Generator or Solar Panel

There are many ways to do this. There are many different ways that people camp. It all depends. Generators are not bad and solar isn't good just because it's silent. They are both good and both bad depending on how, where and when you use them. If you went out for a weekend only and never use the ac or hair dryer or micro, you may be able to get by with 4 six volt deep cycles. If you have led bulbs and manage your energy you may even do it on the 2 six volts you now have. People do it but it obviously depends on how you manage and how you camp.

let's bump it up one notch and say that you want to watch tv and run laptops etc. Now you may need to supplement charge and you could do that with solar or a small quiet generator. Some small tv's are 12 volt and the laptop can have a 12 volt cigarette style adapter cord to power it. So far we can accomplish this with solar. Now lets say you want a larger tv, hair dryer, micro wave and run the rv converter for higher charge rates. Now you will need a 2000 or so watt generator.

OR, you dont have to use a generator for those same things BUT you need to use an inverter. Now you get into the good and bad of inverters. Some are good and some are junk. Both use some power by simply being turned on. They will run all those items but many on here suggest a minimum of 4 six volt deep. Now the solar system needs to be larger. I'm not into solar yet but some suggest something like watt to watt with battery size. Others on here know EVERYTHING about solar so there is endless reading.

Now I will go back to the first comment I made up above. IF you EVER want to run your ac you wont do it with solar. Yes, it can be done but you aren't. So what does it take to run your ac? Short answer? About a 3000 genny. Some can run their ac on 2000 watt generators some cant. Some can install a hard start kit on the ac and do fine, some ac wont work with it.

Another issue comes up when using a generator to charge your batteries and that is how EFFECTIVELY are you charging? Is your CONVERTER only going to 13.6 volts and going to take 2 or 3 days to fully charge. Especially when you have gone from the standard group 24 or 27 battery and now trying to refill 2 or 4 six volts. So you may have to up grade the convert to get to 14.4 volts and that doesn't even get into equalize charging.

I use a remote start Honda 3000 generator right now along with 4 gc2 Sam club batteries and a Progressive Dynamics converter and primarily charge with a Quick Charge 50 amp battery charger. I invert to run a 42 led tv and various lap top phone accessories. For ac, hair dryer, micro wave and charging we use the key fob to remote start the Honda which is in a sound dampened, power ventilated metal enclosure in the truck bed. I can get by with an hour or so of run time per day and a heavy charge of about 6 hours every two weeks or so.

I dont want to listen to a generator or any other noise but it is an effective way to be able to cover all the bases. As I keep learning I will add solar so the run time can be reduced even more. I will most likely never get rid of the large generator as it answers the number one question, which is will I ever want to run the ac.

The generator also gets used at home and can power the well and everything else. Just not central ac.

Again, solar, generators, inverters, converters, marine/deep, true deep are all good or bad depending on how they are used.

It's all clear now? Right? :)