Portable power stations (PPS) can be game changers to backup your home’s electricity supply during outages. They are also valuable additions to at-home workshops and construction sites. But many people don’t realize the many benefits of portable power stations for camping.
A PPS can transform your camping experience and even make your adventures in the wild safer…
From camping on the beach to roughing it in the woods, here are all the reasons you need a portable power station for camping.
Access to electricity is essential for those who enjoy comfort and convenience when camping. With a portable power station, you can enjoy modern life’s amenities when you venture into the great outdoors.
Imagine waking up to the sounds of nature while still being able to make a fresh cup of coffee without the hassle of a campfire or a propane camping stove. With such ready access to electricity, you can easily blow up an air mattress, power portable speakers, or even a video projector! The options to improve the comfort of your campsite are virtually endless!
Even a small portable power station stores enough energy to charge personal electronic devices and small appliances — from smartphones to coffee makers, lights, computers, and more.
Options like the EcoFlow RIVER 2 give you enough charge to stay comfortable while still being compact and lightweight enough at 7.7 lbs (3.5 kg) to pack for a camping or backpacking trip.
On their own, portable power stations essentially act as a giant battery — most provide at least enough electricity storage to power all your essentials for a weekend of camping. For longer camping trips, we recommend combining a portable power station with portable solar panels to give you access to clean, renewable solar power — wherever you are.
Some portable power stations, like the EcoFlow RIVER 2 Series, are compatible with solar panels, making for an eco-friendly alternative to gas-powered generators.
Even the smallest portable power station in the EcoFlow RIVER 2 series can provide up to 600W of electricity and generate up to 784Wh of power when paired with one of EcoFlow’s portable solar panels. That’s more than enough power to charge all your personal electronic devices, such as smartphones, laptops, and Bluetooth speakers, or to run small kitchen appliances like toasters and blenders.
The great thing about solar energy is that you can generate electricity long any time there’s daylight. Unlike gasoline or other fossil fuels, solar energy is free and renewable.
If you need an extra boost, not to worry, you can also connect your PPS to your car’s alternator — or shore power at a campsite — if it needs a charge.
Some campers pack a gas-powered generator to power their RV or campsite. Gas-powered generators are noisy and release toxic emissions, including carbon monoxide. Not only does this impact your camping experience, but a loud generator can annoy neighboring campers. Many campsites require a permit to run a fossil-fuel-powered generator and only allow them to operate during limited hours.
To keep your campsite quiet, safe, and clean, we recommend substituting a gas-powered generator with a portable power station and solar panels. They can provide just as much power as a gas generator, are easily rechargeable, and are virtually silent without air pollution.
Gas generators are often more clunky and require you to keep fuel on hand. Portable power stations are more compact, easier to use, and convenient to recharge with solar panels.
“Van life” has become a popular form of long-term camping. For lovers of travel and the great outdoors, it provides a style of camping that maintains the basic comforts of modern life while offering adventure and immersion into nature. Like traditional RVs, many people are equipping their camper vans with a full kitchen setup, lights, air conditioners, and other appliances.
Typically, these electronics require an off-grid power solution or access to shore power. But if you’re keen to get out in the wild away from campgrounds, then a power station is your best bet.
Whether you’re converting your first camper van and are looking for an easy solution for your electricity needs or want to replace your RV’s gas generator with an eco-friendly alternative, a PPS is a powerful solution. A bigger portable power station, such as the Eco-Flow EcoFlow RIVER 2 Pro, provides more than enough power to run small appliances such as microwaves, electric kettles, blenders, and fans.
Off-grid energy supply especially comes in handy for older RVs with few outlets and small generators with limited electrical capacity. A portable power station is a good solution for campers who often find themselves blowing fuses and tripping breakers in their RV, which is a sign their RV’s existing power supply can’t handle their electricity needs.
EcoFlow’s portable power stations are easy to recharge using one of four methods:
All of the EcoFlow RIVER 2 series portable power stations can be fully charged using AC electricity in about an hour.
With a portable power station, you can avoid lugging around extra gas for your generator. You have multiple recharging options that don’t require reliance on fuel or access to a gas station.
For the dedicated outdoorsman who prefers to camp in the remote wilderness, a portable power station is an excellent investment to level up your off-grid setup.
Forgoing the comforts of a traditional campground, such as running water and electricity, and opting to go entirely off-grid has its benefits. You can avoid crowds of campers, escape artificial light and noise pollution, and feel more connected with nature.
Thanks to a portable power station, you can get all the benefits of off-grid camping while still having access to modern conveniences — no more running out of phone battery or relying on potentially hazardous light sources like lanterns. With a portable power station, you can access electricity even in the most remote locations. No longer are you limited to crowded campgrounds with electrical hookups.
You may be on the fence about buying a portable power station for camping — after all, it’s just one more thing to pack in your car that’s already full of sleeping bags, coolers, and camping chairs. But you may be surprised at how compact a PPS can be. Small to medium-sized models from the EcoFlow RIVER 2 series take up less space than your average cooler.
The EcoFlow RIVER 2 portable power stations are small, lightweight, and easy to travel with — you can even fit one in your backpack! The EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max weighs less than 14 lbs (6.3 kg) but provides plenty of power for your electronics.
With a compact PPS, it’s no longer a choice between power backup and backpacking with a light load—you can have both for a smooth camping experience.
For people who grew up camping, there is something nostalgic about roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire or warming up a can of baked beans on a propane camping stove. By all means, indulge your nostalgia, but packing a portable power station is a surefire way to improve your cooking options while camping.
