Should you use a portable power station to cook while camping?

For most people who enjoy outdoor activities (rather than just survival), it can be a headache to maintain various electronic devices while enjoying nature. Recently, more and more portable power stations have emerged to meet this need.

Of course, this week we will not discuss the selection or do advertising. Instead, we will discuss how to better allocate your electricity when outdoors. As the founder of a portable power station brand, I spent more than 200 hours experiencing camping in different situations to make my products better meet people's needs. I hope my experience can help friends who read this article.

I will share my experience from three aspects: food and drink, temperature control, and entertainment.

Should you use a portable power station to cook while camping?

First of all, I strongly do not recommend using electricity for cooking, unless you cannot make a fire where you are. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, electric cooking appliances generally have high power, such as ovens or induction cookers, which are mostly over 1000W. This means that they will consume your electricity in a short period of time, which is not cost-effective. If you carry a 1000Wh portable power station, its usage time may be less than 30 minutes, and you may not even have enough time to cook a meal!

Secondly, electric cooking tools are generally large and heavy, which will greatly increase the burden of your travel. If you use a fire, you may only need one pot, but if you use an induction cooker, you may need a large stove.

Finally, I think the campfire is actually the core of outdoor life. The fun of making a fire and the psychological healing and sense of security brought by the flame cannot be replaced by electricity.

Should you use a portable power station to keep warm or cool while camping?

For heating, my suggestion is to use a campfire when you are outside the tent, and when you are inside the tent, you can use a portable electric heater or electric blanket, which generally have low power but provide a great experience. You only need about 500Wh of electricity to have a warm night.

For cooling, my suggestion is to use a small electric fan, which is the most feasible way to cool down outdoors. Compared with bulky, noisy, high-energy-consumption portable air conditioners, a small electric fan only needs less than 100Wh of electricity to give you a whole day of cool breeze.

Finally, an extra tip: If you are sensitive to noise, please choose a quiet product. Generally, products with fans will make noise that will make you doubt your life.

What entertainment options can a portable power station provide while camping?

Adding entertainment choices to outdoor camping is, in my opinion, the core function of a portable power station. Generally speaking, there are the following uses:

Powering mobile phones, tablets, Bluetooth speakers, game consoles, and laptops, etc.: Portable power stations can provide outdoor power for these commonly used entertainment devices, providing more possibilities for outdoor activities such as gaming, video, and socializing.

Powering projectors: High-quality projectors generally require more than 40W, which cannot be supported by regular power banks.