Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240, 240Wh Backup Lithium Battery, 110V/200W Pure Sine Wave AC Outlet, Solar Generator (Solar Panel Not Included) for Outdoors Camping Travel Hunting Emergency

I ordered this power station knowing it probably wouldn’t get to me until after Hurricane Florence had hit. This seller knew that too, so they took it upon themselves to send me a really nice, large battery pack charger at no cost to make sure I would have something before the storm to get me through. Who does that? I never write reviews, but I just had to let others know what a wonderful kind gesture this seller did for me, a stranger, facing a hurricane. The power station came the following week after the storm as expected, but it was fine, because I had this battery backup (great product by the way) that kept my phones and tablets fully charged. In a world of confusion and chaos, what an amazing act of kindness. I would buy anything from this seller!!!!

This product works well, but there is a challenge for CPAP users that needs to be considered. The "passthrough" power on the 110v outlet is not actually passthrough. What this means is that the 3-hr cutoff time affects this outlet, as well, so if you intend to use this device as a UPS during storms while you sleep, you'll need to manually turn the device on each night. Also, f you are not running your humidifier, many CPAP machines do not consume 10+ watts of power - so the battery will turn off, and subsequently the CPAP machine will power off, every 3 hours all night long. The way around this is to have your humidifier running so that you draw more than 10 watts of power. As I mentioned, the product works well. However, the auto-cutoff feature and lack of true passthrough functionality could be problematic for CPAP users with severe sleep apnea. Please be aware of this and be sure that your CPAP unit is drawing at least the 10+ watts of power required to keep the Power Station "awake." I hope Jackery might consider issuing a firmware update that gives the ability to completely defeat the auto-cutoff feature, and/or to make the "wall plug" port exempt when the Power Station is connected to grid power. I would also like to take a moment to mention that Jackery's customer service group is exceptional and has already reached out to me directly regarding my concerns. Hopefully a method of modifying/disabling the 3-hour inactivity timer will be included in the future.

Needing something to power my CPAP machine while camping, I chose the Jackery Explorer 240 and it has surpassed both my needs and expectations. This is an update as I have enjoyed using the Jackery Explorer 240 numerous times over the past year. The E 240 continues to provide consistent power to my CPAP machine. On numerous occasions I have used the unit for 5 nights of uninterrupted power, mostly in the 8-9 hours range of CPAP use. Never have I experienced any type of auto-shut off as others have commented on. The E 240 packs nicely in its carry bag, is light weight and fits in the corner of the tent next to my CPAP machine. It recharges quickly and stays recharged for months, while in winter storage. When I was first considering this purchase I debated the need for the solar option to recharge while in the field. Now that the E 240 has proven I can get 5 nights of use, which is the extent of my normal time out, I'm glad I did not spend the extra. The Jackery Explorer 240 has proven to be one of the best camping lifestyle purchases I have made.

So I'll start with my personal needs for this unit as we know they all vary per individual... my primary need for this unit is to power a 12v fridge/freezer while dry camping, secondary need as a back up for power outages. Now if money were no object, a fancy dual AGM battery setup would've been my first choice to power my fridge. However after doing some research and based on my actual needs, I feel the investment was a little overboard for something that is only useful if one is in actual proximity of the vehicle. Now this little unit won't preform anywhere near a nicely setup dual battery system, but when you factor cost and convenience into this unit, it is a decent deal if you ask me (disclaimer: I am new to this stuff). So much that I actually purchased a second unit while they were on a decent sale. Next, I considered the dominate brand Goal Zero, namely the Yeti 400 with the replaceable AGM battery which is rated at 396Wh. I also considered the Suaoki 400Wh (technically 444Wh) which has a fair amount of decent reviews on here. Now both of these units are superior to the Jackery Explorer 240, but they both cost more (remember I mentioned I purchased a second unit). They both have higher rated batteries obviously, but they also have higher rated inverters (300/600 vs 200/400), so that was a factor I took into consideration. That being said, they both also weigh more. Suaoki twice as much and GZ 5 TIMES as much (yes they offer a lighter lithium unit for $600 that can not be charged via 12v car charging). The weight of the Explorer 240 is amazingly light for what it offers. So weighing my options (no pun intended) I was leaning towards the Suaoki, but I noticed a rep from the company stated they do not suggest pass through charging with the unit. Right there they lost me. So when I saw these on sale I popped on 2 of them because of the price point of $187.49, down from $249.99 and $299.99 respectably. This gives me the ability to keep one in the vehicle dedicated to the fridge/freezer and the versatility of a second unit to use away from the vehicle. Having 2 units in my opinion is a far more useful option then the need for more Wh in a single unit or the extra needed wattage with the inverters. Yes 2 units take up more space then 1, but these units really aren't that large and weigh next to nothing for what they offer. The only gripe I have with this unit is the limited 40 watt input rating. The other units can charge faster which is clearly most desired, but while dry camping and charging with solar panels, the panels themselves start to get pretty expensive the higher wattage you go and you also have to factor in storage and transporting of the larger panels or having the room to mount them on the vehicle itself. These 2 reasons are why I overlooked this limitation. I haven't fully tested them out other then running a small Honeywell HCE100 space heater (rated at 170w low, 250w high) which ran for just shy of 2 hours on low pulling about 110-115 watts (pulled roughly 225 watts on high). So that's right about at the rated 240Wh as advertised. I also picked up two 50w solar panels (not Jackery), some different lengths of cable, and some mc4 to 8mm adapters, so I'll report back once I get everything tested out. Overall I spent more then I originally intended by purchasing 2, but with the money I was considering on the Goal Zero/Suaoki units and accessories, I am still in the neighborhood. Two is one, one is none... I also purchased one of the "hard" carrying case bags while on sale. First off there is nothing hard about it. It's basically a non insulated lunch bag. It has a storage area in the top for the cords and case which is convenient. Strap and clips seem to be of decent quality. For $15.99 on sale, I would consider purchasing it again. Retail price... c'mon now.