You can power a blender for smoothies (or cocktails), brew fresh coffee with your coffee maker, and cook with an electric stovetop or kettle. You may be able to get away without modern appliances to make your meals in the great outdoors, but they sure make it easier and open up your options for creative camping meals.
Nowadays, we rely on our smartphones for pretty much everything — from driving directions to researching the best hiking trails to the ever-so-handy flashlight. Most any modern-day camper would agree that having a fully charged cell phone helps ensure a smooth camping trip. But all too often, we end up with a dead phone battery long before the end of a camping trip in the great outdoors.
You can always have a fully charged phone with a portable power station in your camping gear. It’s not just for the luxuries; a cell phone can be your lifeline in an emergency. It’s the one thing you don’t want to run out of power.
Although camping is a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life and disconnect from technology, there’s no reason not to bring the comfort and ease of electricity with you on the road.
EcoFlow’s portable power stations provide enough electricity to power all your devices in an accessible, rechargeable, and compact package.
Forget about your phone running out of battery or tolerating a gas generator’s annoying rumble (and toxic emissions). Combine your PPS with portable solar panels for the ultimate compact off-grid electrical setup.
For these reasons (and more), portable power stations make the list of camping essentials for the modern-day outdoor adventurer.
While the options are numerous, the Jackery 2000 Plus is the best portable power station I've tested overall -- Jackery's offerings are usually solid in this arena. I've felt that some older models were lacking, or omitted features like wireless charging, but the company has now added the ability to expand the 2000 Plus by adding on external batteries, which increases its overall capacity and capabilities.
As electronic devices become ever more integrated into our daily lives, the need to keep those devices charged and online increases, but we can't bring the power grid with us wherever we go. Portable power stations are the perfect solution to keep us electronically powered anywhere. These devices have enough bells and whistles to justify adding one of these to your everyday life, as well; they can be an inexpensive stand-in for generators when you need to keep your absolute necessities up and running.
If you're looking to juice up your devices, you'll have way more options than bulky, simple power banks with basic outlets. Portable power stations have undergone major improvements since we first started reviewing them here at CNET, bringing about features like USB ports, solar panel inputs and wireless charging. You can daisy-chain some models for even more power, or connect others to your home's electrical system, giving you backup power in an emergency or power outage. You'll also find plenty that work just as well as gas-powered generators for camping trips and other off-grid activities.
To find the best of the bunch, I spent hours putting each power station through its paces, and I also considered factors such as battery life, power output and input charging options, plus output options for juicing up my gear. Power stations that only sport AC outlets and force you to use adapters are no longer viable. Each is more than just an on-the-go phone battery charger or glamping must-have. These power bank performers have wide-ranging uses, from building and construction to staying connected with the office or family to having access to emergency lighting and power wherever you roam or call home.
Jackery has been busy with new releases this year, and for some, it might be easy to get confused by its naming system. At first, I thought the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus was an incremental update to the Jackery Explorer 2000 Pro, but no; this is a decidedly different product. The standard specs and performance are similar at a glance, but coming in at around 20 pounds heavier, the 2000 Plus is built to do more.
First and foremost, with the added weight also comes a telescoping handle and durable wheels. You will also notice the inclusion of a round RV-type AC output rated at 25A. What's more, if you'd like to pick up two of these, you can also use the new Jackery expansion connector to link up both units and supply yourself with two separate 240-volt outlets (each rated 30A). We have seen this from a few other manufacturers, but I'm happy to see Jackery doing this early in the game.
Similarly, Jackery has thrown in on the modular game by offering external expansion batteries. For now, the 2000 Plus is the only unit that will accept these batteries, but we can assume more are to follow. Each external battery has the same capacity as the base 2000 Plus unit, and currently, you can link up to five additional batteries to the main unit for a staggering 12,256.8Wh. Additionally, you can still combine two sets of the six-piece combos together for that 240-volt capability and an even larger capacity of 24,513.6Wh.
For these reasons and more, the Jackery 2000 Plus is our best large and best overall portable power station.
$2,199 at JackeryThis model is the first new "best small portable power station" in two years, unseating the previous titleholder; the Togo PowerAdvance 346.
In addition to having the wireless charge capability I'm so fond of (especially on smaller units), the Flash300 did well in our tests and sports a blazing fast 0 to 100% charge time of around 45 minutes.
It has all the ports you'd expect, 600 watts of power (in and out) and a clean and informative LED display, which is great to have. It's also reasonably priced at $300, making it a great entry-level pick.
$330 at AmazonInsert your favorite quote about big things and small packages here.
The 1000 Plus has a stated capacity of 1,264Wh paired with a 2,000W output. The new "Plus" line also supports capacity expansion through external batteries. With this unit, you can add up to three extra batteries for a total of up to 5kWh.
Charge via wall outlet in about one and a half hours; double that if you max out the 1000 Plus' 800W solar charging input and go that route instead.
Modular is the way to go for most people who need serious power. Jackery's Plus line continues to impress with its full suite of expandable products.
$1,199 at JackeryThe capacity and capabilities of portable power stations continue to evolve, so I've reconfigured the sizing categories for this category and added in "extra-large" since we're regularly seeing extra-large portable power stations.
There are a few things I am particularly fond of with this unit. For starters you can add up to six expansion batteries for a total of 26.9Wh capacity. The Solix F3800 boasts a nominal power output of 6,000W and the capacity for 120/240 split-phase output in the same unit. It also has both NEMA 14-50 and L14-30 receptacles to directly charge things like your EV, RV or large appliances.
You could also choose to pull double duty, run two of these units and max out the expansion batteries for a total of 53.8kWh capacity. Doing so would double your power output to 12,000 watts.
This is the exact road map for manufacturers to follow, in my opinion, as we talk about developing a flexible energy platform for nearly all versions of residential life.
