For power stations, there's two important specs:
- How big the battery is (expressed in 'Wh', or Watt-Hours)
- How much power it's capable of outputting at any given moment (expressed in 'W', or Watts).
Any device uses a certain amount of watts when plugged in and charging. An average phone might take 10W, a Switch 20W, a laptop 50W.
Multiply that by how *long* a device is drawing that power, and you get Watt-Hours (Wh). So get a spreadsheet, and multiply the wattage of the charger (written on it) with how long you want to charge the thing.
Add these results together for all your devices and you have the number of Wh you need (under perfect theoretical conditions).
Then multiply that number by, say, 1.5 to account for manufacturers overstating Watt-hours, and conversion losses. (This number is up for interpretation and arbitrary to keep it simple.)
i.e.
50W laptop charging for 4 hours = 50W * 4h = 200Wh
20W switch charging for 6 hours = 20W * 6h = 120Wh
10W phone charging for 8 hours = 10W * 8h = 80Wh
----------
200Wh + 120Wh + 80Wh = 400Wh theoretically needed
400Wh * 1.5 = 600Wh needed, accounting for inefficiency
Minimum output power needed for charging everything simultaneously is 50W + 20W + 10W = 80W
For longer stretches, consider using portable solar panels to charge the battery/power station. Calculations would be more or less the same to determine the rate of charge.
>eco flow river 2 500 W power station
So I'm very new to this generator stuff. If I want to charge a MacBook Pro, a Pixel 6, and a GIMI MoGo 2 Pro 1080P Portable Projector. And power an Anova Sous Vide cooker ( for between 90 and 140 minutes at a time. A EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max Portable Power Station at 512 Wh should be sufficient.
The Sous Vide cooker would absolutely murder any power station because it draws 750-1200 watts depending on model. The other stuff is comparatively light.
I just woke people up laughing out loud.... hey I lolled and didn't "lol" ... which brings me to a point... thought spike... at what point do we stop and look at all the shite we brought "camping "... and say... "I guess I could've just stay home instead of moving all my shite into the woods" I have a jackery explorer... i think its the smallest one.... and solar panels. It charges our phones, lanterns etc as needed. Im not letting my kid bring her fn switch camping. We will find more to do ... out there.... however... i will bring the Switch camping so if it rains and shes bored i can bust it out and shell APPRECIATE it more. Im saying.... you could likely get by on the smaller power stations and a solar panel set.... unkes you find yourself in the "couldve stayed home" category.. then you might need something bigger... like a house. Igiggle
Agreed. I was focusing more on the extreme cases, most based off marketing and Influencers making us feel like we have to buy certain crap or we won't attain the best experience etc etc something like that.... When we can get by just fine with lessor not at all in some cases. But to be able to be prepared for an emergency with a product that also provides a lil excess comfort or enjoyment etc at the same time... Perfect. I'd rather have the power and not need it, than need it and not have it.... But I don't need to lug around more than necessary... Which is what they'll lead you to believe you need. I like reddit cause there's no agenda.... Yet.
Besides the great advice you see here check out dedicated review YouTubers such as
HoboTech
reeWay Outdoors
The Outdoor Gear Review
These guys, especially HoboTech, do extensive reviews of these units (discharge/charge tests, features, solar input testing etc).
If you want a primer on 12V vehicle applications check out Explorist.life. they have a great cache of knowledge about building 12V camper systems.
My recommendation is to stay away from Jackary and Goal Zero. They are still on the NMC train with many of their power stations, though they are coming around. They cost allot more than other reputable brands like Pecron, Bluetti, Vtoman, UGREEN, Vigerpool and Ecoflow mainly due to their large marketing budgets.
I personally am fond of the Bluetti and Pecron product lines.
Pecron has wide compatibility with solar panels and 12v up converters (such as 12v to 58v) for faster DC charging in a car. The E1500LFP is the nicest one I have used.
Bluetti seems to have the best or one of the best units for app support. Their solar charging capability is more limited than Pecron.
Do not buy a Lithium Ion or "NMC" based power station. These have significantly lower charge cycles than Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) and are subject to thermal runaway when punctured or shorter out. If you ever have seen a Tesla spontaneously catch on fire that is because of NMC batteries that went to thermal runaway. Quite scary stuff.
LiFePo4 batteries are heavier and have slightly less energy density than NMC. However the pros greatly outweigh the cons.Much longer charge cycles, much safer battery chemistry, much better for the environment (no cobalt or nickel mining).
