Best portable generator

[Jay D]

Thanks John, I will have to look into that.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Exsailor

nobody mentions the affordable gennys? I have a Champion 3500 and while it is maybe 15db louder it pulls my 15k AC and the flatscreen at the same time. Only thing that makes it shake is the wife's hair dryer (thats roughing it). Best part is that I can get approximately 3 of these for the price of 1 of the Hondas.

I have the same generator as you. It works very well for our purposes. Bought mine at Tractor Supply. It was on sale for $299, I had a 20% off coupon, so with the 3 year (after the factory one year) warranty which cost $39.99, my total cost was a hair over $250. At that price, and where we camp (usually no closer than 4-500 yards from anyone else, the added noise isn't an issue. And, even if I just throw it away after 4 years (whether it's working or not) and buy another, I'd have a functional generator for 16 years for the same cost as one of the "favored brands"

I didn't suggest that Champion (or any other brand) should be considered as that often sparks the same comments as saying Ford is better than "***" or Dodge is better than "***".

[jje1960]

Yes, many many options out there. What we ended up with is two units, both quiet inverters. We have the Boliy electric start, 74Ibs, runs the 15k aircon without problem. We also carry a small additional, Mitsubishi inverter, 1k. The reason for two units is to spread the use and backup. We do a yearly trip at Bristol on the dry, so having two units has made sense, don't need to worry about oil changes with spreading use time between the two. During the day, the 1k unit just sits there purring along, runs TV, radio, keeps the batteries charged anything really (short of the microwave or aircon) and the pool pump (yea, drag the 12' Walmart pool there) sometime in the evening we switch to the Boliy, that thing has run for over 14hrs on 1.9gal of fuel a number of times without the aircon. I do remember one exceptionally brutal couple of days when we ran the aircon for napping (and just getting out of the heat) in the afternoon. Lot's of little tricks help while on genset, foam inserts for the ceiling vents and reflecting foil for a couple of windows to keep the heat out. Anyway, the two generator / inverters we have cost us under $2000.00 and have served us very well. You can do it on the cheap with noise or spend mega bucks for inverters, huge range to choose from. One thing I've always been very attentive to is the oil changes and air-filter cleaning, I do believe this is extremely important to keeping units healthy. We love our creature comforts, proper maintenance ensures they are not gummed up with old fuel, dirty plugged filters or sludge lubrication systems! For anyone that cares, the models are Boliy 3600sie and Mitsubishi MGC 1101. As for fuel consumption, obviously dependent on aircon use, we usually figure about 25-30 gal of fuel use for a full 7day stint, and this is pretty much 24/7 power on. On the other side of the scale, we do Richmond from Thursday evening to Sunday morning departure with less than 6gal, 24/7 power on. Hope all this helps others.

[Johnnyfry]

Well, after months of research,reading this site and a lot of angst, I finally decided on a Honda 2000i inverter generator. I purchased it yesterday and tested it out this morning with the aid of an electric heater. So far so good.

We are presently in Montana on our way to Alaska so it was time. I do not anticipate the need for AC over the next few months but we do plan to dry camp.

Time will probably come where I need to add a second unit in hot weather and I will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Should anyone be interested in following my blog and pictures, you are welcome to check out: www.Jfreitag.zenfolio.com/blog. A link will also lead to pictures.

John

[jje1960]

Originally Posted by Johnnyfry

Well, after months of research,reading this site and a lot of angst, I finally decided on a Honda 2000i inverter generator. I purchased it yesterday and tested it out this morning with the aid of an electric heater. So far so good.

We are presently in Montana on our way to Alaska so it was time. I do not anticipate the need for AC over the next few months but we do plan to dry camp.

Time will probably come where I need to add a second unit in hot weather and I will cross that bridge when we come to it.

Should anyone be interested in following my blog and pictures, you are welcome to check out: www.Jfreitag.zenfolio.com/blog. A link will also lead to pictures.

John

Keep that oil changed regularly John, I'm sure that Honda is going to serve you well. Also, I'm envious! Can't wait to follow your Alaska trip, it's on the bucket list that's for sure.