Currently on sale for $499, this station has 768Wh of capacity. (We tested this unit to have about 93% of that capacity as usable. Anything over 90% is excellent.) It also has a rated power output of 1,000 watts (2,000 peak), and a promise to charge to 80% in 45 minutes. In our charge tests, we found that in turbo charge mode, the AC70 hits that 80% charge even faster, at just 33 minutes.
As usual, the interface is simple and the information screen is easy to read. The battery chemistry is lithium iron phosphate, and this unit can additionally take in 500 watts of solar charging power. It also has a '"UPS feature" for power switchover of 20ms. (Check on any important medical gear if you plan to use this as a power backup, sometimes those products require switchover times below 12ms.)
All in all, this is a great package with a low price tag, which makes it a perfect budget option.
We have seen several Bluetti models take titles in this list over the years.
The AC200 Max did not initially make our winners list when we first tested it earlier this year. But a recent price cut brought the cost down by $300, and it's currently on sale for another $200 off, bringing the final price all the way down to $1,499. That's quite the value for what you're getting.
To be specific, what you're getting is 2,048-watt hours of capacity (expandable to 8,192Wh), 2,200W output (4,800W surge) and 900W of solar charging power (1,400W solar plus AC). That's nothing to laugh at in this price range. Most offerings with similar specs sit closer to $2,000 and often are missing the expandability aspect.
The AC200 Max is comparable in form to Bluetti's larger format AC300 and AC500 units. The AC500 has more to offer, even going as far as showcasing a 50A outlet (still only 120V unless you want to join two units together for a split-phase 240) and the AC300 has more 120V 20A circuits, but the AC200 Max is the only one of these that has any battery capacity built in. For both the AC300 and AC500, an external battery is required.
$1,299 at BluettiThese days, an increasing number of portable power stations offer UPS or EPS backup protection modes to offer backup power to critical pieces of equipment during power failures. You plug the power station into your wall outlet and the equipment in question into your power station. With UPS, EPS or Backup mode enabled, the power station will kick in and power whatever is plugged into it from its internal battery.
Before you run out and replace your existing UPS units with one of these, you should know that it is almost the same as a UPS. But not entirely. A dedicated UPS could have a transfer time (the amount of time it takes for its battery to take over once the grid power has failed) of anywhere from 0 to 12 milliseconds, and most of them try to stay at 8 milliseconds or faster. The majority of portable power stations now offer transfer times of "less than" 20 or 30 milliseconds. That's great as far as portable power stations go. For a dedicated UPS that you might want to protect a core piece of tech or an important medical device, you might consider a different solution. By all means, your TVs, laptops, fridges and other devices will be well looked after.
That being said, the Zendure SuperBase Pro 2000 offers, in comparison, a blazing "less than 13ms" transfer speed for its backup mode. The Zendure suite overall is fairly impressive and offers lots of options for portable or even static and whole-home energy solutions. Check out a more complete look at the expanding landscape of these companies.
$1,699 at ZendureBy camping, I don't mean "glamping." I'm not trying to power your PS5, beer fridge and jacuzzi. Since solar panels are more common now, and almost every portable power station offers an option to charge with them, we don't have to be quite as concerned about overall battery capacity or our ability to get to grid power to recharge.
Even if it does carry a hefty price tag (although it's currently on sale for $549, which is a big drop from its normal retail price of $999), I feel like this model hits a sweet spot of basic functionality, capacity and price. Even though you have the option of charging via solar panels, you can probably survive a weekend trip with a full charge, depending on what you're powering. That helps when you're in sub-prime conditions for solar charging, such as overcast or rainy days.
A newcomer nearly unseated the Delta Mini this round and would have, if not for the Mini's recent price drop. If you're looking for a good camping option with a bit more power, check out the Pecron E2000LFP. It lists at $1,200 currently but has more to offer than the Delta Mini.
It's also worth mentioning that even though the GoSun PowerBank 1100 didn't finish at the top of our testing, GoSun offers a whole suite of camping and solar-friendly equipment, including a nifty folding solar table that I'm hoping to add to an upcoming solar panel best list.
$549 at EcoFlowThe Vtoman FlashSpeed 1500 is the fastest charging portable power station on our list. Now, looking at our test data, that doesn't mean that it took less time to charge than any other unit, but, in using our residential AC charging method, it instead indicates the unit that charges the most watt-hours per minute. This method allows the large-capacity units to compete in this category with much smaller units that would charge much faster.
Charging from 0 to 100% in 64 minutes, the FlashSpeed 1500 sees 24.19 watts-per-minute charging from a standard 120-volt, 20-amp residential outlet. A close second was the EcoFlow Delta Pro at 22.64 watts-per-minute. Different EcoFlow and Jackery branded units make up the bulk of the next-best contenders, with a couple of one-off exceptions in the Mango Power E, Zendure SuperBase Pro and Anker PowerHouse 767.
If charging to recover your total capacity is a major concern for you, these are the units to look at. In addition, they all offer simultaneous charging from other inputs like solar or other DC inputs if you need to up your recharge game.
I also can't overlook the fact that this unit is currently listed at more than 50% off, bringing the price down to just $849.
$749 at VtomanCurrently, we look at two main performance metrics for portable power stations: charge time and discharge capacity. Every company that sells portable power stations provides the expected number of watt-hours its products are supposed to last. For the Jackery Explorer 240, that's 240 watt-hours; for the Ecoflow River Max, it's 576 watt-hours. Bluetti AC200P claims 2,000 watt-hours.
