Planning a Camping Vacation or Staycation?

Today’s economy is making consumers rethink leisure plans and develop inventive ways to stretch their recreation dollars.  Camping and RVing provide affordable family getaways, whether they’re vacations or staycations – camping trips in your own home town. 

Walk almost any campground, and you’ll see fans, TVs, small power tools, coffee makers and notebook computers. And whose kids can live without texting and music in their ears?  This means that if you’re planning a camping trip, a portable generator is a likely factor in your future.  And if you’re a value-conscious buyer, you can get even more out of a generator by choosing one that can be used for other purposes.  This is what makes Honda generators a smart choice.  Lightweight Honda portable generators can be used at play, at home and at work.  

For example, Honda’s Super Quiet Series portable generators, the EU1000i, EU2000i and EU3000i, are designed for the ultimate in quality, portability and convenience.  Any of the models, depending on the power requirements, can be used for RVing, camping, home backup, public events, job sites or any situation where quiet, reliable operation is critical.  This is because these lightweight, inverter-equipped models feature totally enclosed bodies, resulting in noticeably quieter performance.  

The 1000 and 2000 watt models can be easily carried and conveniently stored in small recreational vehicle compartments.  At a surprisingly light 29 pounds, the EU1000i model is the perfect solution for scenarios where low wattage power is required – a great asset when you need a quick battery charge for the cell phones, music players or to get you going. The 2000 watt model can simultaneously power a computer, TV, coffee pot, and refrigerator.

Still need a bit more power? The compact EU3000i is the smallest, quietest generator capable of starting and running most modern 13,500 BTU recreational vehicle air conditioners as well as powering additional appliances in an RV.  This model also doubles as a home back-up unit to selectively power a furnace, refrigerator, microwave, TV, hair dryer, and several lights.  On the job, it easily can power an electric drill, chainsaw or sump pump. 

The most recent addition to the Honda Super Quiet Series of portable generators is the all-new EU3000i Handi – producing 3,000 watts of power and featuring increased portability.  With a dry weight of only 77.6 pounds, the EU3000i Handi is approximately 45 percent lighter than the equally reliable and powerful Honda EU3000i.  The Handi also features built-in wheels, two fixed handles and a folding handle to allow for easy movement of the generator from place to place and from job to job. When one person uses the foldable handle to wheel the generator, its total towing weight is a slight 17.6 pounds ? easily manageable by people of all statures. Two people can conveniently carry the EU3000i Handi with the unit's fixed handles, or one person can more easily load and unload the unit from a storage spot using both handles for optimal leverage.

Adding it All Up for a Smart Start

But let’s get back to basics:  how do you buy a generator?  Many first-time generator buyers choose a model based strictly on how many watts they can get for the least amount of money.   Then, they can be disappointed in the lack of reliability, poor performance, high fuel consumption or noise produced by their generators.   You can make a smart choice by doing a little homework before you buy and considering how you’ll use the generator.

As you get ready for a relaxing outdoor stay, the first rule for a smart generator purchase is not to buy more power than you need.  Very seldom do you operate all tools or appliances simultaneously, so you can count on a smaller and more lightweight generator to do a bigger job if you consider simple power management.  In other words, stagger the use of your appliances and remember that most equipment uses more power when it’s starting up than when it continues to operate.  Keep that in mind when you’re calculating power requirements.

Remember Ohm’s Law from High School Physics?
Watts = Volts x Amps
Amps = Watts/Volts

If you have two of the numbers (e.g. volts, amps), then you can calculate the other (e.g. watts).  A number of different resources, including www.honda.com, can help you determine the rated power you’ll need from your generator.  The Honda site also provides a wattage calculator, a guide to the power requirements of many appliances, tools and other information on generator safety. 

Here are a few examples for camping, home and work.

Features and Benefits Do Matter

Now that you’ve covered how many watts of power you need, consider the technological innovations that affect performance and usability – which translate into an ultimate camping experience. Here are just a few to consider as you survey different models:

·                     Inverter technology provides a sine wave clean enough to allow computers and other sensitive electronic equipment to be run without interruption.

