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The Goal Zero Yeti 3000 Solar Portable Power Station


HMD1056

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Before I begin the discussion with my question, please understand I know close to nothing about solar power and how it's stored except that batteries are needed.  With this said, would it be possible to use the solar panels installed on the roof of the OTTs to keep one of the Yeti or other solar generators charged?  I like the idea of not having to use a generator that uses gasoline or propane.  And these types of generators are safe for indoor use as well as outdoors...or so the companies say.  I read and hear both pros and cons about lithium ion batteries and safety.  Not sure what to believe.  But having a solar generator to use to supplement power while not hooked up to shore power does seem better than burning more fuel.  Any thoughts or ideas or knowledge sharing would be greatly appreciated.  Thank you!

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I use the Yeti 1400 to power my ARB fridge in my truck to supplement cold food storage and I usually keep it charged while driving with the TV alternator or I use portable solar panels to charge it while camped. The only time I need a propane generator for is to run the air conditioner... which is the only thing the Yeti 1400 or 3000 can't do I believe. So unless you install a larger inverter and bigger battery bank the propane gen is still needed for my use. I live in TN and AC is a must 24/7/365. I love the Yeti and Goal Zero products in general but they have very specific uses at home and on the road, although it could always be used for backup to run everything else. And for $3000 you could be well on your way to upgrading to a LFP battery bank. SO many options! I am sure you will get more feedback from the site, which is what makes this site so helpful.

IMG_3364.thumb.jpeg.a1588a35cb9b21d3c5a56a8e0b9ef560.jpeg

- Mike


Nashville, TN


2018 Elite II - Spirit of Adventure Hull #308  - Toyota Tundra 


 

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Thank you for your reply.  Love your fridge/Yeti set up!  I dislike shopping for groceries, so being able to stock up for a couple of weeks would be nice.  You live in TN and need air conditioning 365 days???  I live in SE Louisiana near the Gulf and I don't need it all year!!  I would have thought TN has cooler winters.  I didn't know the Yeti could be charged in the vehicle.  Good to know.  Thanks!!

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If you live in SE Louisiana and do not need AC, my hat is off to you!  I live in northeast FL, and AC is a must, year-round.  In fact, the humidity right now is so unpleasant makes going outside a dread.  So, the Oliver AC is very important for my camping experience and certainly worth carrying my Honda 2200i with gasoline stored in Jerry cans when not camping at locations with power hookups.  Have lived in TN for 5-years and agree AC makes life better most of the year (some snow days, but many hot, humid days).  Next summer we intend to find that camping location without humidity - that is the worst.  I can do hot, but, when the air is 95% saturated, and mosquitoes and gnats are never-ending, it is quite difficult to enjoy camping.  Thankful for breeze.

 

Obviously, this is a hot-button for me - humidity and bugs. Been in north FL most of my life and seems to get worse every year (or maybe I am just getting older and less tolerant - who knows). As I recall my days as a young man, I did not seem to mind as much (or, it simply was not as bad?).

 

I do believe fuel cells will replace generators, and nuclear power for generating electricity (and electricity for powering vehicles) will replace fossil fuel combustion,  these technologies have zero greenhouse gas emissions and will move the planet toward the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 (by the way, doubtful I will be alive to experience this goal).  Solar panels and wind turbines simply will never get the planet there (but, another topic altogether).

 

I do wish Oliver could find a quieter AC.  As I grow older and experience more hearing loss, the AC does seem to get quieter.

 

 

KWR


2019 Oliver Legacy Elite II, Hull#444


2019 GMC Sierra 2500HD Crew Cab, 4WD, Denali, Duramax 6.6L Turbo Diesel V8 Engine with Allison 6-speed transmission

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As Mike said, Goal Zero and the like aren’t substitutes for generators, despite their branding. They are really just batteries, albeit with built in chargers and inverters.

 

The Yeti 3000, in particular, seems like a rather niche product. It isn’t quite powerful enough to run an AC and wouldn’t last long if it did. Yet it’s overkill for pretty much anything else the average camper would want to do with it.

 

So, if you want to run your AC while boondocking, a gas or propane powered generator is what you need, and if you want something to power accessories, like a portable fridge, then a smaller, more affordable unit will do the job just fine.

 

I’d say though that these things are getting close, in power if not affordability. Of course even when they get there, recharging will become the bottleneck. Running your truck to recharge batteries is great while driving but totally impractical when camped.

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Thank you all for your responses!  I do understand more now and realize that 3000 is indeed overkill for my use.  Living in Louisiana not far from both New Orleans and the Gulf, we have nine months of summer and run our air conditioners constantly.  We do have one month of fall, one month of winter, and one month of spring.  During those non-summer months, we often need heat...some days all day, some days not.  Most Christmas days require ac, while many Easter mornings we use heat!  And a few days we use neither because our weather is simply glorious.  I pray one day to be able to travel the seasons and weather where using AC isn't needed and heat is used to simply take the morning chill out.  Thank you for your input!!!

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We're happy dragging our trailer to places where we don't need ac, so a honda 1000 as a backup on bad solar days is our choice.

 

The Yetis were on sale on Costco a few months ago, but with capacity in watt hours vs amp hours, price to storage seemed pretty high.

I think we will just wait til our group 27 agms give up the ghost, and maybe replace with higher capacity battleborn batteries someday. For the last 12 seasons, we've done fine with agms. 200 watts solar, recently added 100 watts portable, and the little honda work for us. But, we love shoulder season camping, and avoid heat when we can.

2008 Ram 1500 4 × 4

2008 Oliver Elite, Hull #12

Florida and Western North Carolina, or wherever the truck goes....

400 watts solar. DC compressor fridge. No inverter. 2 x 105 ah agm batteries .  Life is good.


        
 

 

 

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  • 5 months later...

This appears to be spam post from a brand new member with no history, containing an indirect link to a Junk Chinese product on Amazon with fake reviews.

John Davies

Spokane WA

32624E81-B065-4F00-8101-772F8EE4F171.jpeg

Edited by Overland
edited to remove spam link
  • Thanks 1

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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14 minutes ago, Overland said:

Thanks - in the future, please use the report function so that spam posts can be eliminated more quickly.  

FYI, quoting the post merely doubles their SEO exposure, which is what they're after.  

I have not been able to locate the Report button on my iPhone. Plus I was unsure if it was indeed spam, it was a very subtle effort.

OK, I found it. On my iPhone it is a Flag symbol, it does not say “Report Post”.

Thanks, and you can delete all these last posts too.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited by John E Davies

SOLD 07/23 "Mouse":  2017 Legacy Elite II Two Beds, Hull Number 218, See my HOW TO threads: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/

Tow Vehicle: 2013 Land Cruiser 200, 32” LT tires, airbags, Safari snorkel, Maggiolina Grand Tour 360 Carbon RTT.

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