Solar Panels April 13, 2008, 12:48:46 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91410This is a highly uneducated question. I plan to fulltime solo, possibly in a new 27MB, although that could change after a trip to the factory. I'm researching the options one by one. I know nearly nothing about electricity, much less solar power. Even if I choose a model where the entertainment center is an option, I doubt I'd get it. I've always been a very light energy consumer. Boondocking does not appeal to me very much, but am sure I'll do it occasionally.On a sunny day, what can be run with one panel?What can be run with two panels? Does factory installation of one panel make sense in case I decide to go solar in the future or is it just as easy to add a complete system at a later date?It seems solar technology is changing rapidly. Does this affect the wiring? (I really reallly do not understand electricity.)I'm not too concerned at this point about relative costs. I'm just trying to determine if limited solar makes sense staring out. I would really appreciate hearing your personal experiences. Thanks for listening.Linnea
Re: Solar Panels Reply #1 – April 13, 2008, 01:44:32 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91411Linnea, If you *know* that you won't change into a "boondocking junkie", then a single factory solar panel will be more than enough for those occasional forays into the sunshine and freedom of maximum distance from organized camping. For those of us who shudder at the thought of plugging it in anywhere where we might have to pay for the privilege, then I think it's best to forgo the factory panel and have a more capable system installed elsewhere. The factory will not place their panel in the most efficient location for adding more panels, nor will they use heavy enough wiring to support a big system.bumper (400 watts solar and only slightly eclipsed by Andy)
Re: Solar Panels Reply #2 – April 13, 2008, 02:22:09 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91414Quote "... I'm researching the options one by one... Boondocking does not appeal to me very much,... On a sunny day, what can be run with one panel?... What can be run with two panels?..."QuoteLinnea Given that you are a neophyte it's best to clarify something here... Solar Panel/s do not 'run' anything. The sole purpose of the solar panel/s is to charge the house batteries. End of story.How much of the batteries capacity is used will depend entirely on your camping style (Boondocking or Shore Power). You can say that you are a light energy user but as many of our fellow LD enthusiasts can verify, gadgets are addictive.As to your other questions, others on this board will provide more comprehensive answers.Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs 1 Likes
Re: Solar Panels Reply #3 – April 13, 2008, 02:56:50 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91417Ah, that's better. Now back to solar panels.Several things occur to me. Starting out, I'm more interested
Re: Solar Panels Reply #4 – April 13, 2008, 03:03:29 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91418linnea2009 wrote: I know nearly nothing about electricity, much less solar power. --- I'm pretty sure that you will get several "takes" on how much/how many/where to get it, but you might start your "solar learning curve" with a visit to AM Solar's website: http://amsolar.com/ Click on "Education". Greg and Deb and all the folks there are happy to answer "what's best for me" questions and provide guidance without an ounce of "hard sell".Each person's need for solar is *highly variable*; some folks want enough to run a small city and some never plan to be more than 25' away from a plug. And, you won't actually *know* what you need until you are out there living in your rig! But, if you intend to fulltime, I'd suggest that you consider at least one solar panel, if for nothing else than to keep the batteries charged; there will be times when you are not plugged in -- maybe a lot more than you realize right now. Even with very minimal electrical demand, you will use more "energy" than you might think, and having a solar option will be very helpful!I don't necessarily DISagree with Bumper's advice to have the solar panels installed somewhere other than the factory, but I offer two thoughts on this: 1. If you're inexperienced and don't want to take or expend the additional hassle/effort/time to do the "solar homework", you might appreciate the convenience of having the panel(s) installed at the factory and be done with it. They have done thousands of installations, and they do stand behind their work. 2. There are a few good places to have "after-market" solar panels installed, and there are more than a few not-so-good ones; the latter can really screw up a system design and installation. If you choose the install panels after delivery route, you should *definitely* research (available systems and) installers. Recommendations from the people on this board will help you; there aren't many folks on here that are reluctant to give suggestions! ;-)Currently, I have one 85 watt factory-installed-before-delivery panel on my 2003 23.5' TK. I don't fulltime, but I do dry-camp most of the time; although my electrical demands are minimal, I now want the option of "more power"! I plan to consult with AM Solar, then head to Oregon (Hey, they're offering 10% off right now as a "moving into a new facility" special!) and have another panel (and an upgraded controller) added.I encourage you to learn as much as you can about *all* of your options before you make the final choices.Joan
