So we just bought a Winnebago 2301BHS and are planning to go for 2-3 weeks as a last minute trip with two kids, 6 and 8.

Bad timing we know, so plan on having to do quite a bit of boondocking. We do plan to go up though Colorado for cool temps, so just a few days traveling each way would be in hotter temps.

Some questions about what we need:

1. We bought a Honda 2,200 watt quiet generator, do we need two? The trailer has two a/c units to daisy chain?

2. Should I pay for the dealer to install the weight dist hitch for $650 when the unit could be purchased for $350? Anything special or difficult about "shimming".

3. Are there any "must haves" or "nice to haves" gadgets or things we should get before the trip?

Some questions about where to go:

1. We did west Colorado and Tetons/Yellowstone last summer. I don't mind some repeat, but was thinking about Rocky Mountain NP and/or Mount Rushmore. Considering our lack of planning, where would you try to go? If you know of anywhere with hookups, available, bonus! - but we expect to not have that very much.

2. Can you just crank up a generator and sleep on the side of many rest stops / Wal Marts? Is it safe and what keeps someone from stealing your generator?

* ETA found 3 nights at a KOA in Colorado Springs, July 5-8 - booked it. We are leaving Houston on Friday the 2nd.

Premium said:

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what keeps someone from stealing your generator?

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Say hello to my little friend



That's all I got.

Old RV Ag said:

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Premium said:

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what keeps someone from stealing your generator?

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Say hello to my little friend



That's all I got.

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Username checks

You probably already know - but there are several apps that help you find places.

I have an RTT, so some of them aren't suited to me. I use TheDyrt.com a lot, but you will have more options than me. theDyrt does have an article on it about Walmart boondocking that might be helpful.

To run the ACs off that small of a generator, yes you'll need two, you're going to have to install Micro-Air soft starts in both AC units. https://www.microair.net

Premium said:

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So we just bought a Winnebago 2301BHS and are planning to go for 2-3 weeks as a last minute trip with two kids, 6 and 8.

Bad timing we know, so plan on having to do quite a bit of boondocking. We do plan to go up though Colorado for cool temps, so just a few days traveling each way would be in hotter temps.

Some questions about what we need:

1. We bought a Honda 2,200 watt quiet generator, do we need two? The trailer has two a/c units to daisy chain?

2. Should I pay for the dealer to install the weight dist hitch for $650 when the unit could be purchased for $350? Anything special or difficult about "shimming".

3. Are there any "must haves" or "nice to haves" gadgets or things we should get before the trip?

Some questions about where to go:

1. We did west Colorado and Tetons/Yellowstone last summer. I don't mind some repeat, but was thinking about Rocky Mountain NP and/or Mount Rushmore. Considering our lack of planning, where would you try to go? If you know of anywhere with hookups, available, bonus! - but we expect to not have that very much.

2. Can you just crank up a generator and sleep on the side of many rest stops / Wal Marts? Is it safe and what keeps someone from stealing your generator?

* ETA found 3 nights at a KOA in Colorado Springs, July 5-8 - booked it. We are leaving Houston on Friday the 2nd.

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I have a 2200 watt honda generator like yours and it won't run the ac unit on my camper. I don't know how you could synchronize them to run in parallel, some of the electrical guys here could might be able to tell you. You won't really need AC at night once you get to higher elevations, but getting out of Texas...

When you ask about the weight distribution hitch, are you talking about the brackets that stabilizer bars are attached to on the frame? The hardest part of installing them yourself is drilling the holes in the frame.

They sell a parallel kit for those Honda generators so you can run two together pretty easily.

Do you think we could "get by" on one if we had the soft start (for a day or two)? The Winnebago does have a small solar panel, maybe we could use that for lights and awning. And the fridge can run off of propane I believe.

Couldn't say for sure. I'm more knowledgeable about generators than rv's and their AC's. I would think your generator could run one of the AC units, but probably not both. Pure speculation as I don't know how big the AC units are. I don't think the soft start would be able to get starting watts down enough to run both, but it might.

With it being a 2-3 week trip that's a long time to "get by" with a family on the road. If it was just a weekend trip that might be more doable.

They sell those Honda generators all over the country so if it's not working out you could always pick one up.

Think I'll get a second generator w/parallel. Still need the micro air soft starts with 2 generators?

I say get by because once we get to colder temps we likely won't need 2 a/c units.

MasonB said:

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You probably already know - but there are several apps that help you find places.

I have an RTT, so some of them aren't suited to me. I use TheDyrt.com a lot, but you will have more options than me. theDyrt does have an article on it about Walmart boondocking that might be helpful.

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curious why you couldnt RTT in the same spots a vehicle and RV could.

Good question. Lots of people on here with rv's that would probably be able to answer that better.

Ragoo said:

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MasonB said:

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You probably already know - but there are several apps that help you find places.

I have an RTT, so some of them aren't suited to me. I use TheDyrt.com a lot, but you will have more options than me. theDyrt does have an article on it about Walmart boondocking that might be helpful.

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curious why you couldnt RTT in the same spots a vehicle and RV could.

