No more RV hookups ever again

Wrinkledpants

2017 144WB 4x4
Maybe I missed it, but what's wrong with a porta poti? No electrical needed, it's small, portable, and you dump it in a toilet at any gas station or your home. The 5 gallon tank is big enough to hold a few weeks worth of crap.

Electrical independence has been solved for quite a while with solar panels.

How are you going to power an aqua generator? Most that I've seen are 300-500 watts on 110V power. You would need a massive solar array to power something like that, and even then, I don't see how this will work that well in an arid place like a desert.

Not trying to be a debbie downer, but it seems like you're trying to solve a problem that has been solved for years. If you have the weight capacity to carry all that stuff, why not just up your water tank size?

We have a 4x4 on order, and we don't need a dump station or campground. A 12v water pump with a good filter, and you can pull as much water out of rivers/lakes as you want.
 
Good find....wow....that is high end stuff.

Edit - More pictures here....

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63387
Advanced RV does very high quality custom Sprinter Class Bs. They also do aftermarket installations of some of the stuff they use on other RVs. We had one of the quiet air conditioners they import from Australia installed in our expedition truck. They also install air suspension systems and other stuff on vans.
 

InterBlog

Member
Old, long thread, I scanned it, did not see this comment offered:

While I understand the need for personal challenges on van builds (been there, done that!), IMO what seems to maybe have gotten obscured in this discussion is the incremental benefit from doing over-the-top tech like water condensers and all the rest.

Even if one can free oneself from being electricity-limited (check; I have solar/lithium) and water limited (check; my vacation land is lakefront, and fresh water availability is infinite), and propane-limited (check; have all-electric fridge and do most heating and cooking with on-site biomass), what's next in line?

Being food-limited.

So what's the point of pouring all this money into extra tech if you have to return to civilization to get groceries? Why not just dump a tank given that the run has to happen anyway?

That's what I do. I can stay out for a couple of weeks, but then I get a hankering for a steak and some fresh fruit. So I go into town, and spend $7 to dump my black tank along the route. Easy and cheap.

Another way of saying the same thing: build your van for your specific scenario. Understand that it will probably involve eating food, not all of which you'll be able to procure in the wild.

:)
 

elemental

Wherever you go, there you are.
Another way of saying the same thing: build your van for your specific scenario. Understand that it will probably involve eating food, not all of which you'll be able to procure in the wild.

:)
I would be careful throwing down THAT gauntlet.
 

Davydd

Well-known member
The premise of no more RV hookups again centered around the use of air conditioning without hookups. Solar doesn't do it other than optimum times like Advanced RV's Solar Womp which was designed for Burning Man in the August Nevada desert. Since, without much solar ARV has introduced the Volta 48v battery system with more efficient AC to achieve it anywhere under any conditions.

My criteria does not center around air conditioning needs as I have not run an air conditioner for more than 3 hours at any one time in 13 years of Class B RVing because I follow the 70 degree rule in our travels and need heat more as in our current southwest trip following the Mexican border since January 26. What I want is freedom to stop anywhere and use my van transparently and without reservation, conservation or concern for electricity in all our systems be it the electrical plugs, cooking, etc. identically the same as if we were plugged into shore power and at all times, and without propane. Our tanks for two people have averaged 13 days between dumps and water fill-ups. So yes, you have to come in from the wild to replenish but we can last up to 5 days in one spot without need to run our engine to recharge our 800ah lithium batteries and 420w solar. That scenario usually gets us over a long weekend like Labor Day without battling other RVers for campgrounds. We however seldom spend more than two night in one spot so the second alternator charges our batteries when driving at the rate of 280 amps per hour. We may forgo solar on our next van.

Our electrical use is high as we have an induction cooktop, a compressor two door refrigerator freezer, a built-in Keurig coffee maker, a microwave/convection oven, TV and audio system, wifi system, and Instant Pot we use just about every meal now.
 

Badairman

New member
The premise of no more RV hookups again centered around the use of air conditioning without hookups. Solar doesn't do it other than optimum times like Advanced RV's Solar Womp which was designed for Burning Man in the August Nevada desert. Since, without much solar ARV has introduced the Volta 48v battery system with more efficient AC to achieve it anywhere under any conditions.