That means if you run a device with a 1-watt output on the Jackery Explorer 240, it should last for about 240 hours. You'd get 576 hours from the Ecoflow model and an impressive 2,000 hours using the Bluetti generator. That would last you almost three months. For reference, a USB-C iPhone charger draws up to 18 watts, a 3-quart Instant Pot draws 700 watts and a standard microwave draws around 600 to 1,200 watts, depending on the model. But how accurate are those figures?
We use 110-watt LED lights to run a controlled load on each power station during our tests, which allows us to calculate the percentage of power that you can actually use.
A power station's capacity should be a no-brainer. You should be able to look at a device's rated watt-hours and purchase accordingly based on your needs. Generally, you can do that. That said, I've found that you typically won't see the entire capacity rating as usable power.
Lots of factors can affect this, and most of them center on how the manufacturer chooses to build their units' internals to manage their charged capacity. There is some (usually negligible) amount of power that goes to fuel the various indicator lights and readable LED panels on the units. Some of the larger units even have their own operating systems, so it's almost like powering an additional mini PC on the inside. Other units can have power-saving features where they reduce outgoing bulk power as they come close to depleting their charge.
We use external tools alongside each unit's own built-in meters to measure the outgoing voltage and watts of each power station we test.
To run our capacity tests, we connect a number of 10,000-lumen LED work lights, rated at 110 watts, to each unit. (The number of work lights is based on the overall watt-hour rating of the unit under test, or UUT.) We record the outgoing voltage and wattage using external measurement instruments or the UUT's own measurements if available. Once we have this data, we can leverage the calculations into a dizzying array of information about the UUT's performance. The main piece of information we look at here is the observed capacity, based on our measurements, compared to the UUT's stated capacity.
Here's that mass of data in a nifty chart, where longer bars indicate power stations with greater percentages of battery capacity that you can put to use.
In every case, that percentage ends up at less than 100%. Most manufacturers say you should calculate expected usage at 85% of stated capacity. Two of our smaller units (green bars) both clocked 98% capacity -- the Jackery Explorer 240 and the Togo 350. Generally speaking, the midsize units (blue bars) didn't fare well. The large-sized units (yellow bars) did better, with the Bluetti AC200P scoring highest at almost 96%. As for our extra-large units (purple bars), the 3,600Wh EcoFlow Delta Pro fared the best, with a usable capacity rating just over 92%. Behind it, Oupes, Mango, Yoshino and Dabbsson each had extra-large power stations (at least 2,200Wh) that scored above that 85% benchmark for usable capacity.
A quick word on our math here. If you blindly accept both a unit's stated capacity and our work light wattage rating of 110 watts, the numbers look very different. For example, we will take the GoSun PowerBank 1100 (to make the math easier) and attach four of the 110-watt lights. That load rating is now 440 watts and the GoSun's capacity of 1,100 divided by 440 is 2.5. We would expect to see 2.5 hours of usage. The actual run time for this unit was 2 hours, 50 minutes -- 113% capacity. Sounds great, Right? We're missing some key factors. Without going into a long(er) explanation of how to more accurately measure power, the fact that this unit has an output of 110 volts AC (compared to 120VAC) and the actual output wattage to the four lights is 352 watts, our real expected run time is 3 hours, 8 minutes, which drops the capacity rating to 90%.
One other testing note for these numbers -- the Oupes 600W data might be off. The unit turned off the lights at 9%. It would allow me to start the lights again but would turn them off again after some time. I repeated this process at least 20 times before the unit wouldn't power the lights for more than a couple of seconds at a time.
How long does it take to charge each of these things from zero to 100%? Glad you asked!
Charging performance can be nearly as important as knowing your capacity stats. It helps to know how long your device will take to charge, especially if you're crunched for time or need to be able to charge quickly for whatever reason. Will it take 1 hour or 2? What about 10? Or 12? (That's an actual number from our tests.)
We report three data points for charging performance. Each unit is plugged in for AC charging and we record how long it takes to reach 50%, 80% and 100% charge. Half-full is probably the least amount of power you're going to want, especially from the smaller units. 80% is the "magic number" for many rechargeable batteries.
Here's a simple-ish way to illustrate it: Imagine a swimming pool with room for 100 people, each person representing 1% of the total space. When you first start charging, and that first person dives in, you don't have much to worry about. You're not going to run into anyone else, so dive, splash around, whatever you want. But as we add people, it gets a bit more crowded and complicated. You've got less room for people. Once you have 80 people in the pool, that next person is going to take a few extra seconds to choose their entry without causing any issues rather than just jumping and hoping no one is in the way.
Each manufacturer deals with this purposeful slow-down in its own way, so you won't see the same performance changes from one manufacturer to the next. True to the analogy, person number 100 into the pool can sometimes be very slow, taking several times longer to get in than any of his predecessors.
Take a look at the full charge test results below. Charge times are listed in hours, so shorter bars indicate power stations that charge faster. In many cases, you can see how the charge rate is fairly constant between 0 and 50% (red) and from 50 to 80% (yellow), before slowing down from 80 to 100% (green).
Anker 555 PowerHouse (1,024Wh): An increasing number of portable power stations are shipping with LifePO4 batteries, and I love that. The 555 is slower to charge than most of its competitors but sports a 94% usable capacity and an attractive price versus the number of watt-hours; the better to power those six AC outlets.
Anker Solix C1000 (1056Wh): Another good option from Anker. It tested well in our lab and I don't have any real complaints about this one. Anker currently has it at $250 off, which is great, but it also offers 30-day price matching. You could end up with an amazing deal this time of year.
Anker Solix F1200 (1,229Wh): This unit was previously known as the PowerHouse 757 from Anker, and was also CNET's previous pick for "best portable power station for backup." Its UPS mode was one of the earlier units to boast "less than 20ms" switchover time in the event of a power outage. It's also currently $300 off on Anker's site.
