Posted: 10/30/2025 3:15:06 PM EDT
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What do you recommend for a portable power supply? Or just a company to look into? |
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I have a couple Jackery 1500s. A lot will depend on what you are going to run with them. https://www.jackery.com/pages/portable-power-stations |
"F*ck it I'm done. Nothing to say other than I'm done giving a f*ck." - xerxes2695 - 1-6-2021 - 1849hrs.
“If you live here and your allegiance is to another nation, you are an enemy.” - C10 - 6-7-25 - 1816hrs
“If you live here and your allegiance is to another nation, you are an enemy.” - C10 - 6-7-25 - 1816hrs
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Originally Posted By SperlingPE: What do you recommend for a portable power supply? Or just a company to look into? Vague questions get vague answers. What do you need/want to run? What kind of power draw? For how long? What kind of scenarios? |
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I was vague intentionally. I was looking for a lead and I could do my own research. I just wanted a place to start. Here is a little more information Lightweight, able to be carried in backpack, must have 12V [cigarette lighter] outlet, expected to use for drone, camera, small laptop, and radio. |
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Originally Posted By SperlingPE: I was vague intentionally. I was looking for a lead and I could do my own research. I just wanted a place to start. Here is a little more information Lightweight, able to be carried in backpack, must have 12V [cigarette lighter] outlet, expected to use for drone, camera, small laptop, and radio. Different people will have different ideas of ‘lightweight’, but if the GooLoo fits the bill, it’s 99Wh, weighs 2lbs6oz, 9”x3.75”x2”, includes the 12v CLA port (that I’ve used to power a tire inflator that draws 170-180w, and a 12v car jack that draws 130-140w), and importantly for a power bank, has a 100w USB-C in/out (charges much faster than a lot of options).  
There are smaller, lighter powerbanks, but it’s not very common to find ones that have both, 100w in/out, AND a 12v CLA. I also have an older model folding GoalZero 27w solar panel for backpacking, as well as folding (large) 100w portable panels that I can use for recharging my various battery banks for car camping/overlanding (have both the Pecron 2000 and 3600 systems). The 100w panel will recharge the GooLoo very quickly. I also have 2 of these GooLoo GTX280 units (bought specifically to use as powerbanks). 280Wh vs the GT4000 99Wh, but they weigh 4lbs11oz, and are 10”x4”x3.5”, but they also have the 100w USB-C in/out, and the CLA port is built-into the end of the unit. GooLoo GTX280 |
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I have an Anker S300DC that checks the boxes. It's more compact than the S300 that has AC outlets built into it. At roughly 5x5x7" it will fit into a backpack, but it's not something I'd be dragging into the backcountry. I have a very modest 10W solar panel that I have taken pretty deep into the backcountry, in lieu of the added weight and expense of precharged batteries (GoPro, drone, DSLR, InReach, 2x10000mAh USB banks), but my break-even point is something like 6+ days in the field to justify the weight of the panel and associated chargers. And I can't charge drone batteries off of that panel. I just came off of a 2 month, 9000 mile road trip up into western Canada, and the S300DC met all of my needs. I have a 100W, 4-fold solar panel for it, but never truly needed to use it on this trip, even though I was limited to 33W or 67W charging while driving (having mistakenly left the 12V car DC charging adapter at home). For laptop charging, I have a Monster 1-outlet DC/AC inverter that's very compact and plugs into the 12V port of the S300DC - it saves space and weight over Anker's AC/DC S300, at about the same price or slightly less when factoring in the cost of the additional Monster AC inverter. Looking at how this trip compared to other trips, there were trips in the past where I really could have taken advantage of the 100W solar panel - where I just wasn't logging enough road miles to keep up with electronics usage - nearly a month right outside of RMNP, a couple weeks in the Black Hills of SD, etc. |
Meowdy!
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EcoFlow was top of the line for a while, others are catching or have caught up. A lot will depend on exactly what you need. See link to what is slowly becoming a dated Solar Generator Calculator by product, but still good for calculating run and surge watts. The video below also may help -- if you find something you are interested in specifically, suggest you look at more than one review. 2024 Solar Generator Buying Guide with Capability Calculator  Ultimate Solar Generator Guide for 2025 (Watch Before Buying) |
