After we bought our RV, we quickly realized that electricity is quite useful. Unless you like ice-cold coffee, blank TV screens, and sweltering summer heat, you’ll want the ability to camp with substantial amounts of the stuff on hand. But since one can’t purchase extension cords in mile-long lengths, we need portable options.
What about solar? Note that I advocate “substantial” amounts of energy for RV camping. Sure, solar power may be useful for certain applications (like illuminating low-wattage light bulbs as a parlor trick) but I’m afraid it falls short of meeting our needs on a daily basis. With the flick of a switch, my wife’s jet engine of a hair dryer can completely destroy solar panels.
A good old-fashioned fossil fuel generator, however, kicks out copious amounts of politically incorrect current. So the next question becomes, “What type of generator to buy?”
There are plenty of cheap generators on the market. These are easily distinguished by the raucous clatter they emit, which sounds like a genetic cross between a defective lawnmower, an enraged banshee, and a sick moose.
Once we were camping in the Grand Teton National Park. One of our fellow campers (who was parked, oh, a half mile down the road) had one of those horrible spirit-killing generators. On the comprehensive List of the World’s Most Annoying Sounds, his generator ranks an impressive #7 (right behind Fran Drescher’s voice). Every morning at about 8AM, he would crank the thing and rattle us out of bed. It was like a county-wide alarm clock over which we had no control. Tornado sirens are more subtle.
So we wanted a quiet generator, and this led us to “inverter” technology. There were a couple of inverter generators on the market that seemed appropriate for our needs.
One was made by Honda. The Honda was red in color. “Get the Honda,” I was told. “It’s quiet, it’s reliable, and if you ever need parts they are easy to find.”
But there was a competing generator made by Yamaha. The Yamaha was blue in color.
“Get the Yamaha,” I was told. “It’s just as quiet as the Honda, just as reliable as the Honda, and it includes a ‘boost’ technology that gives you a little extra power when you need it.”
In the final analysis, Yamaha won.
Why? I think it had something to do with the color. Blue matches our travel trailer.
So, did we make the right decision? After over 40,000 miles of travel and LOTS of boondocking along the way, I have no complaints about the Yamaha. It has been quiet and reliable so far.
But my friend owns a Honda, and he also reports many months of happy, quiet, and reliable usage.
So, what about you? What brand of generator do you like the best? Is there really a “best” generator for RV camping, or is there no such animal? Blue or red? PC or Mac? Beatles or Stones? Inquiring minds want to know.
Oh, and by the way, if you buy the Yamaha (and presumably the Honda) don’t forget to also buy one of these 30AMP plug adapters. Don’t ask me why, but you can’t plug your RV plug directly into the generator. You need a 30AMP adapter. (You could also use a 30 AMP to 20 AMP adapter, but this is a bad idea.) These adapters cost about $20.
The RV power cable plugs into to the "female" side of this adapter plug. Then the "male" side plugs into the generator itself. This way you get the full benefit of your 30 AMPs.
I wish someone had told me this on day one.
Of course, there are other options. Instead of buying one 3000 Watt generator, you can buy two 2000 Watt generators. Why would you want to take this route? When you link two together, you get slightly more power. Also, the smaller generators are easier to carry (which by the way makes them easier to steal). On the downside, owning two units means you get to service and maintain two units.
Personally, I think the fewer steps involved in using the generator, the better. I like to be able to pull over at any time and easily kick on the power. Anything we can do to minimize hassle is welcome.
So, one nice addition we made to ours is an extension cord that reaches to the back of the pickup bed. Now all I do is pull out the Airstream power, connect it to the extension, and turn the generator key. (No need to climb into the bed of the truck itself).
Note that our generator pretty much never moves — it remains locked & chained in place behind the cab of our truck.
If I had it to do over again, I’d get a nice cover for it on DAY ONE. I’d also consider the remote starting package. I love the idea of starting the unit from the comfort of the Airstream (no minor convenience on a cold morning when you’re wearing a bathrobe! ;-))
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We ended up buying the smaller brother to yours – EF2400iS – after reading the positive reviews and tests on the Internet. I’m thinking I will also keep it in the back of my truck but wondering if I need a cover. What do you guys use?
-Scott
Scott, I’m a little ashamed to say that I don’t have a cover for our Yamaha.
