How To Find The Best Portable Camping Generators That Are Quiet
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When searching for the best portable camping generators that are quiet there are a lot of different options to choose from when comparing the portable generator offering from the different manufacturers. This guide is designed to help you understand what criteria you will want to look at when purchasing a portable generator and give you guidance on what you should look for.
Sound Output
When you are looking for the best portable camping generators that are quiet, the sound output will be the main consideration you should take to select your generator. You don’t want to be that guy and have a loud generator running all night at your campsite keeping people awake.
You will want to compare the generator decibel ratings to see which ones are the quietest in operation. Usually, a decibel rating of 45-60 dBA will be quiet enough to run at your campsite without disturbing your fellow campers. A 60-decibel rating is an equivalent of having a normal conversation with someone else so if your generator has a lower decibel rating than that it should be fine to run at a campsite even at night.
Conventional vs Inverted
If you are looking to buy a portable camping generator you will want to look at buying one that is an inverted generator instead of a conventional generator. With inverter generators, they are able to electronically throttle the engine of the generator based on the load put on the generator.
That means that the more you have plugged into the generator the more it would need to increase its throttle to keep up with the power demands. Inverter generators are able to do this without you having to worry about it. If you don’t have much plugged into the generator it is able to throttle down the generator and use less fuel than a conventional generator.
Because of this inverter generators are also more fuel efficient than their conventional generator competitors. Just keep in mind the extra technology advancement of inverter generators will come at a premium price compared to conventional generators.
Power Output
Another main buying criteria for your portable generator should be the power output of the generator. Because you are looking for a portable generator you will be looking for a generator that you can easily move around.
Most of the generators that are portable are going to weigh about 50 pounds or less so that you can easily move them around your campsite. Most portable generators are going to be on the lower end of power output and will generally output between 1,800-2,200 watts of power.
There are larger generators that can output more power, but they are going to weigh more and will not be as portable. If you buy a generator that weighs 200 pounds, it’s not going to be that easy to transport to and from your campsite. Generally, a small portable generator should be sufficient to power your campsite if you don’t plan on powering HVAC units of an RV.
Power Source
Most generators are going to use gasoline as their main fuel to produce electricity to use at your campsite. There are other generators that may use different types of fuel such as diesel but with new emissions regulations, diesel generators are eventually going to be phased out in favor of gasoline generators.
Some generators are also designed with a battery pack that you can then use a solar panel to connect to the generator to produce electricity. They can do this by capturing sunlight on the solar panel and then using that energy captured by the solar panel to charge the battery pack of the generator.
Keep in mind that if you go with a generator that has this feature it’s probably going to take a long time to fully charge the battery pack on solar power alone.
Run Time
Another consideration to take into account when looking for the best portable camping generators that are quiet is the run time of the generator. Depending on how you plan to use your generator you may need to run it for extended periods of time.
If you aren’t going to have a fuel source readily available it’s important to go with a portable generator that has a long run time. If you are just occasionally using the generator a run time of around 4 hours would be fine.
If you are planning on running the generator for extended periods a run time of 8- hours would be preferred. The runtimes of the generators that you will look at are going to vary by manufacturer and model, the more efficient the generator the longer the run time of it should be.
Weight
If you are looking for a portable camping generator you are going to want to get one that is light enough for you to easily pick up and move. Usually, portable camping generators will be around 50-60 pounds so that most people would be able to move the generator somewhat easily.
The larger the wattage output typically the more the generator will weigh, some generators can weigh 200 pounds so make sure that you look at the weight of the generator that you are looking to buy to make sure it’s going to be easily portable at your campsite.
Price
The price will obviously be a factor in your purchase but there is good news, usually, with portable camping generators, they will cost less than larger generators because it will cost less to make a generator with a smaller engine.
Usually, the amount of wattage that the generator will put out will compare to the price you will pay for a generator, the cheaper the generator typically the less wattage output it will have. The price of the generator that you go with will also be determined by the generator manufacturer and the engine manufacturer.
Reliability
In terms of reliability of your generator, you may want to purchase a generator from a reputable company. Honda has built a reputation as building really reliable engines but you will typically pay a premium for a Honda engine in your generator. You could go with another cheaper brand but just know that the engine reliability may not be as good as say a Honda or Briggs and Stratton engine.
Warranty
You may also want to get a portable camping generator with a somewhat long warranty to protect your purchase. An extended warranty would also help protect your purchase for even longer. It doesn’t seem like the warranties for portable camping generators are really that long (usually around 2 years) so it may not be a bad idea to go with an extended warranty to protect your purchase.
Best Portable Generator For Camping – Reviews
WEN 2000 Watt Portable Generator
If you are looking for a conventional portable inverter generator for camping I would recommend going with this Wen 2000 watt inverter generator. It is designed to operate at low decibel levels to not disturb your fellow campers. If you are camping on your own land this may not be that big of a deal to you.
But if you are camping at a campsite with other campers it helps to be respectful by keeping the sound levels on your generator low. This generator has a decibel rating of 51 which Wen says is quieter in operation than a window air conditioner or a normal conversation.
It is also capable of producing up to 2000 watts which means it’s powerful enough to be able to power 120V devices such as a camping fan or flood lights for your campsite. It also has 5 USB ports to be able to charge your electronic devices like a cell-phone or blue tooth speaker.
Jackery Portable Power Station Battery Backup
If you don’t need a conventional gasoline-powered generator and are just looking for something to be able to power your small electronic devices at your campsite you may want to look at this Jackery portable power station.
The Jackery portable power station is essentially a battery backup that you can charge from home or via a portable generator at your campsite. You could use on in conjunction with a gasoline powered generator to be able to store more electrical energy for use after you power off your gasoline generator.
This portable power station is specifically designed to power electronic devices that require less than 100W. You could also buy a solar panel charger and hook that up to this portable battery pack to be able to charge up the battery pack while you are at your campsite.
If you are interested in buying this Jackery Portable Power Station on Amazon you can check out my link to the product here. To check out the prices of a solar panel charger that I would recommend on Amazon click here.
Small Generator Maintenance
One thing to always keep in mind is that your generator will be a gas engine, which means that it will take engine oil in order to properly lubricate the internals of the engine while in operation. If you don’t check your engine oil levels at regular intervals or change your oil at regular intervals you can expect your engine to not last as long regardless of who makes the engine.
Another important consideration to take with any gasoline-powered engine is the gasoline that you use to power your generator. You want to make sure that you are using somewhat fresh gas to fill the tank of your generator with. If you don’t know how old your gasoline in the garage is it’s best to replace it with new gasoline from the pump.
It’s also a good idea to store the generator with no gasoline sitting in the gas tank to help prevent corrosion of the internal components and can lead to your fuel lines getting gummed up over time which can cause your generator to run erratically.
Best Portable Camping Generators – Conclusion
When looking for the best portable camping generator there are a lot of buying criteria that you will want to look at before deciding on which brand and model you end up going with. Ultimately it’s up to you to determine your needs for a portable camping generator and how you plan on using it before you look at buying one.
Hopefully, this portable camping generator buying guide helped you make an informed purchase. If you are looking at purchasing a large camping tent to go along with your generator you may want to check out my other article who makes the largest camping tents?
