Second Round of Gear

Yes, it is possible to get deliveries on Sundays.  I’m a member of Amazon Prime, and Amazon really tries to stick by the 2-day delivery idea, even if it means they have to schedule Sunday deliveries.  I don’t really need stuff on Sundays, but it seems I have a tendency to order on Thursdays and Fridays on a frequent basis, so I’m getting used to these Sunday deliveries.

I’m attempting to group related items into the same photo so it’s easier to convey how they all work together.

Here we have a 20-pound propane tank, (2) 1-pound propane bottles, a carbon monoxide alarm (battery powered), and a 12′ propane hose for a Mr. Heater Big Buddy.

The propane tank will be hooked up to either the tankless shower (yet to arrive) or the Mr. Heater Big Buddy (also, yet to arrive).  If I decide to get a splitter of some sort, perhaps I could have both of them hooked up at the same time.

The smaller propane tanks are for use with the stove.  I haven’t actually purchased the stove yet because I’m still deciding on a model.  Do I go cheap and get the $35 unit (correction, it’s jumped up to $47!) which, according to reviewers, seems to have two settings: High and Higher, or do I spend about twice as much and spend around $75 on the overall better unit (correction, it’s jumped to $83!)?  They’re both dual-burner stoves, both made by Coleman, but they have different knobs (and perhaps other components) that lead to the differences in usability and price.

I’m considering the carbon monoxide detector a mandatory item because of my lack of experience with propane.  Yes, propane is used in lots of RVs (virtually all), but I don’t really like the stuff.  It’s flammable (obviously), potentially explosive, and can emit toxic gas (CO) depending on how it’s burned.  But, it’s a cheap source of a large amount of energy, so that’s why it’s used.  And since I don’t have the extra $5,000+ to build out my dream electrical system right now (not to mention the extra cost of all the other equipment that uses that electricity), I’m going with propane for now.  So for a small price, I’ll have a little peace of mind that this CO detector will beep at me VERY LOUDLY if the CO levels start becoming a concern.

Here we have a water pump and a filter to go with it.  They’ll be used with the shower.  If I get really ambitious, I might even plumb up some kind of sink.  We’ll see.  I haven’t even bothered opening these up yet because I don’t have any PEX piping or the various fittings I’ll need to use all of it.  They’re all on order and will be arriving in the next few days.

Electrical stuff: 10 gauge wire, ring terminals, a remote for the LED lights, and a 12-pack of D-Cell batteries.

The wire and ring terminals were used on the new battery bank project.

The remote is going to be used with some LED lights I purchased from Amazon that should have a nice warm glow and should use very little power.  I can’t wait to test those out as soon as they get here.

The D-Cell batteries are an unusual purchase for me: I haven’t actually used them in many years.  The tankless shower and heater will both use them, so I figured I should buy the batteries now.  The shower uses two of the batteries as an ignition source.  The heater uses four of them as a power source to run an optional fan that helps distribute the heat.

Wheel chocks.  Pretty boring stuff, but necessary.  I figured I’d start with two and pick up more if needed.  I’m still not sure if the tongue jack on my trailer will have a wheel on it or if it’ll have  flat metal bottom or what, so I’m not going to worry about that part until I actually get the trailer.

All the stuff in the photos in this post either arrived from Amazon or was purchased at Walmart or other local hardware stores today.  It’s been a busy day!

The photo above is a view from the dining room out onto the deck.  MN looks nice with a good couple inches of fresh snow.

2 thoughts on “Second Round of Gear”

  1. Don’t buy a propane stove for cooking. Go outside and make a campfire or eat salad….what do you use your stove for at home on a regular basis?

    1. It’s not exactly practical to build a campfire when overnighting at a walmart. Plus, I don’t really want to build a campfire just to heat up leftovers.

      I don’t use my stove at home much, but I also won’t have the conveniences of a toaster oven or microwave while on this trip, so I need something to prepare and heat food. A propane stove is one of the few viable options.

Leave a Reply to Kathleen Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *