Camping Power Calculator: What Size Power Station Do You Actually Need?
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“How big a power station do I need?” is the question every camper asks, and most answers are a list of products. We built a calculator instead. Tick the gear you will bring, set how many days you will be out and whether you have a solar panel, and it tells you how much battery you actually need, plus which units fit.
1. What will you power each day?
2. How many days?
3. Solar panel?
How to Read Your Result
- Energy per day is what your gear uses in 24 hours (watts × hours).
- Recommended battery size is the rated capacity to shop for. It accounts for the roughly 15% lost when a power station converts battery power to AC, plus a 20% safety buffer so you are not running on empty.
- Solar per sunny day assumes 4 peak sun hours at 75% real-world efficiency. Cloudy days can cut this to almost nothing, so do not count on solar for your first night.
- Watch the warning lines. Capacity is only half the story: a coffee maker or kettle needs a unit with enough AC output, even for a few minutes.
Four Trip Blueprints
Not sure what to tick? Here is what four common camping styles typically use. Plug them into the calculator and adjust to your own gear.
| Trip style | Typical gear | Per day | What usually fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekend tent trip | 2 phones, LED lantern, speaker, camera batteries | ~140Wh | ~300Wh unit for 1 to 2 days, longer with a small panel |
| CPAP camping | CPAP without humidifier for 8 hours, plus phones | ~350Wh | ~1,000Wh for 2 to 3 nights |
| Car camping with a 12V fridge | Compressor fridge (~30W average), phones, lights | ~820Wh | ~1,000Wh plus 400W+ of solar for multi-day trips |
| Remote work from camp | Starlink Standard and a laptop for 6 hours, phones | ~800Wh | ~1,000Wh per workday, or more with solar |
The Units Behind the Calculator
The calculator suggests a handful of current models from EcoFlow, Jackery, and Bluetti. Here is how they compare:
| Model | Capacity | AC output | Weight | Best for | US price when checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackery Explorer 300 v2 | 288Wh | 300W | 8.1 lb | Lightest pick for tent trips | ~$299 |
| Bluetti Elite 30 V2 | 288Wh | 600W (1,500W Power Lifting) | 9.5 lb | Small appliances like a coffee maker | ~$250 to $290 |
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus | 286Wh, expandable to 858Wh | 600W (1,200W X-Boost) | 10.4 lb | Start small, add a battery later | ~$299 |
| Bluetti Elite 100 V2 | 1,024Wh | 1,800W | 25 lb | CPAP and 12V fridges; 1,000W solar input | ~$499 |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 1,070Wh | 1,500W | 23.8 lb | Lightest 1kWh unit | ~$519 |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus | 1,024Wh, expandable to 5kWh | 1,800W | 27.6 lb | Long trips and home backup | ~$719 |
Deciding between the three 1,000Wh units? We break down their runtime, solar charging, and owner complaints in EcoFlow vs Jackery vs Bluetti.
Five Ways to Need a Smaller Power Station
- Use DC and USB outputs whenever you can. Skipping the AC inverter avoids conversion losses, often 10 to 15%.
- Run your CPAP on DC with the manufacturer’s adapter, and skip the heated humidifier on mild nights. It can nearly halve its draw.
- Pre-cool your fridge at home so the first day’s compressor run does not drain your battery.
- Make coffee on a camp stove. A 900W coffee maker for 10 minutes uses about as much as charging 10 phones.
- Turn off AC output when nothing is plugged in. An idle inverter still draws power.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size power station do I need for a weekend of camping?
For phones, lights, and a speaker, about 300Wh is usually enough for a two-night trip. Add a CPAP, a 12V fridge, or a laptop, and you will likely need about 1,000Wh. Use the calculator above for your exact gear.
Why does the calculator recommend more than my gear uses?
Power stations deliver about 85% of their rated capacity once energy is converted to AC, and running a battery to zero every day is hard on it. The 20% buffer also covers devices that draw more than their label says.
How much does a solar panel really add?
As a rough guide, a 200W panel puts back about 600Wh on a clear day. Clouds, shade, winter sun, and poor panel angle can reduce that sharply, so size your battery to get through at least one day without sun.
Can I trust the wattage numbers in the calculator?
They are typical averages. For the most accurate result, check the label on your device or measure it with a plug-in energy meter, then type your own numbers into the Watts and Hrs/day boxes.
Sources
- Manufacturer US product pages for each model listed (specs and prices checked October 2026)
- T3: Bluetti Elite 30 V2 review
- StorageReview: EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus review (efficiency testing)
- The Solar Lab: Jackery 1000 V2 review (efficiency testing)