Anker Solix F2000 (2,048Wh): Previously known as the Anker PowerHouse 767 and previous winner of "best large portable power station" here on CNET. This model has lots to offer by way of features and options -- pretty much anything other than wireless charging. It also performed well on our usable capacity and charge time tests.
Bailibatt 300W (257Wh): Another small, affordable unit. The Bailibatt comes in at 84% usable capacity, which is good. But it takes 11 hours to charge, which is.... not as good. If you have specific limited charging needs and plenty of time to recharge, the price tag makes it worth considering.
BioLite BaseCharge 600 (622Wh): Here's a unit that's about average with an OK price. It has 87% usable capacity, a Li-ion battery, average features and is maybe a little slow on the charge time. On the plus side, it does have wireless charging.
The BioLite BaseCharge 1500 offers decent capacity for the price, but it's one of the slowest power stations to charge that we've tested, taking more 6 hours just to charge to 50% and about 13 hours in total to hit 100%.
BioLite BaseCharge 1500 (1,521Wh): Having tested both the 600 and 1500 models of the BioLite BaseCharge, I can tell you that this company is consistent in its product manufacturing. The BaseCharge is about 2.5 times the capacity of the 600. That 2.5 modifier carries across the board fairly accurately from price to capacity, charge times, everything. If you like the 600 but you wish you had two and a half of it, save yourself the effort and just buy the 1500.
BigBlue Cellpowa 500 (537.6Wh): This is a better-than-average performing unit at better-than-average pricing. But there's nothing outstanding about it.
Bluetti AC180 (1152Wh): This unit tested well enough, scoring 88% usable capacity and charging via AC outlet at 13.88 watt hours per minute, but one thing to clarify, unlike many of the other Bluetti units that use the same physical format, this unit does not support capacity expansion via external batteries.
Bluetti AC2A (204.8Wh): A great option if you don't need a ton of capacity but do need options beyond just USB connectivity. This unit is in the capacity ballpark of a very large power bank and priced similarly while currently on sale through the manufacturer for $179.
Bluetti AC200P (2,000Wh): This is one of Bluetti's earlier large portable power stations and a previous winner for "best large portable power station." It's currently over $500 off on Bluetti's site. It still offers plenty of power and options, but is likely nearing the end of its product cycle lifespan (hence the $500 discount).
Bluetti EB3A (268Wh): If you're interested in something small to work for your personal charging needs but those pocket-sized battery packs just don't cut it, this could be your option. As a previous CNET "best value" winner, the EB3A has what you need to keep rocking for a couple of days.
Bluetti EB55 (537Wh): We've liked almost every unit from Bluetti, and three of them took previous titles in this best list, but this unit was overshadowed by its siblings. Offerings that are just as good or better at better prices keep the EB55 out of the winner's circle.
BougeRV Fort 1000 (1,120Wh): I'm a fan of BougeRV's approach to camping and outdoor products in this space. It's worth checking out, especially if you're looking for more flexibility in areas like solar panels or DIY options. The Fort 1000 did well in our tests but didn't stand out enough to capture any titles.
Dabbsson DBS2300 (2300Wh): I love that it's a modular format, expandable up to 8.33kWh. The 87% usable capacity is good, and charges relatively quickly. It charges at over 18 watt-hours per minute, for a total of 122 minutes to charge the entire 2300Wh.
DaranEner NEO2000 (2,073.6Wh): This unit didn't win any categories, but it did perform in the top tier for our charge tests and came in about average for our usable battery capacity tests. This sturdy unit has plenty of features and one of the lowest prices per watt-hour.
Deeno GT S1500 (1036Wh): We previously tested the Deeno GT X1500 and the S1500 is a big step up. It has the same capacity and same pricing, but with nearly 20% more usable capacity than the previous model and it charges nearly 5x faster.
Deeno X1500 (1,036Wh): The X1500 did not fare well in our tests. It came through with one of the lowest usable capacity scores we've collected so far at 69.88%, meaning you see about 724Wh out of the stated 1036Wh. For the price, there are better options.
Duracell Power 500 (515Wh): This is the first Duracell unit I've tested, but not the first battery brand (see Energizer at the top of this list) to put out a portable power station. So far, the results are similar. Test results come back with under average performance and questionable prices.
Give Duracell some credit for its likable -- and familiar -- power station designs.
Duracell M250 (219Wh): Overall, this smaller unit is proportionally comparable to the larger Power 500 Duracell model. The M250 came in at 75% usable capacity, just a couple of points higher than the Power 500. And you're getting approximately half the capacity for half the price. Charging is also in line, taking around the same time (4 hours plus) to charge half the capacity (at half the input power). I like the cylindrical shape -- I'm guessing Duracell wants it to look like that familiar battery profile -- and that the lid opens up to allow for power cable storage within the unit.
EcoFlow River Max (576Wh): Blazing fast charging and a low cost per watt-hour make this a reasonable pick, although this unit did test lowest in measured versus expected capacity, putting it at 425 usable watt-hours. Where'd those extra 151 watt-hours go?
Ecoflow River 2 Pro: A previous title holder for "best budget portable power station," this is still a great pick for anyone looking for affordable power options. It charges fully in just over 1 hour and accesses a respectable 82.6% of the battery's 768Wh stated capacity.
