3rd Annual "100s in the Hills" - Ouray, Colorado: August 2-4

[aaronrules]

Sandiego is spot on. I ran my fridge for a year on a single duralast. Wort case is you have a dead battery in the am and we jump start you.

Yeah I ran it in a couple different vehicles with stock wiring. But only for a couple days at a time. And never overnight. I figure that if I can get a group 31 battery installed, I should be good especially. Just a little worried about little stock wires running the voltage.

 

[SanDiegoCruiser]

Order a Blue sea fuse box from amazon and 6g wire and run a wire directly from your battery to the back of your truck. The first thing I did was cut off that cheap plug on my EdgeStar and wire it directly. At least order the parts and we can help you install it. There are a bunch of threads on mud detailing how to do this.

 

[DJWUZJ]

Order a Blue sea fuse box from amazon and 6g wire and run a wire directly from your battery to the back of your truck.

Plan ahead on this... If you ever have aspirations to run a high output inverter, go with larger gauge cable and do it right the first time. Highly recommend Genuine Dealz - good quality cables, and can even customize for your application.

Once you have power to the back, you'll start to think "what else can I power while I'm back here?"

 

[paflytyer]

I might need your delivery service as well if metaltech cant get them.

Should be no problem. We'll have 5 or 6 of us on the Denver convoy, plus MtnAddict will have his trailer. Slee is our major sponsor, let Christo know you appreciate him being involved in this event when you make your order and we'll be happy to transport whatever you buy!

 

[paflytyer]

Conflicting comments below. Which is it? Just want to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Sorry everyone, I should have worded my post better to avoid any confusion. From a logistics standpoint (camping, space, medical concerns, permits, time frames, trails, food, poop, waste water) it's important for us to know how many are coming. With that being said, I don't expect 20 extras 100s to show up the day of, so if you're on the fence and won't know til last minute, camp may be full, or we might end up one or two short of something, you get the idea......

 

[aaronrules]

So I get it now. Even without a dual battery set up, I should at least run thicker gauge wire straight to the back into a fuse block (this one? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000THQ0CQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1372968325&sr=8-2&pi=SL75 ). And then make whatever power receptacle of of that fuse block?

 

[marcfj60]

For those that haven't bought a fridge but were thinking about it, the Coleman Extreme coolers work very well. I just went out for 4 days and didn't have to add any ice. It still had about 1/2 of what I put in it. Just minimize the amount of refrigerated food you need by using canned meats and dehydrated stuff and you can use the cooler just for things like lunch meat, mayo, milk, chilling the soda/wine/beer you plan to drink a little later that day. Yes it does take up more space but is a good solution to the problem if you're not ready to take the leap into a refrigerator.

 

[MtnAddict]

That's what I use. It works for now.

 

[bamabrock]

I just use a yeti 65qt that I carry in duck blinds and out in the gulf fishing.

 

[DJWUZJ]

So I get it now. Even without a dual battery set up, I should at least run thicker gauge wire straight to the back into a fuse block (this one? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000THQ0CQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1372968325&sr=8-2&pi=SL75 ). And then make whatever power receptacle of of that fuse block?

Yes - the thicker gauge wire is needed to carry the higher amp draws over a longer distance. I'm not an expert, which is why I consulted a few charts for determining optimal gauge of wire. I believe I went with 2ga, primarily due to my amp draws. If you are just running your fridge, you can prob just get away with 6, or maybe even 8 or 10 gauge since you're only talking 4-8A draw on the fridge itself.

 

[liveoak]

block ice and a coleman xtreme has always lasted me past the time I wanted to go home. By the way my wife I are going for sure and will get that contact info to the right place soon. I am still figuring what to bring to the pot luck. Slee you all there.

 

[e9999]

Besides the usual fire ( ) issues, the gauge and length of wire is also important if you are talking about a fridge that has a low voltage cutoff. But you can actually use that to your advantage by intentionally lowering the voltage at the fridge if you are worried about drawing down your battery too much. For instance if I'm in civilized country I will use a short extension cord from plug to fridge if I'm not worried about being unable to start the engine; but if I'm in the boonies and worried about getting stranded, I'll add a second extension cord and it'll keep the battery up a bit more.

