Camper must have's

[Elkmagnet]

As for batteries, The dispersed camping area I was at this Fall had the RV trailers running their generators all night because the Cold sucked their batteries down and the heater fans didn't have enough juice to run. That seems like an important bottle neck to address.

From my experience the on board charger is the bottle neck.
Two 6v in series will run a furnace on some pretty cold nights. On night two the batteries are low and the onboard takes a couple days to put in a full charge
A good generator has the power to charge batteries. You have to find a way to get that power converted and stored in the batt.

 

[2rocky]

From my experience the on board charger is the bottle neck.
Two 6v in series will run a furnace on some pretty cold nights. On night two the batteries are low and the onboard takes a couple days to put in a full charge
A good generator has the power to charge batteries. You have to find a way to get that power converted and stored in the batt.

So are the RV manufacturers undersizing the chargers, or are the battery banks undersized?

 

[Elkmagnet]

I think the chargers are undersized. But it is a trade off. A slower charger will maximize battery life.
If your furnace works fine on day 1 but gets weaker day 2, 3, so on then you are likely not getting the batteries back to full charge each day.
A little 30 anp rv converter may only dedicate 3 amps to its battery charging circuit. You would have to find the specs for your converter but that takes like 14 -20 hrs to charge a dead battery.
If you have a standard lets say 20 amp automotive battery charger plugged directly into the generator you will be fully charged in a couple of hours.

 

[Elkmagnet]

Here is a calculator that will figure your charging time. Find the amp hour rating on your batteries and the charging rate of your converter and it might surprise you how slow it is.

Rechargeable Battery Charge Calculator

Calculate speed and time when loading a rechargeable battery (accu).

rechneronline.de

 

[David58]

My brief experience is that in summer, or weather when I don't have to use the furnace, I can go a long time without having to worry about the batteries - LED lights don't draw much, and we use AA LED lights for the most part. But when using the furnace, we start to notice the draw after about three days (I use two 12V Lead Acid batteries). Using a Honda 2200W inverter generator, the batteries are charged very quickly. My numbers made the generator (and admittedly, I bought it used) better for situations when it's cold and cloudy (like my last elk hunt) than solar. I will get solar for the warm months, again not running the furnace.

 

[Elkmagnet]

My brief experience is that in summer, or weather when I don't have to use the furnace, I can go a long time without having to worry about the batteries - LED lights don't draw much, and we use AA LED lights for the most part. But when using the furnace, we start to notice the draw after about three days (I use two 12V Lead Acid batteries). Using a Honda 2200W inverter generator, the batteries are charged very quickly. My numbers made the generator (and admittedly, I bought it used) better for situations when it's cold and cloudy (like my last elk hunt) than solar. I will get solar for the warm months, again not running the furnace.

Keep in mind that battery meters and indicators in an rv are going to tell you the voltage of your batteries. A low battery that was recently connected to a charger can have 14 volts and only be storing a few amps it can also have 11 volts and be storing 1000amps.
You may think you are getting a full charge but if you hooked up a load tester to the battery it may only have half a charge. Its known as a surface charge.

https://www.google.com/search?q=battery+surface+charge&oq=battery+surfa&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0i457j0l3.6886j0j7&client=ms-android-verizon&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

 

[Clam]

I wouldn’t put a furnace in it. I’d install a wood burning stove. Nice, quiet, free, safe, dry heat. There must be some fairly light weight options available. Use your ingenuity and rig up a system to heat water for bathing off of it, wouldn’t that be cool! , then plumb it into a gravity fed outside shower.

I used to know a couple of guys who had converted old school buses many years ago. At first glance, I didn’t find them impressive whatsoever. However, after looking more closely at how resourceful the owners were, on very, very, limited budgets, I found them quite impressive. They both had small wood burners. I think one utilized a keg for hot water storage, to an outside valve and shower head. Kegs are stainless and easy to weld and fabricate with.

Also, have good insulation.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Some good info here on the electrical. Thanks guys.

 

[2rocky]

I don't know why i didn't think of it earlier.

Look at what the Sheep wagons have. Some have gone to RV like construction...

This Family Has Been Building Sheep Wagons For Over 40 Years

The Wilson Family knows what it takes to build a quality sheep wagon. They are, after all, a family that has deep roots in Utah sheep ranching.

rvlife.com

Based on what options and conveniences are included in the design, the base price for a 14-foot or 16-ft Wilson Camp wagon is around $25,000. That includes solar power, propane, a double bed, a basic water system, and a fridge. The most decked-out version will run $30,000. They are designed to be used throughout the year and can be maintained comfortably even at sub-zero winter temperatures.

Home - Western Range Camps

WR Camps specialize in the highest quality Range Camps, Sheep Camps, Sheep Wagons, Commissaries, Toy Haulers & Teardrop Trailers.

www.wrcamps.com

The Western Range has some interesting floorplans to look at.

 

[David58]

I will say you are doing a good thing to build it yourself. If I were Amish, having trailer sales folks attribute the quality of their trailers to the "Amish craftsmanship" would really offend me. By the time a warranty repair is completed on my trailer, the dealer will have had it longer than I have (bought it in late July).

 

[2rocky]

This video might give some ideas of water equipment to look at for a DIY shower setup.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I don't know why i didn't think of it earlier.

Look at what the Sheep wagons have. Some have gone to RV like construction...

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[midwesthunter]

A lot of great idea's listed. I will be sure to share pics during and after build is complete.

I am hoping to keep GVWR around 7-7500K or lighter.

So far my plan is for the unit to be 96" wide and 10' tall. Will have about 23-5/8" ground clearance as well.

 

[OntarioHunter]

I don't know why i didn't think of it earlier.

Look at what the Sheep wagons have. Some have gone to RV like construction...

This Family Has Been Building Sheep Wagons For Over 40 Years

The Wilson Family knows what it takes to build a quality sheep wagon. They are, after all, a family that has deep roots in Utah sheep ranching.

rvlife.com

Home - Western Range Camps

WR Camps specialize in the highest quality Range Camps, Sheep Camps, Sheep Wagons, Commissaries, Toy Haulers & Teardrop Trailers.

www.wrcamps.com

The Western Range has some interesting floorplans to look at.

I saw a fancy sheep wagon pull through the motel parking lot the last week I was in Montana. Truck was a new Dodge 3/4 ton dually with all the bells and whistles. Some rich guy from Washington. Looked to be made of all aluminum or stainless steel. Very high sprung. Lots of clearance but I would be fearful of it blowing off the road in that windy country. Or stove pipe blowing off. And watch your step leaving for a pee in the middle of the night!