·                     Quiet operation dramatically reduces noise levels – especially important at a camp site, where you and other campers want to enjoy the sounds of nature.  Look for a generator that operates at noise levels around 49 db – roughly the noise level in a private office.

·                     Fuel efficiency – Look for a fuel-efficient throttle.  It provides longer operation while allowing the engine to run only as fast as needed to match the power being used.  The result is quieter operation with much more fuel efficiency than conventional generators of the same wattage.

·                     An Oil Alert® feature shuts off the engine if oil reaches unsafe operating levels.

·                     AC and DC circuit protection as well as easy accessibility for maintenance with no tools required.

·                     Parallel Operation allows two like generators that can be linked in parallel to increase available wattage through the generator outlets. 

·                     Portability – Since we’re talking about camping, you want a model that’s lightweight enough for you to move with relative ease. 

Inverter Technology: What’s the Big Deal?

Computers and other sensitive electronic equipment such as cell phone and PDA chargers require “clean power” – consistent electrical current that has a stable sine wave or signal.  For example, without clean power, a computer would likely either freeze, shut down, or be interrupted. Honda engineers have developed a revolutionary form of inverter technology that helps generators overcome this problem. This process takes the raw power produced by the generator and passes it through a special microprocessor that provides ultra-clean power with a sine wave equal to or cleaner than AC current from a standard household wall outlet.

The development of inverter technology also has allowed Honda to substantially reduce weight and noise.  By eliminating the standard alternator, Honda’s new inverter models weigh 50 percent less and are 1/3 smaller in size than traditional generators.  Furthermore, the Eco Throttle™ feature allows the generator to conserve fuel by varying engine RPM to produce only the power required to operate the equipment, improving fuel economy up to 40 percent.  For example, with a dry weight of just 46 lbs., the EU2000i model is portable, lightweight and provides as much as 15 hours of running time on just 1.1 gallons of gasoline. Considering the cost of fuel, that is a big deal.

The Power of Two

While camping, your greatest need for power can come from an array of different appliances. To efficiently maximize your available power, consider doubling it without buying a significantly larger generator:  all three Honda Super Quiet EU models are the only generators on the market with parallel capability. That means you can connect two of them to work in tandem, delivering their full, combined power. For example, two lightweight 2000 watt models can easily start and run an RV air conditioner along with other appliances. 

How, you ask, does this work? Simply grab your second 2000 watt generator out of your storage bay, connect the two like generators with a 30 amp parallel kit and start both units. Using an RV connector cord and plug set, you can double the amount of reliable and economical power at your fingertips.  Better yet, an EU2000i Companion model offers a built in 30A outlet for even easier parallel capability with another EU2000i unit -- without the use of a parallel kit.

So, outdoor enthusiasts, now you are ready to enjoy heat or air conditioning as well as other creature comforts and appliances, all because of the light weight and portability provided by two generators.  And when you get back home or back to work, you can hook them up separately or in series.  It’s a smart way to enjoy the best of the outdoors while using your recreation dollars to add more versatility and value to your generator purchase. 

The Future of Portable Power

For more than 35 years, Honda generators have set the industry standard for portable generators with the most extensive model selection for a variety of applications. Designed for the ultimate in quality, convenience, portability, quiet operation and fuel efficiency, Honda’s recreational generators cover the full range of needs for any trip to the great outdoors.  Because, remember – life in the outdoors is more pleasant when you have a few comforts of home.

Editor’s Note:

Honda Power Equipment, a division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., markets a complete range of outdoor power equipment, including outboard marine engines, general purpose engines, generators, lawnmowers, pumps, snowblowers, tillers and trimmers for commercial, rental and residential applications. Its comprehensive product line consists exclusively of environmentally advanced 4-stroke engines.

Information for media regarding Honda products is available at www.hondanews.com.

Consumer information regarding Honda products is available at www.honda.com.