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I thing he means with his roof top tent he likes to boon dock.

I often can and do use an RV spot.

But some RV campgrounds only accept "self-contained" rigs and we don't qualify as that without a bathroom.

And some RV-centric apps don't list dispersed camping spots that I can use.

So I use TheDyrt.com because it lets you filter based on your setup/needs. Sometimes I am searching for a free spot and don't care about electricity, etc. Some days I am looking for electricity to recharge batteries or a laundry facility. I also like it because it has a pretty widespread user base that updates information, reviews and pics.

We have camped from the San Juan Islands in Washington to Charleston, SC this year and I've been able to use TheDyrt as my primary source.

Awesome. Good info. We have a RTT on my wife's SUV but looking to maybe go to a trailer set up. Is your rig on your vehicle?

If you're going to Rushmore, it's not all that far to Devils Tower. There is a big KOA right at the entrance to the NP. Great views of the tower from the campsites. They also play Close Encounters every night on an outdoor TV with the tower in the background. We stayed there last summer for a few days. Our kids thought it was pretty cool.

We are boondocking in the mountains in Wyoming in a couple weeks. Where we are going, even quiet generators are frowned upon if using them for longer than it takes to recharge batteries. I've got a 200W solar panel that I plan to use for charging the batteries during the day to give me enough energy to run a 12V CPAP at night. Our only issue will be when we are on the road and not to cooler weather when we need to rest.

I have used my Honda 3000 to run the A/C in areas where no one was around to complain. With a single RV A/C unit, I had to install a soft start to keep the 3000 from tripping the breaker. The inrush current from a single A/C is pretty high and can even trip 20A house breaker if you try to run an extension cord. If you are trying to run two A/Cs, if the compressors happen to kick on at the same time, even the soft start might not be enough to prevent a trip.

Premium said:

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So we just bought a Winnebago 2301BHS and are planning to go for 2-3 weeks as a last minute trip with two kids, 6 and 8.

Bad timing we know, so plan on having to do quite a bit of boondocking. We do plan to go up though Colorado for cool temps, so just a few days traveling each way would be in hotter temps.

Some questions about what we need:

1. We bought a Honda 2,200 watt quiet generator, do we need two? The trailer has two a/c units to daisy chain?

Yep. You will need two, also buy your 30 amp adapter for camp sites that do not offer 50 amp.


2. Should I pay for the dealer to install the weight dist hitch for $650 when the unit could be purchased for $350? Anything special or difficult about "shimming".

Depends on how much time you have on your hands. The main thing is making sure when the trailer is on the hitch that it is level.

3. Are there any "must haves" or "nice to haves" gadgets or things we should get before the trip?

I just PM'd you an Amazon list of things you will need. Assuming you have your dump hoses already and have auto leveling.

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Premium said:

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Do you think we could "get by" on one if we had the soft start (for a day or two)? The Winnebago does have a small solar panel, maybe we could use that for lights and awning. And the fridge can run off of propane I believe.

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Depending on how many BTU's the AC requires, you may get by at sea level without a 2nd generator. Good chance it will work if you add the soft start but... you will need to generators for any altitude (de rate the generator for lower O2- leads to less power)

If you plan your spots well, may not need AC.

I have a Roam Vagabond over the bed of my Tundra. The bed has a roll top tonneau cover so I can lock it and protect it from weather.

We are pretty maxed out on space (me, son, dog and 30 day trips) and there are times it would be nice to leave the tent setup at camp while we explore in the truck, but I don't want to have to tow it every where and I don't have space to keep a trailer at home.

But I definitely see where some people would love a trailer RTT setup.

We are coming up on a year of having ours and have somewhere around 70-80 nights in at 50 or so different places.

It works for us and I love it. But I will admit every time we camp next to an RV my son tries to talk me into upgrading!

Just thought of something for the OP - you get in a bind for a place to stay, a lot of county fairgrounds have spots. Usually just an area of parking lot - but if you just need a spot for the night, it works.

If you are going to use a generator, go somewhere where other people don't have to listen to it.

My advice is to never go anywhere that doesn't have water and electric.

Reminds me of a joke Louie Anderson once told:

"When I was a little boy, I was walking down the street and a guy came out of a dark alley and whispered, 'hey, kid. You wanna get screwed?' I said, 'uh, yeah, ok.' So he sold me a Winnebago."

Seriously. I have to say this again. If you are going to be somewhere boondocking with other people around do not use your generator for longer than a few minutes. That is a really crappy thing to do.

agsalaska said:

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Seriously. I have to say this again. If you are going to be somewhere boondocking with other people around do not use your generator for longer than a few minutes. That is a really crappy thing to do.

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If you are boondocking near other people you are doing it wrong. The only two reasons to boondock are the view and to not see another human.

Those may be the best reasons, but these apply, too...

3. Because it's cheap
4. Because all the nearby campgrounds are full.

rootube said:

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agsalaska said:

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Seriously. I have to say this again. If you are going to be somewhere boondocking with other people around do not use your generator for longer than a few minutes. That is a really crappy thing to do.

