The Complete Book of Boondock RVing: Camping off the Beaten Path Book

Acknowledgments     vi
What Is Boondock RVing?     1
Why Boondock?     2
Extended Boondock Camping     6
A Sample Boondocking Trip     6
Where to Go Boondock RVing?     13
Public Boondocking Sites     14
Boondocking Sites: Private and Commercial Property     18
How to Find Boondocking Sites     20
Selecting a Rig     24
What's Available?     25
Selecting Your Rig     30
Water, Sewage, and Trash     32
Water     32
Holding Tanks     36
Trash     38
Food: Stocking, Cooking, and Storing     40
Propane Supply     40
Stocking the Pantry     41
Cooking     42
Storing     43
Good Food, New Friends, Great Fun     43
Heating and Cooling     46
Heating     47
Cooling     51
Communications and Navigation     55
Cell Phones     55
E-Mail     56
Internet Access     57
Satellite Radio     59
Global Positioning System (GPS) Receivers     59
BoondockElectricity Made Easy     61
Basic Boondocking     62
Your RV's Electrical System     62
Battery Basics     63
Types of Batteries     67
Battery Capacity: The Elusive Amp-Hour     72
Building a Battery Bank     76
Phantom Loads     82
Wet-Cell Battery Safety     83
Wet-Cell Battery Maintenance     85
Monitoring and Charging Your Batteries     89
Monitoring Your Batteries     89
Charging Your Batteries     95
Charging Methods     96
Battery Life Cycles     100
The Rule of Twenty-Fives     103
Charging Devices     104
Engine Alternators     105
Alternators and RVs     105
Voltage Drop     107
Testing Alternator Efficiency     110
Battery Switches, Isolators, and Combiners     111
Generators, Converters/Chargers, and Inverters     113
Generators     114
Converters and Battery Chargers     116
Inverters     121
System Size     127
A Few Words of Caution     128
Sun and Wind Power     129
Solar Power      130
Selecting a Solar Power System     131
Solar Panels     131
Solar Panel Tests     136
Solar Controllers     138
Installing Your Solar Power System     143
Wind Generators     148
A Selected List of Boondock Campgrounds     150
Resources     163
Recommended Reading     166
Index     167