Putting the Ed in Edison

Our Caboose is probably one of the smallest popups made. There is no room for a bathroom, and there is certainly no room for an on-board generator. As we plan for longer trips, battery concerns have led me to investigate solar panels, extra batteries, and portable generators. There are some great tiny, low-noise generators out there, but their price could buy a lot of full hook-up campsites. The next lowest priced option is a second battery, but that is a heavy, lead and acid-filled anchor.

I'd considered just hooking the trailer up to the truck and idling for a while to charge the battery, but I have to disconnect the truck in order to setup the Caboose. Even if I could leave it hooked up, that is a lot of exhaust on the canvas. It was a guest at a Christmas party we went to last night that suggested building an extension cord to go between the truck and the Caboose. For just $16 in parts and about fifteen minutes in the garage, I now can have the truck twelve feet away from the Caboose. Sixteen bucks is a lot better than a $900 generator or even a $120 second battery that could still go dead. It worked in the driveway, and we'll give it a field test soon.