Re: Solar Panels Reply #5 – April 13, 2008, 03:16:28 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91420Linnea, This site may answer some of your question. It's a not so technical tutorial on RV solar. http://www.phrannie.org/solar.htmlMalcolm Blue02MB
Re: Solar Panels Reply #6 – April 13, 2008, 03:44:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91421QuoteGiven that you are a neophyte it's best to clarify something here... Solar Panel/s do not 'run' anything. The sole purpose of the solar panel/s is to charge the house batteries. End of story. I have to pick a nit here.The solar panels are just another source of power (when receiving enough light). If the current demands on the 12V system are greater than what the panels are generating, the batteries will supply the difference. If the demands of the 12V system are less than what the panels are generating, the excess will go into the batteries. People here have certainly experienced their lights working with the batteries disconnected, because they forgot to pull the solar panel fuse.Art
Re: Solar Panels Reply #7 – April 13, 2008, 04:03:38 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91422Quote "I have to pick a nit here.""...If the current demands on the 12V system are greater than what the panels are generating, the batteries will supply the difference."Art ArtTrue, but only up to a point and that point has limitations.Evidence this (it happened to me)...I'm camped back in the woods for the opening day of trout season. The weather turns sour and I wake up one morning with three inches of snow on the roof (read solar panels). The campground regulations allow no more than 3 hours of generator operation per day, all between the hours of 8am and 6pm. I managed to squeek out three days of fishing before I had to skedaddle back down the mountain.Batteries are NOT a bottomless energy pit!Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Re: Solar Panels Reply #8 – April 13, 2008, 04:17:46 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91423This is a highly uneducated question. I plan to fulltime solo, possibly in a new 27MB, although that could change after a trip to the factory. I'm researching the options one by one. I know nearly nothing about electricity, much less solar power. Linnea On my fairly new 27 MB, I had the factory install one 100 watt AM Solar panel. I had another solar firm in Scottsdale, AZ add a second 150 watt panel. I wanted the factory to install the wires and solar controller as it was neater and less than of a hassle to have that done when you order it. That said, additional panel(s) from LD are not the cheapest way to add solar wattage. On a recent trip to Baja Mexico, as there were days when I did not plug into shore power due to the fluctuating voltage, I often went 7 or 8 days using primarily, solar. I found my 250 watts of solar, adequate for our needs. On a related note, the factory now installs the AM Solar HPV-22B controller, which, IMHO, is a much better controller. I recently swapped out my "old" HPV-22 for the newer model, the HPV-22B and I am well pleased with it and AM Solar who bought back the older controller.Power usage is such a variable commodity, suggesting what you might need is very difficult. The LD factory does a nice job of putting in solar panels and related gear, and if were my choice, I would have them put in one panel and see if that is enough for your needs, if not, adding a second or even a third panel is not that big of a chore or expense.Larry in South Texas 27 MB
Re: Solar Panels Reply #9 – April 13, 2008, 05:08:47 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91427"I plan to fulltime solo...I've always been a very light energy consumer. Boondocking does not appeal to me very much, but am sure I'll do it occasionally...I strongly believe in renewable energy...I would really appreciate hearing your personal experiences." Linnea, I am also a light energy consumer, but I boondock/dry-camp (not hooked up to electricity/water) most of the time. I have one factory-installed solar panel (85W) and have found it sufficient for my needs. That is just my personal experience. My definition of "light energy consumer" may be different than yours.This is probably obvious to you, but I would like to point out that most campgrounds in National, State & County parks do not provide hook-ups. Unless you are going to fulltime mostly in KOA-type campgrounds, you will need to boondock a fair bit. Not only are the non-hookup sites less expensive, they are also often the sites with the best views. Most importantly, living "off the grid" will sync best with your strong belief in using renewable energy.Andrew 1999 23.5' TK, SF Bay Area
