[Green Darter]

@‘19 forester girl
How about following the KISMIF principle? Keep It simple, Make It Fun. First, replace all of your incandescent interior lighting and puddle lights with LEDs of about the same level of light. Don't be snookered by the trendy "non-yellowish' "luxury look" hype. Go for soft white and an intensity that will not blow your night vision and not inhibit melatonin. Second, get a big honking (horn optional) USB phone charger (AKA lithium battery with USB connections) to use for USB compatible flashlight, phone, etc. Let you phone charger charge up while driving and you should not need to worry about car battery problems. When the time comes, get as high a capacity car battery that will fit.

Happy camping!

GD

 

[mep1811]

Get a lithium jump pack. Upgrade the battery to the largest AGM battery you can fit. You can also make a power supply to power things while your car if off. Here is a link to one I built. You can charge it while driving using an inverter.

DIY power supply

 

[TravelPassat]

Thank you for being a frontline worker as a traveling nurse t help end this pandemic. I know nothing about camping, but appreciate your service and wish you happy and safe travels!

 

[JuanGuapo]

@JuanGuapo
Now that it’s fixed, will it still continue to draw power for a time after being opened?

The replacement module will draw juice when the tailgate is fully opened but only for a little while. There's a thread on the forum where one poster wired up their multimeter to measure it, the difference is pretty striking.

The previous module wasn't timing-out so the new module makes a bit of difference if you regularly leave the tailgate open.

Keep up the good work! Be safe. 😷

 

[adc]

Get the Jackery 260 its the only way to go.

 

[Colebaru]

If you are driving across the country and intending to camp overnight perhaps a rooftop tent would solve your problem all the way around. No lights tailgates open etc. Easy two minute set up and take down.Better security as you can pull up the ladder at night : ) They are not cheap however considering how much you will save on motels etc. it might be worth it. ikamper, roofnest are two brands but there are many more. Good luck what ever you choose!

 

[Natedog]

Good suggestions so far, but factory battery is junk, replaced mine with and Odyssey (Optimas are foreign made junk now lol) before it gave me problems and sold the stock battery on CL for couple bucks. Oh and don't cheap out with Harbor Freight battery jump/electrical stuff, their tools are disposable I only buy them if I'm going to cut and weld a wrench for special use, don't want to cut up my good tools.

I use a gallon freezer ziploc bag to pee at night, don't have to get out of my tent and if you're careful, no spillage problems. After use zip it shut and stow in tent pocket so that it can't get rolled over on and popped open. Empty it next morning and use it again next night.

Surprised that the replacement tailgate/liftgate part doesn't time out faster and save more battery power.

 

[ForesterBill]

Upgrade the factory battery to a more robust AGM type battery..

 

[davidreilly3207]

if I start my car once in a while to recharge the battery,

Running your Subaru at idle speed will NOT charge the battery. Must be run at speed. Best to get a compact booster. They are really effective and can charge your phone and other devices.

 

[davidreilly3207]

No need to remove it at all. The green knob rotates and connects / disconnects the power.

This will result in having to reprogram all options. Not an easy task. Can also lose key programming, an expensive thing to correct.

 

[Marv2]

1) FOB-Isolation : I used an old (all-metal) Band-Aide-Box to store the FOB ... inside the Vehicle : worked in my case.
2) Cutting "Dark-Current" : there is a special fuse ( Back-Up-Fuse ) that SUbaru Dealers (Temp) Remove to keep batteries from going "dead" from long term parking-lot storage : NOTE: it is not the Fuse for the Back-Up-Lights, but a "safety" fuse for saving batteries during long term non-use of a Vehicle. Putting the Fuse back in restores all Involved-Systems to New-Factory-Settings : be sure to try this at home to know ahead of time what gets RESET before you are out in the Great-Beyond !!!! Usually it is only the Auto-Set-Points for the Windows .... but who knows what Evil Lurks in the atrophied mental resources of Factory Engineers !!!!

