Generator 1.0

Up until now, we have always relied upon hookups to supply power to Bubbles. In fact, we’ve only spent one night without power. That was earlier this year in Florida when we ran away from a severe weather system and ended up in a Cracker Barrel parking lot for the night.

Leading up to SolarFest last month, we knew we were going to need an external power source. Oregon was going to be really hot and we wanted to be able to run the AC to keep Hobbes cool. Solar, while nice, would not have enabled us to run the AC. We eyed Honda inverter/generators which we have used many times in Cayman following Hurricane Ivan. However, between their cost (not discounting the quality at all) and then having a diesel truck, a Honda gasoline unit did not appeal to us. So we ended up ordering a Champion Dual-Fuel 3400 Watt Inverter/Generator.

The Champion unit, although a little on the large size, features a drag handle and wheels for easier movement. The dual-fuel aspect means that it can run on unleaded as well as propane – which we have plenty of with two 30 lb tanks on Bubbles. The unit also features a 30 amp RV connection which meant that we could use our existing shore power cable. And the 3400 watt capacity meant that we could use it to run one AC unit with impunity. We did have to dismount a propane tank and place it near the generator, both secured with security cable locks.

We unboxed it at SolarFest and were able to use it as planned to power Bubbles and run the AC. At full power, it was definitely louder than a comparable Honda unit but the among the hundreds of other generators running at SolarFest, it was not really an issue. It has since served us well to provide power while boondocking in South Dakota.