Portable Power
Power is something more and more of use while camping. While we believe you should unplug and be present, sometimes power is necessary.
We are fans of Goal Zero and trust them to safely power our gear. The new Lithium Yeti 400 is an impressive upgrade to the older lead acid Yeti 400. What do you get for and extra $150? Half the weight (30lbs vs 15lbs), a better display and that Lithium battery that has a much longer and better charge cycle than a lead acid. This means a longer life cycle of the battery, but don’t take our word for it, do some research on AGM vs Lithium batteries.
If a $599 Yeti is out your price range and you just want extra power, we suggest this Anker power bank with two USB ports and a USB-C port! This will change most laptops that charge over USB-C. At around $150 this will be enough power for most situations.
A basic power banks that will charge your phone about two times via one single USB port. Available in threes colors for $25.00
All of our battery powered gear is AA, AAA or some sort of recharge system. This makes our rechargeable batteries much easier to manage and keep track of. You could even take this one step further and pick only one type of battery to simplify your setup.
This is the 4.5hr charger and brand of battery we use. This will charge any combination of up to four AA or AAA & can be used as a battery bank to charge other devices via USB. Eneloop has been in the battery game a long time and makes a high quality long life battery. A pro model of the Eneloop is available as if you need higher performance from your batteries.
You will need a USB type C port to charge the above battery bank while driving. This car adapter plugs into 12V vehicle ports (aka cigarette lighter). One USB C & one USB 3.0. This adapter will directly charge newer laptops that charge via USB type C.
The first big trip/test of the 60 watt panel & our original Micro Camper interior prototype. Both are still in use today. Photo taken in 2011.
This is our ultra compact (Folded: 13.5 x 8.5 x 2.7 Unfolded: 47.0 x 51.5) 60 watt foldable solar panel. Its made in America, rugged & works great even in low light. We have used it since 2011 without issue. This is the updated version of the panel Ursa Minor Vehicle’s sold us as part of the solar kit we added to our Ecamper (poptop) install. This is a high end panel and will set you back almost $700. Many cheaper panels are available, but you often get what you pay for in solar. Most are made with cheap thin wires, poor connectors and sub par panels. While you can choose any panel or brand you like we recommend a portable panel. This allows you to park in the shade and put your panel in the sun moving it with the sunlight.