Re: Solar Panels Reply #10 – April 13, 2008, 06:07:16 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91429Quote "I have to pick a nit here.""...If the current demands on the 12V system are greater than what the panels are generating, the batteries will supply the difference."True, but only up to a point and that point has limitations. I just wanted to clarify your earlier post, where it might be interpreted that the solar panels could ONLY charge the batteries. Where in reality they could be powering all active 12V devices with a negligible change in battery state. I've certainly seen that on my Link-10 battery monitor. I'll have several 12V devices on and have a very small current, either charging or discharging the batteries.QuoteBatteries are NOT a bottomless energy pit! Nor are they an infinite store. Power that the solar panels are capable of producing is wasted if the batteries are fully charged. Is is important to balance the average amount of energy that solar can produce with the correct amount of energy storage (usually measured in amp-hours) of the batteries.Art
Re: Solar Panels Reply #11 – April 13, 2008, 06:52:15 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91430Our 26.5' 2004 MB has a single 85W factory installed panel. It works well with our power usage and the two factory golf cart 6V batteries. We boondock fairly often but never for extended periods of time. Most of the places we visit have lots of sunny days as does much of Nevada, Arizona, California and Utah. If we traveled to the lovely pacific nortwest or much of the east more often I expect I would want another panel and two more batteries. I bought the 12V TV converter from $CW$ and it works great with my 15" analog lcd panel receiver and the installed antenna/preamp. We will be spending three days in the Smokeys in June with three grandkids along for the ride. I have a feeling we will need to run the gen set a number of times on the trip back to Reno from Richmond, VA. Anyway, in summary, I guess I would go first with the factory installed single panel and see how it works for you. Hope this helps. Jack in sunny Reno
Re: Solar Panels Reply #12 – April 13, 2008, 07:08:49 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91431"most campgrounds in National, State & County parks do not provide hook-ups. Unless you are going to fulltime mostly in KOA-type campgrounds, you will need to boondock a fair bit. Not only are the non-hookup sites less expensive, they are also often the sites with the best views." Perhaps Linnea was thinking of "boondocking" as "staying in Wal-Mart parking lots"--some people use the word that way. There's nothing wrong with that as an occasional stopgap measure, but few RVers would want to do it on a regular basis. The scenery leaves something to be desired. ;-) As Andrew points out, the most beautiful sites in national, state and county parks, as well as BLM areas and the like, are generally the ones that don't have electric or water hookups, and many of us refer to staying there as boondocking. (The word comes from Tagalog 'bundok,' meaning 'mountain.') So if you want to see the great outdoors, you'll probably want to do it without umbilical cords, and whether you call it boondocking or dry camping, it means being as self-sufficient as possible. Lazy Dazes have good-sized water, propane and holding tanks for their size--I can usually go for two weeks with my 27' Midbath before I need to dump and fill--and solar panels can play a big part in making your day to day life comfortable by providing the electricity needed for light, entertainment and other things, without the need to run the generator. Now I don't want to mislead you: no matter how many solar panels you have, there will be times when you need the generator. You can't power your air conditioner from solar panels, for example. Even if you travel in northern Saskatchewan, there will be days when it's hot enough that A/C is welcome, and nights when it's the only way to get some sleep. And if you run into a string of cloudy days, your solar panels may not be able to keep up with your needs. In that case, you'll use the generator to recharge your batteries, making up for the electricity you couldn't get from sunlight. Let me put it this way: I'm a strong believer in solar power. My last rig (also a Lazy Daze) had no generator, so I added eight solar panels (589W total), pushing as far toward "total solar energy" as possible. I spent some miserable summer days and nights in that rig. In my current rig I have five solar panels (500W total) and four house batteries. But I *still* need the generator sometimes, especially in hot weather. I can almost guarantee that you will too. Unless, that is, you want to spend months plugged into an umbilical cord in a KOA... which, frankly, I regard as a fate worse than death! ;-) So you'll most likely be grateful to have that generator at times. But solar panels can minimize the need to use it, and that's all to the good--less noise, less pollution, less wear and tear on the machinery. I think you'll want at least one panel, and if I were you, I'd go for two. As I often say, I've met lots of people who wish they had more solar panels, but I've never met anyone who wishes she had fewer! If you don't expect to need more than two panels, it's convenient to have the factory install them. There are advantages, though, to having panels installed by AM Solar (the company that supplies Lazy Daze's panels), or an AM Solar-certified technician such as Mike and Lisa Sylvester (http://www.thervguynm.com/>). while the panels may be the same, AM Solar can