Got to Moab, discovered the power cord we have is an extension cord and won't connect to the trailer. Argh. Called all over Moab to find the right cord - no go. Stopped at the local hardware store and invested $60 in a L5-30 twist lock and plug and cable. Turns out RVs use RV/Marine L5-30R connectors. Looks just about the same but doesn't quite fit.
I'd really like to have power to run my small and nearly silent 120V space heater when the night temps drop into the 40s in Colorado. Might have to re-route to Grand Junction on the way to Mesa Verde tomorrow if I can locate a cable. Otherwise maybe I can find a place to drop ship a cable from Amazon to Ridgway CO which is our next stop with a hookup.
On the positive side the cheap solar setup works really well. With as much sun as we had in Moab, it had no problem topping up our 27 battery which was down to about 60% of full capacity.
Edit - Grand Junction is not on the way. Plan B is to have Amazon send a cable somewhere in Ridgway, our next stop.
You might try Humphrey RV in Montrose, 25 miles north of Ridgway, 970-240-8503. Don't know if they can help, but worth a phone call.
In reply to jwagner (Forum Supporter) :
When you get the cable, don't forget to get the 20A to 30A adaptor. They look really odd, as it confused me a lot, but having both is very helpful. (we managed to get a good length 30A cord from Camping World in the clearance room).
BTW, how is it that your camper didn't come with a 30A cable??? That's really odd- even used, they should have had that somewhere in the trailer.
I set SanFord up with a twist lock and cord like that. The Blunder Bus uses a standard 30A RV plug. I carry 50' of 30 amp extension cord on top of the 30' the RV has. I carry a 50' 20A, #12 cord. I also carry a full assortment of adapters to plug into just about anything. A word of advice, don't buy the cheap adapters. Spend the money and get the good ones. The cheap ones meltdown and not only trash the adapter, but they also trash the cord.
I've been 5' short one time too many or not had the adapter I needed. That is frustrating.
Back online with hotspot internet near Pikes Peak. Found an twist lock adapter at a small RV joint before Ridgeway. @alpha - we assumed the cable that came in the trailer was the twist lock but what we got was actually a 25' 3 prong extension and we left a twist lock from another trailer at home. oops.
Next oops - ran over the umbilical with the front foot pulling out of a steep drive leaving Utah.
The fridge was on battery power and drained it down to 11.1v when I put a voltmeter on it at sunset. Totally depleted and then some. No amenities that night. Brought out the solar panel the next morning and by evening we were at 75%. It works well enough to not bother with anything better. $160. The solar panels and 27 RV battery give us pretty much everything but A/C and the microwave to dry camp indefinitely.
In Ridgway we got a ride (two actually) on this and a history lesson which was pretty cool.
I'll post a summary in about a week after we get home unless anything interesting happens.
We're back home again. Reflecting on the trip -
- As was pointed out early in the thread, a trailer like we have is suited for dry camping/boondocking which opens up a lot of possibilities and gets you out of the "RV parking lot".
- The cheap solar panel experiment was a total success. Water tank capacity becomes the limiting factor.
- The national parks are a real treasure., and unfortunately, many are over-crowded.
- Trying to sleep in a rest area between idling big rigs doesn't work very well, Being 100' off I-80 makes it worse.
Thanks everyone for the assists on this trip. Trailer camping is new to me. I had pretty much given up on camping. The thought of waking up in a soggy sleeping bag on a deflated air mattress on the ground in a tent in the rain just doesn't appeal to me anymore. Two and a half weeks on the road was a non-issue and I managed to lose 8lbs hiking through Colorado. I need more trips like this.