EcoFlow Delta 2 (1,024Wh): The EcoFlow Delta 2 is similar to the Anker 555 PowerHouse across the board -- features, pricing and so on. The main differences you can see from our tests are the usable capacity percentages: Anker with 94% versus EcoFlow with about 70% and charging rates. Both are rated at 1,024Wh. The EcoFlow Delta 2 charged to full in only 86 minutes, 275 minutes faster than the Anker model. Another point for EF is that it can wire in a secondary battery module, taking the capacity from 1,024Wh to 2,048Wh. Expect to pay an additional $800 for that battery expansion.
EcoFlow Delta 2 Max (2,048Wh): Another example of a great product that didn't capture any of our titles. The Delta 2 Max performed well in all of our tests, and with the ability to expand to 6.144kWh, you're really walking the line between a portable power station and a whole-home energy solution.
EcoFlow Delta Pro (3600Wh):The EcoFlow Delta Pro is one of the largest portable power stations on our list at 3.6kWh (expandable up to 25kWh), and also happens to be one of the fastest charging. Lots of power, and plenty of charge options to keep that power rolling.
Encalife UAF550 (595Wh): Of the three Encalife chargers, this has the largest usable capacity percentage at 87% but the slowest charging at 1.98-watt hours per minute.
Encalife UAF1100 (992Wh): Industry standard usable capacity here at about 84%, but a bigger drop in the charge capabilities at 3.35-watt hours per minute from its larger sibling.
Encalife YUE2000 (2048Wh): A bit of variation in our model hierarchy groupings with Encalife. As you might expect, charging capabilities do increase with larger units. The YUE2000 being the largest of the three charges relatively quickly, at about 11.13 watt hours per minute. In this series, the usable capacities trend in the other direction, with this unit showing 73% usable capacity.
Enernova ETA 288 (288Wh): This is another example of a hierarchy of models where the smaller units underperform, but larger models improve. This unit took about 3 hours and 40 minutes to charge, but it reached about 81% usable capacity.
Enernova ETA Pro (1050Wh): Moving up a notch, this one has 83% usable capacity and charges 1kW in about 1 hour and 30 minutes. It's a better showing and about 10 cents cheaper per watt-hour than its smaller sibling.
Enernova ETA Ultra (2150Wh): This is the best of the three, sporting 2160Wh, 87% usable capacity and it charges in under 2 hours.
Energizer PPS700 (626Wh): OK performance and features overall, but one of the lowest-tested capacities, making the usable capacity closer to 477Wh.
Fanttik's EVO 300 power station features a large, easy-to-read display.
Fanttik Evo 300 (299Wh): This is a solid pick in the small power station category, and this unit has my favorite display: It's extra large and easy to read. We did see average performances on our charging and capacity tests.
Geneverse HomePower One (1,002Wh): This unit was the second slowest overall to charge, but did well on its usable capacity rating at 91%. Its display is small but offers all the standard input and output features you'd want.
Geneverse HomePower One Pro (1,210Wh): This is the grownup version of the Geneverse HomePower One. The feature specs are about the same, but at $500 more, you're only getting about 200 extra watt-hours. In addition, the standard One model comes in at 91% usable capacity versus the Pro model's 73%. That gives you 912.6 usable watt-hours with the standard and only 886.7Wh on the Pro. The Pro charged in almost a quarter of the time it took the standard version.
Goal Zero Yeti 200X:: The Goal Zero products are solidly made, but we got the lowest score in our "usable capacity" tests from this unit. It's about 65% compared to the industry-accepted norm of 85%. There are better products in the small portable power station category.
Goal Zero Yeti Pro 4000 (3993.6Wh): Runner up for our best extra large power station title, the Yeti Pro 4000 is a tank (which, by the way, is the name of the expansion battery "Tank Pro 4000"). You get tons of input and output options, and overall expandable to 20kW capacity. We were able to charge this via standard AC outlet in 2 hours and 49 minutes, giving us our third fastest charging rate so far at 23.63 Wh/min charged, and also offers 3,000W solar input. If you're looking into home backup, also check out the Haven10 transfer switch accessory to bring your home online.
GoSun PowerBank 1100 (1,100Wh): I wanted to like this unit more, partially because of GoSun's extended offerings of solar-friendly devices. As far as capacity goes, this runs in the middle of the pack, but man is it slow to charge. It took nearly 12 hours -- over 6x as long as our largest power station (Jackery Explorer 2000 Pro) -- which offers nearly twice the capacity. At $1,299, I'd like to see a faster charging option and maybe more outputs or at least wireless charging.
Jackery Explorer 240 (240Wh): We've been fans of all the Jackery units we've ever tested in the past, and that doesn't change here. Just missing the best small power station title, this unit still boasts the second-best capacity rating of all the ones we tested. It was a little slow to charge but is offered at a great price.
Jackery Explorer 300 Plus (288Wh): Another nice entry into the platform, the 300 Plus offers a solid power option in small form. Not a ton of frills, but it does what you expect it to do.
Jackery Explorer 700 Plus (680.96Wh): If you need more power output than the 300 Plus (300W/600W) then the 1,000W (2,000W surge) of the 700 Plus may be what you're looking for. It will charge via AC in about 1 hour and 30 minutes, and it has one of Jackery's higher usable capacity percentages at 88%.
Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro (1,002Wh): The 1000 Pro falls into our large portable power station, which begins at 1,000Wh (this Jackery weighs in at 1,002Wh; the same as its big brother, the 2000 Pro). I like the 2000 more than the 1000 for a few reasons, so the 1000 never had a shot at taking the "large" category. That said, it still has good performance, nice features and amazing charge times.
Jackery Explorer 1500 Pro (1512Wh): With this Jackery you will get a dependable machine that performs well in our usable capacity tests at 90.4% and charges quickly: 0 to 100% in 2 hours, with AC-only charging. Toss in a couple of solar panels and you can drop that time down quite a bit.
