Best Generator for Camping Review
Why does it always happen that your car cellphone charger packs up when you are out camping, and the car battery just does not do what you ask of it, like giving light to the campsite? What you need is something reliable, something made for the purpose you want to use it for.
You will need something that will be able to charge your phone; you are living in the digital age, so your cellphone will be with you. And something to light up the campsite; we are not living in the dark ages! And, of course, your laptop to keep your social media updated with all your camping pictures! What you need is a reliable, up to date power generator.
Here are our recommendations for the best generator for camping. Which one of them will be the best for your needs in 2019? Let’s take a look at what these generators have on offer.
Comparison Chart
Best Generator for Camping Reviews
1. Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240
The Jackery Portable power station is a good choice because of its lightweight and portability. Is the Portable Power station from Jackery the best one for your needs in 2019? With its 240Wh lithium backup battery and 110 volts / 200 watt outlet, this generator needs no fuel to run.
Review
The Jackery portable power station is not waterproof, so you should keep it out of the elements. All the ports are placed on one side, and it is constructed of high impact plastic. When charging your portable power station, it is necessary to press the corresponding button for the port you are using to charge it.
It can be charged by AC power using an AC adaptor or with your car DC port or via solar panels. When out camping, it will power a 5 Watt camping light for about 40 hours. For serious campers, there is a solar panel option that will charge your Jackery power station in about 10 hours. The Jackery portable power station will recharge your smartphone, tablet, and even your laptop for at least 3 to 4 times the average.
There is also a convenient LCD screen on the port side to show the power consumption, as well as the percentage of battery life remaining. The ports are solid and feel secure when connected. The Jackery portable power station is easy to use. Just plug in the device you want to charge or power. Its compact size makes it easy to store in your backpack, car, or tent. Weighing only 6.6 pounds, about the same as a laptop, it is truly a portable device.PROS
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2. WEN 56125i Portable Inverter Generator
The Wen Portable Inverter generator makes it an excellent choice for campers because of its quiet operating noise. It runs at a fraction of the sound output of standard generators.
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At 50 decibels running half-load, this product runs about at 80 % of the noise generation of most inverter generators. That makes it a good generator for camping and power outages. Its 1,000-watt pure sine wave output makes it ideal for most devices to run on this generator. The fact that it limits total harmonic distortion makes this generator safe to run all your small and sensitive electronic devices like your laptop, smartphones, and tablets on it.
You may even charge your drones, digital cameras, and other sensitive electronic devices on it. The Wen Portable Inverter generator also has a USB port to charge your cell phone out in the field. There are also parallel outlets to connect another Wen Portable Inverter generator in parallel with each other.
This is an environmentally friendly power generator. With its CARB-compliant engine, it runs cleaner than non-compliant generators. The Wen Portable Inverter generator also provides clean energy without voltage spikes and voltage drops. So you can power sensitive electronic devices without worry about damage from fluctuations.
All the ports on the front panel make it an easy-to-use device.
A handy feature this generator has is a cool economy mode. The economy mode can be engaged with a rocker switch. This allows the generator to adjust fuel consumption as loads are disconnected and connected. This setting gives you a much longer run time with smaller loads. The Wen Portable Inverter generator is a very lightweight power generator compared to other generators.
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3. ROCKPALS 300W Portable Generator
The fact that this portable compact power station from ROCKPALS is suitable for indoor and outdoor use makes it a great power station for serious campers and outdoor people. All the charging inputs are situated at the back, which makes it convenient to use, and you will not mix up your ports.
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It can be charged via your standard AC power as well as with a car charger and a solar panel input to charge the portable power station with solar panels. That makes it completely portable for remote use. This unit works great for charging all your electronic devices, like your laptop and smartphones, as well as your digital cameras and drones. It will run a decent camping light for a couple of hours.
The ROCKPALS portable generator allows you to use devices through it while charging, for instance, on the solar panel. You may even have your Wi-Fi router plugged in for continuous internet. This generator has a built-in power controller to limit the power to sensitive electronic devices. It is sturdily built from high-quality material.
