The Short Answer
No.
Do you want a generator? Maybe!
The Long Answer
A generator is a great tool, especially for those longer camping trips or for camping trips where you may need a little extra juice. That being said, purchasing one may not come without reservations. First of all, Generators are expensive. That, alone, might give you pause. Second, generators can be loud and they can disrupt your neighbors – making you that guy at the campsite. No one wants to be that guy!
That being said, having a generator comes with some serious perks. For example, we recently learned that our camper batteries are past their usable lifespan and, as a result, no longer hold a charge. We learned this the hard way – in the middle of a trip with friends. If we hadn’t had a generator, we would have been without many of the important things that we use in our camper (like lights, the water pump, and the heater, to name a few). In that circumstance, having a generator saved our trip (it was 30 degrees at night and I needed that heater!). Of course, we did not run the generator all night – instead, we charged the batteries as well as we could in the afternoon.
For most camping trips, however, a generator is not necessary. Instead, it provides a few home-like amenities that you may not otherwise have. Those amenities might help you get some of your reluctant friends out to the campsite!
For example, if you’re camping in Utah during July, you might want a generator so you can run your air conditioning on those 100+ degree afternoons. If you’re out for more than a few days, you might want a generator so you can charge your electronics while you’re on the road. If you’re cooking for a crowd, you might want a generator to run the microwave as you prepare dinner. In these instances, you can certainly live without a generator. But having one is nearly guaranteed to make your trip all that much more enjoyable.
Our generator was a recent acquisition and we happily camped for many years without one. Perhaps that explains why we don’t use it on every trip; we’ve just learned to live without it. As I mentioned above, however, it has come in very handy a time or two.
If you’re planning to take the plunge and invest in a generator, there are few things to remember. First, a generator requires some maintenance and you will need to do oil changes and keep a gas canister handy. Make sure you read the user manual and familiarize yourself with these things before you use your generator. Second, please always remember to be a polite neighbor when you’re running your generator – even if it is a quiet model. Don’t run it early in the morning or late at night and don’t run it for hours at a time. Instead, run it when you need it and keep it off the rest of the time. Trust me, your neighbors will like you much more!
Our Generator
We have a Honda 2200-Watt Super Quiet Generator and we love it! It is very quiet, runs very efficiently, and is compact enough to easily fit in our jeep when we’re not using it. Overall, we’re very happy with this model and we’d recommend it!
