Generator Question...

[syoungblood]

Hello All,

Just wanted to see how many of you out there have a generator for dry camping.  We are looking at picking up a Yamaha 2400.  We used a friends Honda 2000 over the summer and it worked.  But it sure seemed to be working hard when the compressor on the ac kicked in.  The Yamaha is a big larger, but has more juice.  Just curious if anyone out there has any advice for our next big purchase.  Thanks all, AND GO PACK! :-()

[beacher]

You have already performed more research than most folks purchasing a quiet camping generator.

I like that the Honda is light enough for one person to easily move it around.  But it can barely power the A/C.

The Yamaha has no problem powering the A/C, but it's about 20lbs heavier, and a little more bulky.

No advice to offer, but I'd go with the Yamaha.

[oreo57]

Love my Yamaha2400.

Need I say more.

[wavery]

The nice thing about the Honda 2000 is that if you want a 4000w generator, you just hook 2 of them together. You still have only 47# (each) to carry and stow on most trips. The 2000 struggles with the AC but will run everything else nicely and on less fuel.

I originally had 2 of the Honda 2000s because it was said that one wouldn't run the AC. I found that to not be the case. One runs the AC fine and I use it so little that it wasn't worth keeping the second one so I sold it. I'm quite happy with my Honda 2000. I am also more apt to throw the generator in the truck and lock it up at night. I'm not sure if I would be so quick to do that with a heavier unit.

[garym053]

Sorry, until they invent a generator that TRULLY can not be heard off my site, I will never have a generator and subject my camping neighbors to the noise. Nor will I play a radio or anything else that can be heard in the next site. I expect the same consideration from my camping neighbors.
I camp to hear the ducks, the loons, even the crows or the woodpecker that wakes me up at 5:30am. To hear the coyotes at night or lay in bed and listen to a moose walk through my campsite. I don't camp to hear my neighbors generator, televison, dog barking, etc. I can hear plenty of noise at home or at work.
Sorry if this offends, but that's my feelings.

['tiredTeacher]

I camp to hear the ducks, the loons, even the crows or the woodpecker that wakes me up at 5:30am. To hear the coyotes at night or lay in bed and listen to a moose walk through my campsite. I don't camp to hear my neighbors generator, televison, dog barking, etc. I can hear plenty of noise at home or at work.
Sorry if this offends, but that's my feelings.

Hear, hear, I second that. Folks who need all that electric and electronic B.S. to have fun should camp at "RV resorts" and leave the more primitive campgrounds to us who want to get away from all that clutter. The more amenities a campground has, the less apt I am to consider it. DW and I don't want to listen to other folks' TVs, radios, A/C units, generators, and all the other obnoxious toys people haul around. Give me the sounds of the slap of a bike chain, children's laughter, critters, wind and water.
Let the flaming commence. :sombraro:

[wavery]

I'm sure that the OP appreciates your input :p .

[wavery]

Sorry, until they invent a generator that TRULLY can not be heard off my site, I will never have a generator and subject my camping neighbors to the noise. Nor will I play a radio or anything else that can be heard in the next site. I expect the same consideration from my camping neighbors.
I camp to hear the ducks, the loons, even the crows or the woodpecker that wakes me up at 5:30am. To hear the coyotes at night or lay in bed and listen to a moose walk through my campsite. I don't camp to hear my neighbors generator, televison, dog barking, etc. I can hear plenty of noise at home or at work.
Sorry if this offends, but that's my feelings.

I'm sure that the OP appreciates your input :p .

[syoungblood]

Okay, as the OP, I feel a desire to respond.  Please know that this may sound a bit like a rant, and there is some sarcasm involved, but here goes.

First, as I understand it, if my family is to camp near "gary or tiredteacher" my dog can not bark, my a/c can not be on, and my family can not make any noise.  I've noticed over the years that when I fry up bacon over the fire it makes a "sizzling noise".  Is that ok?  For that matter, I have also noticed that when I chop the wood to make said fire that it can make a "loud crack" as well.  I just want to see what level and type of noise is permisable in your world.  As a Sheriff dealing with hundreds of loud and obnoxious felons all day, I understand the need to "get away" and have quiet better than most.  And I respect my fellow campers needs for this as well.  Yes, there are some people that take it over the top with the toys, but that is a matter of perspective.  Please tell me honestly, what is more disruptive, a quiet generator or a/c running during the peak of the day, or the group sitting around the campfire throwing beers back and being jacka@#'s while I try to get my kids to sleep after 10:00pm.  But you know what, I deal with that problem when it arises.  I don't blast everyone who has a beer at the fire, just the ones who screw it up for the rest of us.  The same approach I would take to someone with a generator or anything else.  

Second, I see that if we want to use electricity at all, we should go to a RV park or resort.  Newsflash, just because I would like to cool of my camper during the day for my family, doesn't mean that we don't enjoy the same nature as you.  Our family loves to camp in our state parks.  Why? Because we love the sounds of the birds and critters, we love to swim in lakes rather than pools, we love to walk to a fishing hole and drop in a line, we love to hike the beautiful paths and woods, as well as all the other benefits to camping at a campground as opposed to a resort.  Sure, when possible we will camp on an electric site so that we don't need to use a generator, but thanks to Reserve America and the like, it is extremely difficult to get an electric site at parks in Wisconsin, as well as a lot of other states I assume.  As a family, we prefer the more primative and secluded campgrounds, probably for many of the same reasons as you.  And if we choose to use a generator with respect to the fellow campers, it should not limit our options.  The most beautiful and awesome things we have shared with our children while camping have been at places where a generator would be handy to have.  Simple as that.  

