Jackery instead of generator

What are you trying to run? It's just an expensive battery bank. It doesn't generate electricity. 

I've used similar products camping to charge/run small appliances/tvs, and devices.  They are good for running small electronics etc.  Of course, if you got a giant one, it could power everything.

Most can be charged while driving, so you could take it with you to charge it during the day if you will be driving.  If not, you could always have more than one.

many campers use systems like Jackery instead of generators in national park campgrounds without electricity, appreciating their quiet operation, portability, and eco-friendliness.

Hi wildfntz,

Your question sounds simple, but it needs to be put into context of what you are trying to do with a Jackery unit.   The Jackery in it's basic form is a portable battery bank.  It is sized to deliver a pre-determined amount of  electricity before it runs out of electricity and then has to be recharged. 

Now enter, how much electricity do you want to deliver over what time period. And how will you recharge back into the Jackery (battery bank) all the power you used and how long does that take with what you have to recharge it with?  In order to sustain the same power use need over time, you have to have equal to, and ideally, greater than, the ability to recharge the Jackery fast enough to not run out of power before the recharge is complete. 

You mentioned camping without electric hook up's.  Some of us call this boondocking, others call it camping off grid, they all mean the same thing, you are getting the electric power you need to camp with from somewhere other then the electric hookup.   Now enter how many hours, days, weeks etc. you want to be off grid.  Here is the issue with a Jackery, or even a battery bank on the camper, how long/how big will the one you buy last?  And how long will it take to recharge it? 

In order to sustain days and days (weeks or months) of being off grid, you have to create a power use plan and recharge plan to be sustainable in all weather conditions you will be camping at.   If you are using a camper, such as a travel trailer, fifth wheel, etc. the Jackery by itself and even some with a small solar panel to recharge is going to have a hard time being sustainable.   The recharge fast enough is the issues and in all weather conditions in which you camp.

If you are tent camping and only need power to recharge cells phones  or other small devices, a Jackery may get you through enough days to meet your needs and then recharge it when you get back home.  This is a very different situation then off gird camping in a camper with lights, water pump, fridge, LP furnace etc. 

I hope this helps explain a little of what you will need to determine if a Jackery will work for you. 

John 

We have an Anker F2000 solution (no expansion packs) that works well. We put in a softstart for our A/C & it can run that all night on a charge. To parrot what others have said though figure out what you want to run with it & your overall power needs. Having that will help determine what type of connection you will need (do you need a 15a, 30a or 50a output option), then determine how long you want to run the item(s) so you get something with enough output capacity to drive it (the A/C for us) & have a recharge plan or buy enough expansion packs to cover your needs & recharge plan. It is nice to be able to use the 120v outlets without having to run the inverter which is typically a big drain on the battery bank plus we get to run our A/C when others would have to shut their gas generators off for quiet hours. Lots of vehicles are coming with 120v outlets these days so you have the option to charge it up while driving around or using a solar recharge option. There are pros & cons for whichever "generator" route you go though so as with anything with camping/RVing, find what works/fits best for you & your needs & then just get out there & enjoy!