install them with mounts that can be tilted--that'll get you more power in the winter months. And they'll be much easier to add to later on, if your power needs increase or you find yourself spending a lot of time in cloudy areas such as the Pacific Northwest. You asked "if I were to get say 4 panels, would I need to get different or more batteries?" The answer is "Probably." As a rule of thumb, I've found that one battery per 100W panel is about right. If you had four panels and only two batteries, the batteries would be fully charged by noon, and from then on the panels would be wasting their power... but once the sun went down, your batteries might not last as long as you wanted. On the other hand, if you had four batteries and only two panels, the batteries might never get fully charged. You need to balance the source of power and the ability to store it. If you were to install extra batteries, you'd need to think not only about space, but also about weight and venting. The batteries Lazy Daze uses, like any standard car battery, must be in a compartment that's vented to the outside so that the hydrogen they generate while charging can dissipate safely. You could switch to sealed batteries that need no venting and can be placed anywhere--I did this--but they are much more expensive. Most likely you won't need them. The vast majority of Lazy Daze owners (including fulltimers) find that the two factory-installed batteries are more than adequate. Bear in mind that they store about twice as much energy as the single cheap battery included in most RVs of this size, so with a Lazy Daze you're already ahead of the game. My suggestion is to start with those, plus a couple of solar panels, and see how you do. Chances are, they'll be all you need... and if not, you can add more later.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Solar Panels Reply #13 – April 13, 2008, 08:39:09 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91432On Apr 13, 2008, at 11:56 AM, linnea2009 wrote:QuoteAh, that's better. Now back to solar panels. But...I strongly believe in renewable energy. So if to go completely solar means heavier wiring, it does not seem logical to start out with LD's system. Hi Linnea: Here's another point of view for you to chew on! I've been a solo fulltimer for 5 years in an '03 Rear Bath; started out with two factory-installed 85-watt panels and factory-installed charger, batteries and converter. I dry camp/boondock mostly, eschew RV "resorts" and don't "snowbird" in one place during the winter. A few years after initial delivery, I "upgraded" to two 100-watt panels and an HPV22 charge controller, installed by AM Solar (before they were available at the factory). A few months ago, I "upgraded" to a new Progressive Dynamic, 3-stage converter. My system is now perfect, and I'm a very happy camper. Being a non-techie with no previous experience operating RV systems, I'm a firm believer in factory-installed systems, especially if you are new to RVing. The factory now installs 100-watt panels, and a second panel (for 200 watts total) is an option. If you order your Lazy Daze with two panels, it comes with the correct battery bank and the newer model charge controller. There is no "heavier wiring" issue. There is no "upgrade later" (and attendant travel) issue. There is no "where to put a second panel" issue. Steve, Vince and Todd at the mothership are *always* available to answer your concerns if you ever have problems, and your warranties are all under one roof for a defined period of time.Renewable energy isn't the only important topic here; I personally believe adopting the KISS strategy will save you many hours of stress and anxiety (not to mention money) down the line.Enjoy your investigation period Linnea!Lorna Cooling off at Carlsbad SB
Re: Solar Panels Reply #14 – April 13, 2008, 09:40:28 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91434"If you order your Lazy Daze with two panels... There is no 'where to put a second panel' issue." True... but should you ever want a third panel, there will be issues. I had to remove both the factory-installed panels on this rig in order to install more.All the same, I agree with Lorna that avoiding stress and complications (of which there will be plenty--see my new book "From Camping to Full-Time: Making the Big Jump") is worth a lot! And as I said in my earlier post, I think two panels will probably be all you need, given your light usage of electricity... so factory installation may indeed be your best choice.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Solar Panels Reply #15 – April 13, 2008, 11:07:08 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91439A point still confusing is, should I decide on starting with two panels, why not have AM Solar, or whoever, install a system that can be upgraded to beg
Re: Solar Panels Reply #16 – April 14, 2008, 12:19:36 am Yahoo Message Number: 91441I say get the factory installed single panel. I have a single 115 W solar panel, not factory as I bought my RB used. But it is plenty of power for me. I tend to camp 3-4 days at a time, and pretty much always out
