Portable Power Supply Options
- Thread starter 949r6
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sn_85
Senior Member
I'd look into some of the Goal Zero or Renogy products.
ToyoT4R
Member
+1
I use these Honda 2kW generators at work and they work flawlessly, and very quiet. If you need more power you can run two in parallel.
Swede71
New member
Just got my Dometic CFX65 fridge/freezer about 2 hrs ago, am testing it with my Goal Zero Yeti 400 before heading out for the weekend and now that it is cold it is only drawing .5 to.4 amps and max 4amps when the compressor kicks in high gear, so realistically it should last for a long time before needing to be recharged. Based on the wattage in/out even a smaller Nomad 28 solar panel will possibly charge the Yeti enough. The Nomad 28 has given me max usable wattage in full sunlight of between 18-20 watts. Currently the Dometic is only using 13.5 - 13.6 watts or max 55 Watts when the compressor kicks in high gear every few minutes (have not had time to verify how often, looks like every 15-20min or so), now that it has chilled, have it set at -6C for the freezer. Basically am trying to say you can run an efficient fridge freezer and charge other equipment with this type of set up. Hope that helps. Will also be testing it with my 100 Watt Nomad solar panel which may be overkill for my trips, will see.
Am not an electrical engineer so not sure how the math works, will do some trial and error over the summer to see.
jayhat
New member
I have a Goal Zero Yeti 150, a set of their string lights, and a couple lanterns. Honestly its a very versatile and quality system. I can also use it in the house for power outages etc. I go back and forth between waiting something portable and something wired up in the rig, rack lights on all 4 sides, etc. Goal zero works just great for now.
I was also looking into this at one point as well.
National Luna Portable Power Pack Dual Battery System
I was also looking into this at one point as well.
National Luna Portable Power Pack Dual Battery System
greatape
Senior Member
I favor a dual battery system but if you want a portable 12v power pack budget solution, it would be cheaper to build your own, however it's going to be more that $100 and could be close to how much market offerings offer. But it's all depending on your usage and what capabilities you want, a good charging solution will be key like solar...lot of variables here...
mrblah
Senior Member
I'm not a sparkie, so a homebrew system is out of the question. So I went with arkpak 730, mainly for being able to maintain my own batteries, and/or move up to LiPo when they get cheaper.
Also, I wanted portability in the sense that I can move between cars or campgrounds or homes.
I am aware their CS is nonexistent, so that is something that I did have to think long and hard about.
Goal zero's 400 still uses lead acid batteries, but it is chainable. their new lithium versions look attractive but it isn't chaineable. So I wasn't too thrilled there.
Then there is the anker powerhouse, that looked pretty tempting too. Same limitations with this as with the goal zero.
these were the systems I crossed shopped.
Also, I wanted portability in the sense that I can move between cars or campgrounds or homes.
I am aware their CS is nonexistent, so that is something that I did have to think long and hard about.
Goal zero's 400 still uses lead acid batteries, but it is chainable. their new lithium versions look attractive but it isn't chaineable. So I wasn't too thrilled there.
Then there is the anker powerhouse, that looked pretty tempting too. Same limitations with this as with the goal zero.
these were the systems I crossed shopped.
nglayton
Senior Member
Goal zero
Goal zero Yeti 400 with two 100w solar panels.
3-4 daisy chained lights and also use it to charge up the portable electronics in the evenings which includes:
3-4 Garmin Rino's
3-4 cell phones
1 iPad
1 laptop
Not all of them are completely dead or even used each day....but with a little planning you can keep them all charged pretty easily.
It works great as long as someone remembers to rotate the panels into the sun a few times a day.
Goal zero Yeti 400 with two 100w solar panels.
3-4 daisy chained lights and also use it to charge up the portable electronics in the evenings which includes:
3-4 Garmin Rino's
3-4 cell phones
1 iPad
1 laptop
Not all of them are completely dead or even used each day....but with a little planning you can keep them all charged pretty easily.
It works great as long as someone remembers to rotate the panels into the sun a few times a day.
4RnR Grl
New member
I had zero prior electrical experience... but wired up my own dual battery with charging relay and isolator. Many searches on this forum and others led me to this decision. I have a constant readout on both batteries so I know exactly what is going on and when I need to start the truck to charge. The setup and wiring diagram is linked in my thread on the first page.
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Nostrathomas
New member
I have a Goal Zero Yeti 400 and just used it on an ID-MA-WY-WA trip. Had enough power to run a CPAP all night and would charge in the back during the day. Seems to work as advertised.
949r6
New member
I had zero prior electrical experience... but wired up my own dual battery with charging relay and isolator. Many searches on this forum and others led me to this decision. I have a constant readout on both batteries so I know exactly what is going on and when I need to start the truck to charge. The setup and wiring diagram is linked in my thread on the first page.
[emoji48]
Impressive!
