The 2026 RV Power Kit: Surge Protectors, Solar and Portable Stations

Pedestal power at Shasta is not clean

Older USFS and resort pedestals brown out hard when every rig in the loop fires up an air conditioner at 3pm. An EMS-style protector that disconnects on low voltage is not optional here — it's the cheapest insurance you will ever buy for a $1,400 rooftop unit.

The dry-camping wattage math

• Residential fridge: 150–200W continuous
• 13.5k BTU A/C: 1,300W running, ~2,800W startup surge
• CPAP: 40W
• Starlink: 50–75W

If you want A/C without a generator you need 3,000W of inverter and roughly 400Ah of lithium. Anything less and you're running fans, not compressors.

What we actually run: 600W of roof solar, 400Ah lithium, 3,000W inverter, and a soft-start on the A/C. That gets us four days at Chappie-Shasta in June — not August.

Gear that survived a full season

Everything in the showcase blocks below has been on our rig for at least one Shasta summer. Nothing is here because a brand sent an email.