But we do garage our truck. So when we are not camping, our generator is usually tucked away in a cool garage.
I’d like to have a cover for when we are camping. I’m pretty sure Yamaha makes one.
Some folks recommend you build a generator box for the bed of your pickup. This would not only protect the generator from the elements, but would also hide it from prying eyes. This project could be fodder for a future blog video!
I’m guessing from your videos you might be mechanically challenged like me and as Cpt Jim my father in law would say – you can waive your college degree in front of it all day long but it won’t make it start after you’ve wrecked it. Might be a funny segment to bring back your father in law or some guy named Bubba to help with the project.
Scott, I am definitely “mechanically challenged.” Yes, even something as simple as building a box would probably overextend my abilities.
My father-in-law, on the other hand, can handle electrical, plumbling, sheetrock, woodwork, engine work, tile, carpet, metalcraft, and a few other crafts I’m probably forgetting. In his spare time he restores classic cars. He built his own swimming pool and finished his own basement.
Our Airstream stabilizer jacks had rusted, so he removed, sanded, painted, and reinstalled them!
Someday (if I can convince him to participate!) we will do a video blog with some Airstream fixes and upgrades. Actually, that might be a fun video to shoot before our big spring trip… 🙂
I currently own 3 – yes 3 generators.
Onan 4K Yamaha 3K with boost & Honda 2K.
The Onan 4K “microquiet” unit that came with the toy hauler is anything BUT quiet- it belts out the power for sure but sounds like a construction site right outside the door. It has been very reliable but non inverter technology means it roars at a constant 3600 rpm even when under no load.
On long trips when expecting to use AC al the time, I’ll simply throw the yammie in the truck bed like Sean and in stark contrast it thrums away in the bed of my truck delivering quiet reliable economical juice.
Its been a champ- powering my house in LA reliably for days when a DWP worker cut the wrong cable or a storm brought down electric lines. The boost feature allows me to run in eco-mode and still instantly be able to deliver enough amperage to kick compressor device like my fridge over quickly while the gennie “catches up”. I do not do this for the AC unit however.
When I don’t expect to use AC in fall and winter trips to the desert Ill step down even further in power and fuel usage to the Honda 2K in camouflage. Smaller, even quieter and more thrifty its been an amazing little workhorse as well, running blenders and battery chargers, fans and light and tv’ s heater etc.
In short they are all reliable, the Yamaha an Honda inverter technology works really well while saving noise and fuel. Hard to go wrong with either brand. Id say just from the # of shops its probably a bit easier to get parts for the honda, but honestly nothing has broken on either after 2+ years of using each- so thats speculation.
Oh- do keep them covered both mfgr’s sell covers in the long run its way easier on your units finish and keeps dust and water off to large extent
Great vids, keep em coming!
“Uncle” Dave
Uncle Dave, after almost three seasons of camping our Yamaha is still going strong. The only problem I can report relates to the ON/OFF switch. It doesn’t work so well with regards to shutting OFF the running generator, so instead I pull out the choke lever to shut it off. That’s an issue I’d like to have fixed someday.
Otherwise, I can report plenty of great experience with the Yamaha. I’m glad to know I’m not the only person who keeps one in the truck bed! I still haven’t figured out a way to build a cover for it, but maybe I’ll invest in a canvas one.
Oh yeah, one more thing… This summer I picked up a 30 amp extension cord (the cord cost about $50). I keep the cord plugged into the generator when we are traveling. This has made it a lot easier for me to plug up our Airstream quickly, because I no longer have to reach (or climb) far into the truck bed to plug in. It’s a minor point, but it really made the whole process go faster for me.
Thanks for your post!
Sean
I went through the same shopping stress a couple of years ago and ended up with the Honda 3000i. So far it has been a great unit and made a tremendous difference. I installed my generator on a cargo carrier and kept it on the back of our travel trailer. With a good cover and sufficient locks, it pretty much stayed on there all the time. The Honda is very efficient and quiet. Now that we have a motorhome with a Onan generator, I appreciate just how quiet the Honda was. There is certainly a benefit to having the Onan built-in and running off of the RV fuel tank; but I would rather use the Honda anytime.
Thanks for the videos, always enjoy checking for something new here.
Michael