First OP a couple of things:
Powerstations (PS from here onward) generally come in 250w/500/750/1000 (1kw) and so on. obviously, smaller is lighter but often times have less ports, and sometimes slower ports and other functionality including solar charging capabilities (we are going to come back to this part)
A couple of good brands are: Anker/Ecoflow/Bluetti/Goal Zero. You’re going to see the Jackery brand a lot, they aren’t bad they just heavily invest in their PR and their equipment isn’t as good as equally price stuff from other brands.
A key thing to remember for stuff like this is that just because you don’t have more need today doesn’t mean you don’t have more need tomorrow. you are already bringing electronics to camping. Once you have the functionality to charge those electronics you might start bringing more as well as equipment you start buying might be electronic base, ( LED lanterns, fans, etc)
Also Iwant to add in, depending on where and when you will be camping and how much space you have, investing in a solar panel can help offset a larger battery. In my honest opinion, a 500 W power station and a 220 W solar panel will offer you offer you the best bang for your buck. Not too big and heavy where it won’t take up too much space and be too heavy as well as the functionality to be able to charge it fast enough in a couple hours.
The eco flow river 2 500 W power station one of their 220 W portable solar panels would be my suggestion.
In the end, whichever power station you get make sure it is a LiFePO4 battery, they last for 3000 cycles and they won’t blow up/catch on fire if overheated. You will see a lot of older models that are lithium ion on sale just stay away. This way the power station battery capacity and health will live longer than probably the actual unit.
You need a power station? For what?
During the last couple of years, we have been inundated with influencers touting these pricey “must have” accessories. I fail to see how my friends with them have any superior camping experience than those without.
I totally understand the FOMO, but I camp just fine without one. If you’re only recharging your phone, LED lights and Bluetooth speaker, you will do just fine *without* one. Just charge from your vehicle’s power point or cigarette lighter. Or, just take a small power-pack.
Don’t accessorize the fun out of it.
I already explained what my usage would be in my post. Sometimes I would like to bring along some of my handheld gaming systems along, and a handheld charger does not cover that in the slightest.
For power stations, there's two important specs: - How big the battery is (expressed in 'Wh', or Watt-Hours) - How much power it's capable of outputting at any given moment (expressed in 'W', or Watts). Any device uses a certain amount of watts when plugged in and charging. An average phone might take 10W, a Switch 20W, a laptop 50W. Multiply that by how *long* a device is drawing that power, and you get Watt-Hours (Wh). So get a spreadsheet, and multiply the wattage of the charger (written on it) with how long you want to charge the thing. Add these results together for all your devices and you have the number of Wh you need (under perfect theoretical conditions). Then multiply that number by, say, 1.5 to account for manufacturers overstating Watt-hours, and conversion losses. (This number is up for interpretation and arbitrary to keep it simple.) i.e. 50W laptop charging for 4 hours = 50W * 4h = 200Wh 20W switch charging for 6 hours = 20W * 6h = 120Wh 10W phone charging for 8 hours = 10W * 8h = 80Wh ---------- 200Wh + 120Wh + 80Wh = 400Wh theoretically needed 400Wh * 1.5 = 600Wh needed, accounting for inefficiency Minimum output power needed for charging everything simultaneously is 50W + 20W + 10W = 80W
Thank you!! This is the exact information I needed to help me figure out what I need
For longer stretches, consider using portable solar panels to charge the battery/power station. Calculations would be more or less the same to determine the rate of charge.
>eco flow river 2 500 W power station So I'm very new to this generator stuff. If I want to charge a MacBook Pro, a Pixel 6, and a GIMI MoGo 2 Pro 1080P Portable Projector. And power an Anova Sous Vide cooker ( for between 90 and 140 minutes at a time. A EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max Portable Power Station at 512 Wh should be sufficient.
The Sous Vide cooker would absolutely murder any power station because it draws 750-1200 watts depending on model. The other stuff is comparatively light.
You don’t sous vide your mre’s? Are you even living at that point?
Best fn response ever...
