What to give up? I need it REALLY lightweight.

[IraRat]

I didn't think that you could use a deep cycle battery in a car for any length of time, that it was designed to be slowly discharged and recharged, not rapidly, like a car would do.

Nope, there's no problem in using a deep cycle battery this way - the only problem is that they won't be able to deliver the same CCA (cold cranking amps) as a similar sized car battery, particularly in winter.

And remember that plenty of boats' batteries actually are used just like a car battery - they start the boat's engine and the engine is running much of the time the boat is in use.

Andrew

Yep--and here's another issue to keep in mind:

Boat supply places (and some automotive) sell an inexpensive solar trickle charger. It's just a small photovoltaic panel with two leads that you clip to the battery terminals. Of course, depending on where you live will affect its suitability, but don't underestimate this even in cold climates. If there's sun, it works.

A deep cycle is going to hold a charge and provide a lot of juice for a long time --depending on how many amps you're pulling from it. An electric drill is going to pull a lot, but your Cubby lights, electric sink, even a small TV are hardly going to pull any amps.

In your car, you're actually charging you're battery as you drive. For people with boats, who MAYBE get out for a few hours now and then, it's not getting the charge, so then these batteries need an inexpensive battery charger. And deep-cycle batteries are able to be more or less fully discharged many, many times, and rechargea, to come back to life.

I would still use a separate battery for the Cubby.

[lmh222]

Ok, so what about maybe a small battery in the cubby and a small solar panel like this one: http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/Sear ... ogId=10101

The system shown in the link above it is only $29.99 for a 1.8 Watt solar panel battery charger. It has auto shutoff to prevent overcharging included right in the panel. So, does that mean that I could just get a small deep cycle (do they make deep cycle motorcycle batteries?) and just use the solar panel to charge it during the day?

I have noticed that some batteries do not list the Ah. Is there a way to calculate that based on other information that is given on a standard label?

Thanks!

Lindsey

[IraRat]

Not really what you want:

That's a solar trickle charger, which doesn't have the capacity to fully charge a totally discharged battery. People use those as a safety feature to extend their battery life, but it doesn't really give a full charge to the battery. It might help you SOMEWHAT, but camping in the woods, I doubt it.

If you just get a small deep-cycle marine battery, an inexpensive battery charger, and an inverter (which is also cheap and converts the DC to AC so you can plug ANYTHING in), you'll be fine. And here's how I know:

I have a small boat with a trolling motor that gets connected to a deep cycle that I charge at the house. This will drive the motor continuously for at least 4 hours, depending on the speed I'm going. That motor pulls a lot of juice, and it STILL gives me plenty more than I need.

Now think about it. You're going CAMPING, so how much electricity are you actually going to use? Even if you wire interior lights into your TD, how much light are we going to need to illuminate the interior of a Cubby? And what other appliances and how long will they be running anyway? Heck, if you were worried about running low, you could just stick an extra small deep cycle in your tunk for an emergency.

As a matter of fact, Sevylor, this company that makes these trolling motors and inflatable boats, also sells a really SMALL deep cycle battery, with a lower capacity of course. They manufacture it for that same reason: weight, for use their smaller boats.

By the way, any word on your trailer delivery yet?

[lmh222]

So do you mean charging the battery at home and then just running it down while camping? That makes sense.

I would be nervous about connecting the battery to the car for charging primarily because I have been having problems with my car battery. The car seems to kill a battery about every 2 years. My mechanic said that something is short-circuited somewhere but that the labor that would take to find the problem is almost definitely going to be more expensive than just replacing the car battery every 2 years or so.

Accepting that I already have problems with the car battery, I really, really want to avoid connecting the teardrop battery to the car for charging.

I don't actually do much, if any at all, "in the woods" camping. My camping is 99% road trip camping. I've probably slept in my station wagon about 50 nights and all of those were in a parking lot somewhere (rest stop, church, Walmart, etc.). I really like the woods and I loved tent camping until I discovered road trip camping. I definitely like to be on the move and constantly seeing new and different things now though.

If I'm spending the day in a park/museum/concert/etc. but leaving the car and trailer in a parking lot, it would work out pretty well to just leave the solar panel out during the day (maybe rig up a bracket to attach it to the roof of the car). It would certainly get enough sun. I figured about 8 hours of sun on the solar panel would give me about 8Ah of power each night.

Arrrg... I just found out the my trailer is on backorder until at least May 9! That is so annoying.

Lindsey

[IraRat]

MAY 9th??? That is really ridiculous. My HF dealer had like 5 in stock. That's way too long to wait. Maybe you should contact them to see if they can ship directly from one of their stores.

Again, that solar trickle "charger" isn't going to really charge a deep-cycle battery. It's just going to help your REGULAR battery get closer to its full cranking strengtth, when you first start the car.

A deep cycle is DESIGNED to fully discharge and then be recharged. So yes, all you need is a deep-cycle marine battery, even a small one, and a cheap charger to charge it at home. Plus that inverter which will convert DC to AC.

[lmh222]

Rat - you're a genius!! I looked on the web and there is actually a HF store 1 and 1/2 hours from my home. I just called them and they have 10 of those trailers in stock right now. Not only that but they're $20 cheaper than the website price (that just might cover most of the gas expense)... AMAZING!

I'm going over there right now. Looks like I'll be able to get started on this project tomorrow. YAY

[IraRat]

Rat - you're a genius!! I looked on the web and there is actually a HF store 1 and 1/2 hours from my home. I just called them and they have 10 of those trailers in stock right now. Not only that but they're $20 cheaper than the website price (that just might cover most of the gas expense)... AMAZING!

I'm going over there right now. Looks like I'll be able to get started on this project tomorrow. YAY

FLY, BABY, FLY!!!!!!!!!

I was amazed to find out that they have one like 5 miles from ME!

And I have to tell you that the animated icons on this site are the most fantastic I've ever seen. And your usage of them even MORE fantastic!

[mikeschn]

I was amazed to find out that they have one like 5 miles from ME!

And I have to tell you that the animated icons on this site are the most fantastic I've ever seen. And your usage of them even MORE fantastic!

Hey Rat,

Dean and I set those up. We like em too! And if you go to other forums you kinda miss those nice animated emoticons... So when you need an emoticon fix, you know where to come!

Mike...

[IraRat]

I was amazed to find out that they have one like 5 miles from ME!

And I have to tell you that the animated icons on this site are the most fantastic I've ever seen. And your usage of them even MORE fantastic!

Hey Rat,

Dean and I set those up. We like em too! And if you go to other forums you kinda miss those nice animated emoticons... So when you need an emoticon fix, you know where to come!

Mike...

GREAT JOB! They really add to the posts!

[lmh222]

Well, I made the trip to Albany Harbor Freight successfully and my new trailer is still in the back of the station wagon. Of course, I also went a little on shopping and ended up with a few new tools too. It is almost a good thing that the HF store isn't closer or I'd spend ALL of my money there.

Thanks for the help thus far... I'll probably dive right into the project this weekend. I'm sure I'll be back with questions and frustrations very soon.

Lindsey

[IraRat]

Congrats, Lindsey!

Can you have someone take a picture while you carry both of those boxes at the same time from your car to the house? (HAH!) Take the parts out of the box first, then shlep piece by piece.

I don't know if you've been following my Newbie question post here, but there is a major flaw in the plans when it comes to installing the spring hangers. It might be a little difficult for you to follow that thread without having your pieces in front of you, but I suggest you take a look at it now anyway. Pay special attention to Tom's posts.

Basically, you will save yourself hours of work and aggravation by knowing this little tidbit of information BEFORE you drill your first hole. If anything's unclear, just ask.