Chinese Generators: Who You Gonna Ask?

A new-to-boondocking RVer "confessed" to me that he'd recently bought "a Chinese generator." Well, he can't be alone. The market is seemingly flooded with these Asian imports, and all jokes about "Will it run on unleaded gas" aside, it appears they're here to stay.

If you wind up in Quartzsite during the show season, no doubt you'll run into plenty of these little watt-makers, both in the field, and along vendor row. But how do you know which to buy, which to avoid, and once you have one, how to keep it up and get the most out of it?

The "last word" in RV forums on this subject is probably the one run over on the Open Roads Forum. As of last September there were over 400 pages of information on the Chinese generator subject--over 4,000 postings. As the moderator warns, set yourself up with snacks, drinks, and plenty of no-doze if you plan on reading it all. Or check out the moderator's tips on how to narrow down the search. In any event, be sure to check back here when you're done--we'll have probably posted plenty more things to read by the time you've finished up.

Newbee Has Generator Questions

A friend of ours, after spending a few days running down his RV battery, queried a group of RVers about generators. He's a family man and doesn't spend more than a total of a couple of weeks a year camping with the wife and kiddies. Most of his time is spent in the cooler areas of the west coast, so he doesn't have much of a need for air conditioning, but his family is addicted to the microwave oven.

We talked about wind and solar, and of course, the subject did have to come around to generators. His rig is not pre-wired for a generator, so he's looking at a freestanding unit. Our advice, "Get enough muscle to power your microwave, add a little bit more, and try to keep it a quiet one--don't buy the handy dandy contractor model!" Our pick, of course, would be one of those little red Honda units, but we know there are "others" that may fit the bill.

We also pointed out that if he's not going to go solar to recharge his rig "house" battery that he should take along a hefty shore-power battery charger, something that will quickly recharge his RV batteries, rather than trying to rely on the typically whimpy "12 volt" output of so many of the generators on the market today.

So here's a chance for your help: How many of you have used the small Hondas or an "alternative" version of one of those little quiet units? Are they reliable? Truly "boondock friendly"? We'll pass along your reviews.

Confessions of a Boondocking Generator User

For years we've boondocked with solar and wind power. "Have inverter, will travel," has been our motto. A few months back we picked up a truck camper for use in "field research" where our fifth wheel is too unwieldy to go.

When we started looking for a truck camper, it wasn't our intention to buy anything fancy or "tricked out." But as it happened, a much abused "high end" camper came on the market cheap, and--since money talks and we could use a "fixer upper" for technical articles--we wound up getting it. Again, it certainly wasn't our intention to have an RV with a generator, but there it was.

With the press of time we wound up making our first big field trip with the "new" camper before we had the chance to get solar panels mounted or a wind turbine put in place. That left us on the road depending on the truck alternator to charge the camper battery system. But you know how one thing leads to another. Miserably hot weather and high humidity suddenly necessitated the use of air conditioning--and well, with a generator handy, it became possible. Firing up the "genny" to zap a quick dinner at the end of a long road day too, was helped by having that propane generator available.

I know, I've disparaged thoughtless generator owners before. Listening to the "Onan Chorus" on an otherwise quiet night gives me the willies. I hope our experiences as "boondocking purists," won't turn us "Jekel and Hyde" fashion into those who run the noisy thing day and night. Actually, it's one of the quietest generators we've heard, but nevertheless, it seems like there's a big principle involved. For now, we're definitely looking forward to getting the wind turbine set up, and running the computer with the help of the inverter. The quiet definitely has its virtues.