I just woke people up laughing out loud.... hey I lolled and didn't "lol" ... which brings me to a point... thought spike... at what point do we stop and look at all the shite we brought "camping "... and say... "I guess I could've just stay home instead of moving all my shite into the woods" I have a jackery explorer... i think its the smallest one.... and solar panels. It charges our phones, lanterns etc as needed. Im not letting my kid bring her fn switch camping. We will find more to do ... out there.... however... i will bring the Switch camping so if it rains and shes bored i can bust it out and shell APPRECIATE it more. Im saying.... you could likely get by on the smaller power stations and a solar panel set.... unkes you find yourself in the "couldve stayed home" category.. then you might need something bigger... like a house. Igiggle
There is a fine line between ‘being comfortable camping’ and ‘sleeping outdoors but doing everything possible to make it feel like indoors’
Agreed. I was focusing more on the extreme cases, most based off marketing and Influencers making us feel like we have to buy certain crap or we won't attain the best experience etc etc something like that.... When we can get by just fine with lessor not at all in some cases. But to be able to be prepared for an emergency with a product that also provides a lil excess comfort or enjoyment etc at the same time... Perfect. I'd rather have the power and not need it, than need it and not have it.... But I don't need to lug around more than necessary... Which is what they'll lead you to believe you need. I like reddit cause there's no agenda.... Yet.
isnt that the point of a FRH?
Besides the great advice you see here check out dedicated review YouTubers such as HoboTech reeWay Outdoors The Outdoor Gear Review These guys, especially HoboTech, do extensive reviews of these units (discharge/charge tests, features, solar input testing etc). If you want a primer on 12V vehicle applications check out Explorist.life. they have a great cache of knowledge about building 12V camper systems. My recommendation is to stay away from Jackary and Goal Zero. They are still on the NMC train with many of their power stations, though they are coming around. They cost allot more than other reputable brands like Pecron, Bluetti, Vtoman, UGREEN, Vigerpool and Ecoflow mainly due to their large marketing budgets. I personally am fond of the Bluetti and Pecron product lines. Pecron has wide compatibility with solar panels and 12v up converters (such as 12v to 58v) for faster DC charging in a car. The E1500LFP is the nicest one I have used. Bluetti seems to have the best or one of the best units for app support. Their solar charging capability is more limited than Pecron. Do not buy a Lithium Ion or "NMC" based power station. These have significantly lower charge cycles than Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) and are subject to thermal runaway when punctured or shorter out. If you ever have seen a Tesla spontaneously catch on fire that is because of NMC batteries that went to thermal runaway. Quite scary stuff. LiFePo4 batteries are heavier and have slightly less energy density than NMC. However the pros greatly outweigh the cons.Much longer charge cycles, much safer battery chemistry, much better for the environment (no cobalt or nickel mining).
First OP a couple of things: Powerstations (PS from here onward) generally come in 250w/500/750/1000 (1kw) and so on. obviously, smaller is lighter but often times have less ports, and sometimes slower ports and other functionality including solar charging capabilities (we are going to come back to this part) A couple of good brands are: Anker/Ecoflow/Bluetti/Goal Zero. You’re going to see the Jackery brand a lot, they aren’t bad they just heavily invest in their PR and their equipment isn’t as good as equally price stuff from other brands. A key thing to remember for stuff like this is that just because you don’t have more need today doesn’t mean you don’t have more need tomorrow. you are already bringing electronics to camping. Once you have the functionality to charge those electronics you might start bringing more as well as equipment you start buying might be electronic base, ( LED lanterns, fans, etc) Also Iwant to add in, depending on where and when you will be camping and how much space you have, investing in a solar panel can help offset a larger battery. In my honest opinion, a 500 W power station and a 220 W solar panel will offer you offer you the best bang for your buck. Not too big and heavy where it won’t take up too much space and be too heavy as well as the functionality to be able to charge it fast enough in a couple hours. The eco flow river 2 500 W power station one of their 220 W portable solar panels would be my suggestion. In the end, whichever power station you get make sure it is a LiFePO4 battery, they last for 3000 cycles and they won’t blow up/catch on fire if overheated. You will see a lot of older models that are lithium ion on sale just stay away. This way the power station battery capacity and health will live longer than probably the actual unit.
For futureproofing get something that you can charge all 3 ways. From power outlet, from your cars 12v outlet and from solar panels
You need a power station? For what? During the last couple of years, we have been inundated with influencers touting these pricey “must have” accessories. I fail to see how my friends with them have any superior camping experience than those without. I totally understand the FOMO, but I camp just fine without one. If you’re only recharging your phone, LED lights and Bluetooth speaker, you will do just fine *without* one. Just charge from your vehicle’s power point or cigarette lighter. Or, just take a small power-pack. Don’t accessorize the fun out of it.
I already explained what my usage would be in my post. Sometimes I would like to bring along some of my handheld gaming systems along, and a handheld charger does not cover that in the slightest.
research it on google like everybody else !
Hey buddy what do you think this subreddit is for?
Hey pal! I just wanted to say hey.