HomePortable power station for an RV: what size you need
A boondocking day with a 12 V RV fridge, furnace blower, water pump, a ceiling light, a 12 V TV and two phone charges needs 2,593 Wh of rated capacity. A 2,048 Wh station covers 79% of that day, and only the 3,840 Wh and 4,096 Wh models here cover all of it.
Battery size you need, rated capacity
2,593Wh
Counts 82% of a battery's rated capacity as usable and adds the inverter's own draw while anything runs on AC: the formula in Jackery's runtime calculator. How the maths works
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Anker rates it at 2,048 Wh with 800 W of solar input, a 12 V, 10 A car socket and expansion to 4,096 Wh. On its own it covers 79% of the boondocking day in the tool, which needs 2,593 Wh; expanded to 4,096 Wh, it covers all of it.
DJI lists 1,800 W of solar input, the most of any 2 kWh model here, and expansion to 22,528 Wh. On its own it covers 79% of the boondocking day in the tool, and it has 12 V car output only through the DJI Power SDC to Car Charger Plug Power Cable.
EcoFlow lists 4,096 Wh, 2,600 W of solar input and an 8,000 W peak, the highest peak here. It covers the boondocking day in the tool for 1.58 days, though it cannot be counted on to start a 13,500 BTU rooftop AC (8,107.5 W with the fan running).
Anker lists 3,840 Wh, 3,200 W of solar input (the most here) and expansion to 26,880 Wh; it covers the boondocking day in the tool for 1.48 days and weighs 135.6 lb.
These are the makers' figures for common RV appliances, with the hours a day the calculator assumes for each:
The fridge is the largest part of the day.
A station's 12 V car socket powers 12 V appliances directly. Its AC outlets go through the inverter, which draws power of its own: the site counts 10 W under 1,000 Wh, 15 W from 1,000 to 1,499 Wh and 18 W from 1,500 Wh, using Jackery's calculator figures for every brand. On a 2,048 Wh station, a ResMed AirSense 11 runs 30 hours on 12 V and 23 hours from an AC outlet.
The fridge type matters most. On a 2,048 Wh station:
Every car socket here is rated 10 A except the DELTA Pro 3's 12 V output (30 A, per EcoFlow); the DELTA 3 Classic has none, and the DJI models need a DJI cable. Dometic rates the CFX3 55IM at 8.9 A. Furrion rates its 19.6 cu ft fridge at 15 A, more than a 10 A socket. Connecting a station to an RV's hard-wired appliances needs a power inlet installed by a licensed electrician.
One appliance at a time, from the makers' own figures, counting 82% of each battery as usable plus the inverter's own draw (method).
| Model | Capacity | 12 V RV fridge, 65 W average65 W, DC | Furnace blower, 61 W61 W, DC | CPAP on 12 V, 56 W56 W, DC | Absorption fridge on AC, 300 W300 W | Rooftop AC, 13,500 BTU1714 W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus | 286 Wh | 3.6 hours | 3.8 hours | 4.2 hours | 45 minutes | Too much power |
| Anker SOLIX C300 | 288 Wh | 3.7 hours | 3.9 hours | 4.2 hours | 46 minutes | Too much power |
| BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 | 288 Wh | 3.7 hours | 3.9 hours | 4.2 hours | 46 minutes | Too much power |
| Jackery Explorer 300 | 293.8 Wh | 3.7 hours | 3.9 hours | 4.3 hours | 47 minutes | Too much power |
| BLUETTI Elite 100 mini | 1,004.8 Wh | 13 hours | 13 hours | 15 hours | 2.6 hours | Too much power |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Classic | 1,024 Wh | No 12 V socket | No 12 V socket | No 12 V socket | 2.7 hours | Start-up too high |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 | 1,024 Wh | 13 hours | 14 hours | 15 hours | 2.7 hours | Start-up too high |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus | 1,024 Wh | 13 hours | 14 hours | 15 hours | 2.7 hours | Start-up too high |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 | 1,024 Wh | 13 hours | 14 hours | 15 hours | 2.7 hours | Start-up too high |
| BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 | 1,024 Wh | 13 hours | 14 hours | 15 hours | 2.7 hours | Start-up too high |
| DJI Power 1000 V2 | 1,024 Wh | No 12 V socket | No 12 V socket | No 12 V socket | 2.7 hours | Start-up too high |
| FOSSiBOT F1800 | 1,024 Wh | 13 hours | 14 hours | 15 hours | 2.7 hours | Start-up too high |
| Dabbsson DBS1000 Pro | 1,024 Wh | 13 hours | 14 hours | 15 hours | 2.7 hours | Start-up too high |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 1,070 Wh | 14 hours | 14 hours | 16 hours | 2.8 hours | Too much power |
| BLUETTI AC180 | 1,152 Wh | 15 hours | 15 hours | 17 hours | 3.0 hours | Start-up too high |
| Jackery Explorer 1500 v2 | 1,536 Wh | 19 hours | 21 hours | 22 hours | 4.0 hours | Start-up too high |
| Jackery Explorer 2000 v2 | 2,042 Wh | 26 hours | 27 hours | 30 hours | 5.3 hours | Start-up too high |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max | 2,048 Wh | 26 hours | 27 hours | 30 hours | 5.3 hours | Start-up too high |
| Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 | 2,048 Wh | 26 hours | 27 hours | 30 hours | 5.3 hours | Start-up too high |
| DJI Power 2000 | 2,048 Wh | No 12 V socket | No 12 V socket | No 12 V socket | 5.3 hours | Start-up too high |
| FOSSiBOT F2400 | 2,048 Wh | 26 hours | 27 hours | 30 hours | 5.3 hours | Start-up too high |
| BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 | 2,073.6 Wh | 26 hours | 28 hours | 30 hours | 5.3 hours | Start-up too high |
| Dabbsson DBS2300 Plus | 2,330 Wh | 30 hours | 31 hours | 34 hours | 6.0 hours | Start-up too high |
| Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus | 3,840 Wh | 2.0 days | 2.1 days | 2.3 days | 9.9 hours | Start-up too high |
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 | 4,096 Wh | 2.2 days | 2.3 days | 2.5 days | 11 hours | Start-up too high |
A rooftop air conditioner draws a lot to run and far more to start. Dometic's Brisk II figures at 115 V:
The highest peak ratings here are the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 at 8,000 W, the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus at 6,000 W (the site has no separate peak figure for it, so its continuous output is used) and the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Max and FOSSiBOT F2400 at 4,800 W. Dometic's 7,820 W counts the compressor alone. The fan keeps running while the compressor cycles, so a restart also carries the fan's 287.5 W (2.5 A): 8,107.5 W, above the DELTA Pro 3's 8,000 W. The site uses that figure, so no station here passes the start-up check for either unit, though the DELTA Pro 3 is within 108 W of the smaller one.
