Best Portable Generator For Camping?
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malexander
Well-known member
Honda.
markandkim
Well-known member
Champion
I can't say what is the best, but Yamaha and Generac make the same type of generator. Northern Tool sells Powerhorse brand that is economical and has good reviews. Asking which is best is almost like asking what is the best brand of pickup. It will generally be what a person owns or has owned, and had good experiences with. There is always badmouthing of all brands on the internet, mostly third hand and unverified, IE- "I have a Honda and it's the best, I wouldn't buy a Powerhorse because I read on the internet someone's cousin's friend had one it it wouldn't start after sitting 6 months." That type of thing. Really the thing to do is check out all of them, chose the one that has the features you like at the price you're willing to pay.
AStravelers
Well-known member
#1 consideration is, "is the generator quiet".
The Honda and Yamaha's are quiet, about the same loudness as a person talking in normal outdoor voice conversing with someone about 10 feet away. Note though, in the quiet outdoor environment you can hear, but not necessarily understand, that person talking at 50 or more yards away. In the quiet outdoors many of us really dislike listening to the constant drone of the generator.
On the other hand the Champion brands are usually very, very loud. Extremely loud! They will drown out normal conversation in and near your campsite. Most importantly, even if YOU don't mind the noise they will greatly disturb other campers within about 1/4 mile (400 yards).
There are few things more aggravating to those of us go into the out of doors to enjoy the quiet of nature to have someone set up camp 25-200 yards away and crank up than noisy #$%@ generator.
On the other hand we don't mind children running around playing and making noise. The children are making the joyous sound of fun and play. Just as long as the parents rope them in and quiet them down by bedtime of about 8:30-9pm.
The Honda and Yamaha's are quiet, about the same loudness as a person talking in normal outdoor voice conversing with someone about 10 feet away. Note though, in the quiet outdoor environment you can hear, but not necessarily understand, that person talking at 50 or more yards away. In the quiet outdoors many of us really dislike listening to the constant drone of the generator.
On the other hand the Champion brands are usually very, very loud. Extremely loud! They will drown out normal conversation in and near your campsite. Most importantly, even if YOU don't mind the noise they will greatly disturb other campers within about 1/4 mile (400 yards).
There are few things more aggravating to those of us go into the out of doors to enjoy the quiet of nature to have someone set up camp 25-200 yards away and crank up than noisy #$%@ generator.
On the other hand we don't mind children running around playing and making noise. The children are making the joyous sound of fun and play. Just as long as the parents rope them in and quiet them down by bedtime of about 8:30-9pm.
Pocket Rocket
Active member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2012
- Posts
- 26
Honda
UTTransplant
Well-known member
Cheap generators are noisy. Quiet generators cost more, but they will keep your neighbors from hating you. When you look at generator specs, remember decibels are on a logarithmic scale so 5 or 10 dB is a huge difference. Also note how far from the generator the measurement was made. Some inexpensive generators take their measurements from a long way away.
We have two Honda 2000 generators. The second only comes out when we need AC, a very rare occurrence.
We have two Honda 2000 generators. The second only comes out when we need AC, a very rare occurrence.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
The best one is the quietest, lightest one that has enough power (watts) to handle the things you need it for. Inverter-type generators are the most quiet for general use because they are variable speed and throttle back when loads are light (which is most of the time in typical use). Honda & Yamaha are the best quality & most quiet units but pricey, but 2nd tier units such as Champion or Generac or Briggs work decently at a lower cost.
As for the size (watts) needed, you have to analyze what you need to power. If not any air conditioners, you can probably get by nicely with 1000-1500 watts.
As for the size (watts) needed, you have to analyze what you need to power. If not any air conditioners, you can probably get by nicely with 1000-1500 watts.
My Brother and I bought identical Yamaha EF2000IS generators and both failed with a catastrophic oil leak at about 1500 hrs while under warranty. I took mine in to a certified Yamaha dealer for repair and waited 6 months for them to finish. When I got it back the case had been put back on and not aligned properly, the fuel shut off was almost impossible to turn, a cover was left off the connection to the electronic carb control, the weather cap on the ON/OFF switch was missing and it appeared the screws used to reassemble the case were just whatever was laying convenient on the workbench at the time. I did a test run and it still leaked oil. IMHO, it is in WORSE shape than when I took it in. I sent a certified letter to Yamaha USA and received no reply.
My brother took his generator to the same dealer since it is the only one withing a reasonable distance - and it is STILL 75 miles away. He voiced some concerns over work quality and length of stay in the shop based on my experience and yes --the service manager remembered me. The service manager flat out told him his generator would be the lowest priority of anything in the shop and he would be LUCKY to get it back in 6 months! I was absolutely astounded by the poor attitude! He asked to speak to the General Manager and was told he does not get involved with issues dealing with these "smaller units." My brother declined to leave it with that shop. He also sent a certified letter to Yamaha USA with no reply afterwards.
It is my opinion Yamaha USA has little profit margin on these generators and it is throwing bad money at them to have to do warranty service on them. As such, they basically ignore you after the sale.
I am not a complainer by nature but I made myself a promise that I would badmouth the Yamaha EF2000IS generators at every public opportunity after we had these near identical horrible experiences. When we bought the Yamahas we ***ASSUMED*** we were getting quality products while paying a premium price and would be assured of stellar warranty support. We were wrong.
FWIW, Both of us bought the Honda EU2000i generators as replacements and are well pleased. He has about 600 hrs on his and I have about 150 on mine. It is more than equal to or better than the Yamaha on most counts.
