Need advice on small generator!

Tent + Car Camping Campfire
#1

Hi All-
I know this is kinda a “glamping” question but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on a good small generator? Maybe one that’s solar powered or partial solar powered? Was looking for something not too loud too.
Thanks!

#2

Welcome Caroline. I guess my first question is what kind of camping are you doing and for how long and what do you want to provide power to? If you are car/tent camping and don’t want to fire up that coffee maker or microwave a small portable power station might fill you needs for charging phone, laptop, having some lights at night… If you are trailer camping and need more power Honda seems to be the go to generator for a lot of people. Champion make a nice duel fuel generator as well.

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#3

I’m with Ralph. All depends on what your needs are. I have a Goal Zero Yeti 1000 that I have had for a couple years. Powers my coffee maker in the morning and keeps all my electronices charged. I have up to 200 watts of solar panels I can hook up too for recharging and also can recharge it from a small 400 watt inverter I have in the truck when I’m driving around. Best of all… no noise.

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#4

Thanks for the response!
I mostly do car/tent camping and more so just wanting electricity for charging phones, some extra light at night, and a got a small portable projector that connects to my phone to watch a movie on the side of the tent.
So maybe a portable power band would be the best. I have a BioLite power bank/light but the battery life doesn’t last very long especially for 5+ day camping trips. And charging the biolight in the car doesn’t work very well.

#5

Thanks for the response!
I was looking into one of the yeti generators at rei and it looked perfect but it was just a bit out of my price range. The one I was looking at was like $700. Do you recommend any that are more around like $300? There’s a Westington house one from Lowe’s that I saw but I would love a solar power if possible!

#6


This article might answer some of your questions. Making one solar compatible/chargeable means picking a connector type.

#7

There are several company’s out there that sell portable power units. Eco-flow, Jackery, do a search on Amazon and several pop up. Just do a search for them on the internet also. If you go to the Goal Zero site, type in Open box in the search, and you can find discounted products that have been returned. Figure out your wattage needs and go from there. It doesn’t sound like you need a lot, but extra is always better.

#8

Hi Caroline,

We have lived full-time on the road with solar for 8.5 years now. We serve as Solar Ambassadors for Renogy Solar because we absolutely love their products!

Their Phoenix 200 or 300 may be perfect for your needs. We have used the 300 as back up power for a number of years now.

Use these links and our promo code “canlife” to get 10% off.

200: https://shrsl.com/2qpku
300: https://shrsl.com/2qpkx

These units pair well with their 50W or 100W solar panels.

50W: https://shrsl.com/2qpl9
100W: https://shrsl.com/2qple

Let me know if I can provide further info. Love seeing people go solar!!

Cheers,
Shari
freedominacan.com

#9

wow so many years on the road - this is my dream! I am so proud of you! And thankd for the solar power stations!

#10

I have this one and I had no issues with that at all. It is little bit heavy for me, so I’m thinking of having another one the next season