Have you added?? 2nd house battery, solar, or inverter?

[pdxpfeifer]

Hi everyone
We don't have a generator. We have one single deep cycle battery in the compartment. Has anybody added a second? What would be best way to do that?

2nd question  has anyone added solar? I was thinking about one of those portable small units.

3rd question: inverter? Has anyone added one to be able to use outlets when boon docking? I was looking at like a 1000 watts? Just to charge iPads, smart phones, laptop etc. maybe run small microwave?

Thanks
Robyn & Nina the clipper.
Dodge 440 rear kitchen 1977

[Toedtoes]

I don't have a generator either.  I have an Optima blue top group 31 AGM battery in the house.  With just it, I can go 4 days without putting a dent in the battery power.  My caveats:

• I use minimal lighting inside. Usually one overhead light at a time (mostly while cooking meals or eating).  I use small battery operated puck lights for reading purposes (I also have a paperwhite kindle so can read without lights).  I don't have a porch light, etc.
  
  I recharge my cell phone daily - I don't leave it plugged in all night, just long enough to charge.  I usually plug in my laptop or my kindle for a few hours per trip.  I use my mp3 player, docking station, and plug-in computer speakers for about 1-5 hours per trip.
  
  I leave my water pump turned on 24-7 throughout the trip.

Without the microwave, your needs could easily be resolved in a few ways:

A small inverter - get a cheap one that will plug into the 12v outlet (cigarette lighter) and you plug the device directly into the inverter.

A basic power pack: http://www.amazon.com/Wagan-400-Watt-Starter-Compressor-Utility/dp/B000GPV2QA/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1445796046&sr=8-12&keywords=car+jump+power+pack.  This can easily charge your electronics and can provide a light air compressor, jump start, emergency light, etc.  This solution provides you with additional power rather than pulling from your house battery.

A small portable solar pad - this one is the most limiting as you are dependent upon the weather and campsite conditions (e.g., tree coverage).

The microwave will be your biggest concern.  Ignore the watt rating of microwaves - that's the output.  A microwave has an amp hour rating of about 85.  So, if you expect to use the microwave for 30 minutes per day, you would need 43.5 amp hours per day (85 amp hours * 0.5 hours).  My battery is about 75 amp hours, so I would use more than 50% of my battery's power to run JUST that microwave for 30 minutes.  You should never run your battery below 50%.  So, you would need a solar system that could recharge your battery daily from 50%.  You'd also need a 2500watt inverter in addition to your battery (a 1000 watt inverter won't handle even a small microwave because of the start up power needs).

You could increase your battery bank.  Two of my batteries would give you two days of running the microwave for 30 minutes each day.  Two golf cart batteries (6v) would give you more amp hours than my single AGM, but you would still have to recharge them each day.

Because of the small size of the clipper, space is at a premium.  A large battery bank (like the big RVs use for boondocking/dry camping) isn't really practical unless you're willing to give up your entire outside storage.  A solar system could work, but is dependent on sunlight hours and access.

You could purchase one of those honda 2000watt generators.  They are far quieter than the built in generators (but still noisy if you're used to camping without).  They are portable so you can stow it in your outside storage and pull it out when needed.  You would need to carry fuel for it also as it won't pull from your clipper tank.

For me, I have found that the Wagan power pack, a cheap inverter, and skipping the microwave (and other items with heating elements such as hair dryers, toasters, etc.) works best for me.  The propane stove/oven works just fine for the cooking I do - a teapot heats water just as easily as the microwave and a thermos can keep it handy throughout the day.