How we evaluate off-grid gear and services
We want every pick on this site to be something you can sanity-check yourself. Here is exactly how our guides are put together, what each conclusion rests on, and where we stop.
Research-based, and we say so
CampVerdict is a research desk, not a test bench. Our guides are built from published manufacturer specification sheets, the provider's own pricing, terms and FAQ pages, verified current prices, and published testing by organisations that do run measurement labs.
When we cite someone else's measurement, we name them in the text so you can weigh the source. If we have used a product or service ourselves, we say so explicitly and describe what we did. We never claim a hands-on test we did not perform.
What we weigh
- Power math that adds up: rated capacity in watt hours, usable capacity, inverter output, and what the unit can actually run, calculated from real appliance draws, not marketing watts.
- Fit for the stated trip: weekend RV trips, full-time boondocking and backup power at home need different gear, and we say which one a pick is for.
- Total cost, not headline cost: rental fees, insurance, mileage and cleaning charges; service caps, contract terms and data limits on internet plans.
- Rules and legality: where you can actually park, camp or operate, based on the landowner's or agency's own published policy.
- Warranty, support and durability: what is covered, for how long, and what owners consistently report.
- Value: performance against price, not the lowest number on the page.
Where the numbers come from
Each guide names its sources in the text, next to the claim they support, so you never have to guess which number came from where. In practice the sources fall into a few groups:
- the manufacturer's own specification sheet and manual for capacity, output and charge figures;
- the provider's own pricing, fee, insurance and help pages for what a service costs;
- the land manager's or company's published policy for where you may park or camp;
- and review platforms, which we cite by name and score when owner sentiment is part of the argument.
When two sources disagree, we say so on the page rather than quietly picking the friendlier number.
How prices stay current
Prices drift, so every page that states one also states the date we verified it, and that date is not decorative: an automated check runs before each release and blocks publication when a verification date has gone stale.
On a monthly pass we re-check stated prices against the seller's own page, oldest first. Even so, a price can move the day after we verify it, which is why every stamped figure is paired with the advice to confirm the current price on the retailer's page before you buy.
How we handle claims and ratings
A brand claim is a lead, not a fact. Awards, superlatives and earnings claims get traced to a primary source before publication, and anything we cannot verify is either marked as an unverified brand claim or left out.
When a company states what its users earn or save, we attribute that claim to the company by name. Owner ratings and star scores belong to the people and platforms that collected them: we quote those with attribution and never re-badge them as a CampVerdict score. Our own editorial scores are clearly labelled as our opinion, formed from the evidence shown on the page.
What we will not do
We do not publish discount codes that expire, because a stale code leaves a wrong price sitting on the page.
We do not present a company award as a product award. We do not promise unlimited power, free government money or any other claim the fine print does not support. We do not write a pick with no downsides, because no product has none. On a review page, the only commercial link is our own disclosed one.
Our limits
Specifications, prices and land-use rules change, and needs are genuinely personal: rig size, trip length, climate and power habits move the answer. Treat our guides as a well-sourced starting point, confirm current details on the seller's or agency's page, and buy where there is a clear trial or return policy.
Independence
We earn affiliate commissions on some links (disclosure), but payouts never decide our rankings. We tell you when a product is wrong for you even though saying so earns us nothing.
Corrections
If you find a figure that no longer matches the source, a rule that has changed, or a conclusion the evidence no longer supports, tell us. We check the claim against the primary source, correct the page, and update its modification date so the fix is visible rather than silent. We would rather carry a correction than an error.