Hi All

 I have read through the post on generator options.  I am down to making a decision but a sale has me wondering. I would appreciate any input.  I had been ready to go with the Champion 3400 watt dual fuel Inverter with Electric start genny. $899 on Amazon.  There is however a deal at Home Depot on Champion 100565 2K gas powered inverter genny for 399.  https://www.homedepot.com/p/Champion-Power-Equipment-2-000-Watt-Gasoline-Portable-Inverter-Generator-100565/306113176

So I was thinking because of weight maybe buying two of these and the connection kit. Roughly 900 as well.   Any words of wisdom on why one path would be better than other.  Obviously the dual fuel option is very nice but it means I have to deal with the weight of the bigger generator.  Electric start means my wife could start by herself but couldn't move it around.  

Thanks for all the great info in advance certainly makes these decisions easier leaning on everyone's experience.

Cheers, Dave

Or, get a Microair easystart for your a/c for $300 and just get one 2K genny 

Can you comfortably lift the bigger genny in and out of your truck?

Do you wish to deal with carrying extra propane to run the genny?

Will the genny run what you want on propane? you lose about 20% of the rated capacity on propane vs gasoline.

Do you boondock in the heat and need a/c?

These are both good points.

You've been a member of the forum for some time, if you are experienced, ok, but if not maybe it would be best for you to wait and see if you really NEED a generator(?).

The loss of a little generator capacity for the advantage of not messing with gasoline is a distinct advantage.  Carrying and extra propane tank is no worse than carrying a can of gasoline.  Pouring gasoline into the generator inevitably leads to spillage, you can't fill the generator with gasoline when it's hot, and the exhaust of a gasoline powered engine just plain stinks.  

There are a number of good quality inverter generators on the market including Honda, Yamaha, and Champion, to name a few, and they can all either run on propane or be easily converted.  Picking a generator to meet your needs depends on your personal preferences, your lifting abilities, the frequency with which you will use it, and your financial resources.  Since it is an expensive purchase, it's always worth doing a little investigation to see which meets your personal situation the best.

Hi

  Furpod so at the moment I could lift the bigger Jenny in and out myself, not sure 5 to ten years down the road.  Carrying propane worries me less than dealing with gas.  The genny is listed at 3070 surge watts on propane so will run the air (13.5 Btu) unit if needed. Thought I saw that it was close to 2k startup and 1000w running? Cant find manual.  We camp in the east and in the west so there are times we use the air.  We are in national parks half the time so no electric there. So long way of saying maybe on the air.  These are all the right questions I know.  

  We have been using the RPOD for three seasons and have camped 4 to 8 weeks each year.  We have gotten by so far without a genny.  We would prefer to be in state parks or boondock vs paid campgrounds.  We are looking for a way to charge batteries for use of the trailer when not on power at a minimum. We spend upto 10 days without shore power  I guess I was thinking having the potential to run A/C might be handy.  As stated personal preference on addressing solution.  Just trying to validate I wasn't missing something and was semi thinking of being cheap and just getting the one smaller 2K generator but am leaning towards propane if I did get one.  

Thanks, Dave

The generator capacity is a bit lower on propane, up to about 2000 ft altitude my 2K Honda does fine on propane running the a/c (nothing else) but at high altitudes it might not, I've never needed to so I don't know. The newer 2.2-2.4kw's will give you some additional headroom. 

If you run the a/c 24/7 on the genny you will go through a LOT of propane (or gasoline). Figure on about a gallon for every 4-5 hours of use. If you're in a state or national forest/park campground you will not be allowed to run the genny at night due to quiet hours restrictions, so take that into consideration in your decision. Since that's where I usually camp and I'm mostly outside in the daytime and primarily want the a/c on hot humid nights for me the generator isn't really very useful for that purpose. 

Hi Offgrid

  Thanks for the input.  We are headed out to the northern Rockies this summer.  I was thinking of the generator for charging batteries as we are going to be mainly in National Parks in (Yellowstone and Glacier) in wooded campgrounds.  I also had considered solar panel but don't think we will be where that will work well.  Having the ability to run air if needed seemed like a nice option if we were getting a generator anyway.  We would not be in the trailer during the day for the most part.  As you say quiet hours may limit ability to use.  So not sure running A/C is a real need on this trip.  However we do camp in the East as well and it certainly was helpful last summer.  Do you use the Century Fuel conversion kit on the Honda?  How much of a pain was it to convert?

Thanks, Dave  

I did get the Century kit, not hard at all to install, took maybe an hour. The regulator is outside the case mounted to a flat plate so it will add a bit more width to the generator. The plate blocks the oil drain a little so you need to just let the oil pour out over the plate into a pan when you change it, then wipe it off after. There is an adjusting screw for the propane feed so you can reset it easily when you go to a higher altitude. Load up the genny and then adjust it so its runnign smooth.

There is valve that switches between the two fuel sources but I've never gone back to gasoline once I switched. Before switching to propane let it run all the gas through the carb till it quits so you don't leave any residue to gum up the carb.