Soft start should come with the air conditioner to begin with, and in fact does with modern home a/cs which have variable speed inverter based compressor motor drives. No start current surges with those. But Dometic chooses to still make RV roof a/cs using 1970's technology. 

Before finalizing your purchase also consider your fuel source. I think you tow with a smaller SUV. If you have a gasoline generator where are you keeping the fuel? If you get a propane fueled generator you already have the fuel sitting on the rPod tongue. My Honda 2K is set up for dual fuel and I've found I never use gasoline in it. Much cleaner, easier, and less maintenance. Just something else to consider. 

Gypsiejanie-

The 100 watt panel is great. but when we boondock, we also try to limit our power consumption by being very conservative.  We use  a 12v 8" fan for ventilation in addition to the Fantastic Fan(on low), try to use solar lights(Lucy lights) as much as possible, use LED bulbs and do not waste electricity. We always use propane for the refrigerator. We use a manual jack for the A Frame, use our own Ipad/Iphone for music and just recharge from the battery. by lowering your battery(12v) usage, yoou can stay longer.

Another thing to think about is the recharge amount for your batteries.  You should never let the battery go below 50% State of charge(SOC) or it will ultimately harm the battery.   Assume a scenerio where you use the battery to 85% SOC.  The next day you can recharge it-even if not 100 %, assume 95%.  then you use it down to 80% and then recharge back to 90%, then down to 75% and recharge back to 85%, etc, etc.  Each day you use it and the next day it may not be fully(100%) recharged, but still more power available than you will use. so each day you may lose a little, but still have plenty of power over a 6-7 day period until you can get to an electrical source for a full charge back to 100%.

We have done this as long as 12 consecutive days without electricity.  We were not out of power then, but had to move on.

One of the great myths is that your batteries always have to be fully charged to 100%.  Not true-they are still good, still capable of 12v output way below 100% without damaging the battery.

Hope this helps

Vann

If you have a fairly basic kit of parts, you won't necessarily need the installation kit. You may find a less expensive source. I found this on Amazon:

It is a few dollars less and the install kit is included.

We know that Honda and Yamaha don't do that, they are rated more conservatively and can provide more startup current. They of course also cost more. As you say, some folks are even able to get their a/s started on 2 or 2.2 kw (maybe not consistently but at least sometimes) . 

We're getting into the weeds a little, but are you saying my generator, rated at 2400 starting watts has more starting power than the Champion, which is rated at 2500 starting watts?  I get what you're saying about rotating mass and weight, but if my genny can start an air conditioner that takes much more than 2500 watts, why is it rated 2400 starting watts?

I think I've heard people here say they can start and run their AC with 2000w generators.

I didn't realize you were speaking of the Champion specifically.

TT

Because that generator stated 1800 watts continuous operating, 2500 watts starting. The a/c takes more than 2500 watts to start, much more (unless you have an easy start) and your larger heavier 2400 watt generator can provide that. Its specs say it can generally start a 13.5kbtuh a/c in temps up to 110F. 

The Champion is much lighter, and that's a giveaway that it has a lighter engine with less rotating mass. The energy for starting has to come from somewhere, and that somewhere is the engine/generator rotating mass. Basically, to start the compressor you are transferring energy of rotation from the engine to the compressor via electricity. It has to happen too fast for the engine to have time to throttle up. 

So the lighter a generator is built the less starting capability it will have.  Basic physics, there ain't no free lunch. Bottom line is if you want to use a light generator you will need a soft starter to reduce the startup energy requirement. The easystart spins the compressor up more slowly so there is enough time for a lighter engine to keep up. 

Originally posted by offgrid 2500 starting watts won't be enough, but with an easystart it should be ok. I suggest you call Micro-Air and ask them what their customers' experience is with that generator. They are nice folks to talk to.

Not sure why you'd say that after I just said my Yamaha EF2400iSHC starts and runs my AC.  It's rated 2000w, with a max of 2400w (for dealing with things like starting air conditioners).

It is 2300 peak and 1800 running so it may be able to run the AC....it uses a Yamaha engine and has a 30 amp RV plug in.

I also saw this at Home Depot:  https://www.homedepot.com/p/CHAMPION-POWER-EQUIPMENT-2500-Watt-Gasoline-Powered-Recoil-Start-Inverter-Generator-with-Champion-79-cc-Engine-100889/313554748 

It has 2500 peak 1850 running.  It has a 20 amp outlet.  It should be able to run the AC.  It weighs 32lbs which is a big plus.  

Since I haven't tried any of these I can only go by the specs so I am not sure they would run the AC.

If I'm looking to buy a generator, i.e., I don't already have one, I think I'd go for the versatility of a a generator that could be counted on to run the AC without having to worry about the expense and installation of an EasyStart.  I have a Yamaha EF2400iSH (so I'm biased towards it), but it starts and runs the AC fine.  If I thought I'd never care to run the AC, a lighter weight 1000 to 1500w generator might make sense, as mentioned above.  I'd rather have a little power to spare though.

you asked about a generator-which I can't help you with.

However, you also said that 100 watts of solar "won't go very far in boondocking".

I have to disagree totally.  We have been out for many days using a 100 watt suitcase solar panels.  It keeps our 2 6v GC-2 batteries fully charged. We can keep our batteries charged indefinitely if we can get about 3-4 hours of sun each day.

Have you tried using the solar panels? Have you tried to be energy conservative? Everything will work except the microwave and air conditioning.  you can easily boondock without those two power hogs.

Vann

You can't run anything else (other than the converter at a low level to maintain the battery) while running the a/c. If you want to run the microwave that's fine, turn the a/c off while doing so. Some of the inverter generators, even up to around 2.5-3kw still won't start the a/c without an Easytart device BTW. 

A typical 1000-1500 watt inverter generator will keep the batteries charged, barely sip gas, and are easy to carry, along with being pretty quiet. 

Again, they wont be able to power a microwave or the roof A/C...but if you are boondocking in pleasant weather, nothing too extreme (hot or cold) then you may be fine with one of those.

If you DO plan on powering the microwave and/or the roof air, then you will need a large and heavy generator, or two compatible gensets and a parallel kit as mentioned above. 

To some extent the answer may depend on how you are going to be able to haul your generator(s) around.

You need at least about 2400 watts to run the air conditioner (with not much else.)  If you want to be able to run the air and the oven and a hair dryer at the same time you need at least 3000 to 3500 watts.  A 3000w generator is a lot heavier than a 2400w generator, and takes a strong person or two to put in the back of a truck.  One healthy person can generally move a 2400w generator around, but even that can be challenging for some people.

Honda, and some others, make 2000w generators that can be used in pairs (for 4000w total).  You can take 1 genny if you know you're not going to use the air, or both of them to have all the power you need.  Of course you have to know how you're going to haul two generators.

One thing I think is vitally important, unless you will only ever camp in isolated sites, and even then for your own sanity, is to get a quiet generator.  Quiet is worth paying extra for, in my opinion.  Honda and Yamaha make quiet generators with very good reputations for reliability and ease of starting.  Related to this, it doesn't matter how quiet they are, most campgrounds have generator hours that prohibit their use overnight.

TT