The Wendlands’ specially outfitted Roadtrek motorhome allows them to enjoy long periods of time off the grid.
By Mike Wendland, F426141
September 2015
September 2015
When people started camping in their vehicles in the early 1900s, they really had one goal: to open up the world. They just wanted to “see what they could see,” and even the most primitive RVing allowed that to happen.
At some point, however, things changed. It became important to take along as much of your home as possible when trying to, in fact, get away from home. Amenities such as full hookups became a necessity. As such, potential RV destinations seemed limited, the original intent of RVing somewhat lost.
But no more.
New technology such as lithium-ion batteries and solar panels that convert the sun’s energy to power for RVs is returning the RV lifestyle to its original intent, giving RVers a whole new world to once again explore. This allows for comforts such as air-conditioning in the middle of the desert. It’s the best of both worlds — new and old.
Jennifer and I experienced this during our recent 15-state journey to the western United States. We plugged in exactly twice during almost two months of travel.
We’re traveling in a new 2015 Roadtrek CS Adventurous XL, which has a rooftop covered with solar panels. The air conditioner on our unit, usually mounted on the roof, has been moved to underneath the rear of the coach. This setup provides us 650 watts of solar power. Besides that, we have a bank of 32 lithium-ion batteries.
Without getting technical, let me just say that between the rooftop solar panels and the lithium-ion batteries we have on our specially outfitted unit, we have so much power that I just don’t worry about running out.
What does that mean in practical terms? It means we can go anywhere and run everything we need for as long as we need it. For instance, while at the no-hookups South Campground at Zion National Park, with the temperature outside topping 100 degrees, we ran the air-conditioning all day long — from about 11:00 a.m. until around 10:00 p.m. — and kept the inside of our Roadtrek a cool 75 degrees.
It also means that while I was hanging out and helping teach some outdoor seminars for a bunch of folks at a photo safari gathering in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana, the air-conditioning was on in our motorhome from dawn until dark, offering a nice, cool place for our Norwegian elkhound, Tai. Again, we did not have access to hookups; we were in a national forest and off the grid.
It means while boondocking in Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Missouri, we always had power for the microwave; to charge my computers; and to run my Wi-Fi network, satellite modem, and router. I always had power to make my coffee each morning.
The longest we sat in one place without being plugged in or moving was three and a half days at Zion. I ran the air-conditioning pretty much all day during that time. At night, as always in the desert, it cooled down so we didn’t need A/C.
In the desert around Tucson, Arizona, we also ran the A/C all day. We drove the RV each day, visiting Saguaro National Park, and traveling into town to shop and sight-see and enjoy a great Mexican dinner. So, besides the solar under those cloudless Arizona skies, the engine generator helped to fill the batteries during those drives.
The capabilities of this system are truly amazing. We don’t have to stay in a campground. If we do, we don’t have to buy sites with hookups.
Our preferred choice is to boondock, all by ourselves in the mountains, in national forests, or on Bureau of Land Management property.
Not four miles from the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, we boondocked for two nights in a national forest. The only neighbors we had were a pair of elk that kept walking past looking for sweet grass. We had all the electric power we needed. We prepared dinner using the microwave-convection oven and the little electric grill we like for cooking chicken, potatoes, and veggies.
Coming home at the end of the trip, we made a spontaneous decision to spend one last night in the woods in Ogemaw County, Michigan, a mile off the nearest road, down a two-track trail that leads to a small clearing and a view overlooking the Rifle River. The weather was rainy and stormy. We read books inside the Roadtrek; watched a movie on Netflix; made a cup of hot chocolate; cooked dinner; and looked out at the forest, dripping from the rain in that beautiful soft green light that comes from a late spring storm.
As swarms of mosquitoes tried, without success, to get into the Roadtrek, we were snug, secure, and at peace inside, looking out at the wilderness, and we were energy efficient, with enough power to stay right there as long as we wanted.
For us, this is so much better than a busy, crowded campground.
Energy independence. It’s a very good thing.
Editor’s note: The Wendlands’ motorhome incorporates a system that has been under development by Roadtrek, and they were part of the testing process. The company recently introduced the EcoTrek power module, which uses lithium-ion technology to expand electrical system limits for RVers.