Should You Buy a Portable Power Station?

If you enjoy the great outdoors, camping, working on construction sites, or want to be prepared for a power outage, you should seriously consider buying a portable power station. These lunch-box-sized power banks are highly useful, and here we'll go over a few pros and cons and explain why you'll want one.

What is a portable power station, and how does it work? It's a device with multiple power sources for all your gadgets, including a fridge, TV, laptop, camera, speakers, drones, CPAP machines, tablets, phones, an electric grill, etc. It's basically just a giant battery.

Another way to explain them is that they are silent, rechargeable battery-powered generators. Most of them are roughly the size of a lunch box or small cooler, and they're filled with large lithium-ion batteries similar to those in a laptop, only bigger. You'll charge them at home or with solar panels, then take them anywhere you need them or store one for later.

We're not talking about a generator or a small portable battery for phones you can store in a backpack—those are entirely different. We mean the bigger 500-watt, 1000-watt, or even 3,000-watt portable power stations full of AC outlets, USB ports, 12v ports, and more. These silent little boxes deliver on-demand power anywhere and everywhere.

Power stations come in different sizes, features, and various price points to meet your needs.

If you're considering buying a portable power station, you should probably go ahead and just do it. They're excellent electronics that come in handy for all different situations. As we said earlier, they're great for anyone who enjoys going outdoors or camping, especially if you prefer what I call "glamping" with a blow-up mattress, heaters, lights, or hot coffee on a cold mountain morning.

Some, like the Anker SOLIX series, come with built-in LED lanterns or can recharge from solar panels, making them great for camping and emergencies. I own a cabin in the beautiful mountains outside Zion, Utah, and take a power station with me every time I go. I can quickly recharge phones, battery-powered lanterns, or my e-bike, and I even use it to run a Keurig coffee maker or a fan on hot summer nights.

Yes, my cabin has a gas-powered generator, but at night no one wants to hear that loud engine running and ruining the vibe around the campfire. I often run the kitchen lights off my Anker or Jackery, saving the gas generator for later, if necessary.

Camping is just one of many different reasons someone would want to buy a portable power station. They're great for construction workers on a job site, perfect for family vacations in the RV, and excellent products to have in case of emergencies or power outages.

Depending on the size of your portable power station, you could keep all your phones, lanterns, or crucial products like a CPAP machine running during a power outage. That way, you'll be able to stay in contact with friends and family, receive weather alerts, or sleep with a breathing machine.

For example, my Anker C1000 will recharge most smartphones upwards of 75 times or run a fridge for 15+ hours. You'll have a phone with cell service for several weeks during an emergency or cold food until power is restored.

Now that you know a little more about portable powerstations, what they offer, and how you could use one, I want to mention a few of their advantages and disadvantages. Then, it'll come down to your wants, needs, and budget.

Pros

Obviously, the biggest benefit of using a portable electric power station is that you'll have battery power at a moment's notice—well, as long as you store it fully charged. If the power goes out at home, you can instantly pull one out, keep your computer going, recharge a phone, or hook it up to the fridge, so food doesn't go bad. They're packed with 120V AC outlets, USB-C, and more.

There are countless different situations in which one of these would come in handy. For emergencies, work, or play. They're also smaller and lighter than an actual generator, not to mention they're silent and don't release generator exhaust. On the flip side, you can get something like the massive 4,000W EcoFlow Delta 3 Pro as a whole-home backup solution.

Most of them can be recharged via solar panels instead of running on gas, so all you need is a little sunlight. Popular brands offer solar panels, including Jackery, Anker, and many others. Personally, solar charging is totally worth it. Plus, they're just cool. Being able to lend friends or others on camping trips power is always a good feeling.

And did we mention you can charge multiple devices at the same time? I've had six different things plugged into my Anker Powerhouse 757, all charging or running simultaneously, and it handles it with ease.

Cons

It's not all good news, though. Portable and rechargeable power stations are expensive and can often cost as much as a regular generator or inverter. They range anywhere from $299 to easily over $2,000 when you start getting into the larger capacities.

Some bigger options, like the Anker SOLIX (767) 2,400 watt are nearly $2,000, while bigger models can reach upwards of $4000 and charge an EV. Then again, I wouldn't call that "portable." Instead, it's just an option over a traditional gas-powered system.

They're also relatively heavy, and depending on what type of camping you're doing, you may not want to lug one around. My go-to portable power station is the Anker C800, which weighs around 23 lbs. It's not too big or too small and is easy enough to carry to the tent or sit on the picnic table.

And finally, they can't run everything like a generator can. Most portable power stations have a maximum load limitation and only do 120V AC outlets. Meaning it's not going to run larger appliances like a washing machine, dryer, or even some heaters. Well, unless you buy a bigger one with a 240V, 30A, or 50A RV outlet, you're limited to 120V AC plugs.

For example, a refrigerator only needs power off and on to keep things cold and running, while a heater takes a ton of power to get those heating elements running. A heater takes significantly more power (and a bigger power station) to run than something like a fridge.

In closing, should you buy a portable power station? While I can't answer that for you, as it depends on your wants and needs, I constantly recommend them to family members. Plus, we've laid out several reasons you'd want one, how they work, and some of the many benefits of having one ready in case you need it. I own several and lend them to friends or family all the time.

You don't need to get crazy and get a huge 2000w portable power station. Popular brands like Anker, Jackery, Goal Zero, Bluetti, and others have smaller, more affordable versions. And if you do have one that's more than a few years old, there are several reasons you should probably upgrade to a newer model.

Decide how much power you'd comfortably need or want, what you can afford, and what's best for you. A portable power station has some limitations, but the benefits could far outweigh the cons.

At the end of the day, a power station is an excellent item to have in your arsenal, and here are a few great options worth buying in 2024.