Jackery Explorer 2000 Pro (2,160Wh): This was a previous title-holder of the "fastest charging portable power station." The Jackery units overall are great and dependable. If you're looking for a model (really, an entire lineup) that will recharge fast with multiple, even combined options, Jackery is a no-brainer.
Jackery Explorer 3000 Pro (3,024Wh): Another beast of a unit and a great offering from Jackery. If you're already a Jackery fan but need more battery capacity, this is an easy win for you. Otherwise, recent improvements include wheels, telescoping handling and that round RV plug we've been waiting for.
Litheli PowerHUB B600 (562Wh): This one can be slow to charge, but otherwise, there's a lot to like here. It has good usable capacity at a decent price since it's currently marked at about 30% off. Litheli is also offering a battery platform (U-Battery) with this unit. Two smaller batteries plug into the main unit that you can then use with a variety of other tools. Check out our upcoming coverage on handheld vacuums to see Litheli's performance there.
Though pricey, the Mango Power E is our runner-up pick in the fastest-charging category, and capable of charging its impressive 3,530Wh capacity battery from zero to 100% in less than 3 hours.
Mango Power E (3,530Wh): I mentioned this unit earlier as the runner-up in the "fastest charging" category. This thing is loaded with features, even allowing you to provide 240-volt service by linking a second unit. There are also battery expansions for the Mango Power E. The one downside is the price tag, as this unit also comes through as the most expensive portable power station with a list price of $3,999.
Monster Power Grid 300 (296Wh): The Power Grid 300 can be slow to charge but did test at over 90% usable capacity. It has all the bells and whistles you'd expect at this level at a price that's potentially a tad high.
Oscal PowerMax 700 (666Wh): Another unit that didn't perform particularly well in our tests, but does boast a ton of features including a "non-stop continuous power supply mode."
Oukitel BP2000 (2048Wh): This is the first unit we've tested from Oukitel (along with its expansion battery -- we will be publishing more on expansion batteries soon) and we were pleasantly surprised. To begin, the BP2000 scored an impressive 90% on usable battery capacity and also scored well in our charge tests, taking less than 2 hours to charge all 2048Wh of capacity. Oukitel is also leaning into the modular and expandable approach, allowing you to add up to seven additional units for a total of just over 16kWh of power. As well, the BP2000 boasts sub 10ms switchover time as its UPS feature.
Oupes 600W (595Wh): Not a bad little unit. I love that it has the LifePO4 battery. It performed about average (maybe a hair under par) and I feel like it could be cheaper. The name can be hard to pronounce, though. "Oops" is our best guess.
Oupes Mega 5 (5040Wh): Previous titleholder for "best extra-large power station," the Mega 5 is a beast. It maxes out at 5,040Wh, with a single expansion battery option, the B5, bringing the total to 10.08kWh. At 4,000W output with a 7,000W surge, you'll be able to power pretty much anything you want (as long as it uses either a standard 120-volt plug or the round RV type). It also has a large solar charging capacity (4,050W) and in our tests, proved to be one of the fastest charging units we've tested (second actually), going from 0 to 100% in 214 minutes, or 3 hours and 54 minutes. That ends up being 23.55 watt hours per minute charged, which is the second-highest rate we've recorded.
Pecron E1500 (1536Wh): I will say that I'm a bit torn with this unit. I tested the E2000LFP model first and was impressed with the results. The E1500LFP did not fare as well. Specifically, the usable capacity came in especially low at 68% compared to the E2000 at 94%. Other than that, the charging is beefier, charging at about twice the rate as the other unit. And you still get perks like wireless charging and expandability from 1536Wh up to 7680Wh.
Pecron E2000LFP (1,920Wh): I discussed this unit briefly earlier as the runner-up to the Delta Mini in the "best portable power station for camping" race. It has more options than the Mini and is suitably priced. I'm also a fan of any of the companies that adopt the modular approach with the capability to expand capacity with external batteries like Pecron has done. You can also pick up a rolling caddy for the unit if you're on the go.
Phyleko ENF1000S (1,024Wh): I've seen this body style before in the GoSun 1100 -- it feels super sturdy and I do like the larger colorful display. Otherwise, this unit landed just under average in our tests.
Power Cache 300 (293.76Wh): We tested a trio of power stations from Power Cache. The 300 model did well as far as usable capacity goes (91%) but did take over 7 hours to charge. Another upside -- it's affordable, currently on sale for $50 off its $199 retail tag.
Power Cache 600 (642.6Wh): Currently on sale for $150 off, making it cost only $100 more than its smaller sibling. This middle child, however, did show the least impressive performance of all three models coming in at only 72% usable capacity and taking over 8 hours to charge to 100%. But if price is your main concern, it's an affordable option.
Power Cache 1000 (1075Wh): The largest of the three units, this one performed moderately, coming in at 82% usable capacity and taking about the same amount of time to charge as the small 300 model, which is just over 7 hours. That does mean it charges over 4x faster than the small unit, but 7 hours is still 7 hours. Still affordable, selling at $399 (50% off).
The Renogy Phoenix 200 is an affordable option among small-sized power stations.
Renogy Phoenix 200 (189Wh): Slower to charge, but with 96% usable battery capacity paired with the lowest price of any unit we've tested, this a great option for smaller use cases or for people generally interested in checking out portable power stations at a reasonable price.
Renogy 1000 (998.4Wh): This is another decent performer. It charges fast enough for its relative capacity category, but only offered us about 80% usable capacity. Normally I wouldn't be too bothered, but the smaller Renogy unit we tested clocked in at 96% usable capacity, so I was hoping for more.
