The condition of your RV house batteries will determine the quality of your dry camping experience. When using liquid lead acid batteries, a good way to assure accuracy of the charge status is with a quality battery hydrometer to test each individual cell. Perform the test at least one time per month and list the results in a notebook to help you keep track. When one cell goes bad it will draw down the healthy cells and eventually render the battery useless. When water levels fall low in a liquid lead acid battery, add distilled water to the cell to cover the plate, 1/8 inch below the vent tube.

If you are interested in dry camping for long periods of time, consider adding more solar panels and expanding the house battery bank. Adding house batteries will expand available amp hours. More batteries will also require an increase in run time for the generator to recharge the enlarged battery bank.

There are a number of ways to conserve electrical power while dry camping. Start by turning off lights when not in use. If fixtures contain more than one bulb, disconnect all but a few to limit power draw from that location. Turn on the inverter only as needed. It can take up to 16-gallons of water to wash a load of laundry so save operation of the washer/dryer until you are once again hooked to shore power. Run the generator during the morning and evening hours to recharge the batteries.

Conserving fresh water while dry camping means paying close attention to water used. Fill the fresh water tank before arriving at the dry camping location. Don't forget to also fill the hot water tank to prevent a large draw on your fresh water reserves at the beginning of your stay. If the water system is equipped with a gravity fill inlet, you can fill the fresh tank on-site when levels fall low. However, before using the gravity fill feature, be sure there is ample space in the waste holding tanks to store this additional water supply.

Bottled water on board can help to limit water usage for drinking and cooking. Reduce showers to every other day, using the sink to perform a 'sponge bath' on alternate days. When the showerhead has a shut-off valve, discontinue the flow of water until it is time to rinse. If you don't mind cold water, a dip in the river is also a good way to clean up.

The gray water holding tank is likely to fill before the black holding tank. Place a plastic dishpan in the galley sink to capture gray water and pour the water down into the black tank or at the campground water dump station to help reduce waste tank levels. Toilet paper designed specifically for RV use dissolves differently than commercial brands and will take up less space in the black tank.

Clean the solar panels when you arrive and every few days thereafter. Do a walk around in nighttime hours to inspect the bay compartments and generator compartment for lights that may have inadvertently been left on.