A Guide to Generators for Camping with Tents

Adventure awaits! Whether you’re a seasoned camper, festival goer or a newbie venturing out for the first time; there’s nothing better than reconnecting with nature. However, unless you’re planning on going full caveman, making fires and hunting for food; camping can be pretty tricky without power. To help you have the best trip possible, keep reading to find all the tips and tricks for camping generators…

Do you need a generator for camping?

In short, no. A generator isn’t a requirement but in the modern age, is becoming more and more of a must-have. If you’re only going for a night or so on a short trip, there may be no need for a generator or power.

But for longer trips or in more remote locations, generators are vital for your safety and comfort, ensuring you can charge phones, stay warm and run any electricals you might need.

What You Need from a Camping Generator

More so than a generator you might use to power your home in a blackout or use for DIY projects, camping generators have to meet a specific list of requirements. With them running outside in public land, and often running around other people and other tents, it’s important to be considerate and safe…

Quiet

Running out in nature, no one wants to be that annoying person disturbing the peace with an obnoxiously loud, whirring bit of machinery. Especially when camping on a site with other tents close by, it’s important to be considerate of your neighbours and the peaceful surroundings – so a quiet generator is a must-have. Something like the Mighty Atom is a great choice, offering high power at a low dBa.

Reliable

There’s no room to mess up when you're out in nature. Reliability is so vital, ensuring you can have a safe and smooth trip and keep your necessary electricals running with no slip ups. A lot of reliability comes down to you and ensuring you keep a good care routine for your generator. Before setting off, you should ensure everything is safe and in working order, doing a test run of the generator to check it over. You also need to make sure the power rating of the generator is more than capable of handling anything you plan on powering to avoid overload.

Portable

To make the journey to the campsite easier, a portable generator is going to be a lot of help. When you’re carrying it through a field, you’ll definitely thank yourself for considering ease and weight when buying the generator. Something like the small-sized Mighty Atom or a generator with wheels will make storing and transporting far easier, also being more lightweight for less strenuous movement.

Alternatively, our generator wheel and handle kit allow you to easily pull your generator along to its location – making it a perfect accessory to an easy, relaxing trip.

Lightweight

The last thing you want when trying to get all your gear to the campsite is a heavy, bulky generator weighing you down. When you might have to carry your stuff for a little while from the car to where you’ll pitch up; your camping generator needs to be lightweight.

Luckily, we have just the thing! Champion’s Mighty Atom generator is the lightest generator on the market right now, weighing only 17.6kg while still packing a powerful punch to keep your electricals going.

Compact

If you’re heading out for a longer trip, chances are your car is already absolutely packed – so it’s important for your generator to be compact. A suitcase generator is easy to store, letting your stack it or slide it safely into any gaps in the car thanks to its simple shape. Otherwise a small size, compact generator like Champion’s Mighty Atom lets you save space without compromising on power.

Versatile

Who knows what you’ll get up to while camping! Whether you’re plugging in camping kettles, charging your phone, powering outdoor lights and keeping your remote wifi working – there are loads of different uses for a camping generator, so you need to make sure your model is up for the challenge.

Ensuring it has an adequate power rating, capable of handling any and all the things you might plug in, as well as making sure you have things like wind and rain covers to protect it from the elements – it’s important to be prepped for anything.

Eco Friendly

Maybe the most important one – when you’re soaking up nature, it’s important to protect it! When camping on a site, around other people or even enjoying the scenery on your own, being mindful of fumes and the things you’re emitting is vital to being a conscious camper. On some campsites, fuels like petrol or diesel are banned – so take a look at our Duel Fuel LPG generators. With far cleaner emissions and no smell, LPG is the best choice you can make sure camping sustainably with a generator.

What is a good size generator for camping?

This totally depends on your needs. The best way to figure this out is to use our wattage calculator to figure out the power level you need to safely run all your electricals without overload. However, in general, 3500 watts should be enough for the limited power you need when connecting to nature.

What’s an acceptable generator noise level for camping?

On a campsite, you should aim for a noise level under 60 dBa at a 7m distance. This would be considered a moderate amount of noise where it can still be heard at a distance without being too disruptive. While generators are always relatively loud, this is a manageable level. However, you should aim to keep the noise levels as low as possible and check your campground's rules on noise and generators.

Are generators allowed in campgrounds?

Different campgrounds have different rules with some allowing generators and others keeping things completely natural with no external power sources, noise or emissions. Before heading to the site, you should check in with the groundskeeper and make sure you’re allowed to bring your generator and any rules they might have relating to noise levels or fuels.

Silent, portable generators for those camping in tents 

Champion 2200 Watt "Mighty Atom" Dual Fuel Inverter Generator – Using LPG for more sustainable running and weighing only 17.6kg – the Mighty Atom is the best pick for a camping generator that won’t weigh you down.

Champion 3500 Watt LPG Dual Fuel Inverter Generator – this ultra-quiet generator will keep the peace on campgrounds while packing a powerful punch to keep you up and running.

Champion 3600 Watt Digital Hybrid Frame Type Inverter – Producing clean power with a hybrid design that’s smaller, lighter and quieter than traditional generators, it’s a great option for camping trips.