Generator vs Solar for a Hunting Cabin (and Why Most Camps Use Both)

Generator vs solar, side by side

Generator noise from Honda's EU2200i specifications. Sun hours from NREL maps as summarized by Northern Arizona Wind & Sun. Forum posters on Rokslide raised noise, winter sun, fuel and battery cost as the main trade-offs.

What a generator does well, and what it costs you

A generator gives you lots of power on demand, rain or shine. The Honda EU2200i, one of the most common camp generators, is a good example:

From Honda's EU2200i technical specifications.

That's plenty for the loads that wreck a small solar system. Champion's wattage chart lists a microwave and a coffee maker at 800 W running each, and a household refrigerator at 400 W running with 2,200 W to start.

The cost is fuel. The EU2200i's tank lasts about 8.1 hours at a quarter load, which works out to about 0.12 gallons an hour. Run it 12 hours a day just to keep the lights and fridge on and you're burning around 1.4 gallons a day, every day, for loads a couple of panels could carry.

Gas goes stale

A hunting camp generator often sits for months. Honda's fuel advice for its EU generators:

• Add fuel stabilizer every time you fill your gas can. Stabilizer can't fix fuel that's already stale.
• If the generator will sit 2 to 12 months, or runs less than once a month, drain the carburetor as the manual shows.
• For more than a year, drain the tank and the carburetor.
• Don't use fuel with more than 10% ethanol.

What solar does well, and where it falls short

Solar shines with small loads that run a long time. A basic camp with LED lights, a 12 V compressor fridge, a water pump and phone charging uses about 450 Wh a day, and about 240 W of panel covers that even on a 2.5-sun-hour fall day. Our cabin solar sizing guide walks through the math.

It's quiet, which matters in the deer woods, and it keeps working while you're gone, topping up the batteries all week.

Where it falls short:

• Weather. Several days of clouds can drain a battery bank no matter how many panels you have. Hunters on Rokslide said they still needed a generator for overcast stretches.
• Big loads. Running an 800 W microwave from batteries takes a large inverter, and that inverter can draw 15 to 20 W just sitting on, according to Victron's datasheet figures for its 12 V, 3,000 VA models.
• Heat. Rokslide posters noted furnaces and heat-traced water lines can drain batteries quickly in the cold. Heat with propane or wood.
• Cold batteries. Lithium can't be charged below 32 °F. In an unheated cabin you need low-temperature charge protection. Our sizing guide covers how.

For a camp that's really just a place to charge phones and run a few lights, a portable power station and a folding panel may be all you need. See our solar and power station guide.

Why most camps end up with both

In the Rokslide thread on solar vs generators, the most common setup was solar panels for everyday charging plus a small inverter generator, like a Honda 2200, for backup. One poster with a large system put it simply: a generator with lithium storage works in any weather.

The idea is to let each one do what it's good at:

1. Solar and batteries carry the everyday loads. Lights, fridge, pump, phones, a small TV or a Starlink Mini.
2. The generator handles the heavy hitters. Plan microwave, coffee, vacuum and tool time for when the generator is running. A Northern Arizona Wind & Sun forum member suggested exactly this for a weekend cabin: run the generator for the vacuum and other big loads, and keep the battery for the lights.
3. The generator refills the batteries after clouds. Plug a battery charger into it while it runs. A bigger charger puts more of the generator's power to use, so it runs fewer hours. Our Battery Charging Time Calculator shows how long a refill takes.

Cutting the electric load helps either way. Posters with the simplest systems used LED lights and propane for cooking and hot water, and the weekend cabin in that forum thread used a propane fridge and stove.

Which setup fits your camp

Before you buy anything, list your loads and their watts. Our Cabin Solar & Battery Sizer Calculator sizes the solar, batteries and inverter, and our Inverter Run Time Calculator shows how long a battery bank can run them, and the Power Station & Solar Calculator shows how much panel you'd need to keep up.

Compare picks on our power stations page, solar panels page and inverters page.

Generator safety at camp

The CPSC estimates about 85 people die in the U.S. each year from carbon monoxide from portable generators. Its rules apply at camp just like at home:

• Outside only, at least 20 feet from the cabin. Never in the cabin, a shed, a garage, a crawlspace or on a porch. The CPSC says opening doors and windows isn't enough.
• Point the exhaust away from the cabin and any other building or tent someone could be in, and keep windows on that side closed.
• Put battery CO alarms in the cabin and test them monthly. The CPSC recommends one on each level and outside sleeping areas.
• If an alarm sounds, get everyone outside into fresh air, call 911 and don't go back in until responders say it's safe.
• Read the label and owner's manual before you use it, as the CPSC advises, including how to refuel your model safely.

Connecting a generator to cabin wiring is an electrician's job. OSHA says never to attach a generator directly to a building's wiring unless it has a properly installed transfer switch. Never plug a generator into a cabin outlet with a double-ended cord, called backfeeding. The bare prongs on the cord's other end are live, and if the cabin has a utility line, the Missouri Public Service Commission warns that backfeed can travel out the power lines and kill a line worker. Have a licensed electrician install an inlet with a transfer switch or interlock, to code.

Questions people ask

Is solar or a generator better for a hunting cabin?

For lights, a 12 V fridge and charging, solar. For a microwave, coffee maker or tools, a generator. Most camps that use both are happier than camps that pick one.

What size generator do I need for a cabin?

Add up the running watts of what you'll use at the same time, then check the biggest starting surge. The Honda EU2200i's 1,800 running watts covers an 800 W microwave and an 800 W coffee maker together, but a household fridge starting at 2,200 W on top of that is too much.

How far should a generator be from the cabin?

At least 20 feet, with the exhaust pointed away, according to the CPSC and CDC. Never inside a shed or on a porch.

Can I run a generator overnight at camp?

Only outside, 20 feet away, with working CO alarms inside. But a battery bank is a better way to get through the night: quiet, no fuel, no exhaust.

Can a generator charge my solar batteries?

Yes. Plug a battery charger made for your battery type into the generator, or use an inverter-charger. It's the standard backup plan for cloudy weeks.

Can I leave gas in the generator between seasons?

Honda says to drain the carburetor if it'll sit 2 to 12 months, drain the tank and carburetor for over a year, and always use stabilizer in your gas can.

Can a power station replace a generator at camp?

For small loads, yes. For a microwave, coffee maker or tools, a power station drains fast and needs hours of sun to refill. A small generator still earns its place.