going high tech for camping cooking and lighting?

[e9999]

Also take into consideration that a single EU2000i may not be enough to handle the initial surge.

Couple weekends ago was hanging out at a camp site with a guy who had an incredible setup, with a giant Mercedes van, microwave, two fridges, etc. He had to run two EU2000i's in order to handle the initial surge, especially for the microwave.

Depends on microwave size/efficiency of course, but his was pretty small.....

hmmm... do you think a 2000W peak gen could not handle an 800W nominal microwave? I thought the new ones were kind of easing into the full load, too. I believe that my 1250W manual did state it needed a 20A outlet, so that's about double. I would have thought that up to a 1000W micro would be good, but could be wrong.

 

[Trollhole]

I'm the kind of guy that likes all the comforts of home. Heck I'll drag a satellite dish and tv out into the woods just to catch a game. That being said I'd draw the line at a microwave. While it might be nice to heat water and some other things I look at cooking as being one of the things I look forward to when I go. But it's your camping trip do whatever makes you happy.

 

[Trollhole]

hmmm... do you think a 2000W peak gen could not handle an 800W nominal microwave? I thought the new ones were kind of easing into the full load, too. I believe that my 1250W manual did state it needed a 20A outlet, so that's about double. I would have thought that up to a 1000W micro would be good, but could be wrong.

I think you will be good.

You know they make a 12v microwave now?

http://www.thewavebox.com/

 

[Ebag333]

hmmm... do you think a 2000W peak gen could not handle an 800W nominal microwave? I thought the new ones were kind of easing into the full load, too. I believe that my 1250W manual did state it needed a 20A outlet, so that's about double. I would have thought that up to a 1000W micro would be good, but could be wrong.

I asked him about that, and he said one *COULD* handle it, but it's not good for the generator or the microwave.

Then again, he had additional loads. Fridge, lights, etc. So if you were running just the microwave, probably no big deal.

 

[e9999]

I'm the kind of guy that likes all the comforts of home. Heck I'll drag a satellite dish and tv out into the woods just to catch a game. That being said I'd draw the line at a microwave. While it might be nice to heat water and some other things I look at cooking as being one of the things I look forward to when I go. But it's your camping trip do whatever makes you happy.

that's funny. I could conceivably take a microwave sometime for the heck of it or to try out the concept, but I would definitely not do a dish. I gotta be out of reach and out of the media world when out there.
Yes, I also enjoy the cooking over a grill or campfire the majority of the time. Mmmm.... grilled steaks! But it can get awkward sometime and cleaning sticky pots while camping with limited water is no fun. What I've seen is some people cutting down on the "fun" cooking just for that reason. Myself, I've wondered about the gas grill and grate where I cooked meat when in bear country.

I think you will be good.

You know they make a 12v microwave now?

The WaveBox®: World's First Portable Microwave Oven

no, didn't know that. That might do a number on your battery... Lessee, 660W, let's say the engine is running, 660/13.5=49A. Use it 10 mins cuz not very powerful. 8Ah out of say 100Ah. Nah, not too bad. And $350 not too bad either. Not till November though, they say.

 

[Bogo]

My solution for the MicroRV was to use a battery bank and 3+kW sine wave inverter. Recharge of the battery bank by engine running and solar. It would also be possible to run a big battery charger via a Honda inverter generator. When the big inverter isn't needed I was figuring on using a small one for greater efficiency.

For those who don't like to do the dishes: EdgeStar Portable Countertop 6 Place Setting Dishwasher - DWP60ES Currently I'm wasteful and use paper plates, etc., but I still think it would be fun to bring out the fine china like my grandpa did.

Laundry day: Summit Ariston 15 lb Combination Washer/Dryer - ARWDF129 ;p

For the ultimate in electrical stove top cooking effency, an induction cook top: SINC1110 Summit Single Zone Built-In Induction Cooktop They use around half the energy of a coil style burner. You could also use portable ones too. That was my plan for the MicroRV.

Yeah, I did a bit of research on bringing all the comforts of home to the trail. Once you have a big battery bank for running the laptop for long periods, other stuff like microwaves, toaster/convection ovens, etc. looks allot more realistic. Stretch the battery bank a bit and cooking become possible. Stretch it allot, 400AH+ battery bank at 12VDC and even air conditioning is even possible, but only for 8ish hours on a charge. Even the most efficient units are power hogs. If you put in a huge battery bank, install an alternator designed for long hot running. Balmar is quite reputable in that regards, but pricey. The other alternator I thought may be interesting is a GM CS144 in one of the moderate output levels like 140Amps.

Solar is viable for running laptops, and cooking, but not air conditioning. 8+ 200W solar panels would be needed for air conditioning and that just wouldn't fit on the roof. On the other hand an inverter generator run during the day could recharge the batteries for nighttime air conditioning. Many NPS campgrounds only allow daytime generator usage.

For the bears, there is: Bear Shock Electric Fence for the Backcountry Note: All the bits are standard electric fence parts available at any good farm store. If I was putting one together, I think I'd use electric fence netting instead of wires. If you don't think this works, the forest service is using them to protect their remote camps in bear country.

 

[e9999]

A bear electric fence!! Brilliant! Dang, this thread may turn out useful after all...



