Portable Power Station Explorer 500, 518Wh Outdoor Backup Mobile Lithium Battery Pack with 230V/500W AC Outlet for holiday RV Camping, Outdoor Adventure, Emergency

I did a lot of homework before investing in the Jackery 500W. After reading many reviews of both Jackery and its main competitors, I opted for what I felt was the most reliable, most sturdy and most simple to use for a non-techie like me. It really is very straightforward with a minimum of buttons to confuse you and very clear instructions. Having watched some of the video reviews, it took no time at all to plug everything in and start charging up electronic devices. It arrived more than fifty per cent charged so I was able to do this without a problem and I was surprised by how quickly my devices charged and how little stored power they consumed. I know next to nothing about electrics but my understanding is that you can run pretty much anything electronic from the Jackery provided it doesn't draw more than 500W so that rules out larger appliances, domestic kettles, heaters etc. For those, you'd need a larger energy pack. I did agonise about whether to go for the bigger Jackery but decided that something that would charge phones, laptops, tablets etc was adequate for my needs. It comes with three USB (A) sockets, a 12v plug socket and a standard UK three pin socket - more than enough for my needs. You can also plug a USB device directly into the solar panel for charging. It doesn't however come with USB (C) sockets so an adaptor is required (or a mains plug) for such use. The simple display panel shows the wattage coming in during charge and the wattage going out to devices. The real gain for me was being able to match up the Jackery solar panel which again is so simple to use, my small grandson could work it out. There's something very satisfying being able to charge a device up using the power of the sun - albeit one tiny appliance! All very relevant now too with the COP summit underway (At time of writing). I daresay this will very quickly become outdated as the technology (and battery power) develops but it's a start and the costs are coming down quickly. I daresay I'll be shopping for the Jackery 500's big brother very soon!

I did quite a bit of research before my purchase. 1st to make sure it would work with my ResMed CPAP machine and 2nd to get a good price. So got the sale price and sorted the delivery date, taking into account the festive holiday period. On that point it came early and luckily we had not left. Easy to follow instructions, worth doing; no matter how tempting to miss that bit out. I tried the CPAP machine on the 240v mains on the 1st night, was awoken due to the cooling fan kicking in after 2 hours. A bit disappointing really, the noise had woken me. 2nd night was able to use my Amazon acquired 12v car adapter and it ran for a good 8hrs without issue. The bonus was I had only used 20% of the battery charge. So able to run for 5 nights without issue. That includes a humidifier on the CPAP machine which uses more power. Loads of options with other power ports for phones, torches, speakers and watch but they are not heavy on battery. In summary it is a fabulous piece of kit, huge value if there is a power cut and there do occur in my area due to the trees and power lines. Total back up in the motor home too. Obviously it could run on the leisure battery or inverter. I would use the engine battery for a night if pushed. Sale price made it a total winner. Very pleased +++

So good we bought two. We mainly run our expedition fridge off it. Able to charge from cigarette lighter as we are driving and when fully charged - can run the fridge for a couple of days on average (depending on ambient temperature ) We use it in place of expensive electric modifications to our vehicle. Of course is fully transferable between vehicles and we use it for charging e-bikes out in the garage where there is no power supply (note though it won’t fully charge the battery).

It has a fan when you use the 3pin plug for lights which I’m sure is a safety feature but I find a wee bit annoying

My fiance and I decided to temporarily convert a small van into a small campervan. Because it is temporary, we do not have an electrical system for all of our needs (lights and charging cables for phones, watches, laptops, tablets, etc.). We have been using the E500 every day for over 2 months now and the battery of the Jackery holds so well whilst supplying countless charges to our devices, we have only needed to charge the Jackery itself 3 times! It has a few different types of charging ports which makes it easy to use -- we have not had to worry about having specific dongles, or cubes for our cables -- just plug them straight into the Jackery. It is pretty robust as it has been bumped a few times and survived driving on rugged roads and still has not given us any issues. Also, because of its compact size, we are able to store it away pretty easily. Overall, it is definitely holding up to its name and makes our camping experience hassle-free. If you need to power multiple devices for a long period of time this Jackery E500 is for you. When we initially purchased the Jackery E500, we didn't think the solar panels would be ideal for our set up. However, since we have begun travelling, we think the solar panels would allow us to have a more self-sufficient style of camping. If you are planning to stay in the outdoors, the solar panels would be another good addition to your Jackery purchase.