This portable power station is also the ideal device for CPAP users during power outages or when on a camping trip. Its lightweight and compact build make it a serious choice for outdoor people. It is even perfect for those who need to work outdoors, like photographers and writers, who don’t want to work at home all the time.
With its 300-Watt output, this portable power station is suitable for using basically every device you will be taking with you on a camping trip. With its 60,000mAh battery output, this portable power station from ROCKPALS is ideal for the traveler and camper alike for all your power backup needs.
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4. SUAOKI Portable Power Station
The extremely lightweight Suaoki portable power station should be one of the main reasons you would go for this portable power station. At 2.9 pounds, this portable power station weighs nearly nothing, which is why it made our best generator for camping list.
Review
The Suaoki portable power station is the ideal partner for outdoor charging. It can charge your drone, digital camera, smartphone, tablet, and laptop, and it can be recharged at your AC wall plug or with a compatible solar panel, and even by your car 12V adapter.
But that is not what makes it the ideal companion on your camping trips. It can even run your 12V LED for just over 3 hours. It will run your mini cooler for about two and a half hours. It also has an emergency flashlight to keep you out of the dark.
Clear LED lights keep you on track of the status of your Suaoki portable power station. It is easy to carry around with the easy-carry handle. All the cables for every possible charging are included. This unit is the lightest and the cheapest of all the portable power stations, but it is not the least of them all. This small power station is equipped with four DC outputs.
It has four USB outputs for all of your devices, and one of the USB ports features fast charging technology. It can be charged with your 12V cigarette lighter socket while driving on your way to your destination, so you can be sure it is charged when you arrive.
It also has a built-in battery management system for voltage and temperature control, as well as safeguards not to harm your digital devices. If you press the battery indicator on top, it will show how much battery life you have. The Suaoki portable power station will take about 7 to 8 hours to fully charge.
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5. BEAUDENS Portable Power Station
The Lithium-Ion Phosphate battery of this portable power station is a favorite feature of this unit. The BEAUDENS portable power station is excellent for outdoor activities like camping, fishing, hunting, or hiking. This portable power station has all the necessary features you need for a successful trip.
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You may connect all your daily electronic devices on the BEAUDENS portable power station while being charged. With its 150 Watt per hour output, it will charge maybe two cell phones and a laptop for about three days of use. It can charge all your daily electronic devices, and it may be charged via the AC wall plug, or via a compatible solar panel that you may also charge with a 12V car charger.
The portable power station can be charged with a 20 Watt solar panel, but it will be better to charge it with a much larger solar charger for a quicker charge. Because of the built-in charge controller, you may connect a solar panel directly to the BEAUDENS portable power station.
The unit is nice and handy, and the LCD screen is easy to use to see what mode it is in. The BEAUDENS portable power station is a basic portable power station with its environment-friendly batteries that makes it stand out in a different class.
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FINAL VERDICT
To choose between good products, it is always challenging to make a choice. When you select one, you are always reminded of the good features of another. To make an informed selection is one of the reasons you make a close study of available features of the different devices available to you. There is one device that makes it different than all the others reviewed, and that is the WEN Portable Inverter generator.
Because it is fueled, standalone, and in a completely different category, it is a little unfair to choose this one without looking at the portability of the other devices. So let’s have a look at the portable power stations because that is what they really are. The only reason they are called generators at all is the fact that they convert solar energy to AC power. For that fact only, they are not just power storage devices.
Not to say they are lesser than the generator. On the contrary, some of the units we have looked at today make them a far more preferable device based on their features than the generator. But it is also fair to use the generator as the starting point of comparison. The power stations that stood out excelled in portability, lightweight, affordable prices, and ease of use.
The Jackery Portable power station Explorer 240 has some outstanding features in the fact that it can be charged from all sources and will carry most devices needed in a power outage. The ROCKPALS portable generator, with its stronger output and better price tag, makes it a worthy contender in the lineup. And it would be wrong not to make it one of the favorites. You have to look at each and every angle, and the different applications of each device.
Ultimately, it will all depend on you to decide which one of the mentioned devices is the most suited to your circumstances. The best of all is that you have the specifications to work with, and there are more features you may see to help you make an informed decision.