I hadn't considered a washer yet, I have to admit, silly me... Cuz on the lower end of the high tech range, and especially so for us wheelers, a closed 5 gal bucket or water tank will do wonders for clothes washing with a bit of water and soap and a washboard road...
not that I try to spend much time on washboards actually.

As for the dishwasher, that would not help with the little water on board issue probably, unfortunately.

 

[Trollhole]

that's funny. I could conceivably take a microwave sometime for the heck of it or to try out the concept, but I would definitely not do a dish. I gotta be out of reach and out of the media world when out there.
Yes, I also enjoy the cooking over a grill or campfire the majority of the time. Mmmm.... grilled steaks! But it can get awkward sometime and cleaning sticky pots while camping with limited water is no fun. What I've seen is some people cutting down on the "fun" cooking just for that reason. Myself, I've wondered about the gas grill and grate where I cooked meat when in bear country.



no, didn't know that. That might do a number on your battery... Lessee, 660W, let's say the engine is running, 660/13.5=49A. Use it 10 mins cuz not very powerful. 8Ah out of say 100Ah. Nah, not too bad. And $350 not too bad either. Not till November though, they say.

All my camping friends are college football nuts. So it fits right in around camp.

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

hmmm... do you think a 2000W peak gen could not handle an 800W nominal microwave? I thought the new ones were kind of easing into the full load, too. I believe that my 1250W manual did state it needed a 20A outlet, so that's about double. I would have thought that up to a 1000W micro would be good, but could be wrong.

typical circuit breaker at home takes a few seconds of being about 120% of its rating to trip- unless there is a dead short, or it is a fast blow breaker

 

[skidplate]

I'm kinda going backwards I guess. I'm starting to take less and less with me. I take a kerosene lantern for light, a small backpack stove. I hate doing dishes in the bush so I take the stuff you just add hot water to. After all, it's just a few days. On the other hand , the lovely Mrs. Skidplate and I are headed up to the giant sequoias next week and we'll taking our trailer which has all the comforts of home. It's the only she will go "camping". I guess I have the best of both worlds.

 

[e9999]

I'm kinda going backwards I guess. I'm starting to take less and less with me. I take a kerosene lantern for light, a small backpack stove. I hate doing dishes in the bush so I take the stuff you just add hot water to. After all, it's just a few days. On the other hand , the lovely Mrs. Skidplate and I are headed up to the giant sequoias next week and we'll taking our trailer which has all the comforts of home. It's the only she will go "camping". I guess I have the best of both worlds.

I have indulged in the boiling water method of meal preparation too... Hot coco on cold mornings, hot soup or mashed potatoes or spicy ramen noodles in the evening around a fire... yup... doesn't get much easier than that, if somewhat less than exciting. Haven't tried the fancy dehydrated backpacker type of meals yet though, I should.

 

[Dr Gonzo]

Good point Jeb!

 

[77cruiser77]

I cannot help as I cannot see eye to eye on this. I'm a cook over the fire or my little white gas stove and sleep in a tent kinda guy in a place no one else typically goes or can get into.

A gen set and microwave? that is ridiculous especially if your reasoning is clean up. I say accept the fact you are camping and change your cooking style to fix your problems instead of complicating things to stay in cookie-cutter train of thought.

Maybe I just don't understand because I was never an 80 series guy

 

[BMThiker]

no, didn't know that. That might do a number on your battery... Lessee, 660W, let's say the engine is running, 660/13.5=49A. Use it 10 mins cuz not very powerful. 8Ah out of say 100Ah. Nah, not too bad. And $350 not too bad either. Not till November though, they say.

I've seen the wavebox microwave at truck stops for $200.

 

[Mace]

There is a point where camping is no longer camping, when you start getting every comfort of home involved.

One man's opinion, but there is something to be said about the aesthetics of the sound of a gas lantern, the taste of bacon and eggs cooked over a propane stove in the cool morning hours outside...

Yes, if you have little kids...a trailer is nice to clean up and put them to sleep, but that does not mean you need to totally lose the experience of camping with microwaves and s*** like that.

Give me a break.

I wholeheartedly agree. There is a good chance that the wife and kids will not be making their way out to SNT this year. So I keep thinking of just using my RTT.

Then I remember the wind..

And start thinking of how nice the camper really is..

 

[1loudLX]

I'd only bring a microwave to re-heat chinese takeout. It's one of the few foods that tastes better after 90 seconds of radiation.

 

[spressomon]

And to think I have a glamping problem

 

[rusty_tlc]

Here's a thought, fire up the generator in the garage and try your set -up out. Odds are the 2000 will handle the surge.

I have indulged in the boiling water method of meal preparation too... Hot coco on cold mornings, hot soup or mashed potatoes or spicy ramen noodles in the evening around a fire... yup... doesn't get much easier than that, if somewhat less than exciting. Haven't tried the fancy dehydrated backpacker type of meals yet though, I should.

I recently tried the Mountain House meals on a back packing trip with my son. They are a whole different animal than they were in the 70's when they first came out. So good I elected to give them a try on my last 4WD trip.

The beef stroganoff was pretty toothsome after a hard day on the Rubicon. Prep involved boiling water on a small stove, clean-up was as simple as stuffing my plastic spoon and napkin inside the bag and tossing it in the trash. I wouldn't want to do more than one or two meals that way given the means to do otherwise though.

 

[e9999]

are current MREs actually tasting OK when you're not starving?

 

[Mace]

some are okay, some are not so good..