 

[Tiggers]

@‘19 forester girl
I've found that I take a key, or something skinny, and push the latch on the rear hatch twice - so the car thinks it's locked I have left my car all day without a problem. I had trouble within a few months of getting the car, and the dealer put in a larger battery.

To undo the lock - you can either just press the key fob for unlock and hod till you hear three long beeps OR press the lever on the hatch to open and things are back to normal.

Has worked well for me. No dead batteries since. I also carry a portable battery jumper.

 

[Kevin]

Can also lose key programming,

This I would question as how else would you replace the vehicle battery and/or recover from a flat battery?

 

[Rickey]

@‘19 forester girl
To add to what others have said, the OEM battery in the 2019 Foresters is weak. I replaced mine after 18 months with an Interstate MTX-35 AGM, but there are others that have even more reserve capacity. With my new battery the engine has started immediately even on the coldest days this winter.

 

[commonme]

There is a YouTube channel called Project Farm that does comparison testing on all kinds of products. He did one on the battery booster packs. Worth checking out if you are in the market.

 

[nuri_kongur]

Hello, I do overlanding whenever I get a chance. I inspired this fellow’s ideas and solutions a lot.

This video is just a sample of his channel. There are more useful videos to get solutions.
I carry spare battery and never use the car’s battery for camping purposes. There are big powerbank options too.
I don’t have seperate tent, I go overlanding alone. Building a set for my car is enough for me currently.
As for your battery drainage, either you are too cautios or your car battery isn’t good enough. Yes car key is a problem but, as you said you sent it sleeping mode. Todays LED lights are good for energy saving. I assume your car’s interior lights are LED already. If they are not, replace them with led lamps.
I hope you can find solutions to your problems.


Tapatalk kullanarak iPhone aracılığıyla gönderildi

 

[foresters23432]

I'd consider a roof top tent, a hard shell model, easy open and close. The access ladder will give you a sense of security and time to use some wasp spray an any intruder. Pretty sure wasp spray is not a "weapon" in CA. Pick up a battery pack to jump start the car in case you do run the battery down. I got one from Harbor Freight for less than $70. You can charge you phone from it, some have lamps. You can recharge it at work. A pee bottle or a bucket toilet seat can serve as needed. Coleman stove for coffee and easy meals, and a small propane grill too.

I carry bear spray for hiking sometimes so I just try to bring it for car camping too. Not sure it's a "weapon" in the states anywhere although I think Canada. Irony is it's not as strong as typical pepper spray but most people and bears don't know that, just sprays a lot farther and more of it.

Also I'd add tinted windows if you haven't already, and some of those stick on sun protection things, and some good high spf sunscreen and sunglasses and hat. You're going to be getting a ton more sun than normal probably so anything to minimize it, don't forget sunscreen on hands and arms.

Also one of those GPS emergency beacons, there's still some places without cell reception.

 

[JSpyGun]

This I would question as how else would you replace the vehicle battery and/or recover from a flat battery?

Do not install a battery disconnect. This will create more problems than it’s worth. When batteries are changed on newer cars temporary power is put to your vehicle to maintain settings during the switch out.

Upgrade your battery for sure. Stock batteries on the Forester are not great.

A backup power device to jump your car would also be a great investment. NOCO makes some good ones for jumpstarts.

An inexpensive battery monitor would also be a good idea if you are not powering accessories to know when you are getting low. If you plan to run accessories, a Jackery would be a great option, although a bit pricey.

Most of the people I’ve seen that sleep in their vehicles tend to build platforms, pull out kitchens, and sleep with the hatch closed. What hatch tent did you go with?

Welcome to the Forester community. Thank you for all you do. Stay safe, and have fun!

 

[PMRsForester]

Key Fob: Faraday Bag
Gate: times out so move on.
Get a high grade AGM battery.

 

[commonme]

A quick set up tent to put beside you car and sleep in? This also leaves you car free should you need to go get something. I know things can be stolen from campgrounds/sites. I have not had an issue with it where ever I have camped.