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Subject Topic: Non electric alternative Post Reply Post New Topic
Personddlkc
01/8/2017 at 8:38pm
 Location: newcastle
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Hi
I am just curious if there is any bit of equipment that would enable us to go non electric but still be able to use fridge charge phones laptop etc

Thank you

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Dawn


PersonHacksaw Bob
01/8/2017 at 9:56pm
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Have a search for "phone charging camping stoves" - should come with at least two rather expensive ones which claim to do the job.

Can't see them powering a fridge though!

Suggest a three-way fridge as fitted to many caravans, and running off butane (or propane, but you won't need a fridge if the weather's cold enough to need propane to run it!) in a well-ventilated place (not inside the tent - serious carbon monoxide poisoning risk).


PersonBernie47
01/8/2017 at 11:22pm
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Many of us have camped for many years without the need for a fridge, in the UK it's a luxury rather than a necessity.

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Bernie


PersonMucker1884
02/8/2017 at 6:06am
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I'd agree.
Fridges are a luxury. A good passive cool box is more than adequate for the UK if ice/ice blocks are practical.

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2024: 38 nights thus far...
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PersonCampy C
02/8/2017 at 8:59am
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Have you tried polystyrene boxes ? we have an old one that we put freezer blocks in and it keeps food and beer cold for at least two days.


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PersonHighSlayer
02/8/2017 at 11:27am
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I'm not sure I understand - you want to go non-electric but take electrical items and want to use them? I'm sure I'm not the only one to see that you need electricity for electrical items!

But, if you mean portable electricity as opposed to no electricity then you can buy powerbanks online which you charge up before you go away (or can be charged from a car socket whilst driving) and the bigger of these can recharge the average phone at least 2-3 times so if you had a couple of those it should help.

As far as an electric fridge goes - well you need electricity for that, there is just no getting away from that. You could of course buy a petrol generator and hope you are allowed to use it on site (highly unlikely) though for wild camping it would be ok.

You could take a really good passive coolbox like the igloo range. Or, if you are on a campsite with an icepack freezing service (most do) then take double the icepacks and have one lot freezing whilst the others are in use. For this you could either use a passive coolbox or a 12v one which you can keep cool whilst driving.

Laptops - again to charge an electric laptop you need electricity! You can get inverter supplies which convert the 12v from your car to 230v to recharge the laptop but these will quickly run down your battery if you dont have the engine running. But - if you are doing a fair bit of exploring or travelling by car you can charge them en-route and whilst travelling. If you disable the network cards, switch the power saver mode on and use them sparingly you could get a couple of days out of a charge.

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A slightly younger Victor Meldrew


PersonHacksaw Bob
02/8/2017 at 11:44am
 Location: West Midlands
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Quote: Originally posted by Campy C on 02/8/2017
Have you tried polystyrene boxes ? we have an old one that we put freezer blocks in and it keeps food and beer cold for at least two days.


Good idea! Much better to reuse polystyrene boxes rather than try to recycle them (is that even possible?). You may be able to pick them up at places like our nearest "pick your own" outlet, which last year was inviting customers to help themselves (I didn't - no room in car!).


Personosvic
02/8/2017 at 9:05pm
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i use a juice power pack for my phone buts thats as good as its gonna get for a non electric trip.


PersonBaddab
03/8/2017 at 10:07pm
 Location: Scotland
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I agree with the comments above if you go non electric then you have to comprise.

Did a short trip to Nice a few weeks ago took the weekend tent and enough gear for 8 days. A bit basic but really good fun.

Anyway no electric so phones, ipad charged in the hire car.

We bought an inflatable cool box from decathlon for€30 which kept ice for 2 days in 30 deg heat. We kept it outside under the tarp so would recommend that

Good luck.

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February - Rothiemurchus
May - Rothiemurchus
June - La Colle-sur-Loup
June - Milarrochy Bay
Sept - Cannes


PersonDerbian
03/8/2017 at 10:19pm
 Location: derbyshire
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Instead of a fridge or a cool box you could try an evaporation cooler. Not sure where you could pick one up now but they were fitted to early VW dampers. Seen a few more modern versions in the USA and Australia and the seem to work fairly well


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Personultraquasar
08/8/2017 at 5:58pm
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Colemans do one, and theres various instructions on how to make your own. I'm intrigued by the thought though, maybe a way of getting around the rule on campsites for no petrol generators would be a steam powered generator provided they are not too noisy?


Personstumpjumper
08/8/2017 at 7:47pm
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We spend quite some time tent camping off grid and have found the following works well:

3 way Dometic fridge running off gas
1 x leisure battery and 1 x small gel battery plus solar panels for recharging. - the two batteries allow one to be charging while the other is in use but this is a luxury rather than necessary.

The above allows us to power the fridge, phones, tablets, lights etc for a week or more.

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Current tents in use: 5m Bell, Obelink Palamos 6, Vango Tornado 300 Vango Force 10 Mk3, Hypercamp Eldorado & Orange Raclet


PersonDeborahTurner
08/8/2017 at 8:30pm
 Location: London
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I never have EHU.

Phones get charged in the car, and anyone who can't live without their phone (teens) has a power pack, too.

We use an Icey Tek coolbox, which with careful management and as much stuff put in frozen as possible keeps beers and white wine at a far better temperature than many feeble electric coolboxes that only do so many degrees below ambient.


Personthebiz
09/8/2017 at 6:26pm
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Quote: Originally posted by Campy C on 02/8/2017
Have you tried polystyrene boxes ? we have an old one that we put freezer blocks in and it keeps food and beer cold for at least two days.


I have a ready supply of polystyrene boxes at work in all shapes and sizes. I find them to out perform any passive coolbox I've tried . I haven't tried Iceytec and Igloo, no need when I can use the recycled, free boxes. I've supplied all my camping friends with a selection too as I hate seeing them binned.




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Zymocenosilicaphobia-excessive fear of an empty beer glass

' When I die, I will return to seek the moments I did not live by the sea'


Personultraquasar
09/8/2017 at 8:24pm
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You might be interested to know that polystyrene blocks are used to insulate the ground underneath warehouse freezer's that you can drive forklift trucks into, like a major supermarket food distribution depot.

So there must be something in it, but using screwed up paper inside a cool box also helps, a fridge has to work less if its full with product as theres less air movement everytime a door is open or a lid is lifted off a coolbox.

As water takes more energy to heat up or drop in temperature, surplus bottles of water cooled or frozen filling up spare space can also help keep things cool.



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