Many RVers have become so accustomed to hooking up to shore power (120-volt electrical service) that they are in somewhat of a quandary of what they should do when they find themselves without it for a night.
Rather than spending hundreds or thousands of dollars for a generator or solar panel system, here are seven items that will help you “survive” a night (or more) without shore power.
Don’t let a lack of shore power keep you from a campsite like this. Photo via iRV2 Forums
1. Charge your cell phones and other electronics with a 12-Volt USB Adapter.
2. Use a Stove Top Toaster on your gas stove instead of an electric toaster.
Camping toaster – Photo via Amazon
3. Use a stovetop coffee maker or an espresso maker for your morning caffeine fix in place of the electric version.
4. Consider using solar yard lights around your campsite when you don’t have 120 volts available to run your patio lights.
Solar lights – Photo via Amazon
5. Consider carrying a 12-volt box fan to circulate air in your RV on stuffy days.
6. Use a Whirley Pop popcorn maker to make popcorn instead of your microwave oven. Don’t have the space in your RV to store a Whirley Pop? Bring some Jiffy Pop popcorn with you.
7. You might consider carrying a small inverter until you consider yourself a seasoned dry camper. An inverter can be used to power low wattage 120-volt (out of sight, out of mind) items like your satellite TV receiver, 120-volt chargers for items like a shaver or SLR camera battery, etc.
Inverter – Photo via Amazon
Some of these items aren’t new—many were how our grandparents “survived” back in the days before there were hookup RV spaces, microwaves, espresso machines, etc. Surviving a night without an electrical hookup, just another adventure in RVing!
Do you have your own tips and tricks for surviving without shore power? Please share using the comment box below.
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
I’m a full timer, and my oven is essentially a pan cupboard.
I usually have hookups, but have no room for an electric toaster nor toaster oven.
Didn’t even realize that stovetop toasters were a thing!
Just ordered one.
THANKS!
Tried one and was worthless, very uneven toasting and just dries out the bread before it ever gets toasted. My Grandparents used a 1 lb. metal coffee can with holes punched in the bottom and crossed wires on top to put bread. Worked great but where do you find those today?
Costco. Their coffee is in tin. Great BBq starters as well.
In any supermarket.
Heat water in a kettle and use a pour over coffee maker. Easy clean up too.
Also, try the stove top Camp-a- Toaster, works fast and does not fry out the bread.
A toaster is non-essential: use a frying pan for French toast or toasted cheese. A jump-start battery pack can also provide 12-volt power supply to recharge electronic devices and toothbrushes. I make my morning coffee by boiling water and pouring into a liter water bottle over coffee bags, pull the bags after a few minutes and add hot chocolate mix for a complete breakfast to hit the trails. When I buy ice cubes, half a bag goes into the ice chest and the other half goes into a water jug for fresh, cold drinking water. I keep headlamps and blow-up solar-powered light balls in my day pack for emergency and campsite light.
An AeroPress and a pour over tea kettle make delicious coffee, and the pour over tea kettle can be used for teas as well.
Dave, we have been using an Aero-Press for many years…I have yet to have a better cup of coffee.
We use solar rechargeable motion sensor lights, that are intended to mount on a wall outside. We don’t mount them, but set them on the dash of our truck for recharging while we’re driving, and then spread them around the inside of the rig on counter tops, table, etc for lighting, to conserve on house batteries.
We dry camp extensively and have learned to save amps to extend our stays just living off the 12 volt system. We use a top of oven toaster that was handed down from my grandmother and do most of the cooking outside on a 2 burner camp stove (mostly because we prefer being outside). Don’t use the microwave except for bread storage. There are certain systems that run in the background such as fridge electronics, propane sensor, radio (even when off) that draw amps continuously. Those are not optional – in our case these total about 15 amps a day. Switching to LED lights is a huge amp saver and not that expensive. Beyond that we often wash dishes outside to reduce grey water (often our limiting factor) and running of the water pump. Greatest amp user by far is the furnace blower motor. Switching to a hard-sided trailer from a hybrid with pop-out ends (no insulation) reduced running of the furnace by about 80% when camping in cold seasons/high elevations. Our experience is that we could get 3-4 days off a well charged pair of group 24 batteries using about 25 amps a day without too deeply discharging the batteries.
