Amazon.com: Anker Portable Generator for Home Use, PowerHouse II 400, 300W/388.8Wh, 110V AC Outlet/60W USB-C Power Delivery Portable Power Station $299

That's not it. People kitting out a new camper setup are usually buying all new appliances, light fixtures, etc., so they have a choice. As I and the other person discussed above, there are few things that really need to be powered by AC in a smaller camper, and most are probably a bit much for such rigs, like a microwave, blow dryer, AC stove, etc. The powered devices you do want in a smaller setup can nearly all be powered by either DC, propane or the car's engine and alternator, e.g. lighting, electronics, heater, hot water, stove, fridge, etc.

I think that if you can do without an inverter, it's preferable. I mean the huge ones that are the size of a toaster oven or bigger. One less expense, complexity and thing that can go wrong. You can always buy a portable car inverter for the one or two items you need one for, if you can't do without.

If this is used for "when the power's out" then no, people don't want duplicates. If you want to charge your cell phone on a camping trip, then something like this might be OK save for the weight.

They call it a generator because it has a DC input for solar power, so it's functionally comparable to devices marketed as solar generators (e.g., Jackery, Yeti GoalZero).

I've got a garbage Anker bluetooth keyboard that keeps disconnecting, despite all the rave reviews on its Amazon page. Anker's best asset is its army of shills. Watch 'em downvote this comment.

Because it can charge via solar they call it a generator.

I just had my power out for 8 days. While I don't have solar, I do have an EV that was trapped in the garage due to a down tree and an inch of ice over everything.

Having a huge battery like this to suck the power out of my EV would have been more helpful than the small power packs.

I didn't go with this and instead went with the Ecoflow Delta 1300 which I think with solar and it's inverter could replace a gas generator.

I was in a very similar situation (7 days "only"), I had a $50 400W inverter which I could use. There is no need for a $300 intermediate battery, unless you cannot pull a long extension cord from your garage.

And worst part of it, these can usually only be used and re-charged about 1000-1500 times before the battery goes bad, making the whole thing useless, versus just putting the parts together yourself inside a crate, as some youtuber has, and then being able to swap out/ upgrade any bad parts easily.

Not a generator. Can't help but wonder what Anker is going for here calling it that.

Thanks, helpful info. For larger RVs I can see the need for microwave ovens, A/C, induction stoves, etc., and these require inverters. But many if not most van and smaller campers don't have these because they draw more power than their smaller solar panel setups can provide and they use up too much fuel if you power them off the alternator, and they're often parked outside of campsites that have hookups. It's a whole other camper "subculture" than more traditional RVs, for all sorts of reasons. So you don't need 120V for them, really.

As for laptops,, their batteries are all charged via DC, that's converted from AC via the proverbial power brick, but it's neither complicated nor expensive to replace these with DC versions that are smaller, more energy-efficient and reliable, that run off 12V and have either a fixed output that's correct for a given laptop, or have a variable output. Same thing for a TV. So it can be done, and I imagine some go this route. Even a desktop PC, which is probably not common in van campers, can be powered via DC only, although you'd need a specialized power supply (the van's batteries would serve as the UPS).

I've been tinkering with DC lately, mostly lighting, so it's of moderate interest to me (trying van camper living is something I actually find intriguing, but if I ever did it we're talking years from now). I bought a few 12V DC light bulbs and a USB to 12V adapter to try to add a "mood light" to a small room using solar-charged batteries, and recently lit a dark stairway using a similar setup. I'm surprised at how bright these things are, and how little power they draw.

Basically, my view is if you can power something well and cost-effectively with only DC from source to load, it's worth considering. There are conversion costs in going from AC to DC, of course, but over time the greater efficiency of staying within DC only could pay for it. But I haven't done the math so maybe I'm wrong and we'll always power most things with AC.