by Filifera » Mon Aug 13, 2007 8:45 am
I had a pm about this, figured I may as well share my answer with the group as well:
We got the Black & Decker Electromate 400, from the auto department in Walmart. Cost was around $100. It was not the biggest nor the smallest, but it's a nice compact package that does what we need. There's lots of different ones out there and a wide variety of prices and features.
Here are the specs from the box:
Jump starter output: 12 volt DC, 450 amps instant, 5 seconds, 300 amps dc
Inverter input: 12.5 volt DC, 36.5 amp
Inverter output: 12 volt AC, 60hz, 400 watt (not quite enough for a small microwave oven)
Class 2 power unit input: 120 volt AC, 60 hz
output: 12 volt DC, 1000 mA
Battery: 12 volt 19 amp hr, sealed, lead-acid
Safety protection: overload, overheating, short circuit
This would not be a substitute for shore power if you had a lot of electrical items (I would not try to run a fridge overnight or even think of using a microwave), but you could watch a bit of TV or use the laptop with it. Some of the bigger ones might be up to this, we elected to go with a smaller lighter weight unit. Some are so big they need wheels!
So far ours has performed admirably, and it's already proven useful for non-camping emergencies (we aired up our friend's flat tire with it)