what solar power station that you would recommed wihle camping?

what solar power station that you would recommed wihle camping?

 

We recently tried the SolarSaga 100 which pairs with Jackery but it’s just a nice-to-have add-on, not necessarily a full power station.

 

Ditto. We bought a package from Costco that came with a 200w and 800w Jackery along with two folding 100w solar panels. I then added an MPPT charge controller so the solar panels can be used to charge the wet cell batteries in our travel trailer or the truck.

Similar to this:
https://www.costco.com/jackery-expl...0w-solar-generator-kit.product.100837145.html

 

Same, except with a Jackery 550. Got the solar panel mostly for the rare trip where the truck is sitting stationary for multiple days.

 

Really depends on what you plan to run with it and for what duration.

 

Costco ran a sale on the Ecoflow’s. We picked up an EcoFlow Delta and a couple solar panels. It’s a nice unit for us. Charges fast when plugged into the wall. We use it to run our Traeger Scout, charge our laptops, phones, electric kettle, etc. Eventually it will power a fridge. it’s a larger unit with dual fans that are a little loud but not obnoxious. Reviews are good but early reports say they may not last as many cycles before output declines as other generators. We will see…so far it’s performing nicely.

 

Long story, so stick with me.....

Any solar generator system will most likely work just fine. They are all built fairly similarly, with some having more or less features, more or less robust.


Some major things to consider regardless.

1. How long is the warranty?

2. And MOST importantly, what services will the brand provide when your warranty is over?

Here is my experience so far.

Started out with a

$999 Jackery Explorer 1000 Portable Power Station, 1002Wh Capacity with 3x1000W AC Outlets, Solar Generator for Home Backup, Emergency, Outdoor Camping (Solar Panel Optional)

Jackery Explorer 1000 and charged off my truck D/C and later installed the 400W anytime circuit and then charged off that.

Shortly thereafter, I added 200W of solar to the roof and this kept the Jackery topped off during the day without issue while running my 37Q ARB fridge.

Here's where it goes south.

Two months out of warranty (a 2 yr warranty), I am prepping my truck the night before to head out with Edward Shin to Mt Hood for an overnighter now that Shadow 2.0 was fixed after sliding off the road.

Anywho... Got the fridge and Jackery all setup in my passenger back seat and running sometime around 8pm. Went out at midnight to toss a few more items in the fridge and found it OFF. Same with the Jackery.

From that moment forward the Jackery still does not turn on. I did the trip with the fridge running of the truck's D/C just fine.

Back home, I tried absolutely everything known to the world to reset, recharge, etc and nada. No worky.

Contacted Jackery about what my options are for repair services in the USA. I am not looking for warranty work, just repair work on my dime. Was basically told to kick rocks. They have ZERO repair facilities in the USA and ZERO plans to create any. I now have a $1000 brick that has perfectly fine batteries, just no way to turn them on.

Screw them! Never again!

Contacted EcoFlow as the Delta 2 looked about equivalent in price, but loaded with many more features. And to boot, a 5 year warranty, AND a repair facility in Texas.

Done!

1) Excellent customer service, 1000%.
2) Crazy fast charge rate on household A/C input. All charge rates are customizable.
3) App for Bluetooth / WiFi connection.
4) Expandable.
5) Free software updates, downloaded via
the app.

Also picked up one of their 220W bifacial waterproof folding solar panels for use when I want to park in the shade and still need to charge during the day while camping.


Bottomline....

At the prices that these things go for, contact as many companies as you see fit, ask about warranties, extended warranties, after warranty repair options, etc.

Some names to contact and gauge against each other in no particular order.

*Jackery
*EcoFlow
*Bluetti
*GoelZero
*OUPES
*Geneverse (eerily similar to Jackery)
*Anker

Many many other brands, I just didn't see much for details worth pursuing.


As for my Jackery 1000, it's a good unit. Just a company that used the hell out of many YouTube influencers to advertise all the functions/use, but never touch on what happens after your (short 2 yr) warranty expires and needs a repair.

If a repair center ever pops up that can repair Jackery units, I'll look at getting it fixed. It's something in the front control board as it has full juice to the board, nothing coming out.

 

Do you need AC? I don't. I got this https://drprepare.com/powermax-12v-100ah-lifepo4-battery-and-hub/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40Jqb38qPcM and a solar panel. 10 year warranty. If 100w pannel isn't enough for your needs, you can get a lifepo battery, a controller and a larger panel. The youtube review has a discount code

 

so…..




about 2000 bags of ice.

 

Went with the Goal Zero 500 with 100 W solar panel so wifey can run her CPAC at night. Takes 2-3 hours to recharge in the morning but CPAC can go 2 to 3 days without recharging

Bought the Goal Zero at a local REI using one of their 20% one item coupon. A week after we bought the solar panel, it went on sale while we were camping in NV. I took my receipt back to the Reno REI and they refunded the 20% on the panel even though we bought it at a different store in a different state.

Comes with a 1 year warrantee. Chose REI because they said I could bring it in for exchange at any REI store if there is an problem during the warranty period.

 

Yup!

 

Assuming you tried hard rebooting the Jackery? Press and hold the display button and DC/USB button for 8 seconds, might get its mind right.

 

As I said in my initial comment, I tried absolutely everything many many times. I tried every combination of buttons and time of holding buttons down.

Since it's out of warranty, I took it apart and tested it. Fully charged battery power going into the front board. Nothing comes back out.

Probably just hang onto it until Jackery or some secondary outfit comes along that provides repairs I'll look at getting it fixed.

But for now, I do NOT recommend buying and supporting Jackery just because of their lack of repair options once out of warranty. Otherwise, they seemed to be built pretty solid.

 

^ This 100%.


It all depends on what you are running. I have a portable 120W panel with a PWM charge controller feeding two group 24F lead-acid batteries. I can run for a day without charging (that is working for 9 or 10 hours with my Starlink up [fed by my Xantrex 1kW inverter], my ICECO fridge set to ~30 deg, and my vent fan running on medium or high to keep the interior of the teardrop cool, and my work laptop). A few questions you need to answer....

1. How long will you be out camping?
2. What are your charging alternatives if the sun isn't out or you are at a spot in the shade?
3. What are you looking to run / charge / recharge?
   

 

I just got one also but haven't used it yet. Sucks it doesn't come with a charger or have a percentage readout but the price is right.

 

thats a good deal. I love REI