Anyone using the Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 500

I am trying to solve an issue with my power setup of my offroader for 5-10 day camps, and came cross this jackery portable station 500, anyone using one any feedback how long it lasts etc, and is it worth purchasing?

saw it also comes with 100w panels or 60 just curious if anyone using this setup, i have domenic fridge 35quart curios if that will run it for few days without touching car battery.

 

While I don't have that specific one. I do have the Honda Jackery 290 Version and I can run my Engel MT45 Fridge for about 12hrs or so. I'm not sure if the 500 would give you multiple days. If you'r using the solar panels you should be able to constantly run it.

 

thats my plan but was curious if anyone used it and see their input, all stuff on youtube looks like sponsored stuff so i am sure they wont say to much bad, i want real peps exp with it

 

Amazon has a badass return policy. Just buy it and test it out at home. If it doesn't work out just send it back lol

 

yea true, but i am one of those wierdos who does insane research for 3/8 bolt before he buys LOL..

 

No idea on their build quality or longevity, but ballpark math has it meeting your power needs with solar.
Dometic CFX35W uses .77 A/hr @ 12v, or 9.25 W per their site.
Jackery is specing their usable capacity at .85 nominal, or 425 W•hr.
So, back of the envelope you're looking at 42 hrs of run time with the fridge.

Solar input is pretty variable: on the plus side your best solar input is on the days where the fridge has to work most.
100 W x 60% efficiency x 6 solar hours per day gets you ~360 W•hr/day. That should be able to keep up with your fridge's drain of 240 W•hr/day.
Same assumptions on a 60 W panel give you 216 W•hr/day, so will likely be slowly draining your battery pack.

 

wow awesome help thanks. think for weekends or 3-4 days would be fine i am thinking with their 100w solar thing.

 

Yeah, should be fine indefinitely with solar/included car charger as long as it gets 3 or 4 hrs of charge time a day.

If you want a cheaper solar set-up, you can Amazon a similar folding panel for $200 or flex panel + MC4 to 8mm adapter for $150.

 

I've had 1 for about 1 year now. Hasn't let me down or cause any issues. Works exactly as advertised. Just do your maths to determine how long it will last for what ever you want to run.

 

Does it need to be portable? Like are you carrying this thing away from your truck for some reason?

If not, a $100 AGM battery, a $20 charge controller, and a 100w Renogy solar panel is all you'll really need. Add another $100 for a cool installation with a bunch of 12v and USB plugs, and you're all set.

That portable solar panel is pretty expensive for what you're getting. I thought I over paid for my $250 folding 100w panel.

Whatever you do, I'd suggest a portable solar panel and a 50' cord for it. That way, you can part your truck in the shade but still get good solar charge.

 

I came across this thing during one of my rabbit hole nights. I don't really have any plans on being out longer than a 4 day weekend, but I still want this and want to nerd out on the electronics. Still doing research and seeing where the price point is between me just getting more toys or having something we'll use while camping.

https://www.arkportablepower.com/products/arkpak-730-portable-power

 

I looked at Arkpak a while back, but couldn't justify the $450 price tag. I went with a simple $45 trolling motor case -

$65 Minn Kota 1820175 Trolling Motor Marine Battery Power Center

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PTHKMG/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza. The ArkPak is much nicer and has a bunch of useful feature - low power cutoff, inverter, charging display, etc. - but not worth it at ten times the price.

 

Hell yee man! I was gonna get myself a jackery but my buddy told me invest that money into a solar setup! Don't want to have that go poop on me and rip $500......

 

Sorry, I like solar but I'd recommend using it in conjunction with a jackery or other second battery.

Solar (like a generator or your alternator) lets you refill your battery, but having a larger tank/battery is still a good idea if you're draining more than factory loads. Your starter battery is optimized to dump a lot of amps very quickly and doesn't handle a sustained draw as well - mess up on the math at night and you're stuck waiting all morning for the solar to recharge your starter battery before going anywhere.

That said, plenty of people using a single battery, and with small loads you can absolutely get away with it, but I prefer a second for redundancy/safety margin.

 

I own a Jackery 500 that we use for charging our phones and laptops while away. We love it and its light enough that we can easily toss it in the tent, back seat etc. We had a deep cycle battery and a 100w panel on our old teardrop that worked but it wasn't portable like these solar chargers are. I bought the Jackery 100W panel to use on our 500 but just returned it as it was too bulky for my needs. I plan to get the 60W one from Jackery as it takes up less real estate and will bring back a 50% drained 500 battery back to 100% in a good day of sun. The 100w panel worked great and would handle that same task in 2-3 hours.

In regards to the OP's question about running a fridge yes it will. However if your budget allows go for the new Jackery 1000 or a Goal Zero Yeti 1000. The 500 would work but you would be chasing the battery level all day with a solar panel. That all depends on the wattage draw of your particular fridge.

I had a Yeti 1000 originally as I planned to get a fridge but scrapped that idea and sold it to get something smaller. If you go for the Yeti call them directly as they frequently run unadvertised sales and they also sell refurbs. I paid $799 for a new one and they retail for $999. You will need a minimum of a 100w panel to keep the bigger solar batteries charged up.

 

I wouldn't say it's a better power station than ENKEEO or Honda.

BUT Jackery explorer is my #1 choice if it comes to solar backup. I mean their SolarSaga solar panels that sold separately. It's just great addition if you go somewhere outdoors.
https://wildproofgear.com/the-best-portable-power-station/

For me pairing the Jackery 240 with this panel made sense especially during the sale! I was looking for convenience, easy of use (plug and play) and portability. Yes, the panel can only be used to charge the Jackery stations with the included connector, however someone with the skills and equipment could probably figure a way to adapt it to other devices. Also, the panel does not have usb outlets, but that's what the 240 is for! When I tested the panel on a partly cloudy day it charged the 240 between 34-38 watts. Looking forward to a clear day and seeing what the panel output is.

 

I know this is an old thread but I’m looking to paired my Jackery 500 with a solar panel, I have seen this on Amazon, will this work with the Jackery 500?


Renogy 100W 12V Monocrystalline Solar Starter Kit with 20A Rover MPPT Charge Controller

$129 Renogy 100W 12V Solar Panel Starter Kit: 100 Watt Monocrystalline Solar Panel, MPPT 20A Charge Controller, Adaptor Kit, Tray Cables, Z Brackets for RV, Camper, Caravan and Other Off Grid Applications

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Monoc...f+rack+Solar+panel&qid=1597888981&sr=8-3&th=1