Portable Generator

You may wonder why I carry around a portable generator. When travelling in the caravan, we had a heavy 5kVA unit in a cradle that could run the air-conditioner in the van and everything else, including our satellite TV. I was glad to sell the van, if only because I didn’t have to lug the heavy mother every other day. All to power our ridiculous array of electrical appliances.

The real reason I carry a small, and I mean tiny, about 950watt portable generator these days is not so much to run appliances but for its battery charging capability. I have been caught with dual batteries, both dead flat (on Rainbow Beach in NSW and the Victoria Desert) and forced to wait two days while a small 32watt solar panel (look closely at the bonnet of the Toyota towing the van and you will see the solar panel) trickled enough charge for us to boot the vehicle up.

I don’t like being stranded anywhere, mainly because it shows I haven’t budgeted my energy requirements properly. Both events occurred on stinking hot days. The big draw of the car fridge is a significant factor. More importantly, it resulted from my not checking the status of the batteries.

I have had the little genny on the right for about six years. It runs like a dream; best of all, it runs on the smell of an oily rag. There is a direct charge facility from the genny, which is perfect if we ever have dead flat batteries again. These small units are not expensive and are good insurance on those long outback trips.

Might you think this is overkill? It boils down to simple risk management and depends on how many trips you take in isolated areas. Travelling in remote areas requires self-sufficiency. A couple of hundred bucks on a small portable generator is good insurance.