6 Comments
Tim
4/28/2018 06:05:09 pm
Could you install a solar panel on your truck or maybe a portable ground panel and a battery to charge your existing laptop?
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Tom
4/28/2018 06:49:30 pm
Yes that would work, and I will look on the Internet and see what kind of solar package I can find that has a built in solar controller with it to keep it as simple as possible.
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Tim
4/29/2018 08:59:29 am
Good points. So, it sounds like you're not so worried about draining the starting batteries, but it's the connection between the battery and the inverter. Would it be feasible to run a heavier duty cable from the starting batteries to the inverter and wire the inverter direct? The advantage of that is that you might be able to run some other appliances while tent camping that you couldn't otherwise and/or charge more batteries, etc. at the same time.
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Tom
4/29/2018 09:30:01 am
That would work and I've even thought about using that method. I have an old 500 watt Walmart inverter that even has alligator clips on it to hook directly to the battery instead of plugging it into a cigarette lighter. But I would have to lengthen the wires on it, or plug an extension cord into it to avoid having to put my laptop under the hood while it was charging. What would you bet I would forget it was under there and drive off.
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Tim
4/29/2018 09:39:05 am
Sounds like the smaller 13 inch computer is the way to go, especially since it will be useful for times when you're not tent camping. It would be terrible to be out in the middle of nowhere and have drained batteries because of the big Asus computer, especially since the likelihood sounds pretty high because of the frequency of charging needed for it.
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Tom
4/29/2018 09:57:35 am
Since I haven't been doing very much here at Elephant Butte state Park I've had plenty of time to relax and think. And lately my thinking has been about how to make these little mini trips work. I kind of look at these mini trips as vacations because their completely different from the way I normally live and that's basically what a vacation is, it's a temporary break from your normal life doing something that you enjoy. Which is the reason I'm spending so much time concentrating on making the mini trips enjoyable and not something I endure.
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