I have camped for years without electric. Gas powered everything. My daughter uses a hook up. My daughter in law uses some kind of generator. I want to keep my phone charged and use a heater when necessary. Advise please? Thank you.
Make sure that you are protected from electric hazards by getting a proper RCD equipped unit. I saw lots of examples over the past 2 years where it was an outdoor type plug, cable and a domestic twin socket which you would use indoors screwed the wall.
Accident waiting to happen.
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Hello, just in case you aren't aware, for phone charging you can get things called powerbanks which you charge up at home and then use for recharging phones on site. The one I use will charge up my phone from nothing around four times. If you were camping when it's warm you could get away with not paying for a hook-up pitch then!
Don't rely on June being warm, it is certainly not warm today near Cheltenham where I am camping.
And I am inside my van - it would be colder in a tent!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
I am thinking more about using a cool box tbf. In the past I had a lovely fridge that ran off gas. When I retired I gave everything away to Girl Guides. Hindsight is a wonderful thing…..
You may well kick yourself for giving away the gas fridge! Electric coolboxes are no substitute for a fridge! The Peltier/Thermoelectric types generally only cool to 16C below ambient at best, and the ambient inside a tent can easily be 30 odd degrees or more on a warmish/sunnyish day, your perishables risk perishing, your butter/marge can easily melt on a long warm day!
Perishable foods should be stored at 0-4C for safety, which proper fridges can achieve up to around 35C ambient, electric coolboxes don't do so well. The other annoying thing is those with fans (which is most!) run constantly, and the fan noise can be an irritation when you are trying to sleep only a few feet away.
Dometic Tropicool thermo-electric coolboxes are capable of cooling about 30degC below ambient.
I was considering getting the TCX35 as it is lighter than a compressor coolbox when I got the bigger car. However, my tenting days were coming to an end and did not get one to see if its high price was justifiable.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
It wasn’t a discussion about cool boxes that I needed because for around 20 years we managed without either cool boxes or fridges. We used cold water and burying to sort it out. We didn’t have a fridge at home until 1971. I am trying to join the modern era of campers with a fuel supply other than gas. Our camping will be as uncomplicated as I can make it. I am not that comfortable with electric, but mains hook up seems the simplest answer other than option 1. A generator sounds noisy. I have never owned a leisure battery, so what do you recommend? Thanks for your replies so far.
I do two types of camping, compact when motorcycle touring ( put my beer etc under the tent in the shade ) and family camping.
When family camping we use a hook up with a proper camping RCD unit ( its a Eurohike with 3 sockets and 2 usb ports ) For cooking we purchased an Outdoor Revolution twin induction hob.Perfect.
On the bike its petrol stove , solar charger and my 12v cigarette charging socket with a USB adapter.
So for you its easy…Hookup.
Quote: Originally posted by urbster on 06/6/2022
I do two types of camping, compact when motorcycle touring ( put my beer etc under the tent in the shade ) and family camping.
When family camping we use a hook up with a proper camping RCD unit ( its a Eurohike with 3 sockets and 2 usb ports ) For cooking we purchased an Outdoor Revolution twin induction hob.
On the bike its gas, solar charger and my 12v cigarette charging socket with a USB adapter.
So for you its easy…Hookup.
Thank you. I am in the middle of a debate at home between generator and hook up. I will buy the unit you recommend because safety is paramount. Can you explain the induction hob, please? Thanks again.
Sure, we got this one https://www.winfieldsoutdoors.co.uk/outdoor-revolution-double-induction-hob/
To see if any of your household pots and pans will work, simply place a magnet on the bottom, if it sticks then perfect.
Induction hobs are brilliant, you have total control of your cooking.
This one is specifically designed for camping, others on here have purchased table top versions from the likes of ikea etc but they have big domestic draws, this one is 800w and works a treat.
Quote: Originally posted by urbster on 06/6/2022
Sure, we got this one https://www.winfieldsoutdoors.co.uk/outdoor-revolution-double-induction-hob/
To see if any of your household pots and pans will work, simply place a magnet on the bottom, if it sticks then perfect.
Induction hobs are brilliant, you have total control of your cooking.
This one is specifically designed for camping, others on here have purchased table top versions from the likes of ikea etc but they have big domestic draws, this one is 800w and works a treat.
Quote: Originally posted by ElaineT on 06/6/2022
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Thank you. I am in the middle of a debate at home between generator and hook up. I will buy the unit you recommend because safety is paramount. Can you explain the induction hob, please? Thanks again.
You won't find many mainstream camp sites that will accept internal combustion engine generators, many have an outright ban, others will respond to complaints of noise and/or smell. The claimed 'silent' type are anything but, easily heard 5 or 6 pitches away! Only places generators are tolerated are rally fields where no EHUs and you are part of an event, or wild camping, but that's contentious as others don't want to find noise/smell out in the wilds!
You mentioned not comfortable with electricity, the correct MCB/RCD protected EHU cable is far safer than a generator at a number of levels, which also brings with it fuel fire risks. The generator would also need protecting from rain/dew etc. to maintain any electrical safety. You also need to carry and replenish fuel quite regularly.
I've used both generators (several different ones over the years) and EHU, EHU wins hands down every time, generators are really last resort not first choice.
An unmodified generator, provided the rules are followed, ie.only one class 1 appliance to be used at a time, then electrically there is no risk of electrocution any more than with the mains.
The problem with petrol is mainly the smell.
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Topic: Electric for tent
via mobile 04/6/2022 at 4:51pm
