The CPAP camping power guide
A CPAP is the one device that can't skip a night. This guide turns the specs of every power station we track into nights of sleep per charge — humidifier on and off — so you size once and sleep the whole trip. No prices, no hands-on claims, just arithmetic.
Affiliate disclosure: this guide contains links to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through those links — at no extra cost to you. Commissions never enter our scoring formula, and no brand can pay for placement here.
Step one
Know what your machine draws
CPAP power draw swings wildly with one setting: the heated humidifier. These are the planning figures this guide uses — confirm against the power-supply label or manual of your machine before a trip:
| CPAP setup | Planning draw | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Humidifier off | 40 W | Typical modern CPAP on AC power, humidifier plate off or dry |
| Heated humidifier on | 80 W | Heated water + heated hose roughly doubles the draw |
Two honest caveats: the rated draw is a ceiling — many machines average less once they're up to pressure, so these numbers are conservative. And a manufacturer's 12 V DC cable skips the inverter entirely, which wastes less power than the AC path these figures assume. One night = 8 hours of sleep.
Step two
The only math you need
Nights of sleep per charge:
nights = battery capacity (Wh) × 0.85 ÷ (draw (W) × 8 h)
The 0.85 factor reserves roughly 15% for inverter conversion losses and the battery management system's cutoff — a conservative planning figure, not a lab measurement. Worked example with a real unit from our tracked set: the Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station | 1,024Wh LiFePO4 Battery, Full Charge in 49 Min, 2,000W Solar Generator (Peak 3,000W) for UPS, Outdoor and Emergency Use carries 1,024 Wh. Humidifier off, that is 1,024 × 0.85 ÷ (40 × 8) ≈ 2.7 nights per charge. Turn the heated humidifier on and every number in this guide is cut roughly in half.
Step three · the big table
Nights per charge, every unit we track
All 13 power stations in our database, at 85% usable capacity. "Refill" is capacity ÷ max solar input — the theoretical minimum recharge time under ideal sun, which decides multi-week trips.
| Model | Capacity | Weight | Nights · humidifier off 40 W × 8 h |
Nights · heated humidifier 80 W × 8 h |
Ideal-sun refill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 | 4,096 Wh | 113.5 lbs | 10.9 | 5.4 | ≈ 1.6 peak sun |
| Anker SOLIX F3800 | 3,840 Wh | 132 lbs | 10.2 | 5.1 | ≈ 1.6 peak sun |
| Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus | 2,042.8 Wh | 61.5 lbs | 5.4 | 2.7 | ≈ 1.5 peak sun |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station | 1,024Wh LiFePO4 Battery, Full Charge in 49 Min, 2,000W Solar Generator (Peak 3,000W) for UPS, Outdoor and Emergency Use | 1,024 Wh | 24.9 lbs | 2.7 | 1.4 | ≈ 1.7 peak sun |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 | 1,024 Wh | 27.6 lbs | 2.7 | 1.4 | ≈ 2.0 peak sun |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 1,070 Wh | 23.8 lbs | 2.8 | 1.4 | ≈ 2.7 peak sun |
| Bluetti AC180 | 1,152 Wh | 35.27 lbs | 3.1 | 1.5 | ≈ 2.3 peak sun |
| Bluetti AC200L | 2,048 Wh | 61.6 lbs | 5.4 | 2.7 | ≈ 1.7 peak sun |
| Jackery Explorer 300 Plus | 288 Wh | 8.27 lbs | 0.8 | 0.4 | ≈ 2.9 peak sun |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 | 1,056 Wh | 28.44 lbs | 2.8 | 1.4 | ≈ 1.8 peak sun |
| BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 Portable Power Station | 288 Wh | 9.48 lbs | 0.8 | 0.4 | ≈ 1.4 peak sun |
| Anker SOLIX C300 | 288 Wh | 9.1 lbs | 0.8 | 0.4 | ≈ 2.9 peak sun |
| EcoFlow RIVER 3 | 245 Wh | 7.8 lbs | 0.7 | 0.3 | ≈ 2.2 peak sun |
Source: official manufacturer specifications for every input. This is arithmetic on published specs, not an overnight bench test. Sub-1.0 nights in the first column is the honest reason ultralight units are one-night tools at the planning figure — see the picks below for how to stretch them.
Step four
Stretching a charge further
- Kill the heated humidifier first. It roughly doubles nightly consumption. If you need humidity, run the plate unheated or passover-style.
- Buy the maker's 12 V DC cable. Running the CPAP from the DC output skips the inverter's conversion loss entirely — the single biggest efficiency win available on any unit here.
- Size solar to the night, not the battery. An 8-hour, humidifier-off night burns 320 Wh; panels that return that much by noon make the trip open-ended. The refill column above is the ideal-sun floor — real harvest depends on panel wattage, angle, and weather.
- Weight is the camping tax. Every unit under 10 lbs in the table is a one-hand carry; everything above 25 lbs belongs within a few steps of the car.
Step five
Picks by camping style
The highest-scoring unit in each capacity class, under the published 0–10 formula — capacity 25%, AC output 25%, cycle life 20%, portability 15%, solar input 15%.
Anker
Anker SOLIX C1000 Gen 2 Portable Power Station | 1,024Wh LiFePO4 Battery, Full Charge in 49 Min, 2,000W Solar Generator (Peak 3,000W) for UPS, Outdoor and Emergency Use
For two to three nights of humidifier-off CPAP plus phones and lights, in a box that rides in the trunk. Strongest inverter in its class — 2,000 W continuous.
Tip: add it to your Amazon cart while you decide — it stays saved there, with no obligation to buy.
Jackery
Jackery Explorer 300 Plus
For a unit you can actually carry to the tent. At the 40 W planning figure the sub-300 Wh class covers most of a night — run the humidifier off, or bring the maker's 12 V DC cable to stretch it. Tied for the biggest battery in its class — 288 Wh.
Tip: add it to your Amazon cart while you decide — it stays saved there, with no obligation to buy.
EcoFlow
EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3
For double-digit nights per charge, and the solar input to refill during the day. Biggest battery in its class — 4,096 Wh on tap.
Tip: add it to your Amazon cart while you decide — it stays saved there, with no obligation to buy.
Before you buy
The five-minute checklist
- Read your machine's power brick. The label's input watts — not a marketing page — is your real planning number.
- Rehearse at home. Run a full night off the power station before the trip, with your exact settings. You want surprises in your bedroom, not at the trailhead.
- Blame the humidifier. If the nights math comes up short, the humidifier setting is the first dial to turn — it roughly doubles the draw.
- Flying? Check the battery rules. Airlines restrict lithium batteries above about 100 Wh — which covers every unit in this guide — so confirm your carrier's policy before booking with one.
- Verify current pricing on Amazon. We never display prices we cannot verify live, so the buy links go straight to the listing.
Powering a CPAP through a blackout instead of a campsite? The power-outage guide runs the same math against refrigerators and furnace blowers. Methodology and our full monetization policy live on How We Score.