Power Electronics in Your RV, Small Cabin, or Entire House With These Portable Generators

If you’ve ever been without power for an extended period of time, you’ve definitely found yourself wishing you had a generator. Especially if you live in an area that experiences frequent severe weather events — like the Gulf Coast during hurricane season — a portable generator is practically a must-have to keep you powered up when the grid goes offline.

But generators have plenty of other uses, like powering an RV, a remote off-grid cabin, a speaker system and bounce house at the city park or tailgate, and for power tools at a job site.

We recently hopped on the generator train, and now we can’t imagine life without one, even if we use it infrequently. So now we’ll pass the bug along to you, with a review of the best portable generators for 2022 and beyond.

The Best Portable Generators

What to Consider

Portable generators come in all shapes, sizes, and price points. Portable is a relative term, too, because these things can get pretty darn heavy. This review will focus on generators that can be moved, even though they may require two people, and excludes fixed generators that are meant mainly for home backup.

When selecting a portable generator, we think the most important considerations are the generator type, power output (peak vs. running watts), fuel type, number of outlets, intended use, and weight. Here's more of what you need to know about each:

Generator Type

• Conventional: This is your classic, open-frame machine that you've seen at tailgates, powering the bounce house at the carnival, and what you can hear all across the neighborhood when the power goes down. These deliver higher wattage output at a much lower price, but they are heavy, loud, and always run at full speed, which makes them less fuel-efficient.

• Inverter: This is the new(er) kid on the block. Most of these have an enclosed look with a lot more plastic materials, but some inverters do have an open, steel frame. They feature a built-in power inverter that filters power, flattens surges, and cleans up the electrical current. This added technology of an inverter generator protects sensitive electronics from potential damage, allows the machine to run at slower speeds when a lower load is needed, and is thus more fuel-efficient, quieter, and even lighter in weight. With all these added benefits comes a price increase, but as this technology is becoming more common, prices are starting to level out.

Power (Starting Watts)

The bigger the generator, the more watts of power it can crank out. Small generators create around 2,000 watts of power, while larger options crank out over 12,000 watts. To calculate how many watts you will need, check the manual of each appliance you want to power and add up the wattage. Most generators have their peak (starting) wattage in the name.

Fuel Type

Almost all generators run on gasoline, which is plenty effective for most owners. Some newer options run on propane as well, which burns quieter and cleaner. Propane has a much more stable shelf life, so it’s ideal for home backup when there may be long periods of time between uses. But propane is more expensive — and so are generators that are propane-powered.

Number of Outlets

This is usually directly related to the size of the generator. Smaller options will have one, maybe two 120-volt outlets. Larger options may have four 120-volt outlets and one 240-volt (30 Amp), which gives you the ability to power an RV, run large appliances (like an oven/range top), or connect to your home’s electrical circuit in the event of a power outage.

Weight

Though labeled as “portable,” some of these larger generators can be incredibly heavy — over 100 pounds heavy. So if you plan to unpack it and leave it somewhere, weight may be a non-issue. But if you will be taking your generator on the road and unloading it frequently, weight is a definite consideration. Inverter generators, though much more expensive, are much lighter in weight and, thus, have a significant edge when it comes to portability.

How We Chose

To put together this review of 2022's best portable generators for RV camping, job site, and home backup, we spent hours researching current trends and popular features, surveying user reviews, and conducting some firsthand testing. We carefully considered the tech specs, intended use, and price, and feel confident that everyone can find a portable generator that will keep you powered up no matter how deep you are into a power outage, or how far you are from the nearest electrical outlet. Party on, Garth.