Lastly, as far as camping at RV resorts or parks, there is one more reason we prefer not to.  It's something we call "money".  Our family lives and camps using something called a "budget".  And a $50 dollar a night campsite simply isn't part of it.  We can get away for a quick weekend at a beautiful state park without a reservation for $15 bucks a night.  And using a generator opens the doors to many more possibilities for sites.  If something that I keep in my house as a backup can make camping easier as well, I just don't see the problem with it.  That is assuming that I respect my fellow campers.  This completes my rant, and if any of you made it this far, thanks for bearing with me.

[sacrawf]

I bought an off-brand generator last year for both camping and to back up the heating boiler for the house during power failures.  I haven't used it yet.

I anticipate using it at primative campsites in off-season camping (when usually I am the only camper in the campground) to recharge the battery.  When camping in the 20's, the battery usually runs down after about two nights of running the furnace.

[rccs]

syoungblood, did you know that Wisconsin State Parks do not allow generators unless you get a special permit to use it?

[waygard33]

I've been looking at both the Yamaha EF2400is and the Honda 2000watt generator.

I'm leaning towards the yamaha for the extra power around the house if needed.

Wavery mentioned you can piggy back the Hondas to double your power. It looks like you can do the same with the Yamahas as well.

I read a review on the Yamaha/Honda generators and both were rated very high with the yamaha coming out slightly ahead due to the better access for maintenance. Unfortunately, I don't have the link for you.

A few months back, the yamahas were on Ebay for $1399. Now I see there selling (at least 1) for $995 plus another $108 for shipping. If the deal is still there, I will grab one in the next few days. Does anyone know of where to get a new one for a better price?

As for the noise, again I think it was Wavery who described a box he built to contain his generator in the back of his covered pick-up and vent the exhaust out a window of the canopy. Sounded like it pretty much cut the noise down to nothing. Sorry if it was not Wavery.

Also, I would like to say that we are concerned enough about the noise to pay 3 times the cost for a quiet generator. I would only use it in a typical campsite if I absolutely had to charge a battery. For the most part, I will use it where we quad ride where noisy generators run all day/night as well as the ATVs.

Good luck on your purchase and it would be nice to know what you buy and what kind of a deal you found.

['tiredTeacher]

Okay, as the OP, I feel a desire to respond.  Please know that this may sound a bit like a rant, and there is some sarcasm involved, but here goes.

First, as I understand it, if my family is to camp near "gary or tiredteacher" my dog can not bark, my a/c can not be on, and my family can not make any noise.

Not true. Read carefully. "slap of bicycle chain" = human-powered activities, such as wood chopping, bacon frying, cooler loading, etc. "Children's laughter" = good, happy, fun noise (including dog being part of the fun and not tied up, deserted for hours on end).
Now, as for a generator "opening up possibilities" that says more about you than me. I realize my ability to be unplugged and happy at the same time puts me in the minority. My ability to be without plumbing and happy seals my status as a Luddite. I need only to look in the RV catalogs and see the plethora of devices for sale to bring the world to the wilderness. How does one get away from it all, if one brings it all?
Only barely a curmudgeon,
Teach

[syoungblood]

Teach,

I actually agree with you on most of this.  Human powered activities, ie kids laughing and playing, bicycles, playing games are what make camping great.  And you certainly don't need a generator to have fun.  

So why the need for a gen?  In our case, a couple very simple reasons.  1) to recharge camper battery when dry camping.  Between lights, furnace or bunk end fans, and water pump, the battery needs to be recharged every couple days.  2)It is nice to be able to run the a/c when temps get over 90*.  We would never run it at night, but during the peak of the day it is nice to be able to cool down the camper, especially for children and pets.  

Lastly, I think you misunderstood my intent with "opens up possibilities".  I did not mean the gen makes it possible to do more at the campground.  I meant that it opens up possibilities as far as campgrounds and campsites.  There are some great little county parks close to us.  There is no electric and a generator opens up the idea of staying there more than a couple days due to the battery issue.  There are also some great state parks and national forrests around us where you can either not get electric sites or there is no electricity.  Again, the gen opens up the idea of staying for more than a few days.  Hope this clears up any misunderstandings.  Thanks for the input Teach, it is appreciated.

[CajunCamper]

I'm sure this won't be popular, but here it goes.

If I were a smoker and all the smoking rooms at a hotel were booked and was forced to take a non-smoking room, I wouldn't smoke in the non-smoking room just because it would make my stay more enjoyable for me. I would suck it up and either not smoke or go somewhere else to smoke.

It should be the same thing with primitive areas in campgrounds. If you're in a primitive area with no electricity either suck it up and do without or go somewhere else.

I don't want to hear your generator, I don't want to hear your A/C running, I don't want to hear your music.

We have actually arrived at a few campgrounds where all the primitive sites were taken and all that was left was the sites with hook-ups. When we have chosen and I stress the word chosen to camp in a full hook-up site we have come to expect louder neighbors and we live with it, because we are with the people that can't live without all their toys. I don't go around and tell everyone to be quiet because I am in their world and I have to either suck it up or go somewhere else.

syoungblood, I'm sure you are a great guy and have a great family and are probably very mindful of your neighbors while camping, but please don't run your generator, stereo or A/C next to me in the primitive area at anytime of the day or night.

If you really need to recharge your battery, then please take your generator and your battery to another area of the park where the A/C's are running and charge it over there. I'm sure those folks won't even notice.

CajunCamper