Battery operated dc fan with rechargeable batteries, as well as LED rope lights are small and easily stored for use as needed. Ours are stored on the closet floor in a cloth tote.
The wonderful people at Biolite make a cool Li-Ion rechargeable lantern that gives as much or as little light as you need, in a variety of colors, can stand independently or hang, and charges by USB.
Another great find is a Holmes Li-Ion personal fan that charges by USB. One of my fans isn’t holding a charge, but the other one is working fine, and they were only $10 apiece.
Since the Biolite lantern can also run or charge other USB devices, you can plug the fan (or two fans!) into the lantern.
I have a 32′ 5th wheel and we actually look for campgrounds that have big enough spaces for my 5th wheel that don’t have power. You are not parked next to anyone, you are more secluded, and it is so much nicer but still I have all the amenities because I put in my own solar system, use LED lighting and run off 2 – 6 volt deep cycle batteries. If you need water incase you run out , I carry 4 – 5 gallon plastic Coleman collapsible jugs and refill my water tank from there. We are able to shower and everything we need to do and it is so much more peaceful. Try It You’ll Like It !
I fill several 2 liter soda bottles with water, and put them outside in the sun early in the morning. They heat up, and you have warm/hot water for dishes and a quick rinse off yourself that evening.
I plug the Keurig, electric fry pan, and portable a/c into my neighbor’s rv when they go hiking for the day.
Really??? Power pirating or do you ask for permission?
How’s the coffee from a Keurig?
Horrible. Get an Aeropress instead and grind your beans as needed.
Pirate power! I can respect that
Don’t forget the battery operated candles, usually dollar stores have them and they are wonderful to place around for nice lighting!
LOL!!!!!
I hope you have their permission and are not stealing power.
I am new to this. How do you manage your appliances that run off the propane when no 120 is available?? All other problems can be handled. Do you just turn them off and use ice chests?
Douglas,
If the appliance runs on propane, you shouldn’t need 120 volts.
I bought one of those toasters and was unhappy with it. Bought a FANTASTIC one: Camp-a-toaster CT1. Don’t take your eyes off of it once it’s hot though – It’s FAST!
If an inverter is connected to a tow vehicle’s battery(while idling) , can it power a travel trailer that is plugged into the AC receptacle of a 1000 W pure sine inverter? I would be using a 15 amp adaptor that would plug into the inverter’s AC receptacle.
Cool, that photo of the Outlaw motorhome in the Sonoran desert is my rig. That is at Mescal Mtn OHV area near Kearny AZ
My 5th-wheel is set up for dry camping. I have solar panels on the roof that connect to everything electric except the air conditioners, fireplace, and microwave. I even have a wood stove for those cold winter days. (I live in Arizona so winter lasts only 15 minutes…)
I have several passive solar ovens I want to try but have not yet as I’m going solo and I would tend to cook big batches of food in them. If I can find a group to RV dry camp with I’d me much more inclined to use them. Any RV groups out there?
We bought a very inexpesive solar cell phone charger and use that to keep our phones and tablets charged when off the grid. Also use solar to keep the battery topped off. Since the fridge is using propane, the fridge controls are the only thing using battery power. Also switched to LED lights and saved a lot of amps that way. I grew up tent camping, which was always without power.
Uhm, how about a solar power Jackery charger?
It can charge your laptop, iPad, fans for night when it’s too warm, coffee maker, TVs, iPhones, etc for days. It can even charge a small fridge. It’s great to have for emergency prep, and then you can bring it boondocking.