Rockpals 300W: This unit also came in under the line in usable capacity. Given the industry standard of 85%, Rockpals' 78% is lacking. In terms of charge speed, this unit is one of the faster small portable power stations. It has decent features and kind of looks like a handheld radio.
Rocksolar Nomad RS650 (444Wh): Until they update this unit, there are likely better options for almost anything you're looking to do. It has a high price, low usable capacity, slow charge time and is low on features and options, but it does work.
Runhood Rallye 600 (648Wh): There are a couple of these types of units on the market now, and I've been waiting for their arrival. This Runhood unit is the first modular-style portable power station I've been able to get my hands on, and I love what it means for the industry. Performance-wise, this model was about average, but it could offer you more in flexibility and convenience than many other units. The batteries are swappable, so you can pick up extras, in addition to stand-alone AC and USB modules that can use those extra batteries without being plugged into the main power station unit. This could be a game changer for trips where every member of the family is off in a different area draining some electronic device. I look forward to adding a "best modular power station" category soon.
Runhood Rallye 1200 (648Wh): The capacity is the same for this unit as it is for its younger sibling, the 600 (listed above). The 600 and 1,200 designations refer to the constant power output in watts, with each unit's peak power doubling that constant power number. You do get an extra AC outlet but the increase in power output is the main difference. Likely worth it if you're into that modular/swappable design, but need more power than the 600 has to offer.
Togo Power Advance 346 (346Wh): This unit held the title for best small portable power station for about two years on this list; solid performance, great features and an attractive price tag.
Ugreen Power Roam 600 (680Wh): This unit didn't do great in our tests, but it has a reasonable price. It charges quickly, but that has more to do with the smaller capacity than an elevated charging capability.
Ugreen PowerRoam 2400 (2048Wh): I was happy to see that this model did better than the previous smaller model we tested. 83% on usable capacity and it charged in the same amount of time as the smaller unit, about an hour and a half for each one, which means the 2400 was charging at about 4x the rate. This one also has wheels and a telescoping handle for ease of movement.
Yoshino B4000SST (2611Wh): This unit tested fairly well in our lab. 87% usable capacity, blazing fast charge speeds and a decent feature set; an option worth considering if you can find it on sale.
The Zendure SuperBase Pro 2000 is another interesting option, and one of our top-tested large-sized power stations.
Zendure SuperBase Pro 2000 (2,096Wh): The first unit we tested with the Li-NMC battery composition. This unit also just missed the best large portable power station title. It does have a weight-to-capacity ratio likely thanks to the NMC composition and boasts our highest solar charging capacity to date at 2,400 watts. Its telescoping handle and wheels make it easier to manage, but the form makes it a little more compatible with navigating paved walkways versus "off-road" terrain.
70mai Hiker 400 (378Wh): This unit didn't fare too well in our tests, coming in at about 75% usable capacity (versus the industry standard of 85%) and taking about 4 hours and 30 minutes to charge its 378Wh.
70mai Tera 1000 (1043.9Wh): The larger of the two 70mai units did test better, hitting the industry standard for usable capacity and taking about 20 minutes less to charge nearly three times the capacity of the smaller model.
How many years a portable power station will last depends on three key factors: how well the product is maintained, how often it's used and the battery type.
We have researched and spoken with several manufacturers and most units boast a 500-cycle lifespan. In some cases, such as the Anker 757, a unit may use LifePO4 batteries compared to the more common Li-ion battery and offer up to 3,000 cycles or beyond.
One cycle means using the product from fully charged to zero charge (or at least 80% in some cases). If you use your portable power station several times a week, it might only last a year or two. If you use it less frequently, it could last for much longer.
Portable power stations are generally designed to power smaller electronic devices and appliances, from phones and table fans to heavy-duty work lights and CPAP machines. Pay attention to the estimated watt-hours each brand provides in its specs to determine which model makes the most sense for what you'd like to power.
If a company says its portable power station has 200 watt-hours, it should be able to power a device with a 1-watt output for about 200 hours. I go into more detail on this in the "How we test" section below, but consider the wattage of the device or devices you want to power and then the number of watt-hours your portable power station would need to have.
Possibly, depending on the fridge and the portable power station.
For example, this standard LG refrigerator has an estimated annual energy consumption of 608 kilowatt-hours. That works out to 1.67 kilowatt-hours per day or 1,670 watt-hours per day.
1,670 watt-hours per day works out to just under 70 watt-hours per hour. If you have a short-term power outage and only need to power your fridge, a 200-watt per hour power station could keep it running for nearly three hours. You'd need a power station with higher estimated watt-hours to run your fridge for longer. A mini fridge would last much longer than a larger model.
Always confirm the electrical requirements for your specific fridge and portable power station before trying this, especially your refrigerator's peak and startup watts.
You can get close to the answer with some basic math. If you have a power station that is rated at 1,000 watts per hour, and you plug in a device, let's say a TV, rated at 100 watts, then you can divide that 1,000 by 100 and say that it will run for 10 hours.
This isn't usually the case. The industry "standard" is to say that you should take 85% of the total capacity for that math. In that case, 850 watts per hour divided by 100 watts for the TV would be 8.5 hours.
The reality is that you should expect somewhere between 8.5 and 10 hours, in this example.
A portable power station is essentially a big rechargeable battery that you carry around. Deplete it and it's useless until you can recharge.
A generator, by definition, is a device that actually converts some type of energy to usable electricity in whatever circuitry you have it connected to. Examples of this would be gas generators (commonly used as power sources for remote areas or as whole-home backups), electric generators (not very common, but they convert some type of mechanical action to electricity) and solar generators, which can use solar panels to power devices or homes -- often using a battery to temporarily store the electricity. These batteries are often portable power stations themselves.