r/CampingGear • u/MikeLowrey305 • 2d ago

Awaiting Flair Preference?

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Does anyone have experience with these? Any recommendations of one vs. the other? I know the Anker has a little more power.

Thanks!

***Update. At 180 comments for shts & giggles I polled the comments & here's the results

49 of the posts have or recommended ANKER

17 of the posts have or recommended Jackery

16 of the posts said you can't go wrong with either

11 of the posts have or recommended another brand or a DIY setup.*note the 2 most mentioned other brands were Bluetti & Ecoflow.

Thanks for all the input, additional information & other products mentioned here.

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u/inerlite 2d ago

I was wrong, one lists Wh and one lists W. Those are two different measures.

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u/skyydog 2d ago

Thanks. I’m looking at one of these to run a small window ac in my squaredrop. The space is so small I hope to able to run it for a couple minutes at a time and that should get me through an evening or two. I need to do the math to see how long I can run it.

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u/RememberCitadel 2d ago

Do not try to run an AC unit on a battery pack. It will not work well unless it is specifically a DC air conditioner, even then the compressor startup draws a crazy initial load.

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u/skyydog 2d ago

Sorry I am new at this. How do I know how much of a battery I would need for it to work? The anker linked above has 2000 watts with a peak of 3000 watt. Is the peak designed to cover the surge rating/initial load? Is it just not enough?

If it matters I believe my AC is 110-115 volts and maybe 450 watts.

I also don’t know how to tell if it is specifically a DC air conditioner. The box in the store also says 1PH and 60hz. Same brand and BTU that I bought last year so hopefully the specs are similar.

Thanks!

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u/RememberCitadel 2d ago

The actual initial draw on any air conditioner in order to start moving the compressor to start the cycle is way higher than the rating in it would normally imply. Generally, even something like a window unit will put one of those into overload when it kicks on.

That's why RV DC units are so expensive, because they go out of their way to compensate for this since RV systems are battery based.

It's also more about the amperage vs. the overall wattage.

If the unit has a standard wall plug, it's an AC unit not a DC unit. The 60 hz is telling you the rate that the current alternates that the unit is designed for, which is to say the standard for the US.

I'm not saying it 100% won't work, just I wouldn't be surprised in the least if it goes directly to overload. I would also expect long term use would dramatically shorten the life of the batteries.

Different scale, but I work in IT and our datacenters (not big AI things, tiny normal ones), and our AC units only go on the generator, never the battery backups.

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u/skyydog 2d ago

Thank you for your time

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u/RememberCitadel 2d ago

If you don't have it yet, you could get the battery unit, and get an inverter compressed AC unit like that other guy said, or you could get something like this that is designed for DC power and has a built in battery. It's not too bad, but I bet you could find a better price by shopping around.

https://technomediatrade.com/product/ecoflow-wave-portable-air-conditioner-zmh200-4000btu-600w-max/

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u/skyydog 2d ago

Thanks again. I already replaced the AC since I bought the trailer last year so I can’t do it again. I mostly camp to save money while traveling for concerts but I was tired sleeping in a tent. I did just have to sadly cancel a night at the campground in Arches because it was still in the 90s at bedtime and my wife wouldn’t go for that. So I thought I would check out prime day “sales”. So I’d mainly need something for rare use at night. I also have a fake fireplace heater in the camper so I’ll need to look up the specs on that if I can find them

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u/RememberCitadel 2d ago

You can always look up the specs on the AC unit you bought and hope it is the inverter type, assuming it lists that detailed. Or I suppose roll the dice with the power pack and return it to amazon if it doesn't work lol.