How much power do you need?

You’re about to drop some serious coin on a portable power station, so let’s make sure you don’t buy too little (and end up in the dark) or way too much (and lug around dead weight). Here’s my simple, battle-tested formula I use before every big trip:

Power Nomad’s “Watts-Needed Formula”

Step 1: Calculate your Total Running Watts

List everything you want to run at the same time and add up their continuous wattage.

Total Running Watts = Device 1 + Device 2 + Device 3 + …

(Use the “running” or “rated” watts on the label, not the surge/starting watts for now.)

Step 2: Decide your Desired Runtime in Hours

How many hours do you want everything to run before recharging? (Realistic is 4–8 hours for most nomads.)

Step 3: Apply the Magic Formula

Minimum Power Station Capacity (Wh) = (Total Running Watts × Desired Hours) ÷ 0.85

The 0.85 accounts for real-world inverter efficiency and conversion losses (power stations aren’t 100% efficient).

Quick Example (Camp Setup)

Laptop: 65W

CPAP machine: 40W

LED lights + fan: 30W

Phone + small cooler: 25W

Total Running Watts = 160W

Want 6 hours runtime?

Capacity needed = (160 × 6) ÷ 0.85 ≈ 1,129 Wh

So I’d look at a 1,000–1,500 Wh power station (gives you headroom for cloudy days or extra gadgets).

Bonus Nomad Tips

Peak/Surge Watts: Make sure the station’s surge rating is at least 2× your highest single device (fridges, pumps, and power tools love to spike).

Solar Input: Match your station’s max solar input to the panels you already own or plan to buy.

Future-Proof: Add 20–30% extra capacity if you’re growing your setup.

There you go, trail brother. Crunch those numbers, buy once, cry never.

Now get out there and charge up under the sun!

— Power Nomad 

#camping #vanlife #nomadlife #remoteoffice #offgrid