Best Of
Re: Adding Second Battery _ DYI Building Power Station
@2022TAGowner
The Trolling Motor Power Center looks interesting. I did see on reviews that said it doesn't work with lithium batteries and that the battery meter may have issues. Recheck the reviews. I cannot guess why it would not work with a lithium battery. The green/red bars may be off for lithium. A battery meter that just measures voltage does little good with lithium batteries anyways. I also noted the measurements of the battery length and the box are a close fit. Pay attention as to the type of connectors used for charging with the Power Center. That may require an adapter of some sort to match up to a lithium battery charger.
I do not know type details of your cooler or Dewalt batteries but can make assumptions.
With your fully charged 165Ah LiTime battery you should have no problems powering your BougeRV Cooler, charging phones and Dewalt batteries. I would feel comfortable for 4-5 days without any recharge (maybe longer). Do not know if your LiTime battery is a Smart battery, but that makes little difference, just some assurance that everything is charged and utilization tracks to meet your needs.
I assume your BougeRV cooler operates at 45-watts or less. Charging phones, say 30-watts and charging Dewalt batteries maybe around 35-watts. That puts you at a total of 110-watts or around 9.2 amps. Should not trip the 10amp circuit breaker of the Power Center. As for needing an additional 12-volt plug, you could simply get a Car cigarette lighter (12-volt accessory port) splitter. Costs $7-20.
I do not know how you would charge up Dewalt batteries without an inverter. All of my Dewalt batteries charge by a Dewalt charger that plugs into a 120-volt wall outlet. You could buy a cheap 100-150-watt car inverter for <$25. and solve that issue.
Have fun with your tent camping.
The Trolling Motor Power Center looks interesting. I did see on reviews that said it doesn't work with lithium batteries and that the battery meter may have issues. Recheck the reviews. I cannot guess why it would not work with a lithium battery. The green/red bars may be off for lithium. A battery meter that just measures voltage does little good with lithium batteries anyways. I also noted the measurements of the battery length and the box are a close fit. Pay attention as to the type of connectors used for charging with the Power Center. That may require an adapter of some sort to match up to a lithium battery charger.
I do not know type details of your cooler or Dewalt batteries but can make assumptions.
With your fully charged 165Ah LiTime battery you should have no problems powering your BougeRV Cooler, charging phones and Dewalt batteries. I would feel comfortable for 4-5 days without any recharge (maybe longer). Do not know if your LiTime battery is a Smart battery, but that makes little difference, just some assurance that everything is charged and utilization tracks to meet your needs.
I assume your BougeRV cooler operates at 45-watts or less. Charging phones, say 30-watts and charging Dewalt batteries maybe around 35-watts. That puts you at a total of 110-watts or around 9.2 amps. Should not trip the 10amp circuit breaker of the Power Center. As for needing an additional 12-volt plug, you could simply get a Car cigarette lighter (12-volt accessory port) splitter. Costs $7-20.
I do not know how you would charge up Dewalt batteries without an inverter. All of my Dewalt batteries charge by a Dewalt charger that plugs into a 120-volt wall outlet. You could buy a cheap 100-150-watt car inverter for <$25. and solve that issue.
Have fun with your tent camping.
Re: Window screen fix
LuckyJ...as we'll be going to UCamp18 we said we could wait rather than them having to send them across the border...how many more days any ways...will have a project at UCamp for an afternoon...wonder if we'll have helpers...
Re: Awning Options
Yes, it will fit over the 6 wide but not the Boondock because it’s higher. We also bring a Hasika for one night stays. The Coleman is very versitle with two zip on solid panels and 4 screen sides.
Re: Powerstation to power the campers DC system directly.
@josephkruger;
I have a 2018 standard 5-wide nuCamp T@G with a 12-volt lithium battery (Renogy).
Two methods come to mind.
My first thoughts would be to back feed from your Bluetti 12-volt accessory port directly into one of the 12-volt accessory ports of your T@G. (inside or galley)
i.e. use a male-to-male 12-volt cigarette lighter/accessory adapter. (suicide cord) This would feed into your converter (WFCO?) and should feed to all other 12- volt sources, such as refrigerator and USB outlets.
You would want to limit your capacity usage as to only draw 120-180 watts (10-15 Amps). Your biggest draws would be your refrigerator, FanTastic vent fan and water pump.
»» It would be important to turn off your main electrical battery switch, (do this first before connecting up the Bluetti) otherwise your Bluetti would want to charge up the trailer battery. I would think you should have minimal issues. Always carry some extra fuses for the converter and the accessory cord.
Another option (not the best) would be to use a 12-volt male accessory cord to a SAE adapter. (This assumes you have one on (SAE) the side of your tongue box) In this case the main battery switch would need to be on. The Bluetti would then be charging up the trailer battery as well as providing power to the entire trailer. This method would drain the Bluetti faster. In my case this may not be a bad option with my lithium battery, since I can shut off my battery, eliminating any attempt of the Bluetti charging it. With your marine lead-acid battery, you do not have the option to shut off the battery, besides cable disconnect.
My best upgrade was replacing my marine lead-acid battery with lithium. Costs have come way down. For $200-$250, you can get a very good lithium battery these days.
Good luck on whatever decision you make.
I have a 2018 standard 5-wide nuCamp T@G with a 12-volt lithium battery (Renogy).
Two methods come to mind.
My first thoughts would be to back feed from your Bluetti 12-volt accessory port directly into one of the 12-volt accessory ports of your T@G. (inside or galley)
i.e. use a male-to-male 12-volt cigarette lighter/accessory adapter. (suicide cord) This would feed into your converter (WFCO?) and should feed to all other 12- volt sources, such as refrigerator and USB outlets.
