Power source suggestions for an SUV 2 week trip?

[Mastertheo]

I've never hit the road before. I'm planning to do a 10-14 day trip and see how I like it.  I've been reading about power stations and inverters, but I'm not sure what to go with since I have no experience traveling like this.

I'll have a 15 inch laptop, a low energy dumbphone, and maybe a small rice cooker. The rice cooker is optional. I also sleep with a fan, so being able to run one would be nice. I'm not sure what my other options are on types of fans, or if it's worth it to run one.  

The only Goal Yeti on craigslist near me is a 400W for $300.(I can probably haggle it down to $250)

I'm not sure if I should go with a smaller yeti, just an inverter, or what wattage of either would fit my needs.  I'm new to all of this, so any suggestions would be great, thanks.

 

[Trebor English]

Goal Zero is not a power source.  It is a battery, an energy storage device.  Using it requires charging it.  

The energy you need for the laptop and phone could possibly come from the vehicle alternator.  

Heat for cooking can come from a butane or propane camp stove.  It takes a lot of electricity to cook.  

You can get a small fan that uses D cell batteries.  For a two week trip the cost of D cells will be way less than a big plan.

 

[Stretch]

Bob just did a great video on very basic solar options.

 

[Almost There]

For just a 2 week experimental trip I'd skip the Yeti and any solar set up.

Home Depot has a 120 W Black and Decker plug in inverter complete with a USB connection that will charge your laptop and your phone while you're driving. Just have to remember to plug them in when you get under way and unplug them when you stop.

I use mine to charge both my phone and my laptop for up to 3 days without starting the van (good battery btw) so you can do that too.

I agree that for a 2 week road trip a fan with D cells will be the cheapest way to go. Most of them also have a 12V plug in so you could use it in the future without having to continually buy expensive D cell batteries.

If you're going to buy just one thing for the road trip and are worried about your starting battery then get a jump start unit and make sure it's fully charged before you leave.

The other thing you  might want to put on the shopping list is a rechargeable LED lantern. I have one and still use it for area lighting. It's also great to have outside the vehicle in the evening.

 

[John61CT]

Are you going to be using this gear for years, or just looking for cheaper stuff you may need to replace after one or two?

If the former:

a pair of 6V FLA Duracell GCs is 200+AH, brand new ~$180.

Yes much more capacity than you need, but 10x better value than a used Yeti.

Take the money you save so you can buy a good 40+A shore charger if mains power will be a regular charge source for you (see below)

If the latter: a ~100AH Walmart "marine deep cycle" AGM and a 20A charger.


You should charge your phone and laprop from a "car adapter" 12V charger (goes into a ciggie port)

Cook stuff on a butane or propane campstove.

12V ciggie plugin fan, or find a 12V rechargeable battery kit if you want cordless.

So no inverter needed.


For charge sources:

How many hours per day are you driving?

How many nights per week will shore power be available?

Maybe no solar needed either, or did you want that anyway?

 

[Mastertheo]

For charge sources:

How many hours per day are you driving?

How many nights per week will shore power be available?

Maybe no solar needed either, or did you want that anyway?

Everything is still up in the air, but I'll probably only be driving a few hours a day at a time, and maybe spend a few days at a time around cities. I wasn't thinking of solar yet.  I'm not sure I've I can get away with charging a laptop at a Starbucks or whatnot. I am not planning on visiting any friends or staying in motels where I can plug in and charge. Are their places on the road that will let you charge devices for free?

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John61 CT
Are you going to be using this gear for years, or just looking for cheaper stuff you may need to replace after one or two?

You should charge your phone and laprop from a "car adapter" 12V charger (goes into a ciggie port)

12V ciggie plugin fan, or find a 12V rechargeable battery kit if you want cordless.
So no inverter needed.
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I'm just looking for cheaper stuff until I figure out if I dig travelling or not. My phone has an odd plug, so I'll probably need a car adapter that goes to a plug. That's an inverter right? How many watts do I need to charge a laptop? Does more watts mean it charges faster?