Re: Solar Panels Reply #17 – April 14, 2008, 10:00:42 am Yahoo Message Number: 91442"should I decide on starting with two panels, why not have AM Solar, or whoever, install a system that can be upgraded to begin with? Using LD could be less stressful at the onset, but should I decide to add more, then wouldn't there be more complications, not to mention increased expense, to move the original panels, upgrade the components and add additional panels?"You're right on all counts, Linnea. It's just a question of 1) how much trouble you're willing to go to, and 2) how likely you think it is that you'll need more than two panels. My guess is that you'll find two are plenty, so you probably wouldn't give up much by having them installed at the LD factory. But if you're willing to bring your rig up to Oregon or down to the southwest to have have a couple of AM Solar panels installed, you'll have more flexibility (e.g., the ability to tilt) and more expandability.Whereabouts do you anticipate traveling, or have you made any plans yet? What kind of previous RVing experience do you have, if any? If you can give us a little more background, we can offer better suggestions.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: Solar Panels Reply #18 – April 14, 2008, 12:35:24 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91445Andy, here is background. I have absolutely no RVing experience. I'm a city girl who tent camped a lot
Re: Solar Panels Reply #19 – April 14, 2008, 02:53:07 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91450"I have absolutely no RVing experience. I'm a city girl who tent camped a lot in national parks when growing up. ...I'm fairly sure about a minimum two panels, but would like to forego electrical hookups so maybe more are in order." Linnea,Since you are new to RVing, here are some thoughts about solar/electrical needs in RV life:• lights, water pump, furnace, radio, small electrical appliances (either via inverter or DC/cigarette lighter plug) are powered by 2 or more golf cart (6v) batteries. The LD comes with 2 of these 'house' batteries + 1 engine battery. • the air conditioner cannot (in practice) be run from battery power. You will need to be hooked up to electricity or run your generator. • solar panels keep the house batteries charged. You also charge the batteries while running the engine and/or the generator. • you need to park in the sun (rather than in the shade of trees) to take advantage of the solar system. This is obvious, but if you are traveling in hot climates you may not want to park in the sun. 2 days ago it hit 75F in Berkeley. Parked in partial shade, the inside of the LD was nearly 90F with all the windows open.Here is a typical WINTER day of electrical use for me in the SF Bay area: 4-5 hrs. 2-3 lights on, 20 min. intermittent water pump use, fridge on 24/7, 6 hrs. laptop charging, 1 hr. misc. small appliances (battery/phone/ipod chargers, radio, coffee grinder, etc.). I do not have a TV and rarely run the furnace. If I am parked in full sun during the winter season, my single solar panel (circa 1999) keeps the house batteries sufficiently charged. Two of the newer solar panels would provide me an excess of power. I recently spent 3 days in Half Moon Bay SP with my sister's family (3 adults, 2 kids). Needless to say power usage spiked up considerably. We set the furnace to 60F at night. Fortunately the weather was clear all 3 days and my solar panel was in the full April sun all day long. The batteries were fully charged by early afternoon. I realize it is difficult to estimate the various electrical needs of life in an RV. Unless you have electrical needs (like Andy's desktop computer setup w/satellite internet or a CPAP machine) that is far beyond the minimalistic use described above, I seriously doubt you will need more than 2 factory installed panels...especially if you plan to boondock/dry-camp only part of the time. BUT...I noticed your original post was a "reply" to a very old thread (2003) on solar panels. I would suggest you re-read that entire thread (now 94 messages). Others have described their usage and variable "need" for solar. Perhaps by reading enough examples, you can better gauge what your electrical needs might be.Andrew 1999 23.5' TK, SF Bay Area
Re: Solar Panels Reply #20 – April 14, 2008, 03:38:54 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91455I have noticed that many replies to the solar panel thread are concerned with fully recharging the house batteries every day with the solar panels. This may be necessary if you use lots of electricity (Andy comes to mind), but if you don't use a lot of electricity, it may not be necessary to fully recharge every day. Every year we camp for about six days on Mt. Rainier in a campground with old growth trees. We have one 85 watt panel, and at most it provides a few tenths of an amp from what sunlight filters down through the trees. However, we don't use a lot of electricity - a few lights at night and the water pump. After six days we still have over half our battery capacity, and what we used gets replaced on the drive home, or from the solar panel once we get home. The batteries are perfectly capable of providing moderate electrical use for several days without discharging past the half way point. We live in the cloudy NW and often camp without hookups. On overcast days, or when we are camped in the trees, we use more electricity than the solar panel can replace. But we also don't stay in one place more than a few days, so we know the batteries will recharge when we hit the road. Knowing what our lifestyle would be like (we previously owned an older MH) we decided we didn't need more than one solar panel. After nearly six years using our LD, we are satisfied we made the right choice with one solar panel. As usual, YMMV.--Al in Bremerton --2002 26.5 MB
