Clean Energy Camping

Making camping easier and helping the planet

 
Olive and Madison at an awesome site in Moab, UT

Olive and Madison at an awesome site in Moab, UT

 

So why should you care about clean energy when you’re camping?

To start - Can I ask you a question?

What’s the main reason you follow us? My guess would be that you either already have an RV of some sort OR you want one and would love to be able to travel like we do. The thing is…either way, you love traveling and being in the great outdoors! If we don’t take care of our planet, there won’t be all of these beautiful sites to see! What’s the point if we can’t get out there and truly appreciate this planet and what it has to offer? Bo and I are all about making easy changes that will ultimately help our environment…and using propane, a clean energy source, is one of those easy adjustments!

 

We use 2 types of clean energy when we’re on the road…

Solar and Propane!

 
Camped out on BLM land just South of Sedona, AZ

Camped out on BLM land just South of Sedona, AZ

 

Solar Power

Alright y’all, so solar is the bomb. Our panels on the roof of our van typically get enough power to keep us charged, the refrigerator running, and the lights on daily. How cool is it that we can literally harness the power of the sun to create energy?! We have 3 - 100 watt panels and after just a few minutes in the sun, they’ll fully charge our batteries. Solar isn’t just for van lifers, though! Many of the newer RVs come with a plug already installed for you to plug your solar panels into. (click here for our solar panels and here for a link to more info on our solar/electrical setup in the van)

 
 
Chilling at our forestry campground in Tahoe NF (on the south end of Lake Tahoe) (Solar on the Roof/Propane by our side!)

Chilling at our forestry campground in Tahoe NF (on the south end of Lake Tahoe) (Solar on the Roof/Propane by our side!)

 

So what happens when the sun isn’t shining?

Propane can jump in and fill the gaps where solar falls short. (Sorry, Sunshine, but sometimes you just don’t do it for us! Kidding, we obv love the sun, but sometimes it’s cloudy and you still need an energy supply!).

Propane brings us together while we’re cooking at our campsite (inside or out!) and while we’re snuggled up inside our camper staying out of the cold.

Propane keeps our lights on and our electronics charged (more on this later) AND it can keeping our food cold and preserved (YES! Propane can do that!).

 
 
propane.png
 

Propane

Okay, so this energy source is a little more out of left field if you aren’t super familiar with camping/being off grid (if you are familiar with camping, you know how much we use propane, but may not realize its benefits!). While most everyone has heard of solar power and probably thinks of it first when thinking about clean energy…believe it or not, propane is right up there with solar as a way to create energy and protect the planet at the same time.

Let’s discuss further…

Did you know that Propane is one of the cleanest forms of energy?? Yeh - me neither!

Did you know that it is very reliable and safe?

Let’s go over a few of the Propane facts that stuck out to me:

  • Propane has the lowest carbon content of any fossil fuel and doesn’t go “bad”. This means it lasts forever if you aren’t using it and it also reduces your pesky little carbon footprint!

  • Propane appliances (like the heat and stoves) in an RV heat up 40% faster than electric!

  • Propane is non-toxic and won’t pool, meaning it doesn’t pollute the atmosphere and won’t build up in soil if a “spill” were to occur.

  • Propane produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions than electricity!

  • Lastly, you can find it everywhere and its CHEAP! (i’m telling you…its easier for us to find propane than cell service sometimes when we’re on the road!)

Ways we use propane while on the road:

 
Cooking on the stove in our Shasta in Florida.

Cooking on the stove in our Shasta in Florida.

 

  • Cooking -

    • We have two main “stoves” that we use when we’re in the van (if we’re in the Shasta, we cook either on this stove or inside on the stove in the kitchen). The first is a regular ole Coleman Camp Stove (linked here). This thing is tried and true. There are a ton of other camp stoves out there, but this one has worked so well for us and is less than $45! Powered only by propane!

    • The second stove we use is this Jetboil. This was made for backpackers (and we do always take it backpacking with us!), but it also works great for boiling water (boils water in 100 seconds…sometimes less if you’re boiling less water!). We use the JetBoil for oatmeal, coffee, dried meals, and even softening tortillas for wraps! One difference with the Jetboil is that it uses a propane/isobutane mixture. You have to buy specific fuel canisters for these, but it is WELL worth it!


 
A night we really appreciated our heat…just east of North Cascades NP

A night we really appreciated our heat…just east of North Cascades NP

 

  • Heat -

    • Whether we’re at a campsite with hookups, boondocking in the middle of nowhere or camped in a Walmart parking lot…we use propane to heat our rig. If we’re plugged in, the furnace runs on electricity and propane. If we don’t have hookups, we have this little heater that could. This baby heats us up even on the coldest nights…ONLY USING PROPANE!!

    • One absolutely luxury we have when staying in the Shasta is taking HOT showers! Our water heater is powered by, you guessed it, propane!

 
Our Refrigerator in our van

Our Refrigerator in our van

 

  • Refrigeration -

    • Our Dometic refrigerator in the van runs strictly off electricity, but it might surprise you to know that most refrigerators in RVs run off of electricity OR propane! Isn’t that wild?

  • Power -

    • This is one way that we have not personally used propane, but plan to in the future! Most generators you purchase are gas powered. This can be great, except for the fact that gas is heavy, expensive and isn’t that great for the environment. Believe it or not, you can buy propane powered generators. We have been doing some research on these, and while they are  an investment, they are worth it. These propane generators allows RV-ers to run their vehicle’s appliances without draining the battery, burning a ton of gas, or polluting the environment!

      Oh, and one more important note:  check your systems routinely, including a propane system. AND, install and maintain carbon monoxide detectors.

 
North Cascades NP. Let’s band together to keep places like this just as beautiful as it is in this photo!!

North Cascades NP. Let’s band together to keep places like this just as beautiful as it is in this photo!!

 

Was any of this surprising to you? I know I was super surprised the first time I learned that propane can actually help keep your food COLD! I was also surprised when I learned how efficient and good for the environment Propane can be! Lets all band together to keep reducing that carbon footprint so generations long after we’re gone will be able to appreciate all the beautiful places we get to explore today! We’d love to see how you guys are using propane on your adventures! Make sure and use the hashtag #togetherwithpropane

Cheers!

xo Madison + Bo

Madison Cox