Every October, the same thing happens.

You've got a 12-foot inflatable graveyard in the front yard, two hundred feet of orange string lights around the porch, and a fog machine that's supposed to start breathing at dusk. Then you look for an outlet. There isn't one. So you run a 50-foot extension cord across the lawn — and spend the rest of the night worrying that a six-year-old in a dinosaur costume is going to trip over it.

There's a simpler way to do this. A portable power station — basically a big battery with outlets built in — sits behind the tombstone, runs everything silently, and never needs an extension cord. Here's how to size one for your display.

Capacity: How Much Do You Actually Need for One Night?

Capacity is measured in watt-hours (Wh), and the math is simpler than it looks: add up the wattage of everything you're plugging in, then multiply by the hours you want it running.

For a typical yard display, that's roughly:

• LED string lights: 20W × 6H=120 Wh
• Fog machine (cycling): 100W × 4H=400 Wh
• Projector or speaker: 40W × 5H = 200 Wh. This assumes one device drawing 40W, not both together. If you use both, calculate each separately.

Add a 20% buffer — you don't want to hit zero at 8:30 PM, right when the neighborhood is busiest.

For most mid-size displays, something in the 1000Wh class covers a full dusk-to-midnight haunt on one charge. That's the sweet spot: big enough to run several decorations at once, small enough to carry out to the yard with one hand.

If you want a concrete example, the Lipower G1000L-S is built at 1075Wh — enough headroom for lights and a fog machine running together, with pure sine wave output so your projector and speaker don't buzz. It recharges between nights, so it's ready for the next evening's haunt.

After Halloween: It's Not a One-Night Purchase

The best argument for a power station over a cheap seasonal workaround: November 1st doesn't end its usefulness. November is storm season in much of the US. The same unit that ran your fog machine can keep a lamp, a phone charger, and a router alive during an outage — or run a string of Christmas lights in three weeks.

Q: Can a portable power station run a fog machine?

A: Yes, as long as the unit's continuous output rating exceeds the fog machine's draw. Fog machines cycle on and off, so average consumption is lower than the nameplate wattage.

Q: Is it safe to leave outside overnight?

A: Keep it under cover — a porch, a pop-up canopy, or a weatherproof bin with ventilation. The unit itself is fine in cool temperatures, but you don't want it sitting in a puddle.

Q: How long will it run my display?

A: Divide the capacity (Wh) by your total load (W). Higher-wattage decorations like inflatable blowers drain it faster than LED lights.

Ready to ditch the extension cord?

The Lipower G1000L-S (1075Wh) is on sale for Halloween — [Shop the Halloween Deal →]. Pure sine wave, whisper-quiet, and ready for every outage November throws at you.