 

[aaronrules]

Besides the usual fire ( ) issues, the gauge and length of wire is also important if you are talking about a fridge that has a low voltage cutoff. But you can actually use that to your advantage by intentionally lowering the voltage at the fridge if you are worried about drawing down your battery too much. For instance if I'm in civilized country I will use a short extension cord from plug to fridge if I'm not worried about being unable to start the engine; but if I'm in the boonies and worried about getting stranded, I'll add a second extension cord and it'll keep the battery up a bit more.

Do I need to worry about making the fridge work too hard or anything like that? It's everyday job is hooked up to my house keeping me beer cold. But when It's in a vehicle, it is actually run off an extension cord from the stock lighter locations.

 

[e9999]

Do I need to worry about making the fridge work too hard or anything like that? It's everyday job is hooked up to my house keeping me beer cold. But when It's in a vehicle, it is actually run off an extension cord from the stock lighter locations.

too hard? As in off too low a voltage? Maybe not as efficient, I don't know. Or not good for the compressor motor? Don't know either but I'm guessing not since hopefully they designed to system to still be OK at the voltage where it is supposed to cut off. And that is not changing with an extension, of course.
It is possible that the compressor is running faster at a higher input voltage but that is not obvious, there may well be a voltage regulator circuit in there.

 

[paflytyer]

I just use a yeti 65qt that I carry in duck blinds and out in the gulf fishing.

We took a Yeti on a 7 day fishing trip to Montana along with my ARB, aside from the wasted ice space, the Yeti held ice and kept cold beer. Pretty impressive.

 

[ntsaint]

Could one of you CO fishing guys tell me how I need to rig my fly rod for the fishing we will be doing up there? What weight lead line, what size/color/weight float line, etc? Want to go ahead and get all set on that before leaving out.

Thanks!

Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD, and hopefully approved by the NSA.

 

[paflytyer]

A 9' 5wt will cover all your needs in Colorado. Line color is whatever you prefer. I use a WF5 floating line for that setup. Even a 4wt or 6wt is fine.

RIGS fly shop is right in Ridgway and will have anything you need or forgot.

http://fishrigs.com/

 

[aaronrules]

What about those of us with crappy fishing set ups and no fly fishing rigs? How can we fish? Bobbers and worms?

 

[marcfj60]

Could one of you CO fishing guys tell me how I need to rig my fly rod for the fishing we will be doing up there? What weight lead line, what size/color/weight float line, etc? Want to go ahead and get all set on that before leaving out.

Thanks!

Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD, and hopefully approved by the NSA.

If you want to fish smaller streams with lots of bushes and plant life, a 6' long 3 or 4 wt is ideal. Use WF floating line, about a 6' tapered leader and some 5X or 6X tippet to save your leader. That time of year I'd probably make sure to have plenty of Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators, Hoppers, Fore-N-Aft gnat patterns as well as Prince Nymphs, WD-40s, Hare's Ear, and Pheasant Tails to drop below the dry fly. Paflytyer is going to be a better source of info for the lakes than I will be since we have so few in NM where the fly fishing is worth a darn.

For the non-fly fisher, worm and bobber works ok sometimes. Tight-lining off the bottom usually gives better results. I would add some Powerbait and salmon eggs to the bait list as well.

Make sure you buy your license beforehand unless you plan to stop in a tackle/bait/fly shop or Wal-Mart as soon as you get to Colorado. It's very easy to get it online. I've done it several times.

 

[paflytyer]

If you want to fish smaller streams with lots of bushes and plant life, a 6' long 3 or 4 wt is ideal. Use WF floating line, about a 6' tapered leader and some 5X or 6X tippet to save your leader. That time of year I'd probably make sure to have plenty of Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulators, Hoppers, Fore-N-Aft gnat patterns as well as Prince Nymphs, WD-40s, Hare's Ear, and Pheasant Tails to drop below the dry fly. Paflytyer is going to be a better source of info for the lakes than I will be since we have so few in NM where the fly fishing is worth a darn.

For the non-fly fisher, worm and bobber works ok sometimes. Tight-lining off the bottom usually gives better results. I would add some Powerbait and salmon eggs to the bait list as well.

Make sure you buy your license beforehand unless you plan to stop in a tackle/bait/fly shop or Wal-Mart as soon as you get to Colorado. It's very easy to get it online. I've done it several times.

All good advice. But if you're only bringing one rod, you'll want something with a little more backbone for casting into the wind. There are not a ton of brushy streams where you'll need a 6ft, I will carry my 6'6" 3 wt though, as well as a bunch of others. The Middle Fork is a nice little stream with unbelievable views. Plenty of room to cast.

More info to follow......