So, you want free electricity while you’re camping for some added conveniences. Maybe you’re in non-electric sites, or camping out of your car? I happen to do both, I’ve been where you are and found what you’ve found; that a lot of online resources are a hot garbage of info gone way overboard. Either that, or it’s a page filled with affiliate links and with nothing of worth. I had to find out the same stuff on my own as well, that’s why I wanted to make this page. Here, we’ll cover how to use a car battery for camping, and answer some of the basic questions I had trouble finding when I was learning about getting electricity on my camping trips.
How to Use a Car Battery for Camping
The easiest way to use a car battery when camping is to connect a power inverter to your spare 12v car battery. This will allow you to use your battery for all your AC, DC, or USB powered devices by simply plugging those devices into the inverter while it’s attached to your battery.
There are several things to keep in mind while utilizing 12 volt car batteries on your camping trips, from different types of batteries, to the health of the battery, and safety hazards to be mindful of. But, with the right knowledge, you’ll gain far more power using a 12v car battery on your camping trips than having several power banks or by purchasing an overpriced solar generator.
Buying a Spare Battery for Camping
First, you don’t want to use the battery your car uses to start for any charging purposes, unless your car is on. Additionally, if you’re thinking of having your car on, but parked, to charge or run your devices, don’t. That would essentially be using your can as a generator and cars are not efficient generators. You would use far more gas to make the electricity being generated than the electricity is worth. Instead, you can use an older car battery that still holds a charge, or pick one up on Amazon, Auto Zone, etc.
Some auto parts stores, Auto Zone for instance, will give you a $10 Gift Card for every 12v battery you recycle with them. I collected friends and family’s batteries for a few years and ended up with $60 in Gift Cards to put towards the purchase of a spare battery for camping and small solar projects around the house. Once you have your spare 12 volt car battery, you really only need one more component, a power inverter.
What Is a Power Inverter: Using One For Your Car Battery?
A power inverter inverts the DC power from the 12 volt car battery, to AC power, so you can use traditional household appliances that use an AC plug.
What Power Inverter Should I Buy for Camping?
If you’re only going to need the inverter for very small items, like a few smartphones (10-20 watts), a tablet (15-30 watts), maybe a laptop (75 watts) or tiny TV at the largest, then I would keep the budget under $50 and get a “No Name” branded piece of equipment like this 350 watt option.
350 watts will give you plenty of power, and some extra headroom in case you ever buy a different piece of camping gear later on. You can get a smaller 100-200 watt inverter, but those are still about $20. If you think there’s a chance you’re going to ever need more room, or an extra plug or USB port, I would just add the extra $10-$20 now so you don’t have to make an additional $40+ purchase a few months later.
I chose a “No Name” brand for this purchase because the inverter won’t be under a great deal of strain, ever. I use a “No Name” branded inverter for my small devices, it’s no longer available on Amazon but here is the link as a reference.
But, if you’re going to be powering larger devices, or many at the same time, you should go for a name branded one like a DeWalt, Duracell, or Energizer, etc. When I say “larger devices,” I mean anything that would use more power than a small TV. I choose Name Branded inverters for this wattage range and above because you don’t want to have to make a repeat purchase if a cheaper model fails. Additionally, sometimes you can find Name Branded inverters on sale for only an extra $50 or so.
Either way, make sure the inverter comes with the traditional “Alligator Clamps” that can clamp onto your car battery terminals. Some smaller inverters will only come with a 12 volt Cigarette Lighter Outlet plug.
How to Connect a Power Inverter to a Car Battery
To attach the inverter to the battery, connect the alligator clamps from the inverter to the car battery, red terminal (positive) first, then black (negative), and turn your inverter on by flipping its power switch.
Now you can run your AC appliances off your 12 volt car battery by just plugging your devices into the inverter!
How Long Will My Battery Last While Camping?
A regular 12 volt car battery typically holds 40-50 amp hours worth of “juice.” This means it could charge an average smartphone 15+ times, can recharge a small rechargeable camping fan 5-10 times, or run a medium sized 12 volt fridge compressor for about 10 hours straight; 10 hours straight is a long time for a compressor to be on at once, remember, refrigerator compressors kick on and off as needed to cool its contents down. Something to keep in mind, however, is that you shouldn’t allow your car battery to dip below 50% capacity.
Why Shouldn’t My Car Battery Dip Below 50%?
If your battery is a lead acid or AGM battery, most car batteries, once your battery dips below 50% a process called “sulfation” speeds up. Sulfation is the buildup of Lead Sulfate Crystals, on batteries this is typically on the lead plates inside of the battery, but you can also sometimes see the blue/white crystals on the battery terminals as well. All you need to know is it’s not great and prevents the battery from being fully charged again. Also don’t the sulfate crystals.
https://www.crownbattery.com/news/sulfation-and-battery-maintenance
How Big of a Power Inverter Do I Need for Camping?
While the answer to how big of an inverter you need is dependent on how you camp, here is some info on how many watts the most commonly used camping gear demands. Remember, you don’t need to find your items in the table below and add them up; only add what you will want to run all at the same time.
| Camping Appliance | Typical Wattage |
| Small Fan | 10 watts |
| Cell Phone | 5-20 watts |
| Tablet | 15-30 watts |
| Laptop | 50 watts |
| Single LED Light Bulb | 7 watts |
| Small Bluetooth Speaker | 10-15 watts |
| Small to Medium 12 volt Refrigerator | 45 watts |
| Rechargeable Headlamp | 5 watts |
| Electric Blanket (USB Powered) | 10-15 watts |
Conclusion
Using a car battery for camping adds a whole new level of convenience to your camping trips. By knowing your power needs before you pick your battery, you’re set for a smooth camping ride. Keep an eye on your power usage, explore different charging methods, and give your battery some TLC to keep it going strong.
If you find that you don’t mind shelling out the extra bucks for the convenience of a solar generator, you can check out the article I have here:
Happy camping!
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