If the grid goes down, most of your devices go down, too. You need electricity. It does not matter if you are sheltering in place or bugging out. Having a mobile power source will give you a survival edge.
A battery with a solar charging capability is the easiest way to ensure you have electricity in your home or on the road. Batteries are easily transported and solar panels are light and rugged. You can take them camping and keep the family cellphones full all week.
There are so many batteries on the market now. After six months of substantial research I decided to get a Bluetti EB3A with PV120 Solar Panel.
Why Bluetti? It does seem like Jackery products get most of the press. I have nothing bad to say about Jackery and they are number 2 on my list. I chose Bluetti because it seemed to match Jackery in all categories with a lower price. Additionally, the specs and customer feedback suggested I could get a full night of electricity out of it with a CPAP machine running all night. I have not been disappointed.
What do I love so far:
FAST: I can report that the Bluetti EB3A charges fast from an outlet—40 minutes and it was full. It takes me four hours though to get a full charge off the solar panels (they claim it should take 2 hours). I have to move the panels around to make sure they get hit with direct sun and I’m a bit slow to move them consistently.
RELIABLE: This beast keeps my CPAP machine running without interruption. Many of the other batteries reportedly cannot do this or will go into power saving mode after five hours. Even if you don’t have medical equipment to run today, do you really want to buy a battery that cannot be used if you needed to run something like that all night?
LIGHT & RUGGED: Easy to transport and seems like it can take a hit. The panels have a zippered storage bag for the cables. They are easy to fold and have a solid handle and straps for transport.
What do I wish was different:
NO STORAGE BAG INCLUDED: You can buy an accessory bag. It would have been nice if one was included. There is a fireproof bag available from another seller. It seems like a wise investment.
If you like to do your own research, here are 3 great solar/battery options to start with:
- BLUETTI Solar Generator EB3A with PV120 Solar Panel Included-$499
- Jackery Solar Generator 300, 293Wh Backup Lithium Battery, 110V/300W Pure Sine Wave AC Outlet, Solar Generator – $569
- EF ECOFLOW River 288Wh Portable Power Station – $250 + TWELSEAVAN Portable Solar Panel for Power Station, 120W Foldable Solar Charger – $160 (TOTAL $410)