Looking for first projector - outdoor use

[BayAreaRider]

I’m looking to pick up a projector I can use while camping. I plan to bring a thick white sheet to string between trees and view old twiglight zone movies with the family. I’m not looking to spend a fortune on something I’ll be traveling with regularly and exposing to outdoor elements, but with that said I do need it to be of somewhat fair quality to produce a picture 8 feet tall approx.
Are there any recommendations you guys can give me? I see a bunch on CL for 200 bucks but I’m not sure if they are worth buying. I just don’t want to purchase something with a life expectancy of 5 uses.
TIA

 

[BMXTRIX]

How do you plan on powering the projector? Do you have a an actual 120v plug at your camp site, or so you intend to use a battery powered projector?

With a batter powered projector, about the most you should expect MAY be about a 6' diagonal, and maybe 90 minutes of battery life or so. This is from a model rated at about 300-500 lumens. That brightness will be cut in half when on battery power.

I'm a fan of the AAXA proejctors - aaxatech.com - and the P300 is a solid choice IMO.

http://www.aaxatech.com/products/P300neo_android_pico_projector.html

It is rated at about 400 lumens, and you may get 150-200 on battery power... maybe.

It will last for years as long as you actually keep it from getting wet, so bring a ziplock to store it in and don't run it in the rain.

 

[BayAreaRider]

Awesome thanks for the recc. That is a cool little unit! I didn’t even know there were battery powered projectors to be honest.
We will be using AC power from our toyhauler though, but I’m liking the flexibility of that p300 for times we don’t bring a generator.

Is the p300 able to be charged while in use with an AC or DC charger? Or is it solely battery powered? My RZR XP has an excellent sound system and I can modify it to have DC outlet chargers.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Since I've never owned a p300, I'm not sure exactly how it works, but it certainly should be used while plugged in whenever possible. This will give you the maximum brightness it offers, and should have no problem giving you a 100" to 120" diagonal if you want to go that large... after dark of course.

I've even looked at projectors which can use high powered USB charges to run them, but those are far too dim at this point to be something I would recommend.

Look for reviews out there of the p300. Be aware that it is a 720p projector, not a 1080p projector, which saves you some money, but will decrease resolution a bit. Not a big deal if you are just having fun with it. But, the image itself should look very good. The size should be excellent for travel use.

 

[wilhelmnez]

You're a true entertainment enthusiast! In nature, we always have a game of shadows. I've never taken a projector on a camping trip. But your idea is cool, so now I want to do something like that. Why don't we swap our activities? I can describe our shadow games. You'll need a wall for them. I think the side of a car or a tent would work for this. You'll also need a good flashlight with a yellow light. Of course, the light can also be white, but yellow will look cooler and more vintage. I always carry a waterproof flashlight with me https://www.amazon.com/Vont-Flashlight-Flashlights-Water-Resistant-Accessories/dp/B089T8HDBV. This flashlight has many modes, and I choose the yellow light beam. Each of you must show a shadow on each letter of the alphabet.