I have purchased 1 brand new Honda Generator and am thinking about buying another one to hook in tandem for my bumper pull to generate enough power to run air conditioning when camping off the grid. I am wondering if there are good solar panel generators that can do the same thing thus avoiding the need to haul extra gasoline.Somebody out there must have already thought this through and come up with a great solution. If so I would like to hear your solution.

No. Since a/c draws about 1500w, which would be about 12 panels, there are few practical choices for anything solar.

Portable like the Yeti line sold for off-grid recreational use? There is a scale problem, e.g. the largest Yeti stores 1200 watt-hours (like a single large RV storage battery) which might be enough for 1-hour run-time on a smaller RV air conditioner (except that you aren't really supposed to run the battery all the way down). Then you are looking at 27-54 hours recharge time from the 90 watt solar panel. So portables are short of the A/C's power needs by a factor of maybe 8 to 10 in moderate climates, much more in severe heat climates.People do run A/C from mostly solar, in all-electric motorcoaches with 8-12 KWH storage capacity, charging from 500-2000 watts of solar panels. That's a lot of battery weight to carry, although lithium battery technologies can bring the weight down at a price. In case solar can't keep up, these coaches can recharge or power equipment from a generator, or sometimes a large alternator on their primary engine. I think RoadTrek has scaled this down to a van size motorhome with 9.6 KWH storage, 240 watts of solar, and charging from the engine.

You would spend 10 times the cost of running a good generator for a solar system large enough to run an AC for any amount of time. THe amount of fuel it would take to haul the weight of those batteries around would be unbelievable! Have you thought about an RV swamp cooler? Runs on 12 volts and uses water right out of your tank Chris

Thanks for replys. I apperciate them

Back in my tent camping days I used to bring along a 5000BTU or an 8000BTU window air conditioner and would use our second door for the a/c to sit on wooden pallet... Worked great with my 2KW generator...These days camping off trail just doesn't bother us all that much to need a/c... The fantastic fan draws in fresh air from a couple of windows and cools everything down nice for us to sleep...Of course having lived in the hot country of AZ and North Texas and HOT ALA I guess you just get accustomed to it... I remember first moving to AZ back in the 60s and I didn't even have Air Conditioning in my truck that I used to drive to work in haha...Roy Ken

Air conditioning for off grid camping | Good Sam Community

JiminDenver
Explorer II
Apr 24, 2016
We run a 5000 BTU window air conditioner directly off the power provided by our 750w solar system during peak hours. The batteries will run it other times but we rarely need it at altitude if the sun isn't shining.
reluyog
Explorer
Apr 24, 2016
We use a GE small room a/c unit bumped up
to a living room window, not hanging out.
Right now with 550 lbs of gel batts we
can run it for 13 hrs non stop, or the
block heater on the 3406 Cat for 4.5 hrs.
That does flatten the volts to 10.5
though. By the end of summer we will have
1100 lbs of batts and will need more
solar panels. Right now 640 Watts works.
We only use the a/c for a few hours on
very hot afternoons. I usually shut off
the bath and bedrooms.
MrWizard
Moderator
Apr 24, 2016
We ran the A/C via generator at least some everyday this week
2oldman
Explorer II
Apr 24, 2016
Few people actually run air with a generator. Many plan to, but I don't see it.
csamayfield55x
Explorer
Apr 24, 2016
corvettekent wrote:
Have you tried to go without AC? We boondocked for 80 days in AZ this winter and never once thought about not being able turn on the AC.

try doing that in the summer anywhere below Oregon HAHA!!

Here in Nevada you may need it in March or need your heater in July

Chris
corvettekent
Explorer
Apr 24, 2016
Have you tried to go without AC? We boondocked for 80 days in AZ this winter and never once thought about not being able turn on the AC.
gbopp
Explorer
Apr 24, 2016
Buy the second Honda and take extra gasoline.
A swamp cooler is okay in a low humidity area. If it's humid you need A/C.
RoyB
Explorer II
Apr 23, 2016
Back in my tent camping days I used to bring along a 5000BTU or an 8000BTU window air conditioner and would use our second door for the a/c to sit on wooden pallet... Worked great with my 2KW generator...

These days camping off trail just doesn't bother us all that much to need a/c... The fantastic fan draws in fresh air from a couple of windows and cools everything down nice for us to sleep...

Of course having lived in the hot country of AZ and North Texas and HOT ALA I guess you just get accustomed to it... I remember first moving to AZ back in the 60s and I didn't even have Air Conditioning in my truck that I used to drive to work in haha...

Roy Ken
paul_judd
Explorer
Apr 23, 2016
Thanks for replys. I apperciate them
csamayfield55x
Explorer
Apr 23, 2016
You would spend 10 times the cost of running a good generator for a solar system large enough to run an AC for any amount of time. THe amount of fuel it would take to haul the weight of those batteries around would be unbelievable!

Have you thought about an RV swamp cooler? Runs on 12 volts and uses water right out of your tank

Chris