Portable power stations
Power stations are the fastest growing question topic we get. Which one, what they really run, and how to do the sums before you buy.
EcoFlow or Bluetti: which do you prefer?
We use Bluetti. Full transparency: Bluetti sponsor the channel, so weigh that as you read, but the honest version is that we put their units to work daily on the road and they have earned their place in the van. Whatever brand you pick, the buying logic is the same: decide what you need to run and for how long, then buy the capacity that covers it with headroom, rather than starting from a brand name.
What size power station do I need to run something overnight?
Do the arithmetic before you buy anything. Take the appliance's wattage, multiply by the hours you need, and that is your minimum watt hours. Something drawing around 130 watts for eight hours overnight needs over a thousand watt hours, so you would be shopping for a unit of 1,500 to 2,000 watt hours to have real margin. And if the appliance is medical, an oxygen concentrator or a CPAP, buy more headroom than the maths says and have a backup plan, because a cold battery on a bad night is not the moment to discover the sums were tight.
Do you still need a power station if the van has a lithium bank?
Need is a strong word, but ours earn their keep even with a big installed system. A portable unit works outside the van, at the table, by the barbecue, away from the pitch, without running cables through a window. It is also a genuinely useful backup layer, and it comes home with us between trips. If your budget only stretches to one investment, build the van system first, but the portable unit is not made redundant by it.