Free Camping

[darcy305]

Hi everyone,

I would like to do some free camping I have a standard 2008 16.49.1 that has no battery or shower /toilet. It would be just me and my two older boys aged 16 & 10 I have researched installing a battery and I think I could manage it myself. I have a few questions though.

1/ would a battery last for lighting and running a 12 volt fridge for 2 - 3 days with no additional charging when on site
2/ what other equipment would I need
3/ is there plenty of free camp sites within 2 hours of Melbourne with suitable access for a standard model being pulled by territory.

Cheers

Darcy

 

[White knuckles]

Is your fridge 12 volt only or is it the the 3 way fridge that runs on gas, 12 volt and 24volt, run the fridge on gas when free camping it works the best out of the 3, allowing the battery only to be used for lighting. A Coleman hot water system would be handy and is battery operated (for pump) and uses gas to heat the water, depending on size of battery with fridge running on gas you could free camp easily for 3 to 4 days add solar and you can last in defiantly but that is another thread .

 

[fishinglizard]

I have the battery that jayco put in, i think its 100 amp hour. I just tried to run it flat. I had the tv going and 4 lights on, every other time i walked past the van i fill the sink up with water using the pump. I gave up after 20 hours. I think i would be good for 3 days. If i was just using the lights it would be a week i reckon.

 

[chartrock]

Don't forget to change all your lights for LED's. Using LED lights and water pump with fridge on gas you will have no problems lasting 3-4 days. Go for it. The boys will love it.

 

[foreveryoung]

We free camp all the time, to much of a tight a;(& to pay to camp, but we are set up,with battery solar, led lights, 12v tv, I run the fridge off gas, I have a shower in mine, but when we had the hawk we used a 12v shower which I think up can pick up for $20, to heat the water we bought a boiler thing that you put on the camp fire full and as you pour cold water in hot water comes out, we didn't camp when it was total fire bans so we always had a camp fire,

 

[darcy305]

sorry guys I should of put in more information all our lights are led we have a 3way fridge and no water pump the fridge I was talking about was a 240vt/12vt portable similar to a waeco . I suppose my main query is not having an outback model and having access in to camping areas.

 

[foreveryoung]

We don't have an outback, we haven't had a problem, but mind you we don't take the expanda where we use to take the hawk,

 

[boots33]

Many free camps are easily accessed and you should have no trouble with your setup. There is lots of information out there, the Camps books are quite popular and are well worth their price if you find you like off grid camping. There is also a wealth of info on the net have a look here for some inspiration or just google free camps victoria and i am sure you will find what you need.

For your first trip try and find one not too far from home that also has toilet facilities.... you can survive on sponge baths for some time but no toilets wears thin pretty quick. While not free don't rule out national parks as they are usually very well maintained and you can see whether they are suitable for vans by a quick check on their web site.

Even some van parks can turn up as gems when it comes to off grid areas, @chartrock organised a South East Qld get together last year at the Canungra showgrounds and while their powered area was pretty standard fair I was amazed at their unpowered area which was set in a well forested area next to a crystal clear creek. You could setup in there and it would seem like you were a thousand miles from anywhere.

 

[Alan]

Seeing you are north of Melbourne, Sheepyard Flat out of Mansfield would be a good test run. We stay there for a week with a 110amp hr battery just running our LED lights and have never run out of power ( I reckon it would 3 t0 4 weeks ) We make do with our inside fridge on gas and use a portable shower tent with a 4 D Cell battery shower set up. Hot water from fire or stove, you only need 1/3 of a bucket of hot.

 

[The Goodwins]

Hey @darcy305 I installed a 100amh battery myself and its not hard at all there are wiring diagrams on the net. I have got 3 days out of the battery running an engel and simple lighting. The trick is to have the Waeco set to freeze on the 240v in the house and then turn it down load it and put it in cold.

With most fridges they need to be full at the start to remain cold and draw less power. The less items in them the more power they draw as I have found.

Also as an idea our 2008 was not an Outback so I had the axle underslung and put 15inch wheels and offroad tyres. We instantly doubled the number of locations we could access at a very small cost...see below.....before.....


after.........


With regard to places near Melbourne for free camping.......that's my 2015 trip......LOL

 

[bigman0510]

there are some free camps you probably shouldn't take it:

But most areas if you can get your car in there easy enough you should be able to get the van in, when in doubt get out and walk it.

 

[Coastrunner]

Mate. Get yourself a Deep Cycle Battery, 100 Amp hour minimum. While your at it, shout yourself a solar panel, portable or fixed. If you go away for a week free camping instead of van parking they'll pay for themselves in the first couple of weeks.

My advice, use your 3 way fridge on gas.

If you use your little 3 way efficiently, you won't need to take your waeco away. Especially if its only for a weekend. My method - (Only have 3 beers or drinks in fridge. As you take a cold one out, put 1 warm one in the back. By the time you need to open that one, there's others in front before it and it'll be cold. You don't need to fill your fridge with every thing for the weekend. Long life milk can be left in the cupboard until you need to replace it. Basically you can leave most of your drinks out of the fridge and fill it with food, and just replace the drinks as you need them.

If you do still want to take your wacoe or engel, turn it down to 1 when cool, and if you cannot recharge the battery, you can turn it off at night if your in a cool area then back on in the morning. I think this way, you'll save battery power.

 

[Coastrunner]

Led lights and fridge on gas when away free camping are great. A solar panel to keep topping your battery is a great investment as it tops the power right up again each morning. Definitely a great buy.

 

[TRAKADU]

Hey @The Goodwins

With most fridges they need to be full at the start to remain cold and draw less power. The less items in them the more power they draw as I have found.

Also as an idea our 2008 was not an Outback so I had the axle underslung and put 15inch wheels and offroad tyres. We instantly doubled the number of locations we could access at a very small cost...see below.....before.....
[ATTACH]53831[/ATTACH]

after.........
[ATTACH]53832[/ATTACH]

With regard to places near Melbourne for free camping.......that's my 2015 trip......LOL

Hi @the goodwins, this looks like a beaut spot.
where is this place located?

cheers TRAKADU

 

[Burnsy]

Hi @darcy305, I run a waeco from my van when free camping with no worries but I have 200amps plus solar. In the beginning when I was unsure on how my setup would go I tested it in a caravan park, booked a powered site but ran off battery, that way worst case if your battery doesn't last you still have power. The 12 volt fridges do draw a bit of power but as said above setting it on low and keeping out of sun etc will save power!
Cheers.

 

[The Goodwins]

That was Neurum Creek @TRAKADU