Coleman-Mach lists 13.9 A (1,598.5 W) for the Mach 15 but no start-up current, so the calculator can check only its running watts. Eight hours a day of the 13,500 BTU Brisk II uses 13,852 Wh, which needs 16,893 Wh of rated capacity.
The sizing tool above starts with this day, all on 12 V or USB:
That is 2,126 Wh used, which needs 2,593 Wh of rated capacity, with 82% of it counted as usable. A 2,048 Wh station covers 79% of the day and the 2,330 Wh Dabbsson DBS2300 Plus 90%. The Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus lasts 1.48 days and the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 1.58 days.
Three changes and what they do:
To stay out longer than one charge lasts, you recharge from solar panels, and each station accepts only so much solar power. The makers' limits for the 2 kWh and larger models:
The worked example uses 2,126 Wh a day. This page does not estimate what panels deliver where you park, so the limit is the most a station accepts at one time, not what it collects in a day. A station takes no more than its limit, whatever the panels are rated.
Check the input voltage range too: Anker lists 11 to 60 V for the C2000 Gen 2, and BLUETTI 12 to 60 V for the Elite 200 V2. In the 1 kWh class, the DJI Power 1000 V2 accepts 1,800 W, the Dabbsson DBS1000 Pro 1,200 W, and the EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus and BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 1,000 W each.
Some stations take extra battery packs. The makers list these maximums:
The boondocking day above needs 2,593 Wh of rated capacity, so the Anker SOLIX C2000 Gen 2 expanded to 4,096 Wh holds more than one such day. Capacity alone does not start a rooftop AC: eight hours of the 13,500 BTU Brisk II needs 16,893 Wh, which the DJI Power 2000 and F3800 Plus reach only when expanded. The site has no peak figure for either, and their continuous outputs (3,000 W and 6,000 W) are below that unit's start-up of 7,820 W for the compressor alone.
The runtimes and the table on this page use each station on its own. The list of every model shows each one's capacity, AC output and weight, and each model's page lists its solar input and expansion limit.
For a 12 V RV fridge, furnace blower, water pump, a ceiling light, a 12 V TV and two phone charges, you need 2,593 Wh of rated capacity a day: a 2,048 Wh station covers 79% of it, the Anker SOLIX F3800 Plus 1.48 days and the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 1.58 days. With a portable Dometic CFX3 55IM fridge in place of the built-in one, a 1,024 Wh station lasts 1.05 days.
Not reliably. Dometic lists 7,820 W to start the compressor of its 13,500 BTU Brisk II, and its fan adds 287.5 W while it runs, so a restart needs 8,107.5 W. The highest peak rating here is the EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3's 8,000 W. The 15,000 BTU Brisk II needs 8,050 W for the compressor alone.
A Furrion 19.6 cu ft 12 V fridge averages 64.6 W, so a 1,024 Wh station runs it for 13 hours and a 2,048 Wh station for 26 hours. A Norcold absorption fridge on its 300 W AC heater runs 2.7 hours on a 1,024 Wh station; it also runs on LP gas, which takes the heater off the battery.
Furrion rates its 1.5 cu ft RV microwave at 1,500 W, so you need at least 1,500 W of AC output: every 1 kWh model here has that except the BLUETTI Elite 100 mini (700 W). A 1,024 Wh station runs it for 33 minutes, and 15 minutes of cooking uses 378 Wh.
Only for light 12 V loads. A 286 to 293.8 Wh station runs a 12 V furnace blower for 3.8 to 3.9 hours, a CPAP on 12 V for 4.2 to 4.3 hours and a Dometic CFX3 55IM portable fridge for 25 to 26 hours, but a built-in Furrion 12 V fridge for only 3.6 to 3.7 hours.
A 2,048 Wh station runs a ResMed AirSense 11 for 30 hours on 12 V through ResMed's DC/DC converter, or 23 hours from an AC outlet. Ask your doctor or equipment supplier about running your CPAP on battery power.
Specifications are the makers' own published figures, read from these pages. Prices are fetched from the stores at build time and dated where they appear.