Summer is the perfect time of year to update your outdoor gear game. Adventures away from your home’s power outlets don’t have to be powerless affairs. Investing in a quality portable power station can be a game changer for summer outings, whether that be an afternoon working remotely in a park or a week off-grid in the wilderness. A good portable power station is capable of charging and running a myriad of devices with different plugs and cords simultaneously. By assessing your own power needs and your ability to transport items of a certain size and weight outdoors, you can find the ideal portable power station to keep your devices running wherever the summer takes you.
In this article: EF ECOFLOW Portable Power Station RIVER 3 Plus, Anker SOLIX C300 and EcoFlow RIVER 3
A power station differs from a power bank in many ways. Size and weight are the most obvious contrasts. A power bank can be the size of a deck of cards and is typically used to power smaller USB devices like a phone, tablet or laptop. Power stations, on the other hand, range from the size and weight of a brick to a small refrigerator. They can run larger AC appliances with wattage needs that a power bank would not be able to deliver. They also have more outlets in a range of formats, such as AC ports, USB-A, USB-C and car charger ports. Unlike power banks, power stations often also feature multiple charging options, display screens and app connectivity.
The best way to assess your own needs is to educate yourself on the wattage needs of your individual devices. You wouldn’t want to lug a 20-pound power station around if all you need to do is power a laptop for an afternoon, but if you plan to run a microwave oven outdoors, you’ll need to find a power station that is actually capable of that output and for your required duration.
I recently tested five different power stations from three brands: the EcoFlow RIVER 3, EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus, Anker SOLIX C300, Anker SOLIX C300 DC and Goal Zero Yeti 700. Interestingly, they all performed more or less as described on their respective websites and in literature. One of the most obvious differences from a user’s perspective is the size and weight of the various power stations, which correspond directly to how much energy can be stored. Other noteworthy differences are port spacing and layout, fan noise and the inclusion (or exclusion) of charging cords.
This was the best of the best. The features that set this apart from the competition are three AC ports spaced farther apart than any other power station tested, two complete charging options included in the box (AC and car charger), and the option to add-on one of two different extra batteries (sold separately), which either double or triple the capacity. What it has against it is the “X-Boost” feature which claims to double the output when demanded but does not seem to work at all, and an unpleasant odor during the first few charge/discharge cycles which gradually lessened over time.
Note that from the EcoFlow Amazon store, a EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus bundled with a 45-watt solar panel is actually $20 less than the power station alone.
My second favorite was the Anker SOLIX C300. This is a comprehensive unit with many options. There are four ways to charge it (AC ports, USB-C, car charger and solar), which is the most of any power station tested. However, only an AC cord is included with purchase. Another drawback is the tiny font on the labeling in a color similar to the device itself. I felt like an old man every time I took off my glasses and held this up to my face just to read which port I was looking for. On the other hand, the app is one of the best device-paired apps I’ve seen, and only one of two power stations tested with three AC ports. Nitpicking aside, this is a very sturdy, reliable power bank that I would be confident to bring anywhere.
EcoFlow RIVER 3 is a fantastic product that can handle the portable power needs of most people. Unfortunately, it can’t compete with its own product line. For only a slightly higher cost, the EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus blows it out of the water. It’s curious, almost suspicious, like if a car dealer had a Kia and a Ferrari priced nearly the same, you’d wonder what sort of shenanigans they were up to. If you know for a fact that you’ll never need three AC ports or a battery extension pack, this is a smaller, lighter and more portable version of the RIVER 3 Plus. It’s an excellent option for someone who won’t need the extras that the “Plus” offers.
Of the five power stations tested, the Goal Zero Yeti 700 features the best labeling, the fastest charging, and the highest output recorded. It’s also big, heavy and loud. None of the other devices tested had any noise issues, but the Yeti 700’s fan noise reached 58 decibels from a foot away and 91 decibels right at the fan vents. That’s louder than my refrigerator. The noise is distracting, annoying and constant. If I’m sitting around a campfire or a picnic table with friends, I want to hear the radio, not the portable battery powering it. If one was looking for an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) to backup a computer in a loud bar or restaurant, this would not be a concern. But it is way too loud for the sleeping conditions desired in a camper or tent.
Of the five power stations tested, this was the only one with no AC outlets, no AC input port, or even a complete recharging system. It comes with a specialty 140-watt USB-C cord, but no power adapter (the rectangular connector that plugs into your wall outlet). Users are instructed to “Use a 140W USB-C cable and 140W adapter for the best charging experience”. A 140w USB-C power adapter is a specialty item, which most people do not have, and a normal consumer would likely not even realize that their own USB-C power adapter is unable to perform at this level. I still use the 1-inch cube adapter that came with my iPhone a decade ago. It provides 5 watts, which I never bothered to learn until I was trying to recharge this device and realized I needed to purchase my own 140-watt power adapter to even bother using the included 140-watt cord. Other power adapters I already own max out at 30 watts. Also frustrating was the tiny font on the port labels, in a color similar to the background. On the plus side, it was the smallest and lightest power station tested, and the only one with a lantern offering 360 degrees of illumination (the other power stations tested either had a lantern on one face of the unit, or none at all). If a user knows for certain they’ll never need an AC port, and already has a high-wattage power adapter, this is the smallest and lightest power station tested. It would be easy to slip in a backpack and bring power on the go, so long as you have DC-only power needs.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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