First Post - Going to Utah/Arizona in October

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devandjaz

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Aug 14, 2020
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Hey everyone! First time poster here. Me and my family (wife and 3 year old daughter) have a 2020 Subaru Ascent and recently purchased a teardrop trailer to haul behind it. I have my 07 Chevy Silverado 1500 but we enjoy the space of our Ascent for longer trips. Were planning a trip in October. My wife has 2 weeks off for work and my work allows it easily. We originally were planning on going to Japan for the 2 weeks but with the way the world is going it seems unsafe. So boon docking/minimal campsites sounds like the ideal trip for us.

My wife has never been to the Grand Canyon nor has my daughter. Were planning on heading there as well as seeing some family of mine further south in Phoenix, we've also heard beautiful things about Utah despite never being there ourselves. We are open to suggestions from people or if they've taken similar trips id love to see their routes. Campsites are fine however were trying to minimize contact with other people. So any tips or tricks are much appreciated. This is the first time we've ever taken a trip with a trailer/etc.

Another question, the trailer i bought was home-built by a local person. Its not wired for shore power for charging it. It just has a battery in the back to run its outlets, lights, and fans. How easy is it to charge a battery periodically at campsites if I'm figuring it will last about 4 days by itself? if i were to connect a trickle charger at a campsite would that be feasible? At some point Id like to wire it for shore power, I just might not have the time to do that before our trip, especially considering I'm worse than a novice at electrical wiring.

Like i said, first time trailer owner and first time trip. We expect there to be bumps and learning lessons and were here for it. So any help is appreciated! I'm excited to be part of this awesome community and participating more with y'all!
 
Welcome to the cult.
Camping suggestions.
Grand Canyon,the north rim is better than the crowded south rim.
Check the dates they close late Oct.
Zion NP is a great place.
Also Kodachrome Basin SP,they have very nice sites and not on to of each other.It's just a few miles east of Bryce Canyon.
It's on the road to Grant Staircase NP.

That's about all the places we have camped that you are asking info about.

You will find this site has a wealth of people with a ton of info on just about all subjects.

Enjoy your trip planing.
Check out my blog (link at bottom of post),for the trip to the places mentioned.
It is from Oct.2013.

On charging the battery.You could wire it to the car battery/charging system.The same way our campers are wired to our trucks.

Enjoy.
Frank
 
Thanks Frank! We are coming from Washington so should be exciting. That's good to know about the spots closing late October because that's actually the week we were planning on going.

Ill have to look into that for charging it. I am definitely going to bring a spare emergency battery just in case. But for a 1-2 week trip I definitely think it will need to be charged interim.

I look forward to looking at your blog tonight!

Devin
 
An easy first effort at charging your battery could be a solar suitcase with Built in charge controller. Get one with100 watts, or so, of solar panel. Amazon has quite a few kits in the range of $150-$250.

It won’t be the end all for your power needs but at worst, it will extend your battery’s run time and will be a good back up later on.

There is a lot of good info on this forum about managing and charging batteries. Take it in small bites so you don’t get overwhelmed. :LOL:

Paul
 
Thanks Paul. Yeah with almost zero electrical experience, it'll be a rough go. Ill likely take a picture of what the guy had wired before and ask advice on what to buy to wire for shore power at some point. There is a lot of resources on here for all of that though. Taking it in stride though. Ill look into that solar suitcase though. I like that idea for sure.
 
Awesome takesiteasy! Ill definitely check that out. I was looking into using the alternator but since its my wife's Subaru I don't have as much under the hood space. Do you end up having both batteries sitting under to hood connected to the alternator?

So for the charger is it just a trickle/normal charger that you set up at a campsite? Because I was thinking of doing that for a temporary option until we have a more stable situation for connecting to shore power/solar.

At some point I would like to mount solar panels but that seems like an expensive option plus Ill still have to figure out the wiring.

Thanks
-Devin
 
you can plug in a "trickle charger".... but i would look at getting something like a NOCO Genius charger, the bigger the better. You could run an extension cord from the shore power post into the camper via a window or some other opening (stuffed with a rag or something to discourage critter incursions).

If you get your Subaru wired for pulling a trailer, the plug for that can serve as a source for power to the camper. You would then want to add a DC-DC charger in the camper close to you camper battery that would take the power from the trailer plug and charge your camper battery while driving.
 