Will you be camping and away from power the whole two weeks?

Guy

No, I will probably only spend one night at a time away from cities.

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My main concern is not driving much for a couple days and not being able to charge my laptop.  It would be nice to be able to watch movies on it when it's late and I have nothing to do. 

I'm really green at this, so thanks so much everyone for your feedback. It means a lot.

 

[Mastertheo]

Home Depot has a 120 W Black and Decker plug in inverter 

If you're going to buy just one thing for the road trip and are worried about your starting battery then get a jump start unit and make sure it's fully charged before you leave.

What is the difference between a 120W and a 400W inverter? Will a bigger one charge faster?

Can I get away with buying the cheapest 30$ jump start?
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So I'll pick up a LED lantern, d battery fan, and an inverter.  I have a propane stove already. Do I need anything else?

 

[John61CT]

Sure you can find places to plug in a laptop, long as you're buying something, just ask nicely before you sit down and be ready to try the next place if they say no.

Again, you need no inverter, you just need a car adapter to plug into your car battery. There are "universal" ones, or get one specific to your laptop. Is it a huge gaming unit?

Same with the phone, standard USB right?


You can probably get by without a big second battery, but then you'll need to find spots to recharge most days you're not driving.

Is your car's batt pretty new? Beefing that up with as robust deep cycling as will fit will help a lot.

A decent size jumpstarter powerpak will do triple duty, in case you run down your starter batt, charge your phone and to extend time on your laptop. I like OEMtools, but there's tons out there.

 

[Mastertheo]

Again, you need no inverter, you just need a car adapter to plug into your car battery. There are "universal" ones, or get one specific to your laptop. Is it a huge gaming unit?

Same with the phone, standard USB right?

Is your car's batt pretty new? Beefing that up with as robust deep cycling as will fit will help a lot.

A decent size jumpstarter powerpak will do triple duty, in case you run down your starter batt, charge your phone and to extend time on your laptop. I like OEMtools, but there's tons out there.

I just have a standard laptop. 

The phone needs a 2 prong plug to charge, it's old and not a USB. It charges fast and takes a long time to run out of juice, though. I can't seem to find a product that goes from a car lighter to a normal female plug that isn't an inverter of some sort. a cheap 120W is only 15$, will that work?

The car battery is new. I don't know what robust deep cycling is. Pardon my ignorance. 

Is this a good jumpstarter, or more than I need? Can I get something cheaper?
https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-24370-Portable-Personal-Source/dp/B00RI446F6

 

[John61CT]

If car batt is new, good.

Don't skimp on the energy storage side, a laptop really can burn it up watching movies, and having to wait in diners to recharge will get old quickly.

So I reckon you're really better off with the 18000 mAH unit, and that may not be enough, figure adds 3-4 hours to laptop use at the most. It has a 19V output might let your laptop plug in directly, then you can use that instead of the 12V car adapter.

And rig an extension with two outlets you can get both recharged same time at the coffee shop.

Make sure you don't run both the powerpak and the car batt down same time off the beaten track or you'll be waiting for a jump.


Yes a cheap 'cupholder style' inverter's OK for the phone, but might as well get one good / big enough for the laptop, 90W?

Buy from a place with NQAMB guarantee in case no good.

 

[Almost There]

What is the difference between a 120W and a 400W inverter? Will a bigger one charge faster?

Can I get away with buying the cheapest 30$ jump start?
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So I'll pick up a LED lantern, d battery fan, and an inverter.  I have a propane stove already. Do I need anything else?

A 400 W inverter will not charge a laptop or a phone any faster than the 120W will. The difference is that the 400 W inverter will use more power in itself to do a job. It will also allow you to run things that take more power than the 120W will BUT there is nothing on your list that can't be done with the 120W.

