Jackery 290 Portable Power Station

So much of our lives today are dependent on electronics and gadgets, whether it is for business or pleasure or even medical reasons, you are constantly looking for a way to charge or run your devices. With your device at 3% power, you would hope that there is always a socket around for you to recharge it with. For those times and locations without easy access to elecricity, it’s a good idea to bring your own power source.

Small power packs and batteries are great for replenishing mobile phones but when your power needs are greater, such as for an RC battery charger, car fridge, laptop or maybe even a C-pap machine, a more robust power supply is required. Say hello to the Jackery 290. The Jackery 290 portable power supply checks a lot of the boxes to keep your power needs met.

For this author, the Jackery 290 ended up being used for three main things in two different scenarios. While on the road travelling between RC events such as Axialfest and Pro-Line By The Fire, the Jackery was plugged into and charging off the 12-volt port of my RV while simultaneously charging my USB based batteries for the small RCs and drones, laptop, iPads and iPhone. When I got to my destination, all of my devices were charged and ready to go, and so was the Jackery itself too thanks to it being pluged into the RV’s 12-volt port.
Whether you’re spending a weekend in the hills crawling, at a no-prep drag race or at a touring car track, you’ll need plenty of power on hand. The Jackery 290’s sole purpose is to provide portable power, lots of it. Before deciding on the Jackery, I spent a few days researching several other options but found enough testimonials that convinced me that it was the way to go. I haven’t looked back since.
Every battery and device is going to have different charging needs so its tough to say how long it will last for you but for me the average to heavy demand user, it easily kept the family’s devices charged all weekend. My usual power requirements include at least six recharges of small RC batteries and a laptop charged twice over. The 290 handled it with power to spare. An optional solar panel is available for it, but I didn’t opt for it just yet. The solar panel keeps the power supply charging while you’re off the grid, which seems very useful for extended trips.
The power station’s easy to read display keeps you in the know about the Jackery’s status, which helps limit any surprise outages. The 290 also comes with a small pouch to neatly hold two power cords that it come with. The connections are simple and convenient enough for my six year old to connect things and get her RC charged.
The Jackery’s overall size is is pretty small and can be tucked out of the way in the corner of the tent and if you have a longer six-foot charging cable for your device, you won’t get all tangled up and trip over it. In summary, I found that the Jackery 290 Portable Power Station is a solid choice for my power needs and for the money, is in my opinion, one of the best values around.

Specs
Jackery Exlporer 290
Portable Power Station
Peak Output: 400 Watt
Capacity: 290 Watt-Hour

Source
Harbor Freight
MSRP: $269.99
harborfreight.com