Hey Vic.

So we did get it wired for pulling. The trailer is already wired with a 4 pin connector which was my understanding that that wont work. But I'll look into that because that would be very easy to do I think. The battery is in the rear hatch of the trailer. I'm sure i can wire something that way though. Ill look into that charger though. We definitely are easy going and on this particular trip I expect us stopping at a campground every couple of days for cleaning up stuff, regrouping, etc.

Thanks for that help!

-Devin
 
Just as an added note, after looking at the NOCO Genius Charger, I'm considering buying this one.

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-G15000-UltraSafe-Battery-Charger/dp/B00PKIBVU0/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=noco+genius+charger&qid=1597810294&s=automotive&sr=1-7

Its not the 26 amp version which I'm assuming simply charges the battery faster.

I'm definitely going to explore the DC-to-DC charger from my Subaru wiring. But either way it will be good to have a backup in place.

Am I correct in thinking for battery longevity I will want to make sure my battery doesn't drop below a certain point? The guy I bought the battery from said the battery was 5 years old and suggested I replace it. So this weekend I'm gonna go out and buy a new one but I want to make sure I take care of it and don't kill its life.
 
I know nothing about electricity and I was able to install solar panels and have them charge my batteries. I followed the wiring directions that came with the solar battery controller. The controller also has a display that tells you how much charge your battery has. You don't want to let it get below 50%.
 
I don't know where you are in Wa but one possible route would be to head towards Burns Or and explore the Steens. From there you can go to Great Basin NP, then pick a route from there to Bryce Cyn or Zion. One possible route is to head south to Cathedral Gorge SP in Nv. From there it's a straight shot to Cedar Breaks, Bryce Cyn or Zion. It's easy for me to say to skip the NPs but I've seen them several times and they are beautiful. Escalante is well worth spending a few days exploring and the campsite are all excellent. Kodachrome is especially nice and a good jumping off point to the Grand Cyn.
Depending on your comfort level and expectations there are countless places to boondock to keep you away from the crowds which would normally dissipate by October. But things have changed!! Good luck on your planning and have a great adventure!!

Edit: I use a 120W flat panel suitcase solar charger if I know I'll be in the same place for 3 or more days. It has a built in controller and you just connect it straight to your battery. I'm seldom in one place for more than a day so charging off my truck is usually all I need.
 
devandjaz said:
Awesome takesiteasy! Ill definitely check that out. I was looking into using the alternator but since its my wife's Subaru I don't have as much under the hood space. Do you end up having both batteries sitting under to hood connected to the alternator?

So for the charger is it just a trickle/normal charger that you set up at a campsite? Because I was thinking of doing that for a temporary option until we have a more stable situation for connecting to shore power/solar.

At some point I would like to mount solar panels but that seems like an expensive option plus Ill still have to figure out the wiring.

Thanks
-Devin
Click to expand...
We have the camper house battery under the hood wired to the alternator using the IBS separator. We also have an extra battery in the camper charged only by solar. I plan to hook it up to the alternator some day.

The battery charger is an 8 amp smart charger by Battery Minder.
 
I second using a Noco charger, at least for now until you get solar or the car set up to charge. They are like Battery Tenders in that you can leave them hooked up all the time. If you keep that 15A one connected all the time, your battery would probably stay near 100% all the time, unless you have some large amp items in the trailer. You can (should) leave it hooked up while using power in the trailer and it will just kick in to top up the battery when needed, but won't overcharge it.

You said you are kind of an electrical newb, so if you don't know already:

With any type of lead acid battery, the lifespan is largely determined by how much of the time you can keep the battery near fully charged. You can draw down to 50% or so SOC without severely shortening lifespan, but if you recharge sooner, the battery will last longer.

So, don't draw a bunch of amp-hours out, then let the battery stay discharged if you can avoid that, if you want to get the most life out of it.

Welcome, and I hope you have a great trip!
 
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So this is the setup I have currently. The meter on the third picture I believe just shows the voltage draw on the battery. So I would definitely need to connect a monitor somehow into the system to be able to monitor that.
 
