If we have to boondock

[CaptnJohn]

I gave my brother my 1st pair of Champion 2000w. I bought 2 last year with the parallel kit for less than 1 Honda. Shut them down as suggested and easy start and no problems. Change the oil as spected. Like the battery bunny they just keep on running. A pair with kit can usually be found under $1000.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by tundrwd

If you are a Costco member (or maybe a Sams Club member) - check stores. I ALWAYS wander around, you just never know what you'll find.

A bit over a year ago, wandered around a Costco in Kansas City (we live a couple hours away), and went by the generator section. They had a Champion 3100 generator for... $399.95. Having a smart phone is a wonderful thing, that specific model apparently is only at Costcos, but a price from a couple months ago showed the price to be over $800. They had 3, I bought one, when I went through the checkout the lady said it was on clearance. They could tell by the price.

I was stupid - I should have bought all 3...

About 18 or 20 years ago same thing happened to me. We had had bought a new house in a new deployment and was at the end of the electric grid. Every wind storm we would lose power, sometimes for a day or two.

Shopping at Costco found a new 3.4k generator for less than 1/2 of what everyone else wanted. Didn't hesitate to buy it. Found a kit with remote plug inn and 6 circuit isolation breaker for about 66% off at a safety supply warehouse. All in cost me less than the generator alone at "regular" prices. While neighbors were dark and cold we had heat & hot water (gas fired), both refrigerators on line, microwave, sump pumps, and lights.

[Rodman30]

I have the passport 195ml we have boondocked at the state beaches. Have the champion 3100 worked great. Let it in bed of truck no problem. 3100 runs the ac in unit no problem.

[crk112]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

From conversations with the snowbirds all heading to their home states in every direction have not heard of any that weren't able to find a park or campground with at least water/electric, so far most are unmanned with payments over the phone & none of their amenities open, but overnight is available.
Not sure I'd spend $500-1000 on a "what if" generator unless you have use for it after this trip. If absolutely necessary you could stay in Walmart, Cracker Barrel or Home Depot lot hooked to your locked truck idling which would cost you a couple gallons of fuel, but you'd have water, lights, heat if necessary, no TV or microwave, so you'd have to spend the evening reading, I could think of worse ways to spend an evening & not spend the $$$.
Just my .02 cents.

This is a worthwhile comment.



Three years ago when we bought our TT, we also bought a $1000 "what if" generator.



We've not used it once.

[EMTPRescue]

We have a 41' Montana and we dry camp/ boondock in NW Montana in the heat of the summer. Your question about lights is a no brainer. The lights in your trailer, unless it was built in the 60s are all 12 volt and run off of your trailer's battery. TV unless again you have a special one is powered off of 120V AC. Two ways to consider the TV subject. First how much will you be watching it? If would only be for an hour or so until you get to the next CG with hookups then I would consider a 12VDC - 120VAC pure sign wave inverter. A lot less money than any Gen set and no gas to haul around and fill. You could run just the TV off of the inverter that could be permanently installed behind the TV. You could leave it plugged into the inverter full time. Just know that even if your TV is turned off that it still draws power to keep most of the circuitry live so that it powers up more quickly. We have a 4500Watt Yamaha gen set. We have had both the Yamaha and Honda 3500 models in the past. Though from a specs standppint a 3500watt would power our trailer and more specifically would run "one" of our AC units, the 15K BTU AC units pull a bucket load of power on startup and each time you ask your gen set to do that you are putting further down the road to failure. We did that and burnt out the control board in our last Yamaha 3500 unit to the tune of $1100.00 to replace the board. We have owned many different brands over the years. Honda and Yamaha are the only way to go. "ALL" the others cut corners in the manufacturing in both the engines and the electronics. Both Big Blue and Red steel sleeve their engines. That means that the rings on the piston are traveling up an down on a surface that is designed to last. Most others just do some metallurgical smoke and mirrors to harden the aluminum bore similar to a non-stick frying pan process. Most if not all of the other brands have a duty cycle life of about 350 hours. Before we let the smoke out the control board on our last Yamaha we had it for 7 years and used it about 75 - 100 hours per year. The Chinese frying pan models would have given up the ghost long before that. There is a reason why Honda and Yamaha with combined sales own the small engine market in the world. Quite simply they work and keep working.

[B-O-B'03]

We are going on our 5th season with our Champion 3100 inverter generator and the hour meter I added to it shows 250 hours.

So far, I have changed the oil every season, no other maintenance, it still starts on the first pull, does not smoke and will start/run our 15K BTU ac unit as well as run the converter and outside kitchen fridge.

I think this season I will go ahead and change the spark-plug and air filter. I have time on my hands with the covid BS.

The generator was $600, delivered to my front door from Costco.

YMMV

-Brian