Powerbank for a camper - models, operation, tips
Content
A power bank for a camper, or power station in Polish, is nothing more than a “tank” of electricity. This will allow us to have complete energy independence in places far from civilization, that is, in places where many of us like to travel with our motorhomes. It would be good if the station was also equipped with a converter that would allow us to obtain a voltage of 230 V.
How does a campervan battery work?
The power plant will definitely be an important part of our camping equipment. If it has enough power and the built-in battery has a large capacity, it can serve as a power source for the entire camper and thus support the on-board battery. Simply plug it into your camper's outlet and all of your vehicle's outlets will have power.
Such a device will also be useful for directly powering any devices that require electricity - we can charge the batteries of a camera or laptop and turn on the lighting.
If the device has enough power, you can even run an electric grill on it. A powerful battery will be useful not only in the camper, but also during the hike.
In this video we tested a device from 70mai for cooking kebab:
How to charge a power bank?
Depending on the battery capacity, the power bank may need to be charged every few days or even every day. Of course, this depends on our consumption.
How to charge power plants? The easiest and fastest way is, of course, to connect it, then even very large and capacious stations will be fully charged in a relatively short time, usually in a few hours. Some stations also have charging facilities at electric vehicle charging stations so we can top up the battery quickly.
If we are far from civilization, we need to look for other methods. We can charge multiple stations while driving the camper. However, it will take much longer.
Similar to the third method, a little labor-intensive, but quite environmentally friendly - charging. As long as the weather is good, we can count on complete energy independence.
Which power bank to choose for a camper?
It all depends on how much electricity we need and our budget. To charge phones, tablets or small cameras, all we need is a small pocket power bank. Then a model with a capacity of approximately 5000 mAh would be a reasonable choice.
For camping, we strongly recommend choosing stations with a higher energy capacity. Station suppliers usually specify it in Wh, which more accurately defines the practical aspect of this capacity, since it also takes into account the battery capacity. In our opinion, the minimum power of a good camping power plant is
When choosing a power station, you should also pay attention to additional functions and features that will make its use in camping conditions comfortable. Various sockets will certainly be useful - USB ports, cigarette lighter socket, standard 230 V sockets (only in the case of stations with a converter).
It is good if the station is built in such a way that it is not subject to damage and does not have sharp edges that could damage other equipment carried in the trunk. A battery charge indicator and consumption meter will also be useful, showing how long the station will be able to supply electricity under current use. High capacity batteries are usually not particularly lightweight.
When choosing, you should consider the weight of the device. Unfortunately, there can hardly be any compromise here. Large capacity means large weight.
See how the Eco Flow Pro power station works, a huge power bank to which you can even connect a camper:
Charging station service life
Both in the case of pocket power banks and large power stations, equipment manufacturers indicate its service life, calculated in charging cycles. As we know, frequent charging and discharging of batteries significantly increases wear and tear on these devices.
The manufacturer's stated value of a thousand charge cycles seems reasonable. You need to pay attention to this when choosing a station. This is also an argument for not, if financially possible, deciding to purchase such stations second-hand, used or with an uncertain history.
A power plant that suits your needs well will certainly guarantee us peace of mind and comfort during road trips, where there is only silence and beautiful nature around. We wish everyone such travels.
All photographs used in the article were taken by Piotr Lukasiewicz for Polski Caravaning, are protected by copyright and cannot be copied without the consent of the author.
