Goal Zero Yeti 150 Review – Portable Power Station

As a fulltime RVing family, it’s obvious why we might want solar power, but trust me, in the world we live in now … you want it to! Enter the Goal Zero Yeti 150 Portable Power Station. Lightweight, compact, and silent, it’s the ideal product for anyone who wants power after there is no more! We couldn’t wait to get one and do an honest KelloggShow, Goal Zero Yeti 150 Review!

Why a Portable Power Station?

Natural disasters, pandemics, life off the grid, camping, emergency preparedness, war, survivalists, conspiracy theorists, environmentalists, teenagers, residents of CA… regardless of the situation, it is evident that having a source of energy outside the governmental grid. Most people will tell you their needs vary between the need to power critical gadgets like lights and radios with the desire to fire up all the electronic gadgets that are commonplace in the typical American home. Regardless of your specific needs, the Goal Zero Yeti 150 Portable Power Station is likely to fit all of them and more!!!

Per the Goal Zero Site, “A small, all-in-one power bank designed to charge phones, tablets, small laptops, and more. It’s easily recharged by plugging into an outlet at home and pairs well with Goal Zero’s line of rugged solar panels for an on-the-go solution.”

This Goal Zero Yeti is an RVers Dream

In our adventure of a lifetime, we are often boondocking (camping without hookups) down by the river, in the middle of the National Forest, at the base of a cliff, at the entrance to a cave and this means off the grid … completely.  While this is fun and exciting, Dan does have to work (you know, make a living, so we can eat) and that means he needs a computer with power at the very least.

We all use our phones to take photos, we use cameras to take video, we use computers to edit both and produce jaw dropping content (kidding). We use walkie talkies, play with RC cars, use headlamps for early am hikes or to cross the campground at night. We can’t run our generator all day every day, one it won’t last and two, it disturbs the peace.

Quick Specs

The Goal Zero Yeti 150 stores 150 watt-hours of juice … plenty enough to charge cell phones, laptops, GPS, Kindles, etc.

Ports:

• 2 USB ports (output): 5V, up to 2.1A (10W max), regulated
• 6mm port (output, 6mm, green, hexagon): 12V, up to 10A (120W max), regulated
• 12V car port (output): 12V, up to 10A (120W max)
• AC inverter (output, modified sine wave): 110V, 60Hz, 0.7A (80W continuous, 160W surge max)
• Charging port (input, 8mm, blue, circle): 14-29V, up to 5A (60W max)

General:

• Weight: 12 lbs
• Dimensions: 7.75 x 5.75 x 6.75 in
• Operating usage temp.: 32-104 F (0-40 C)
• Warranty 12 months

Battery Details

• Cell Type: AGM Lead-Acid

• Peak Capacity: 168Wh (12V, 14Ah)

• Lifecycles: hundreds of cycles

• Shelf-life: Keep plugged in, or charge every 3-6 months

• Fuses: 20A, user replaceable fuse

• Management system Charging and low-battery protection built-in

How To Charge the Goal Zero Yeti 150

The Yeti can be charged in several different ways …

• Recharge from the sun by connecting a compatible solar panel. Charge time is dependent on the size of the solar panel. The Boulder 50 will fully recharge the Yeti 150 in about 5-10 hours.
• Plug it into the wall. Fully recharges in about 6 hours.
• Recharge from your car 12V adapter in about 4-6 hours.

Once the Yeti 150 is fully charged it stores enough power to charge your phone 15 times over; your digital camera, 12 times; your GoPro, 25 times; your laptop, 2 times, your tablet 6 times … plenty of juice for Dan, the software engineer and a gaggle of kids who love their GoPros, Kindles, Cameras and Smart Phones!

Is The Yeti 150 Complicated to Use?

I am somewhat of a solar moron, and I was pretty confident I would open the box and have no clue what to do with it.  To my delight it is incredibly intuitive and I had it charging via the glorious Colorado sun in no time!!  Colorado has endless sun, but what if I were in the PNW? Well, I’d utilize the wall charger or, in a pinch the 12V adapter in my car!

Versatility is epic and quite necessary with the lives we all live. Who knows where we’d be when disaster or a dead phone strikes?

Is the Goal Zero Yeti 150 Expensive?

It sounds expensive, right? But for the very low price of $199.95 the Goal Zero Yeti 150 Solar Power Station can be yours (as it is ours).  You can charge it from a wall outlet and from your car’s 12v adapter but the most versatile part of the Yeti 150 is that you can charge it with the accompanying 15-watt solar panel which makes it ideal for camping or RV’ing in remote areas.

For $200, the Goal Zero Yeti 150 makes it possible for us stay for extended periods of time where we otherwise would not, thus enhancing our feeling of utter freedom!  In fact, as I type this my laptop is charging via the Yeti 150 and we are nowhere near any exterior sources of power …

How Portable is the Goal Zero Yeti 150?

The Yeti 150 is also the perfect size to either be tossed in the mix for a weekend camping trip or to find a nesting spot inside an RV where all real estate is prime due to very limited space for anything considered “extra”!  Seriously, it weighs all of 12 lbs and it’s dimensions are 7.75 x 5.75 x 6.75 in — that’s just the perfect size for our travel needs!!  Obviously you wouldn’t want to cart it with you along the Appalachian Trail, but that’s not it’s purpose … nor is it the purpose of the AT!!

Final Thoughts

For the price, the Goal Zero Yeti 150 is next level. It not only does what it claims, it’s price point beats out the competition. In this world of unpredictability, chaos and power outages, being able to harvest your own power in order to access and communicate with your loved ones when power may be questionable at best.

And for the RVer, or the adventurer, the van lifer, the camper … the Yeti 150’s portability is second to none!