My brother took his generator to the same dealer since it is the only one withing a reasonable distance - and it is STILL 75 miles away. He voiced some concerns over work quality and length of stay in the shop based on my experience and yes --the service manager remembered me. The service manager flat out told him his generator would be the lowest priority of anything in the shop and he would be LUCKY to get it back in 6 months! I was absolutely astounded by the poor attitude! He asked to speak to the General Manager and was told he does not get involved with issues dealing with these "smaller units." My brother declined to leave it with that shop. He also sent a certified letter to Yamaha USA with no reply afterwards.
It is my opinion Yamaha USA has little profit margin on these generators and it is throwing bad money at them to have to do warranty service on them. As such, they basically ignore you after the sale.
I am not a complainer by nature but I made myself a promise that I would badmouth the Yamaha EF2000IS generators at every public opportunity after we had these near identical horrible experiences. When we bought the Yamahas we ***ASSUMED*** we were getting quality products while paying a premium price and would be assured of stellar warranty support. We were wrong.
FWIW, Both of us bought the Honda EU2000i generators as replacements and are well pleased. He has about 600 hrs on his and I have about 150 on mine. It is more than equal to or better than the Yamaha on most counts.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Seems to me your issue with with the priorities of that individual shop and not Yamaha USA. Sounds like they service big industrial units and only work on the consumer grade portables in their spare time.
aguablanco
Well-known member
My question would have been, which generator is the best for the money? Unless of course money is no object. The answer for me was a Champion 3100 water inverter generator for under $800 delivered.
RichH
RichH
Dreamsend
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2016
- Posts
- 614
aaronrodg said:
Whether it's a good idea or not depends on how you plan to use it, how close you are to other campers, and what kind of noise it puts out. When you write "campsite" I'm inferring you mean anywhere that does not have shore power. It's not a good idea to run a generator extensively (loud and long) at any camp that is off the grid -- most folks will conclude you should plan your power management better (solar panels, more battery storage, conservation) than to have to rely on a generator for more than a few hours per day -- and those preferably during daylight hours. There are people that will disagree and believe that running their generator 10-16+ hours a day is no one's business but theirs. And they would be correct -- in any camping area that is not actively managed with "quiet hour" rules. In those managed campgrounds, what is the limit? 4-6 hours per day? It varies I think. But that doesn't mean the noisy generator godzillas are appreciated. I think a small, quiet, generator is a must for emergency or back-up when your normal power management routine (including conservation) comes up short for whatever reason. Others will think otherwise. Linda
captcosmic
Well-known member
It also depends on what you want to run with your gen set. Inverter generators are for more sensitive equipment like computers. Newer inverter gen sets can be ganged together to increase your power output. This can come in handy. They are usually around 2KW. They are quieter as well. Also as some one mentioned, the dB scale for loudness is logarithmic. An increase of 3dB doubles the noise. And as he mentioned make sure measurements are taken from the same distance to compare apples to apples. Here is a good idea on how noisy or not something is. http://www.industrialnoisecontrol.com/comparative-noise-examples.htm
Larry N.
Well-known member
And this is important, since the sound level changes as the square of the distance, not in direct proportion.
Riverc
Member
All depends where you camp and how much you will use it.If you will be close to other campers go Honda or Yamaha if not save yourself some money and get a Champion.
I have a Champion 3500 I keep in bed of pickup to use if power goes out,overnight stops while traveling for a few hours.It would be crazy for me to spend what a Honda or Yamaha cost,just do not use it enough.
I have a Champion 3500 I keep in bed of pickup to use if power goes out,overnight stops while traveling for a few hours.It would be crazy for me to spend what a Honda or Yamaha cost,just do not use it enough.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Not really. Both mechanical and inverter-generators put out pure sine 120v power. No difference as far as the electronics are concerned. The advantage of an inverter generator is that it runs at lower Rpms when loads are light, reducing noise and helping with fuel consumption. Mechanical generators have to run at constant RPMs regardless of load because the voltage and frequency depends on the rpms.
One caveat: the statement above assumes a properly operating mechanical genset. Worn or damaged mechanical components can indeed result in less than perfect sine wave, voltage & frequency. The better grades of modern gensets monitor their performance and prevent that by shutting down if the power is out of spec, but the low end models, e.g. the contractor grade models, often do not. Inverter gensets nearly always have monitoring built into the inverter component.
Gods Country
Well-known member
Yes it's a good idea to travel with a generator. AFAIC they're all pretty noisy unless you get one of the tiny inverter type that everyone seems to prefer, which IMO is fine for charging the battery, and running some small items. They're also pretty pricey comparatively.
The people that whine about noisy generators at a campground make me laugh. Most campgrounds are noisy.
They're near major highways, interstates, have people coming and going all time during the summer months.
Ok I don't understand the people that run a genny all day and sit in the A/C watching TV, but it's their life.
It's not camping, or even remotely close. It's city camping. You're sitting in what amounts to a big parking lot.
You want piece and quiet hoist a pack on your back like I used to do and head out into the wilderness.
Personally I would rather listen to 20 generators running then a pile of screaming kids, or the ankle biter that won't shut up.
The people that whine about noisy generators at a campground make me laugh. Most campgrounds are noisy.
They're near major highways, interstates, have people coming and going all time during the summer months.
Ok I don't understand the people that run a genny all day and sit in the A/C watching TV, but it's their life.
It's not camping, or even remotely close. It's city camping. You're sitting in what amounts to a big parking lot.
You want piece and quiet hoist a pack on your back like I used to do and head out into the wilderness.
Personally I would rather listen to 20 generators running then a pile of screaming kids, or the ankle biter that won't shut up.
