When we first left on this trip, our friend Ranger Mike told us horror stories about how often generators would get ripped off at the parks where he worked.
This would truly be a horror for us indeed, because I love my little Honda. I don’t love using it, but whenever I have to, I love it. You see, the Honda EU200i lives up to its “Super Quiet” branding.
And that’s a good thing when you’re in a campground with others and not boondocking way out in the woods by yourself.
The Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef National Park is beautiful. It is nestled among an oasis of fruit trees in the midst of desolate wilderness with trails like the Frying Pan Loop and Cohab Canyon. It has lots of shade, great views of the bluff, clean restrooms with flush toilets, and plenty of grass for a dessert. It does not have hookups.
Having tent camped here long ago, I think they should keep all us obnoxious RVer types in the second loop and keep the first loop for tenters. The second loop has bigger sites anyway. But it probably wouldn’t make much of a difference to reduce noise, considering some of the generators out there.
When we finally had to run our Honda after a couple days in the shade, I started it up and stepped inside. To my amazement, we could hear the generator a few sites away over ours right outside the window. Like I said, I love our little Honda.
That’s why we keep it locked up – not out of camper paranoia, but out of love. Oh, and the fact that it is expensive, small, and very lightweight. A long Kryptonite lock connected to a front jack through the handle works well when its in use. And we use a Lasso Security Cable to secure it to our hitch while stored in our truck bed.
That way we can rest easy at night and go on long hikes – like this one to spot where I proposed to Rene 12 years ago – without any worry …
With our solar set-up and power conservation habits, our little Honda 2000 suits us just fine. But another great thing about it is, if we ever need more power we can just get a second one and use the optional Honda EU2000i 30 Amp RV Parallel Kit to link the two together. This is still cheaper than a 4000 watt generator!
I am purchasing a pair for the first time. Using it as a backup for loss of power at our home and planning on purchasing a travel trailer next year so we will have opportunity to use it there as well. Anxious to get them in a couple of weeks.
I do make a GEN’SAFE for all brands of portable gen’s mostly for the honda eu2000 it is a locking strap on a frame that slides into your receiver hitch and I also make adapters for 5th wheels as well
shot me an email and ill send pictures and info
grschoeller65@yahoo.com
I have the Yamaha generator also and have enjoyed having it along on our trips. I am not so worried in some of the remote areas in Colorado we go but in campgrounds you never know who your neighbors will be.
I had a friend who is a metal machinist expert make up a solid stainless steel band that goes around the whole generator body and has a serious lock and cable to lock the whole thing to anything handy that is solid. You would have to cut up the generator making it useless to get it off or have a professional cutting torch. I guess my thought was to give the thief incentive to steal your generator instead of mine (make it harder to steal mine). It cost me about $125 to make it but that’s a small price to pay vs. buying another $1000 generator.
Let me know if you are interested and I will ask him if he wants to make another one.
Happy Camping, keep YOUR stuff, YOURS!!
Thanks for the comment John. we saw a guy in Quartzsite who makes custom diamondplate genny boxes too.
i read a blogg somewhere that the handle on the honda 2000 is only plastic and it can be cut right through very easily. anybody have any info on this as i am trying to come up with a good locking device for the generator.
Without opening up the shell I can’t tell if there is metal supporting the handle, but my guess would be not. It probably could be cut or broken relatively easy.
Yeah, it’s a pricey little piece of equipment, but if someone wants to go to that much trouble, they must need it more than me. We use a Lasso Security Cable or a large Kryptonite lock to secure ours. That, and good karma. We’ve learned over the years that if you fear your stuff getting stolen all the time, at some point it will be.
Thanks for commenting!
shoot me an email and ill send you info Jim
grschoeller65@yahoo.com
– Generators are a blessing in remote areas. It’s no wonder why so many would want one for themselves (legal or illegal means). I never purchased a Honda myself, but I do have the yamaha EF2400iS which is great because it powers everything w/o the loudness that normal generators tend to make (like a chainsaw). I bet it’s still louder than the Honda you have though.
– I’ve never been to Cohab Canyon, but I have been to Slick Rock in Moab back in 2002 (side trip from Grand Junction) and that area is perfect for a bit of R & R.
– I use the same security cable as you. I suppose great mind do think alike! Brilliant.
Quiet is good, especially in campgrounds. I read a while back, in the last couple weeks, about a guy that was killed by two drunks in the camp next to him because they thought his generator was making too much noise. Strange world we live in.
Great video by the way.
I must add that little Honda has clean electricity too! I wouldn’t go without mine!! (Hardley use it but when i do…budda bing)
We have the same generator and love it also. We keep it locked to our trailer. We hardly ever use it (because of solar) but it sure is nice to have when you need it. Since we’re in the land of midnight sun right now – we have had nearly 24 hrs. of solar power and no need at all for a generator.
Leave it to my romantic husband to pick the song we played just before we said our vows.
Love you baby. xoxo
Yep,
Hard to beat a Honda, bet it runs for well over 100,000miles 🙂
or what ever hours those things are rated at 😉
I’d get one myself except the longest trip in our Chalet was 2 weeks and we did not kill the battery even then. Upgraded to a fan in the roof vent (home built fantastic type fan vent) this year though, so we might kill it on this trip 😀