on power usage, but with switching lights to LED's and a little conservation, plus a few panels on the roof, you'd be amazed at what you can do.....


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

As to what batteries you need, it is going to depend on how conservative you are on power. Before I had gone solar I could go for a week with two 12 volt deep cycle batteries. At that time I only needed the generator to run the microwave. Now I have a solar setup and quite a few batteries on board, and can go indefinitely, and have an inverter wired into the trailer so I can run *everything* on solar/battery power, including the a/c. I am running all LED lights, and don't leave anything on if I am not there, but there have been times where I have forgotten to shut off lights when I left the storage lot and been fine. I still have a generator (3000w Kipor) and will use it on a rare occasion.

As far as bike racks go, do not attach anything directly to your bumper, it will pull the bumper off the trailer. Any attachments need to be made directly to the frame of the trailer. I have a 2'6x8' rack on the rear of the trailer, but it is attached directly to the frame. I have a rooftop bike carrier on my truck, and the bike still site lower than the top of my trailer.


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## Dub (Dec 8, 2008)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Don't use a hitch that clamps to your Outback bumper...you'll lose the bikes and the bumper.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ditto. Lost the bikes and bent the bumper. Plus it made the trailer more bouncy. I posted pics of it somewhere on the forum. If you want to go this route then you must weld a hitch to the frame, not the bumper. I just put mine in the back of the truck now or inside the camper wrapped in a blanket.


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## gzaleski (Aug 29, 2009)

Welcome to Outbackers. Congrats on the new camper. You're gonna love it and this site!


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

On the Batrery/Generator question. The answer for a 4 to 7 day dry camper is you really want both.


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## KTMRacer (Jun 28, 2010)

I put a front mount receiver on my silverado for bikes. Lets me take the bikes w/o the trailer. Also am having a reciever welded to the trailer frame to use for bikes if I want to, along with welding to reinforce the bumper so I can put a couple of boxes to hold some stuff I don't want in the pass through.

with a pair of 6V batteries, we can go4-5 days in the summer, winter depends a lot on how long the furnace needs to run. Will be modifying the battery carrier on the tongue to let me mount 4 six volt batteries as well.

I'v used a honda 2000 for about 6 years now on another trailer, expensive, but works well and is quite, but it will not run the A/C, even with a soft start kit if temps are above about 90F or at high altitude. Spring purchase is going to be the honda 2000 companion.


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## AK or Bust (Nov 22, 2010)

Speaking of batteries and generators, I have a question.

If you run your battery / batteries down and have a generator, how long (ballpark) does it take to charge the batteries back up from the generator or just being plugged in. Not sure how efficient the charger in my outback is.


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## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

AK or Bust said:


> Speaking of batteries and generators, I have a question.
> 
> If you run your battery / batteries down and have a generator, how long (ballpark) does it take to charge the batteries back up from the generator or just being plugged in. Not sure how efficient the charger in my outback is.


not that efficient at all. it would most likely take 12-18 hours min. it is better to plug a battery charger into the genset and put the charger on the battery....learned that trick from a buddy i camp with. the onboard charger is not efficient at all really.


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## AK or Bust (Nov 22, 2010)

willingtonpaul said:


> not that efficient at all. it would most likely take 12-18 hours min. it is better to plug a battery charger into the genset and put the charger on the battery....learned that trick from a buddy i camp with. the onboard charger is not efficient at all really.


Thanks for the reply Paul. That's kind of what I thought ... trickle charge. Not something I'd want to do with a generator. I'll have to find a good quality charger.	Now pardon my ignorance here but let's say you had a dual 12 volt battery system. Can you use that external charger to charge both at once and if so, is it necessary to disconnect the batteries from the OB before charging?


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## NDKoze (Jan 5, 2011)

You didn't mention what year your new camper is.

What has already been said is true about adding a hitch to the bumper of an Outback. However, if it is a 2011 10th Anniversary edition, they all include a hitch/frame mounted Class 1 (1 1/4") hitch with 250lb capacity. It is not meant to tow anything, but should satisfy most bike racks and or hitch racks as long as you don't go over the 250lb capacity.


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

Congrats and welcome!! love the floor plan


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## willingtonpaul (Apr 16, 2010)

AK or Bust said:


> not that efficient at all. it would most likely take 12-18 hours min. it is better to plug a battery charger into the genset and put the charger on the battery....learned that trick from a buddy i camp with. the onboard charger is not efficient at all really.


Thanks for the reply Paul. That's kind of what I thought ... trickle charge. Not something I'd want to do with a generator. I'll have to find a good quality charger.	Now pardon my ignorance here but let's say you had a dual 12 volt battery system. Can you use that external charger to charge both at once and if so, is it necessary to disconnect the batteries from the OB before charging?
[/quote]

i know you don't have to disconnect the batteries to charge them. i have never tried to charge two 12V batteries wired in parallel. but i would think that positive to the positive out to the trailer, and negative to the negative that is grounded to the trailer, and you are charging them at the same time. i am sure others with more experience will chime in, or you can post another topic.....

i have always just charged ONE 12V. but this season, i am upgrading to tow 6V trojan T-145's wired in series, with a 120W portable solar panel w/integrated charge controller, using the genset and charger only for backup for that.....


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## CdnOutback (Apr 16, 2010)

You can charge both 12 volt batteries in parallel. Connect the positive cable to the positive post on battery #1 and the negative cable to the negative on battery #2. Current flows the path of least resistance and this way it will flow through both batteries an equal amount.


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## sunnybrook29 (Oct 7, 2009)

You say " dual " 12 volts , I assume that you mean two twelve volt batts , wired poss to poss and neg to neg ! If so you would charge both at the same time by placing the battery charger connectors on any poss and any neg . " Dual some times imply something different !
The batts should be of the same kind and age/condition .


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Pictures make it much easier.


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