Since you’re coming from the northwest, I’d second the Great Basin NP idea, great park, isolated, and not heavily visited. The caverns are interesting.

On the way to Bryce, some nice camping/boondocking at Big Flats which is west of Beaver, Utah on 153. Bullion Falls (75 feet) outside of Marysdale.

If it is dry, Cottonwood Canyon Road south out of Kodachrome Basin State Park is scenic. Some boondocking along Cottonwood.

Buckskin Gulch off of House Rock Road is a great slot canyon to hike but can’t vouch for House Rock Road for your trailer as I haven’t been up it this year. Just be aware of the weather. Condor siting at southern end of the road and at Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River at 89A.
 
To me that looks like a well done system.

To follow the standard 50% advice, that meter in the picture should work. It should show the no load or resting state of charge in volts. The easy way to tell is just turn some stuff on and see if it shows a drop then comes back up when you turn stuff off. There are several charts and discussions on batteries and maintenance here and elsewhere. Below is a short article with a standard state of charge chart for AGM batteries, as it appears that’s what you have.

https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/401414/calculate-battery-state-of-charge-percentage

As for periodic charging off a campsite plug I too suggest just taking along a plug in charger or for more money one of the all in one suitcase style solar chargers. I have a NOCO charger and as mentioned it does work well but any portable charger will work.

For the stuff to see places to stay question, all I can add is coming from Washington, there is a TON of stuff available. As mentioned it really depends your chosen route south. As for camping, there is TONS of boondocking opportunities and lots of campgrounds to choose from. I’m more a fan of the North Rim than the South but both are nice. I like Great Basin NP though I haven’t been there since it part of it burned a few years ago. The Steens is nice and the aspens should be in fall color. As mentioned October is on the cusps of being late for part of your trip, but shouldn’t be too late. That said I’d check ahead if there is some place specific you have in mind.

Good luck.

On review of your photos, I think your battery is lead acid. I first thought it was mounted on its side, thus the AGM decision. The link to the chart will be off a little as its for AGM. There are several for lead acid too, just google it.
 
LuckyDan said:
To me that looks like a well done system.

To follow the standard 50% advice, that meter in the picture should work. It should show the no load or resting state of charge in volts. The easy way to tell is just turn some stuff on and see if it shows a drop then comes back up when you turn stuff off. There are several charts and discussions on batteries and maintenance here and elsewhere. Below is a short article with a standard state of charge chart for AGM batteries, as it appears that’s what you have.

https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/401414/calculate-battery-state-of-charge-percentage

As for periodic charging off a campsite plug I too suggest just taking along a plug in charger or for more money one of the all in one suitcase style solar chargers. I have a NOCO charger and as mentioned it does work well but any portable charger will work.

For the stuff to see places to stay question, all I can add is coming from Washington, there is a TON of stuff available. As mentioned it really depends your chosen route south. As for camping, there is TONS of boondocking opportunities and lots of campgrounds to choose from. I’m more a fan of the North Rim than the South but both are nice. I like Great Basin NP though I haven’t been there since it part of it burned a few years ago. The Steens is nice and the aspens should be in fall color. As mentioned October is on the cusps of being late for part of your trip, but shouldn’t be too late. That said I’d check ahead if there is some place specific you have in mind.

Good luck.

On review of your photos, I think your battery is lead acid. I first thought it was mounted on its side, thus the AGM decision. The link to the chart will be off a little as its for AGM. There are several for lead acid too, just google it.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that help LuckyDan. So I am thinking of replacing this battery. He said it was 5 years old. Would you recommend swapping to an AGM battery?
 
Here are some places you can stay on the way. I've stayed at them and found them all relaxing and peaceful which is appreciated after spending a full day driving. And later October you won't need a reservation (I think). I add the "I think" because I keep hearing how the number of campers is increasing. But also know that in the more remote locations, if a campground is full no one will stop you from just parking for a night somewhere in the campground. Often you can use the boat launch parking lot for a night.

Also with your planning, don't look for a public campground an hour either side of Boise along I-84. There isn't any.

Plitcher Creek Reservoir

Murtaugh Lake County Park

Curlew Campground

Hickison Petroglyth Recreation

I'll also second the recommendation for the Steens, but you can't see everything in one trip. Perhaps save it for a second trip.
 
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