If you are going camping, it can be nice to have a few luxuries such as cold drinks, or at least cool ones! You may also need to charge your mobile/cell phone or use a laptop. If this sounds good, then you may want to consider getting a Portable Power Station.
Of course if you are hiking over long distances then they will be too heavy, but if you have a vehicle then it may make your camping trip more comfortable. Let’s take a look at what you need to consider when choosing a Power Station for camping and what appliances you could use with it.
Criteria for Choosing a Camping Portable Power Station.
Weight:
Unless you get something very light and possibly not that powerful, you will need a vehicle to bring your Portable Power Station camping. If you just need to charge your phone or something small, then there are some Power Packs that are light enough to take hiking, but we are going to look at something a little more powerful here. Even if you do bring a vehicle, you may still need to move your Power Station around the campsite, so weight could still be a consideration.
Here are three of the lightest Portable Power Stations on the market:
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1
Jackery Explorer 100 Plus
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2
All Powers S200wa
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3
Goal Zero Yeti 200X
Power:
Generally, the lighter the Power Station, the less power it stores. So, if weight is a consideration, the options may be on the lower end of the power range. If you are just camping for a week or so, anything under 1000wh will probably be more than enough. Even under 500wh could be enough, especially if you can charge it via a car-port or a solar panel (sold separately). Here is a list of 0-500wh Power Banks. While camping it may be a little more difficult to continuously charge your Power Station, so you may want to conserve energy by investing in some 12v appliances. These will help you keep your power consumption down.
Here's a short list of 12v appliances you may want for a camping trip:
Cool Box These do not actively cool the food, but just keep it cool. The 12v versions work a bit better than the non-powered ones, but to be honest I used one for 7 months and never needed the 12v function. If you wish to actively cool the food then you need to get a refrigerator. There are 12v fridges, but in my opinion, this is total overkill for a short camping trip.
Kettle You can get a 12v kettle but they take a long time to boil. It may be a good idea to just make a campfire instead!
Laptop You can power your laptop on 12v if you use an adapter. I did this while campervanning and was told to be sure to use an adapter or it would fry my laptop. Make sure you check first with the shop you buy your adapter from.
Price:
Obviously, the more power you want, the more expensive (and heavy) the Portable Power Station will be. You may also want to consider getting a solar panel as this will help keep your power supply topped up. This will come at an additional expense, but most manufactures sell them for all of their models.
Here are three of the cheapest Portable Power Stations on the market:
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1
All Powers S200wa
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2
Jackery Explorer 100 Plus
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3
Goal Zero Yeti 200X
If you would like a more detailed comparison of Portable Power Stations, then definitely take a look at our Comprehensive comparison table.