Everything you need to know about portable power stations

Do you find yourself running out of battery power during a weekend trip away from hookups?

More and more this is becoming a common issue as RVers travel with power-hungry, all-electric refrigerators and multiple electronic devices. Until recently, the best way to deal with it has been to add more batteries, usually through an expensive, custom battery installation. 

But now there's a simpler, more cost effective option to consider: a portable power station.

What is a portable power station?

A portable power station is a device that is essentially a big battery bank. You might already have a small battery pack to recharge your phone or other small devices while traveling. A portable power station is basically a much bigger version of this, as it has a much bigger battery. 

To qualify as a "power station," it must also include an inverter. The inverter allows you to plug in AC-powered appliances. Depending on the capacity of the batteries and inverter, you might use the power station for outdoor appliances like a blender, outdoor fan, refrigerator, pellet grill, etc.

What is a solar generator?

A solar generator is simply a portable power station with a solar panel that can recharge the battery. The term isn't specific to a type of portable power station. Any portable power station can become a "solar generator" if you connect solar panels to it.  

What can you do with a small portable power station?

We'll define "small" as a portable power station that has about 1,000 watt-hours or less capacity. The advantage of a small power station is that it's easily transported and doesn't take up a lot of space, so you can always have it with you.

This size power station is useful for things like:

• Recharging other devices
• Powering a Starlink for a day or so
• Running a CPAP machine overnight

Small portable power stations are also useful for parties: When you are boondocking and need to run a mini-fridge and a string of lights on the patio, the portable power station comes to the rescue. It's also handy when you're at the beach or attending an outdoor event.

Big portable power stations

A "big" capacity power station does most of the same things as a smaller one does. But because it has bigger batteries, it can do these things for a longer period of time. 

For example, a 1,000 watt-hour capacity power station might run a typical laptop for about 20 hours. A 3,000 watt-hour capacity power station can run the same laptop for 60 hours.

Larger power stations also have more power outlets, and a bigger inverter for more output capacity. This means you can plug in more than one thing at a time. Some large portable power stations even have TT30 outlets for 30-amp plugs.

The disadvantage of going bigger? Weight.

The larger the power station, the heavier it gets, which can make large portable power stations hard to take with you on a road trip. An EcoFlow DeltaPro, for example, weighs a whopping 99 pounds. Imagine trying to lift that in and out of your truck bed.

That's why we think it only makes sense to look at power stations that are modular, meaning that they can be easily separated into smaller and lighter chunks.

Why not just add more batteries to my rig?

You might be saying to yourself, "an Airstream (or any brand RV) is itself a giant portable power station. It has batteries already, and many Airstreams have inverters installed. Plus, most new Airstreams have solar panels (or you can add portable panels easily) so they're equivalent to solar generators too." 

All true. But if you want to add more battery power to your travels, you really have only two options: install more batteries in your Airstream or buy a portable power station.

Of the two options, a portable power station is almost always going to be the more cost-effective. 

Adding batteries (beyond what can fit in the battery box) requires expensive customization, in addition to the cost of the batteries. Adding a power station requires no customization or modification. It's literally as simple as plugging your devices – or your RV's power cord – into the power station. 

How do you recharge the power station?

The easiest way to recharge is to simply plug the power station into any power outlet.

If a power outlet isn't available, you can recharge it using solar panels—which then qualifies it as a solar generator. Most portable power stations have plugs built-in specifically for connecting solar panels. This article explains how the AIR GEAR Portable Solar Kit is compatible with those.

You can also plug the power station into a DC-DC connection from your truck, if you've installed one.

How does the power station compare to gas generators?

This article goes into detail about how to choose between solar, portable power, and generators. But an essential point from the article is that a generator is less efficient than a power station at charging the batteries. A battery typically takes hours to get a full charge, which means you're wasting a lot of gas waiting for the batteries' slow charge rate. So we don't recommend a generator unless you have no other practical option.

How to decide which portable power station to get

With many different brands and capabilities on the market, it’s important to look at your needs before buying a portable power station or solar generator.

1. Determine how much power you’ll need. Every electrical appliance has a power consumption sticker on it. Things that change temperatures, like coffee makers and refrigerators, consume a lot more power than lights and fans.
2. Calculate how many watts are required to meet your need, then multiply that by how long you’ll want to run those appliances. With this information you'll have an idea of how big a battery you’ll need, in watt-hours (or kilowatt-hours, which is abbreviated as kWh). You can compare that to the rated capacity of the power stations.

Can a power station power the entire RV, including microwave and air conditioner?

Want to power your whole Airstream? With a really big power station, you can.

You'll need one that has a TT30 outlet on it, like the one pictured in the photo on the top of this page, and an output capacity of at least 2,200 watts, continuous.

We recommend a capacity of at least 3 kWh (3000 watt-hours) if you're going to use your power station this way. Because that amount of battery power will be heavy, we suggest (and use) the modular Sorein Power Station. It quickly separates into pieces which weigh between 37 and 48.5 pounds each, so it is much easier to move and store in your truck.

The Sorein Power Station has built-in "soft start" capability. But if the power station you're considering doesn't, you may want to install a soft starter in your air conditioner. 

By plugging the entire RV to a power station like this one, you'll essentially have an electric campsite anywhere. The power station will charge up the Airstream's batteries, power everything in the Airstream, and all of the power outlets will work.