Portable Power Stations - Toyota 4Runner Forum

Mudhorn · 10-14-2020, 10:03 AM

What portable power stations are you using and your thoughts?

I have a Goal Zero Yeti 400. It is ok for my camping needs, but looking to upgrade to something that lasts longer before recharging. Prime Day has Jackery and BALDR brands on sale, anyone familiar?

Hutch4r · 10-14-2020, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OYOTA TRD

What portable power stations are you using and your thoughts?

I have a Goal Zero Yeti 400. It is ok for my camping needs, but looking to upgrade to something that lasts longer before recharging. Prime Day has Jackery and BALDR brands on sale, anyone familiar?

Check out lionenergy.com I'm a dealer and if you see something that will work for you hit me up. I'll hook you up.

TRUSTYAXE · 10-14-2020, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OYOTA TRD

What portable power stations are you using and your thoughts?

I have a Goal Zero Yeti 400. It is ok for my camping needs, but looking to upgrade to something that lasts longer before recharging. Prime Day has Jackery and BALDR brands on sale, anyone familiar?

I bought a Jackery 240 a while back to add inline to my 12V fridge wiring. I am powering a Dometic CFX-28 and it works great. Now I use my OEM fridge switch to charge the Jackery while moving or let it charge off my deep cycle for a while when parked. It doesn't take long for the Jackery to come back to 100% once the fridge is cooled down and starts to cycle. I also have one of their 60w solar panels that I can throw on the dash and plug into the Jackery. Pass through charging is a nice feature, its really a lot of bang for your buck as in the past you would need a charger controller and inverter to have all the same functionality.

jp.vegas · 10-14-2020, 11:40 AM

I've got a Jackery 500 and their Solar Saga 100w panel. Works great to run the fridge and whatever else needs powering while camped. The Jackery recharges off the 120v inverter in the truck while driving and the solar if we're parked long enough to deploy it. Fridge just runs off the Jackery and it works great.

At some point I'll backfeed my aux fuse box off the Jackery so it powers whatever other accessories are wired in the truck if needed but really the fridge is the most important.

SlickTRD · 10-14-2020, 11:43 AM

I am not in the market for any power stations but consider the recharge lifecycle of most lithium ion batteries is approx 500 recharge cycles or about 2-3 years of average use before they degrade to the point where it barely holds a charge. If you want something with higher recharge cycles you should look into lithium iron phosphate (LiFePo4). For example the Dometic PLB40 is based on LiFePo4 batteries however it does not have a 110v port. These types of batteries should last approx 10 years of average use while maintaining near full capacity.

Mudhorn · 10-14-2020, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRUSTYAXE

I bought a Jackery 240 a while back to add inline to my 12V fridge wiring.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp.vegas

Fridge just runs off the Jackery and it works great.

How many hours are you powering the fridge when only on the Jackery power (at camp) at night (no solar available)?

Mudhorn · 10-14-2020, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hutch4r

Check out lionenergy.com I'm a dealer and if you see something that will work for you hit me up. I'll hook you up.

Thanks, I will look at the brand.

TRUSTYAXE · 10-14-2020, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OYOTA TRD

How many hours are you powering the fridge when only on the Jackery power (at camp) at night (no solar available)?

I have not stayed anywhere overnight yet, been a kinda stupid year and its been stupid hot down here. So I can't provide any real data there. But going from a warm fridge (109 deg out) to 34 degrees and maintaining it for around 4 hours pulled the little 240 down to around 80%.

Cajun_TRD · 10-14-2020, 01:08 PM

I'd steer clear of Goal Zero. I have a number of their products and they have turned out to not be very rugged or dependable. JMO. I use mine for family camping trips, not some hardcore offroad expedition stuff and it has not held up well.

jp.vegas · 10-14-2020, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OYOTA TRD

How many hours are you powering the fridge when only on the Jackery power (at camp) at night (no solar available)?

With the Jackery 500, based on discharge rates I've measured, my 50 qt ARB should run for about 42-43 hours without any sort of charging input. That's with the fridge set at 33F and normal open/close activity to dig for stuff.

Crikeymike · 10-14-2020, 01:20 PM

I have a Rockpals 330W. I chose not to get a bigger option so that it could charge by solar fully within one day, and it does. I ran my fridge for 3 weeks on a trip this September and never had an issue with it. It also recharges off a cigarette lighter just as quick as solar, so when I was driving between campsites, I'd get it back to full juice no worries.

And yeah, I don't expect it to last forever. My only problem will be making sure I use it every now and then at home when I'm not on a trip.

Chilow · 10-14-2020, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp.vegas

With the Jackery 500, based on discharge rates I've measured, my 50 qt ARB should run for about 42-43 hours without any sort of charging input. That's with the fridge set at 33F and normal open/close activity to dig for stuff.

I have similar results. I also have an ARB 50qt and use the Jackery 500 when I don't want to drain the battery in the 4runner. I got about 48 hours with the fridge temp set to 29F before the battery life on the Jackery showed 16%. I'm sure I could've squeezed another 1-2 hours, but didn't want to run the battery too low. Ambient temperature was about 70-80F so results vary.

jp.vegas · 10-14-2020, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chilow

I have similar results. I also have an ARB 50qt and use the Jackery 500 when I don't want to drain the battery in the 4runner. I got about 48 hours with the fridge temp set to 29F before the battery life on the Jackery showed 16%. I'm sure I could've squeezed another 1-2 hours, but didn't want to run the battery too low. Ambient temperature was about 70-80F so results vary.

Remember that the lithium cells in these can be discharged fully, unlike the 50% discharge you're not supposed to exceed with AGM or other lead/acid chemistries.

Ambient temperature has a lot to do with the discharge rate too; this weekend when I was out, had the hatch open for many hours in camp and it was 90-95 degrees in the little canyon we were in. That of course makes the fridge work harder.

In any case, the solar would have topped it off nicely if I was in the sun ;)

OffKamber · 10-14-2020, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cajun_TRD

I'd steer clear of Goal Zero. I have a number of their products and they have turned out to not be very rugged or dependable. JMO. I use mine for family camping trips, not some hardcore offroad expedition stuff and it has not held up well.

1000% agree. I have about $1500 into goal zero system and it’s failing miserably.

ElJefe · 10-15-2020, 12:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crikeymike

I have a Rockpals 330W. I chose not to get a bigger option so that it could charge by solar fully within one day, and it does. I ran my fridge for 3 weeks on a trip this September and never had an issue with it. It also recharges off a cigarette lighter just as quick as solar, so when I was driving between campsites, I'd get it back to full juice no worries.

And yeah, I don't expect it to last forever. My only problem will be making sure I use it every now and then at home when I'm not on a trip.

Thats good to hear. I just ordered Rockpals new 500 watt power station. Excited to get it and try it out. Looked good and a lot cheaper than other brands.

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