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  • Portable power

    I'm going on a 3 or 4 day camping trip and I've been looking at some portable power options. I don't want to have to leave the car running in order to have power (through an inverter) so I'm thinking the best option would be to get a portable battery/jump starter such as this:

    http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=540546

    I've never used one of these so I'm curious about how long this will last me before having to recharge it again. Now I'm sure it depends on what I have hooked up to it and how much power it's drawing so is there any way to calculate how long this battery will power a specific device based on the devices specs?

  • #2
    Originally posted by rspaulding View Post
    I'm going on a 3 or 4 day camping trip and I've been looking at some portable power options. I don't want to have to leave the car running in order to have power (through an inverter) so I'm thinking the best option would be to get a portable battery/jump starter such as this:

    http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/c....aspx?a=540546

    I've never used one of these so I'm curious about how long this will last me before having to recharge it again. Now I'm sure it depends on what I have hooked up to it and how much power it's drawing so is there any way to calculate how long this battery will power a specific device based on the devices specs?
    Howdy rspaulding,
    Welcome to the campfire, in the words of Bigdog..."Welcome to the campfire!" The power pack question that you ask is the same that has been asked before. I use a Xantrex power pack supply point and there are those that don't use this at all. I like them and recommend them. Others don't. I think they are a fine engineering marvel. Usually once charged the power lasts 90 days or so and recharge in a couple of days off of household current. I use the Xantrex Power Supply and there are photos of this in earlier threads from earlier this year if you would have taken the time to research your question before you asked it.
    Get campin', Renodesertfox A canvas campateer
    Campin' Here Between Campouts! Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

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    • #3
      What model Xantrex power supply do you use?

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      • #4
        I use the Xantrex Xpower pack 400Plus Model. Great for jeep camping!
        Get campin', Renodesertfox A canvas campateer
        Campin' Here Between Campouts! Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

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        • #5
          So about how long do you think that would run a small fan?

          Can you re-charge it from a car?

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          • #6
            As long as it's(the small fan) is under 400ws it should last probaby 90 hours or so before recharge. It will recharge off a car battery through the cigarette lighter in four to five hours but you have to have the auto idling too. I use it to inflate our 19" off the ground air-mattress and it powers our cd player through an entire nine day period of being ran and then deflate our air-mattress and power-up our small hand-vacum so I can clean the interior floor. It's proven it's worth to us and hasn't failed us once in the seven years that we have had it. We purchase ours from Amazon. It is always nice to have electrical power when you need it, when running to 7-11 can get to be expensive buying batteries.
            Get campin', Renodesertfox A canvas campateer
            Campin' Here Between Campouts! Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

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            • #7
              I've read about how you can charge this device with a single 13w solar panel. Do you know anything about that?

              Also, about how long would it run a small boombox/cd player?

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              • #8
                I know nothing about solar power, perhaps others do? I already answered your second question in an earlier response about the cd player lasting all nine days about three hours out of the day. When I go out with this thing I do not run it all the time. The idea is to get away from the trappings of civilization and only use the power plus when I need to use it. It has never let me down and it will keep it's charge for 60 days of non-use when sitting on the shelf at home. Usually we are camping three weekends out of every month except this year since I'm recovering from a much needed surgery on an injured spine. There are other campers on this site that don't like them and use another source. Perhaps you'll hear from them too.
                Get campin', Renodesertfox A canvas campateer
                Campin' Here Between Campouts! Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

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                • #9
                  good idea

                  That is a good idea! Portable energy would save the car from so much use!

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                  • #10
                    These power packs contain small motorcycle-sized starting batteries and aren't mean for deep discharge. This means limited power (18AH) and short lifespan. Not good for an item that is typically $75 - 100. Here is a link to a homemade solution:
                    http://www.campingforums.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=1316
                    You can build one for a lot less by using a lead-acid deep-cycle and keeping it in a plastic battery case so your pants won't have holes in them. I got an Optima from Costco for around $150. Compared to the Wagan power supply it replaced there's no comparison. The Wagan only lasted about a tad more than a season before the voltmeter read 10V after a charge and cool-down. SHOT! Now I have a measured 55AH power supply that is compact and runs my lighting effects and 100W Kenwood stereo system with plenty of juice to spare.
                    “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
                    ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

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