Off-grid, caravanning is becoming more and more popular as more off-grid sites have started popping up throughout the UK. Not only could off-grid caravanning save you a fortune, but it could also take you to some of the country’s most breathtaking sites.
What Is Off Grid Caravanning
Off-grid, caravanning is a style of caravanning that is becoming increasingly popular. The term off-grid means that you have zero electric hookups, no wifi or internet connection and extremely limited on-site facilities.
Not only does this help you to feel more at one with the nature surrounding you, but it also helps you to save a tremendous amount of money. In addition to this, the sites are often in the most extraordinary places, places where huge commercial sites would not be allowed or welcomed.
How To Go Off Grid Caravanning
Off-grid caravanning all comes down to one thing, planning. Before switching off the grid you need to first understand exactly how you are going to keep things powered, what you are going to do about your water, your heating, and more.
Making sure that you have the right equipment to power your stay will mean that when you go caravanning you can be sure that you will not, quite literally, be left in the dark.
Electricity
With no access to mains to be able to hook your caravan up to, you will have to plan an alternative if you want to power. You will therefore have to rely on your leisure battery to power all your appliances and caravans’ electricity.
How Long Does A Leisure Battery Last Off-Grid?
A leisure battery is a deep cycle battery specially designed to provide a low current for long periods. As you can imagine these are phenomenal pieces of kit and extremely handy for people switching off the grid.
How long your leisure battery will last off-grid is down to a few key things. The first is the capacity of the battery. The best leisure battery for an off-grid caravan would undoubtedly be a category A battery. These batteries are perfect for off-grid caravanning as they have a huge storage capacity that will help to power more appliances for a longer period.
The battery power reserve of a caravan is measured in ampere/hours. The apparent ideal size for an off-grid power reserve is 110Ah. This kind of battery is both large and heavy so it is important to know whether you have the space and the payload allowance.
If treated correctly a leisure battery should last around 5 years. However, if mistreated could last as little as 1 year. The main rules are to make sure that you do not let the battery run flat and to charge the battery monthly, regardless of whether it is in use or not.
It could be wise to invest in a second leisure battery, this is common amongst off-grid caravans as it gives them twice the capacity.
Solar Panels
One of the most self-sufficient and efficient ways of keeping on top of your off-grid electricity would be through the use of solar panels. These are perfect for off-grid caravanners as they help to keep the charge of your leisure battery topped up at all times and charged with power allowing you to use your appliances while not plugged into any mains.
Solar pans are so brilliant as they turn sunlight into power, so as long as you have sunlight you will also have the benefits of power. For a caravan Motorhome Warehouse advise that the best solar panel kit that you can get is a 120W, this is for your average caravan. The bigger the caravan, the more watts you need or the more panels you need.
Solar panels are becoming more and more popular in the caravanning industry. They can be either permanently attached or come in a portable suitcase-like format. To anyone thinking about taking the off-grid route, they make it so much easier to sustain for longer periods.
Gas
It is also important that you have enough gas for your stay as insufficient gas can leave you without any heating, air-con or means of cooking. For this reason, making sure that you have a second gas cylinder can be hugely important and could save you in the event of the first cylinder running out.
The amount of gas that you need fully depends on the length of time that you are going off-grid and also the time of year. This is because the colder the weather, the more heading and subsequent gas that you will use and the longer you go off-grid, the more gas that you will use throughout your stay.
One solution to this would be to invest in a self-refill system. This is where you can go and fill up your gas cylinder when you have run out at one of the UK’s 240 LPG autogas stations. This could be more than worth the money if you are heading off the grid.
Water
Water is not something that you will have to worry about too much. Every campsite in the UK, even the most remote, will have water supplies for you to use. The only recommendation that we would make would be to take your supply of drinking water to be on the safe side.
Summary
Having an amazing off-grid caravan holiday is not all that simple. However, with a little planning, it can be more than worth it. Being outside, in nature, off-grid in some of the most extraordinary locations the Uk has to offer is truly a unique experience. You are not surrounded by noisy neighbours like busier commercial sites as off-grid locations are far less frequented.
All that is needed to have one of the most amazing holidays in the UK is a few pre-thoughts and planning so that when you are off-grid and in nature, you do not have to worry about anything other than enjoying what you are surrounded by.
Where We Come Into It
Do you have a static caravan that you want to get rid of to start your off-grid dreams? Then contact us at Sell The Caravan to start the process of getting your FREE no-obligation static caravan valuation now. We pride ourselves on our easy, hassle-free process of selling your static caravans.