Around 70% of Millie's outings will be living off the grid

Have figured out reading posts I will need to run my fridge and cook off gas as the leisure battery won't have enough power to use electric. I'll use stand-alone water carriers so won't be running the pump to the sink, need the workspace anyway so no big deal. So basically, for the fitted equipment I'll just be running a light inside the van at night for a couple of hours after-band shenanigans

Questions are:

Will a full gas bottle last me 4 days running the fridge, (including making ice) & cooking a bacon buttie and a couple of brews in the morning?

If I use my USB hella charger to charge my phone once a day would this run the battery down too much?

I need to figure out if I need to buy a spare battery and gas bottle.

Thanks in advance

We are toying with the idea of putting a solar panel on the roof of the T5 so we don't need EHU. A guy we talked to yesterday has one and runs a fridge and lights in the summer over here and there's the gas option on the days without sun. In high season it's like a fiver a day for electric, so that's over 300 euros for the next two months for us. Anyone else have a solar panel?

Hmm! Good point, interesting Brian

We just have one hook up and charge the T5 with an extention lead from the caravan. It's just a little fridge in the T5 and no-one has ever complained. When we stayed at a campsite where electric was limited to 4kw a day we were charged only a euro extra in a week, when Roger was charged about 4 euros extra for 4 days. So we really don't take the Michael.

Thank you

Good news about the gas consumption, that was my main concern, need my morning coffee to function!! I've got an Igloo Maxcold icebox but reluctant to take with the extra weight. It's huge!!!

I won't be driving around to charge my phone though. Think I need to invest in a battery tester to see how I'm going along over the weekend so I don't damage my battery.

Anybody recommend a good one?

In between outings, where are you going to keep your Puck? If it will be at home, your best bet would be to invest in a trickle charger for your leisure battery, plugged into the mains by an extension cable, so that it's maintained in top condition. Mine cost less than £30, and appears to do its job well. Also you'll be charging the battery all the time you're towing to and from the venues. If there's no acces to power between trips, hoik the battery out and put it on charge at home. If all you're using is a couple of lights and a phone charger, a fully charged leisure battery will easily see you through a festival, no trouble.

Likewise, as others have reassured you, a 4.5kg gas bottle will be more than enough.

For peace of mind, a digital voltmeter is a good idea. Permanently attached to the battery terminals by crocodile clips, and mounted on an internal wall, it tells you how much juice there is in the battery. Aaron Calder wrote about this at some length here, so do a search to see what he says. Maplins would be a good place to get one. One tip, though: mount it inside a cupboard, otherwise its neon glow will keep you awake all night long!

Hi,
When i was camping to charge my phone if i was not driving. I had a battery pack which took a plug to charge phone ect. would jump start a car and could blow up the tyre of my car . Found this very useful. But a tad heavy

Thanks ever so much for the replies, you're all being incredibly helpful. Think I'm begging to see the light a bit. (pun intended. ha ha)

Was looking at solar panel options but am out all day with my phone so would need to charge it at night. And, although the festivals I go to are the small grass roots ones so tend to be lovely friendly folk with an average age of 50, I wouldn't chance leaving an expensive panel outside the van. Too much temptation!!

Was thinking of getting a voltmeter which would plug into the car socket in the van (with a Hella adaptor) so wouldn't have to wire anything up. They seem ridiculously cheap though which makes me a bit suspicious. They state they are for car batteries, would they work on leisure batteries also?

This one has caught my eye as all the others have temperature gauges which I don't need... (sorry about the copy and paste, don't know how to insert a link)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cigarette-Lighte...gital+voltmeter

Lovely Juberley. That's another thing sorted. I'll get one ordered.

Husband is already fainting at the amount of packages arriving daily. This one may just tip him over the edge

Thanks again to everybody, I'd be lost without your advice


Now...... where can I get one of these moonlar panels..... off to Amazon again!!!

Quote: EllieMay wrote in post #14

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Now...... where can I get one of these moonlar panels..... off to Amazon again!!!

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