Power and a Spare

It can be really handy to have 110 volt AC outlets in your car. All of the handy gadgets we use every day in the house can then be used while camping, or when the power goes out.

I live on a mountain a long way from any power stations, so our power is less reliable than it is in town. During storms that bring trees down on top of power lines, I use my Motor Trend 2400 watt power inverter to power the house from my pickup truck.

With over 20 amps of power, I can run the refrigerator, lights, and television, or I can run power tools around the farm without running long extension cords.

If your needs are small, like recharging a laptop computer, or running a small television, you can get a little 150 watt inverter that plugs into the cigarette lighter, for about $25.

Inverters that can use the cigarette lighter for power are limited to about 400 watts, before the current draw is too much for the cigarette lighter fuse. You can get 800 watt inverters for under $70, but they will come with clamp-on terminals for the battery (like those used to jump start a car), meaning that you will need to open the hood.

Some inverters are small (both in size and power handling capability), and plug directly into the cigarette lighter socket without cords. The 110 volt AC sockets are in the same plastic housing as the cigarette lighter plug.