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If you are boondocking near other people you are doing it wrong. The only two reasons to boondock are the view and to not see another human.

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Or being really close to some great fishing then well known boondocking spaces are close together and everybody runs a generator during breakfast and dinner time.

We spent 5 months last year boondocking last year in the west and it was great. The generator (Honda 1000) was perfect for running a microwave or watching a movie at night.

One of my favorite spots was about 150' from the Henry's Fork surrounded by others... the only thing people caresd about was being ready for the hatches!

5 months!

I thought my trips were long.

Good on ya!

Re-reading your OP, I would really recommend making sure the WDH is installed correctly, and include anti-sway. Doing it yourself isn't that difficult, but if you are driving through west Texas on your way, I would want the extra piece of mind of it being installed correctly, with anti-sway to help with strong winds.

You should be able to look up the specs of your AC units and know exactly what you'll need wattage wise. My thoughts without knowing anything about the AC's you have and what else will be running in the camper, two 2200's in parallel will absolutely require the 2 ac units to have hard start kits. And even then, it may not be enough. I have two Yamaha 2200s for my rv camper, one ac, and it would trip occasionally.

FSGuide said:

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If you're going to Rushmore, it's not all that far to Devils Tower. There is a big KOA right at the entrance to the NP. Great views of the tower from the campsites. They also play Close Encounters every night on an outdoor TV with the tower in the background. We stayed there last summer for a few days. Our kids thought it was pretty cool.

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That's awesome. I remember seeing close encounters there over 30 years ago. I'm glad they're still doing it!

Premium said:

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So we just bought a Winnebago 2301BHS and are planning to go for 2-3 weeks as a last minute trip with two kids, 6 and 8.

Bad timing we know, so plan on having to do quite a bit of boondocking. We do plan to go up though Colorado for cool temps, so just a few days traveling each way would be in hotter temps.

Some questions about what we need:

1. We bought a Honda 2,200 watt quiet generator, do we need two? The trailer has two a/c units to daisy chain?

2. Should I pay for the dealer to install the weight dist hitch for $650 when the unit could be purchased for $350? Anything special or difficult about "shimming".

3. Are there any "must haves" or "nice to haves" gadgets or things we should get before the trip?

Some questions about where to go:

1. We did west Colorado and Tetons/Yellowstone last summer. I don't mind some repeat, but was thinking about Rocky Mountain NP and/or Mount Rushmore. Considering our lack of planning, where would you try to go? If you know of anywhere with hookups, available, bonus! - but we expect to not have that very much.

2. Can you just crank up a generator and sleep on the side of many rest stops / Wal Marts? Is it safe and what keeps someone from stealing your generator?

* ETA found 3 nights at a KOA in Colorado Springs, July 5-8 - booked it. We are leaving Houston on Friday the 2nd.

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Congrats on the purchase! What are you towing with?

I would schedule a place to stay for every night of the trip. RVing got super popular last year, and I wouldn't want the added stress of not knowing where I was going to be able to set up.

I definitely want at least electrical hookup at every campsite. Generators are noisy and take work to keep fueled. I would only want to boondock if I didn't need to run the AC, and then only for a night maybe. Water hookup is nice, but you can run on the fresh tank if needed. Sewer dump at the campsite is nice, but a common dump at the campground is fine.

I run my single AC on a 3000W generator or on a 20A home 120V circuit with no problems. I just don't run the microwave or fridge at the same time, or run the fridge on propane.

Running 2 AC units on 2 2200W generators seems marginal at best. But if you buy the parallel kit you should be able to run one AC unit and probably the fridge too. What's your hookup, 30A or 50A? At 120V, 30A is 3600W and 50A is 6000W. Check the breakers to see how much each system draws, and rack things out (or just don't run them) to match your generator supply.

You can figure out the WDH installation if you have some mechanical aptitude and some time to adjust it through trial and error. Getting the height and angle correct on the ball will ensure your hookup is level and straight. Also important is figuring out how tight (how many chain links) the bars should be to shuft weight forward. I would watch some Youtube videos and do it myself. The guys at the shop don't have as much incentive to get it right.

Gadgets:
Pop up trash can

Door mats (inside and out)

Clothes drying rack

Roof vent insukated covers (press up into the vent space from inside, reflective on one side and fuzzy on the other, keeps heat out)

Propane fire pit (I love a good wood fire, but finding good firewood can be challenging. Propane is super convenient.)

Good sewer hoses (Camco Rhinoflex)

Tire pressure gage that runs up high enough

Socket for stabilizer jacks to use with cordless driver (if you don't have automatic ones)

Dish drying rack, collapsible

Reversimat

2 sets of Camco leveling blocks (some sites are pretty wonky)

Cracker Barrel allows overnight in their parking lots. I haven't had to run off my inverter so I can't tell you all the rules. ACs will definitely require 2 inverters run in parallel. Most, if not all brands, require the same unit for doing so.

You should be able to get to a high enough elevation to not need your AC on the second night. Its cold in SW Colorado right now. New snow on the high mountains.