My criteria does not center around air conditioning needs as I have not run an air conditioner for more than 3 hours at any one time in 13 years of Class B RVing because I follow the 70 degree rule in our travels and need heat more as in our current southwest trip following the Mexican border since January 26. What I want is freedom to stop anywhere and use my van transparently and without reservation, conservation or concern for electricity in all our systems be it the electrical plugs, cooking, etc. identically the same as if we were plugged into shore power and at all times, and without propane. Our tanks for two people have averaged 13 days between dumps and water fill-ups. So yes, you have to come in from the wild to replenish but we can last up to 5 days in one spot without need to run our engine to recharge our 800ah lithium batteries and 420w solar. That scenario usually gets us over a long weekend like Labor Day without battling other RVers for campgrounds. We however seldom spend more than two night in one spot so the second alternator charges our batteries when driving at the rate of 280 amps per hour. We may forgo solar on our next van.

Our electrical use is high as we have an induction cooktop, a compressor two door refrigerator freezer, a built-in Keurig coffee maker, a microwave/convection oven, TV and audio system, wifi system, and Instant Pot we use just about every meal now.
Which induction cook top did you get?

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 
What do you think your water capacity should be for a 4 day stretch off grid? Trying to decide between bigger fresh tank, or smaller and bring bottles of purified for drinking?
 

marklg

Well-known member
What do you think your water capacity should be for a 4 day stretch off grid? Trying to decide between bigger fresh tank, or smaller and bring bottles of purified for drinking?
30 gallons of fresh water takes care of 2-3 days of dishwashing, flushing the toilet and showers for two people. We use bottled water for drinking.

Regards,

Mark
 

Kajtek1

2015 3500 X long limo RV
I am 1 of those who has to take shower every night, but years of RVing teach me how to do it with 1 gallon, when 2 gallons give me comfort shower.
Than you can have paper plates and plastic forks.
 

Davydd

Well-known member
OK, I've got the electrical part figured out thanks to Advanced RV but there are several other people and companies in my intervening 4.5 years have done the same. It's no mystery. My next van will probably have no solar as I figure when you have high battery capacity such as 800ah solar becomes a less contributor percentage wise that simply driving your van with a second alternator a short time is more efficient. As an active tourer/camper I drive most every day being to sightsee, go to a trail head, maybe a restaurant or bar, get groceries, yep, beer run, etc. You know, just living and not hermiting. My electrical capacity is more appreciated because I have an all electric van with no propane and can use my van exactly the same way boondocking or on shore power. That's my real freedom in staying anywhere at anytime for as long as I desire and coincidentally not disturbing nature and fellow tourer/campers by running a generator.

For water, I have a 40 gallon fresh tank. I can go two weeks between dumping and taking on fresh water. Potable water is plentiful in the United States. Dumping stations are also plentiful and you can plan on getting to one somewhere in two weeks time and if need be just a partial dump and re-fill at anytime it is convenient. Considering our touring attention span in one location is about 3 days and seldom up to a week this is not inconvenient. A macerator dump in a sanitary sewer with no touch other than the outside of the hose that takes at most 10 minutes ever two weeks is a lot better and sanitary than dabbling in poop and refilling a it with starter core no matter how often, and dealing with a pee bucket just about every other day. I've never seen an extolling composting video where anyone deals with a used unsanitary composting toilet bowl to replenish core.

40 gallons of water in two weeks is not onerous environmentally. Extreme measures are more suitable to a stationary home.
 

ECU

2006 T1n 118 Sprinter
Just like an electric car that you keep topped off. I plug in to AC when it is available. I hook up to water when available.
 

Davydd

Well-known member
Which induction cook top did you get?

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
I just answered an old question again from page 1. Why is this software not recognizing my past read messages? Frustrating. :( In answer to this question, it was a single burner portable induction cooktop furnished by Advanced RV. I forget the brand or just haven't paid attention. I will get a new induction cooktop, portable and single again, since we cook outdoors as much as in the van and my wife combines meal preparation with an Instant pot and microwave/convection oven. Seldom do we need two burners. Two burners are not easy to store as you need about a 26" wide drawer.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
I just answered an old question again from page 1. Why is this software not recognizing my past read messages? Frustrating.
When, in this new software, you first visit a thread that was migrated from the old system, it doesn't know that you've been here before...
BUT ... when you do (first) arrive at the first page of an ancient thread, look to the right side of the message box for the "Jump to New" box. It's a red flag that you're in the murky past.

JumpNew.png

Once you use that button, that thread will become "in sync" for you.
(the trick, of course, is to remember to look for it... do as i say, not as i do :whistle: )

--dick
 

Davydd

Well-known member
Yes, I know that, but this new software has been installed for awhile and you would think after visiting the group several times clicking on "New Post" that you would get new post. On this one I saw my name invoked on the message so responded again to an ancient post. With the thousands of postings I read a day on line I didn't recall. I'm not going to check if my BS was consistent. ;)
 

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