Best Generators for an Off-Grid Cabin


When you are living off-grid, you need a source of power in order to run all of your appliances etc. in your cabin. It is a major necessity for  being completely off-grid, like a lot of cabins are. now that we know it is a necessity, however, you might need to know where to go or even start looking for what is right for you.

What are the best generators of an off-grid cabin? The best generator I would recommend for an off-grid cabin is the Champion 76533 Dual Fuel Generator. This Generator can run on both gasoline and propane and is decently lightweight and QUIET. Plus, this generator is only $472.44 with FREE SHIPPING on Amazon!

Keep reading further and I can tell you about not only this generator, but other options that might fit your needs better!

#1 – Champion 76533, 3800-Watt Dual Fuel RV Ready Portable Generator with Electric Start

The Champion 76533 is an awesome option for generators for your cabin! I use this generator at my own cabin in Northern Idaho and it is perfect for what I need. This generator is powerful enough to run a window A/C unit, a refrigerator, my computer, a wifi modem/router, and the lights in the cabin. Perfect! Am I right? I could live off-grid completely with this generator if I wanted to!

I fuel this generator with propane at my cabin and would highly recommend it because it is a power source you can get and store in bulk that you can use for not just your generator but also your grill, oven, and even refrigerator. I keep a big propane tank in the back to store all the propane I may need and just have someone come to refill it every once in a while. It works great and is super reliable!

This has an electric start feature which is very nice and easy to use. This feature works great and is much easier and more reliable than the pull start generator I have as well. It runs very consistently without the usual dips in power that other generators normally produce.

Saying that this generator is quiet is also an understatement for sure! This generator is by far the quietest of it’s class for how well it runs and how much power it outputs. The noise level output (dBa) of this generator is at 68. I will admit it isn’t the absolute quietest generator you could find, but for how much it is doing it is much quieter than it could be and other generators usually are.

This generator will run 10.5 hours at half load capacity when it is fueled with propane. When fueled with gas, this generator will run at a bit slower of a pace at 9 hours at half load capacity.

The Champion 76533 is not the most easily portable, but definitely worth it for how much power this thing puts out. It weighs a whopping 120 lbs., which of course is never a fun amount of weight for even a few people to try to carry. However, aside from lifting this sucker in and out of the pickup, portability gets easier with the Champion 76533’s never-flat wheels and handle bar attachment set up!

The Champion 76533 generator has an Amazon ranking of 4.5 stars from roughly 320 customer reviews given. This just helps to prove that people really like and can rely on this generator so you have nothing to worry about!

This generator is super cost effective as well! You won’t have to spend quite a fortune in order to power your cabin. This awesome, reliable generator is selling on Amazon for about $472.44 with free shipping.  Which is awesome considering that a lot of generators are much closer to and often times in the $1000 range.

Here is a link on Amazon to the Champion 76533 Dual Fuel Generator with Electric Start.

To learn more about this generator and my preferences and uses for it, read my article Champion 76533: My Favorite Generator for Off-Grid Living.

#2 – Champion 100165, 7500-Watt Dual Fuel with Electric Start

The Champion 76533 may not be for you, and that’s okay! You may be looking for a generator that can actually run your entire house including the A/C or Heater, the washer and dryer, and the refrigerator too all at once. That is awesome! It will be more expensive, but definitely luxurious and relaxing and totally worth it!

In this case, the Champion 100165 is the generator for you! This generator is much bigger than the Champion 76533, being 203 lbs. in weight, but that weight is what helps back up that extra power you want. This heavy weight, obviously, makes this generator not very portable, except its never-flat wheels and handlebar, but if you have a few people to help you should be able to get it to the short distances necessary to place it wherever it is needed.

The Champion 100165 is also a dual fuel generator which means you can hook it up to the same huge propane tanks you would for the Champion 76533. It can run 5.5 hours at half load capacity on propane. On gas fuel, however, the Champion 100165 can run for a solid 8 hours at half capacity.

This generator isn’t too bad noise-wise either. It is a bit louder than the Champion 76533 generator was, but still pretty great for how massive of an output this generator is producing for its size. The noise level (dBa) for the Champion 100165 is at a slightly higher level of 74.

This generator is Electric start as well, making it a super easy start up. All you do is flip the switch and on it goes! A lot of times, generators aren’t electric start and this feature definitely helps it to be a more reliable generator along with a quicker and more efficient start up.

