Camper Gadgets - Making the Most of Your Camping Experience Wherever You Want to Go

Let's dive into what exactly are camper gadgets. Self-contained. No wires. No lines. No pumps. No hook-ups. No problem. That's it! You can park your camper anywhere you want and have everything you need. There are some preparations you need to do before hand. Fill up your fresh water tank. Make sure the battery is fully charged. If you plan to stay for several days, you will want to bring extra water and a small portable generator.

The 12 volt battery needs to be a deep cycle marine battery. That means it will hold more voltage longer that a standard car battery. It is designed this way because there is no need for a high amperage draw. All it needs is to hold 12 volts at low amperage for a long time. Whereas a car battery is designed for high amperage for a short period of time. A deep cycle marine battery will keep 12 volts until it is almost dead. When it dies, it dies almost without warning. Then it will need recharging which brings us to the need for a small portable generator with approximately a 1500 watt capacity with a 12 volt output (which most generators have). The lights in your camper will run off of the 12 volt battery, also, so only use the lights you absolutely need.

With the fresh water, you will take baths, flush the toilet and wash dishes. You will find ways to ration it and make it last a while. Bring bottled water for drinking. A full fresh water tank will add many extra pounds onto your towing, so be sure to compensate in your sway control bar. The pump that pressurizes the water line runs on the 12 volt battery. It only operates when you turn on the faucet, flush the toilet or shower. It makes the neatest little buzzing sound when you use either one. When using the fresh water tank, a shower is recommended to conserve water instead of a bath. When showering, use the shower head valve to cut the water on and off between soaping and rinsing. This camper gadget brings one of the things you take for granted at home, running water, out to the field.

Now, if you can open the windows in your camper and be comfortable, you will not need to run the air conditioner. If you need to run your air conditioner, be sure to bring along a generator that has at least a 5000 watt capacity. This will run your air conditioner and keep your battery charged at the same time. Most generators of this capacity will run between 8 and 10 hours on a single fuel fill up. To conserve fuel, you may want to run the generator in the heat of the day, open the window in the cool of the evening and on through the morning hours. The generator is a great camper gadget within itself, but it is optional.

Let's examine the refrigerator. This is one of the most incredible, can't live without, dual cooling, compact appliances you will have in your camper. You can cool or freeze anything you want even without electricity. These also run on propane. You can save on your battery power. It doesn't even use a lot of propane, either. It is best to cool your refrigerator before adding your food. It takes a couple of hours to get the temperature cool enough for food safety. Once it gets cool, you are good to go. You can switch from electricity to propane anytime you need to without losing any food. Ice down your can drinks before putting them in the fridge, also.

The hot water heater is another appliance you will love. It runs on either electricity or propane. If you are at a campground with an electric outlet box, you can save the propane. But, if you decide to camp out in the woods, you can still have hot water by switching to the propane tanks.

These propane tanks are found in the front of your camper next to the tongue. Some campers come with one propane tank or dual propane tanks. You can carry extra propane filled tanks with you if you plan to stay for a while. These tanks can also be removed and refilled if you are close to a town. These tanks are one of your best friends when camping.

Let's take a look at the holding tanks. This is one of the most dreaded parts of camping, emptying the holding tanks. You have 2 holding tanks on your camper. One holds used fresh water and the other holds black water (sewer). You need to add a deodorizer to the black water holding tank before you start using it. When your tank gets full, you will need to empty it.

Bring along a portable tank. You can fill this tank with the water you need to dispose of and take it to the dump station and empty it. You will need to add more deodorizer to the black water holding tank every time you empty it. These portable holding tanks are made on wheels so you can pull them with your bicycle or by walking. Be sure to carry a waste water dumping hose with you. You will need to hook this hose to the portable holding tank's outlet and put it into the ground plug. When you release the valve, the waste water will flow into the dump tank. Be sure to use the water hose provided to rinse out the portable holding tank and empty that water into the ground plug also. These portable holding tanks can mount to the back of your camper for traveling. You will need to mount a bracket on your camper.

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