You would want to limit your capacity usage as to only draw 120-180 watts (10-15 Amps). Your biggest draws would be your refrigerator, FanTastic vent fan and water pump.
»» It would be important to turn off your main electrical battery switch, (do this first before connecting up the Bluetti) otherwise your Bluetti would want to charge up the trailer battery. I would think you should have minimal issues. Always carry some extra fuses for the converter and the accessory cord.
Another option (not the best) would be to use a 12-volt male accessory cord to a SAE adapter. (This assumes you have one on (SAE) the side of your tongue box) In this case the main battery switch would need to be on. The Bluetti would then be charging up the trailer battery as well as providing power to the entire trailer. This method would drain the Bluetti faster. In my case this may not be a bad option with my lithium battery, since I can shut off my battery, eliminating any attempt of the Bluetti charging it. With your marine lead-acid battery, you do not have the option to shut off the battery, besides cable disconnect.
My best upgrade was replacing my marine lead-acid battery with lithium. Costs have come way down. For $200-$250, you can get a very good lithium battery these days.
Good luck on whatever decision you make.
Re: New 2025 T@G member
@Faye - welcome! BTW, photos now resize automatically.
Newbie questions.
We have now made a few trips in our 2021 TAG Boondock, mostly good but there are some questions.
1. Why does the radio randomly turn itself on? It has happened several times with no obvious cause.
2. Where is the best place for the fire extinguisher since ours fell off. The official position is guaranteed to be banged into. Since the tiny screws holding it and the smoke and Co2 alarms have all pulled out of the plastic, what is the best way to reattach them.
3. Whats with the square and sharp corners on the interior shelves and cabinets? Boat builders used rounded corners; safer and stronger.
4. My last question for now, how do I remove the external washdown unit for repair/replacement? I have unscrewed it but it appears glued in.
On the plus side, we survived winds up to 50 mph/80 kmh and torrential rain with no fuss, staying cosy and comfortable.
Close-able Vents
Hello, recently inherited my parents '14 T@G, after having it out a few times, learned that the vents on either side of the AC pull cold air in right on my feet, I don't care for it (My wife doesn't mind cause her feet don't reach down that far) so I fired up the 3d printer and made some vents that close so I can sleep with warm feet when it's cold out, or allow the trailer to vent when it's warmer...
Vacation 2025 Gas Usage
Summer 2025 is winding down.
I got one seven-week extended trip completed and am now looking forward to some shorter Colorado River trips.
Traveled with my wife and 10lb dog.
For my own enjoyment, I did a gas usage tabulation of my 7-week trip.
The period was from the end of May through early July.
Trip went from San Diego to Raleigh North Carolina.
Went into 19 states, traveled 6,564 total miles.
Besides getting lost for over 75 miles on a forest service dirt road in Colorado without cell service or a downloaded map and a vet visit in Kansas due to a dog fight, we had no significant problems.
My tow vehicle is a 2012 Toyota RAV4 (4cl).
Average miles per gallon was 18.22 (range 21 - 14 MPG)
Highest elevation driven was 12,183 (Colorado Rocky Mountain National Park on Trail Ridge Road)
The average cost per gallon of gas was $3.40 (highest was in Estes Park CO for 91 Octane = $4.61)
My total fuel cost was $1,227
I would have liked to do more multi day camping stops, but a destination timeline kept us driving to meet our schedule.
I hope everyone had a good summer camping.
Sleeping 3 people in a T@G XL comfortably!
This is a mock up for space planning. The RV park I made reservations for this summer insists we all sleep in the trailer! No one in our annex tent, 8’x8’. No one in the back of the car either! Ok then, here are my thoughts. I have ordered a 69”l x 25”w x17”h camp cot from Camping World. This is considered the petite size. Our kid is just over 5’ tall so this will be their sleeping bunk. We will need to remove the blinds to accommodate the size of the cot. Interior is 70” long, under the window. Blinds are removable, as my husband reminded me, since he had been handling their repairs. The height brings the cot to about the middle of the window over 4” of memory foam and padding. The sleeping pad for cot will be a petite size 66” x “20” from Big Agnes, still in the works. Basically this will just be our bunk space for a few nights. Ear plugs and eye masks are encouraged. Will need to make black out curtains and a removable or Velcroed bug screen. (As seen in overland trailer videos!) Will update with the end results. The tv mount will be removed. Also, with shore power, no need bring the power generators so the tv cabinet is now available for daughter to store items. That’s the space, this is my vision. Wish me luck!! The interior space is very generous for our T@GXL, just love it! The galley is finished with the stainless steel toe kick! The table was reconfigured to access the top drawer of our pantry. Wood office cabinets have silverware, cooking utensils, tea, honey, cocoa and spices. Got those on Wayfair. The trash can rules! Holds regular grocery store bags and hangs on the cabinet door, got it on Amazon. The boho bags are for fruit, vegetables and cleaning items. Got those on Amazon as well. Have a great adventure!
Curtains Added
DW wanted to add curtains for personalized look. We both wanted the windows open for ventilation and keep out peering eyes. Hooks just stick on and can be removed easily. Earlier this year I replaced both the smoke & CO detector. The waterproof bags https://www.amazon.com/IDRYBAG-Waterproof-Floating-Lightweight-Kayaking/dp/B083BQGSF4/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=IDRYBAG+Clear+Dry+Bag+Waterproof+Floating+2L/5L/10L/15L/20L,+Lightweight+Dry+Sack+Water+Sports,+Marine+Waterproof+Bag+Roll+Top+for+Kayaking,+Boating,+Canoeing,+Swimming,+Hiking,+Camping,+Rafting&qid=1628195164&sr=8-1&th=1&psc=1 on the door mesh are to hang your shoes on the Boondock handle. I’ve got to get started on the maxxfan install.
