Thank you for your kind comments, Lisa. Yes, as Ernest Hemingway once said, it’s important to have a “built-in, shockproof, sh** detector.” He was talking about judging the quality of writing, but I think it applies to taking advice. But here’s another quote I like, this time from Otto von Bismarck -- in fact, I like this quote so much, I have already used it in this thread, but here goes again: “Only a fool learns from his own mistakes. The wise man learns from the mistakes of others.” There is no ego involved, and I am not so insecure that I get offended or upset by advice. If I don’t like it or it doesn’t apply to me, I can just ignore it.
Since I haven’t posted on here in a while -- and it’s been about six months since I started this lifestyle -- this is a good opportunity for a general update on my nomadic life.
Regarding the generator I bought in November, I have been keeping a log of usage, and I’m at about 10 hours per month on average. I have exclusively used the generator to charge my batteries when skies are overcast. I think this is working out well, as the generator gets used regularly enough to justify its cost and weight in my rig. The generator has also been very reliable. It’s a new Honda eu2200i, and it starts up every time, with a single pull, and runs for about 8 hours in Eco-boost mode on a single gallon of gas. It is quiet, too. I don’t plan to add more solar for the time being; it would be great to have another 160 watts or so on the roof, but I can’t justify it right now since the existing solar system suits my needs 95% of the time, and I can always just run the generator for a few hours if I am getting close to 50% battery capacity. In fact, even in winter here in the desert, the sun is so fantastic that I am taking in more electricity than I am using, even on days with some clouds.
Regarding cooking, I eat in my rig 99% of the time, and I always enjoy my meals. But I never really ever learned how to cook, and that hasn’t changed since I started nomadic living six months ago. I make toast and bacon and such for breakfast, bowl of grits, etc. I make simple things -- like spaghetti or a steak -- for dinners. The oven gets used a lot in my camper. I made a post here a while ago about these nifty range-top camping toasters. Well, I still think they are nifty, but I don’t use them anymore; I prefer to make toast in the oven. I still have aspirations of making bread in the oven from scratch one day.
I’ve also dropped my fantasy of washing my clothes in a bucket in the desert. I have the bucket and the washer (the plunger type) and have watched the videos, but I haven’t tried it yet, as the process seems like a PITA. I just spend some quarters at the laundromat.
The truck and camper are still holding up great. All systems work (knock wood). I haven’t had a major system failure yet for either (well, except for the truck’s brake lines, which are indeed a major system, but which are cheap and simple to fix), and hopefully that will continue.
Regarding the size of my rig, I realize, similar to your example, that I could be comfortable in an even smaller situation. It is nice to have the hosting space, though. I think I mentioned in this thread that I have had 10 people in my rig at one time (five in the dinette area and five in the cab over), and these days, I regularly host four or five people around the dinette with me to watch a movie or have coffee. If I am stuck in my rig for a day or two due to the weather, it’s no problem because there’s plenty of space. There is also plenty of space in the camper’s drawers and cabinets such that all of my stuff fits in the allotted spaces, i.e. I don’t have stuff out in the open, plastic bins and bags, etc. I love the luxuries of the cassette toilet and the wet bath shower, and I believe those items start being question marks in rigs much smaller than my current rig (22’ 8”). So for the time being, I’m happy with my rig size -- the sacrifices in either direction aren’t onerous -- and I don’t intend to go either larger or smaller.
I had mentioned at the beginning of this thread possibly getting a catalytic heater and a compressor fridge. Having survived a winter (albeit a very, very mild one in south Georgia and the Sonoran Desert) using the furnace to combat the cold, I think I’ll skip the catalytic heater for the time being unless I find myself in cold weather for long periods of time and the propane/electricity usage of the furnace becomes extreme. The potential pluses don’t seem to outweigh the minuses for now (running a new propane line, installing the catalytic heater, worrying about asphyxiation, etc.). I will also skip the compressor fridge/freezer for now. The propane absorption fridge I’ve got now is working just fine. In fact, it works exceptionally-well; it keeps things very cold but just above freezing, and the freezer really deep freezes stuff.
Regarding how long I can stay “off-grid” before going back into civilization to resupply, being full-time off-grid these days, I find myself needing to run into town once a week, mainly because the cassette toilet gets full. I also fill my water tank when I’m in town. In a week, I usually use about 20 gallons (half the capacity of my 40-gallon water tank), and I take advantage of the trip to buy fresh groceries, etc. If I was using a cat-hole and a bush for my business needs, my only real limitation would be food and water. I can carry months and months of non-perishable food on me.
Regarding water, I could definitely stretch water usage, but I don’t want to, and I can explain why. I am using my water tank for drinking, showering, washing, cooking, filling the toilette flush reservoir, etc., and so that water in the tank is getting replenished fairly regularly. I discovered while boondocking in Georgia over the winter that if water sits in my tank for weeks, it starts to taste bad. Don’t get me wrong: I am still conserving -- using only a light stream to rinse dishes, using less water for pasta, taking “Navy” showers, etc. But I’m not trying to make the water in my tank stretch for ages -- there’s no point to it, and it will make the water taste bad eventually.
I also don’t have any complaints about the Thetford toilet, despite the small “black” tank that needs regular dumping. It is so convenient to just wheel it into a grocery store, go to the bathroom, and dump my “black tank” in a toilet. I don’t have to deal with RV parks or dump stations (which I have never set foot inside yet).
The Rotopax gas can was a great decision. The ladder mount is rock-solid (after some jury-rigging to fit my thick ladder tubes), and the exterior ladder is such a great place for a gas can. No one has stolen the gas can so far (touch wood). It’s mounted a little high to discourage theft, as well, but it really wouldn’t be hard to steal. Rotopax makes locking mounts, but I’ve read that they can be finicky. I use about 1 ½ gallons of gas for the generator every month.
Oh, and following B and C’s suggestion, I have kept the microwave and now use it exclusively as a breadbox.
As those of you who are also in the desert Southwest right now know, the weather will start changing soon. It already has begun. It will start getting hot soon, and I’ll need to start moving. The plan for now is still to head to Alaska for the summer, but we’ll see.