Re: Solar Panels - ? for Andrew Reply #21 – April 14, 2008, 03:58:39 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91457"...Here is a typical WINTER day of electrical use for me in the SF Bay area: 4-5 hrs. 2-3 lights on, 20 min. intermittent water pump use, fridge on 24/7, 6 hrs. laptop charging, 1 hr. misc. small appliances (battery/phone/ipod chargers, radio, coffee grinder, etc.). I do not have a TV and rarely run the furnace..."Andrew 1999 23.5' TK, SF Bay Area \Andrew, that was a nice mini-tutorial for Linnea.Question: If you are dry camping, don't you usually run your refrigerator on propane?Chris
Re: Solar Panels - ? for Andrew Reply #22 – April 14, 2008, 04:57:51 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91460"If you are dry camping, don't you usually run your refrigerator on propane?"Hi, Chris. Yes, the fridge runs on propane, but it does use some electricity (light & igniter?) and since it's on 24/7 I figured I should mention it. There are a number of other "phantom" loads (propane detector, etc.) that also use electricity even if you are not living in the LD. Thanks for pointing that out...don't want to confuse Linnea.Andrew
Re: Solar Panels - ? for Andrew Reply #23 – April 14, 2008, 05:51:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91462"Question: If you are dry camping, don't you usually run your refrigerator on propane?" ChrisHere is something many do not know about. The refrigerator uses about 1/2 amp of 12-volt power continuously. That adds up to 12 amp-hours a day. Ten days of operating the refrigerator on propane, without charging the battery, will run the house battery down to the 50% point or as low as you should drain the battery. Now start adding in minimal operation of lights, water pump and furnace and you see how quickly one may run out of battery power if not actively charging, even when using the 'I do not use much power' type of camping. Many think that the hood-mounted LED battery readout is an accurate method of measuring remaining battery capacity but it isn't, as many of us have found out once we have an accurate way of measure the battery's charge level. A Link-10 battery monitor (or similar) should be standard equipment for any boondocker. If you regularly run the battery down to where the LEDs show that the battery level is low, you are probably draining the battery too much and slowly damaging it. Expect the battery to fail prematurely.Larry
Re: Solar Panels Reply #24 – April 14, 2008, 06:57:26 pm Yahoo Message Number: 91467"After pondering all the replies, I'm fairly sure about a minimum two panels, but would like to forego electrical hookups so maybe more are in order. Andy you have a lot of solar available. What is it about your lifestyle that makes that much reasonable?" There are two factors: 1) I use a 20" desktop computer and satellite internet outfit that taken together, consume about three times as much power as a typical laptop computer with "air card" internet access; and 2) I use them 8-12 hours a day. That means I need much more electrical power per day than a typical RVer. My setup suits my needs, but very few people use so much electricity that they'd need to go to the extremes I have. Expensive extremes, I might add: the electrical upgrades add up to about one quarter of the cost of this coach. That's why I doubt that you'd need more than two panels anytime soon. As you've seen, others here with more typical usage patterns than mine agree. :-)Thanks for the background information. Your plans to attend Life On Wheels and RV driving school are excellent ones! You'll learn a lot, and have a lot of fun as well.May I suggest that you'll also find Judy Farrow and Lou Stoetzer's book "RVers: How Do They Live Like That?" extremely helpful? It features down-to-earth discussion of all kinds of commonly asked questions about fulltiming. In fact, it's a great book to lend to friends and family who may think your plans are crazy. ;-) Judy and Lou's book will show them that there *are* answers to questions like "How will you get mail? Pay your bills? Deal with medical problems?" and so on.Finally, many here will agree with me that joining the Escapees RV Club is one of the smartest things a fulltimer can do. SKPs, as they're called for short, are the only nationwide group that specializes in supporting fulltimers--not just vacationers. They offer one of the best mail forwarding services available, an excellent monthly magazine, friendly campgrounds nationwide, and even a one-of-a-kind assisted-living facility, Escapees CARE, for use in case illness takes you off the road either temporarily or permanently. Perhaps even more important, Escapees offer a family away from home--you're always welcome wherever there are other Escapees. They're a great group.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Topic: Solar Panels (Read 19 times)
previous topic - next topic
Topic: Solar Panels (Read 19 times)
previous topic - next topic