This generator has an awesome 4.5 star rating on Amazon as well out of 125 customer reviews. Just like the Champion 76533 generator, this one is known to be super reliable and the ratings, again, prove it. 

The Champion 100165 generator can be bought used or new on Amazon. These prices vary too. For buying used you can get the generator for anywhere around $684.15 to $724.39 depending on how great of shape it is in. Buying this generator new, however, the prices jump quite drastically. Prices of generators that are new range anywhere from $938 all the way to a whopping $1,763.56! 

The used generators that I found were in close to new condition and if you are trying to save money especially, I would recommend buying the nicest used generator you can find. This is simply because the price drops drastically, even if the generator is in perfect condition. 

If you use more power than the bare necessities or want to be able to use more power than what is needed for the bare necessities at your cabin then I would highly recommend the Champion 100165 generator. It can pack a punch and it is still a decent size. you can fuel your entire house full of it’s electrical needs with this generator. An it is totally worth it to complete your lavish, cabin hideaway.

Here is a link to the Amazon page if you would like to look into buying a Champion 100165, 7500-Watt Dual Fuel with Electric Start Generator.

#3 – Champion 46539, 3500-Watt RV Ready Portable Generator with Wireless Remote Start

If you are looking for more of a “luxury in usage” rather than a “luxury in output” generator then the Champion 46539 is the one you want. This generator has a wireless remote feature that makes it so much easier to turn off and on from anywhere instead of having to trek all the way out to where you are keeping the generator to turn it off and on when necessary.

This lavish feature is quite popular because today’s day and age is all about ease of access and ultimate laziness, which is totally understandable. Work smarter, not harder! Am I right? 

The remote feature reaches a full 80 feet of distance! That means that you could be 80 feet away from the generator doing who knows what, maybe fishing, hiking, making dinner in the cabin, or just outside playing, and with one click of the remote you can turn off the generator without having to walk all the way over to it and then all the way back to what you were originally doing. How awesome is that?

Gaining this awesome luxury feature, however, comes at a cost. The Champion 46539 is NOT a dual fuel generator, so you won’t be able to hook it up the same as you would be able to the Champion 76533 generator or the Champion 100165 generator. 

The Champion 46539 generator is gas fueled meaning that you will have to get gas to keep it fueled quite often. The gas tank on the generator will hold about 3.8 gallons of gasoline and can produce power for up to 12 hours at half capacity.

This luxury generator weighs about 140 lbs. which is much lighter than the Champion 100165 generator was, but a little heavier than the Champion 76533. This weight should be pretty easy to move around with a couple people to wherever the desired location of the generator is. It won’t be fun to carry, as the other generators aren’t either, but it is definitely a manageable weight.

This generator is also very quiet as well, just like the other ones. The Champion 46539 generator is just as quiet as the Champion 76533 generator is. The noise level of this generator is at 68 dBa just like the 76533 generator which is very quiet for this size of generator.

This generator, obviously seeing as though it has the lavish remote feature, is an electric start generator as well. This electric start up technology, as I explained earlier, is a very reliable and easy to use feature that makes the generator easy and quick to start up whenever necessary.

This generator has a solid 4.5 star rating out of about 395 customer reviews on Amazon as well. The Champion brand overall has a very reliable selection of generators to choose from for every need and gives an amazing 3-year warranty on all their generators.

The Champion 46539 is priced differently depending on whether or not you choose a used or new model as well. When you buy used, you can get this generator for anywhere from 375.20 to $398.65 depending on how good of condition it is still in. Buying this generator new, the prices can vary anywhere from $469 all the way up to $895.99 depending on where you get it from.

This generator is a smaller voltage capacity than the Champion 76533, but you pay more and acquire more weight because of the extra luxury features. These features cost you more because you have to pay for the luxury. But, overall, this generator should run close to just as well as the Champion 76533 originally would too.

If you would like to look into buying this, here is the Amazon link to the Champion 46539, 3500-Watt RV Ready Portable Generator with Wireless Remote Start that I just told you about

Related Questions:

What fuel would you most recommend for off-grid dual fuel generators? I would highly recommend using propane as your fuel source. This can not only fuel your generator, but it can also fuel your oven, fridge, and grill.

Can you generate your own electricity? You can generate your own electricity off-grid in multiple ways. The most common one is using a generator, like the ones I have talked about above, or you can use solar panels or wind turbines as well.

Recent Posts

outdoortroop-21 outdoortroop-20