A 400 W inverter also can not just be run off of the accessory plug on the dash, you'd have to either hard wire it or use clamps directly on to the battery, so doing that while driving is off the table.

In this case, smaller is better, 120W is more than sufficient, will plug in to the accessory plug. Just remember to unplug it when not in use...mine has a blue light showing it's powered up and ready to go.

I'd get the best jump start unit you can afford. It will last longer and be more reliable. I don't carry one because I have a built in house system so I won't render a recommendation on them.

 

[user 37446]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I'd get the best jump start unit you can afford. It will last longer and be more reliable. I don't carry one because I have a built in house system so I won't render a recommendation on them.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]I second/third the portable lithium ion jump starters (without the air compressor).  The ones you see on Amazon for between 45-80$, and are from 16,000 ma to 20,000 ma.  They usually have accessory plugs, (no 12v ciggie port though) and can run a smaller laptop with the accessory cables, can run usb devices and such.  There are Amazon listed usb to 12v power point cords for less than $7. Read up on the user reviews, there are too many models for me to even begin to suggest one.  The main thing you need to know is that they are designed to be jump starters with high amperage bursts vs. deep cell rv batteries. Still, a low powered usb or 12v connection should last for several hours from one of these.  The clunkier lead acid based ones which do have the (usually unnecessary) air compressor unit integral often have no more reserve power than the lithium ion, at about 7 times the weight.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]You could buy a 20 or 30 watt solar panel to use on your dashboard to help recharge the unit when you are not driving. Not the folding ones (more $), just a skinny 20 or 30 watt for under $50.  Don't go under 20 watt though.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]The idea of purchasing the 150 watt inverter is good, remember that pulling too many watts/amps out of your car powerpoint will blow the probable stock 10 amp fuse, so no need for a bigger inverter.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]If you have an evening, read up a few threads under this electrical subforum in an effort to understand minimal setups. [/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Don't buy expensive Lithium Ion 300-400 watt powerpack jumpstarter/generators or heavy lead acid batteries unless you want to get into all the other associated charging components, wiring, solenoids, solar, fuzing etc.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]A possible alternative for you, even though you said your existing car battery is newer, would be to get ahold of a large marine battery from a place like Walmart and switch that one out. Then you'd have more reserve capacity for pulling off power at night. Probably unnecessary if you are only out for 2 weeks and don't make a habit of draining your starter battery.[/font]

[font=Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]No matter what you choose, do get some sort of "jumper" box in the event you do overtax your car battery.[/font]

 

[Mastertheo]

So I did a lot of research, and this is what I've come up with so far.

Buying:
DBPOWER 600A Peak 18000mAh Portable Car Jump Starter

Cooolbuy 150W Car Power Inverter

SUBOOS Ultimate Rechargeable LED Lantern and 5200mAh Powerbank

Considering:
45W Car Charger for Laptop

Connection Questions:
1. How will the jump starter connect to my laptop to charge it? 
2. The lantern wouldn't be able to charge a laptop because the lantern only has a micro-USB, right? 
3. How does the lantern connect to the jump starter? it only has regular USB. 

Ciggie Power Questions:
1. I read in an old post that inverters make laptops convert from DC to AC to DC again. That makes it lose some current. So would a straight DC car charger be better?
2. If not, what's ideal wattage Inverter? I'm afraid the 150W is too strong and will drain the battery a little needlessly. Is a 100W better?
3. Did I pick decent gear? Anything I'm missing or should change?

 

[Jmel]

DC to DC for a laptop is always better.

 

[John61CT]

Yes avoid inverter if possible, wasted $ and power. Minimum size is more efficient, but some laptops are 140W or even more.

The powerpak you want has 12V output as well as USB (5V)

Some like OEMtools 18000 unit has a direct laptop jack at 19V no conversion needed for many laptops, but verify tip/pin size and polarity.

USB to micro USB adapters are available, just check power not just data.