Jackery 290 power station running 12v fridge

Testing the Jackery 290 power station, which is rated at 293 watt hours by running 12v Alpicool 55qt fridge.
For this test the fridge started at ambient temp and had to cool down to the preset 32 degrees and began at 3:30pm. The fridge was in my van and the high for the day was 85 degrees and the low was 72 degrees at night and very humid. The fridge ran the Jackery 290 down to 16% over 13.5 hours. Giving an average consumption of about 6% per hour.

[@ethangonzales442]

This has to be the best video of what I want to know real world use without all that B.S just simple straight to the point

[@kampinglogik]

Wow thank you so much!! I'm really glad to hear it was helpful!

[@pinkivy98]

@@kampinglogik Totally agree. Great review. Thanks!

[@Bovorn.S]

Appreciate you get up every hour to take the readings.

[@kampinglogik]

Haha, thanks for watching! Cheers!

[@geographyinaction7814]

This is an excellent video as it answers the simple question. I am assuming that if you had a Jackery solar panel attached, through the day the Jackery would have its power refreshed and with the built-in solar controller you would have zero issues. The reality is that many of the power station companies are showing stats that make you think you need to buy 1000 or 1500 w stations instead of the more budget friendly ones. If I were running all sorts of other devices, I would spend the money, but I am a camper and out there I'm trying to get away from the world. Will I want to charge a phone or lap-top? Probably but that is about it! Thank you!

[@kampinglogik]

Hey thanks for watching! Yes I think you are correct- with a solar panel topping off the Jackery 290 during the day, that should be* sufficient for a fridge. Here is another video I made that shows this in action kzbin.info/www/bejne/ql6ndqt5mc6XnpY The cooler the weather, the easier it will be as the fridge won't need to cycle as often. However you could be in a tough spot recharging if camping under heavy tree cover or in a run of bad weather. If in the desert or at the beach, probably non-issue.

[@heatherk8931]

Great test and info. I'm info gathering. So far 500wh controller/inverter, Pure SEINE wave, probably 2 battery bank, not sure of type. I've got the REALLY OLD HF 45w kit, controller is! 3v,6v,9v. Truly! Bot 2 HF 100w last month, time to do something! Very helpful info. Thanks

[@kampinglogik]

Awesome! So glad it was helpful!

[@VafaPhotography]

Love the review...but even better I love how at 330 you were rethinking your life goals 😂

[@kampinglogik]

Hey thanks for watching! Hahaha definitely rethinking things at 3:30am... buy we did just get back from beach camping and used this combo extensively - it was blazing hot and yet never let me down!!!

[@racetosummit266]

One of best video ever! Straight to the point👍

[@kampinglogik]

Wow thank you so much for watching!

[@AndreFB69]

Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks for sharing!

[@kampinglogik]

Awesome, thanks for watching! So glad this was helpful! We just got back from a 12 day camping trip ourselves, used both of these the entire time, not sure what we would have done without either one!!

[@AndreFB69]

@@kampinglogik 12 days camping... Sounds like a dream comes true!

[@kampinglogik]

@@AndreFB69 yes!! Life-long memories for sure

[@AndreFB69]

@@kampinglogik Definitely right!

[@patriotone755]

Great straight forward review thank you!

[@kampinglogik]

Awesome, thanks for watching! Glad it was helpful 👍

[@65plusfabulous56]

Great and informative review.👍👍So I shouldn't have any problems with a 300-350W power station. Thoughts?

[@kampinglogik]

Thanks so much for watching! The simplest answer to your question is that, at the minimum the little 296 watt/hour power station will run a fridge over night, and still be running when the sun comes up, as you can see from this video. HOWEVER, that test was with NO other items drawing power from the fridge, and I was not opening and closing the fridge lid too much, or as much as we would if actually out camping. This past month we took a 12 day trip and ran another, similar 12v fridge off this same power station as our "day trip" cooler, while our bigger 12v fridge stayed in the van at our campsite. It would run overnight, as long as the power station was topped off with a solar panel or the vehicle 12v charger by the end of the day. But if we ran the fridge all day without charging the power station, it would not have the power to run the fridge all night. So if you aren't driving (and recharging power station) or charging in good light with a 100w solar panel during the day, the power station in the 300w/hour range will not last you a full 24 hours. If you are in tree cover, or hit an overcast day, when you aren't driving, then your power station of that size, just won't be able to keep the fridge going long enough. Now, if you are in good light and have a solar panel or are driving from place to place for hours at a time, it will function as you need it to. So, a larger capacity power station may be what you need. But, if you are doing just weekender, type stuff, 2 days/1 night, then yes, this setup will likely function for that purpose. Hopefully that was helpful, and not confusing!

[@65plusfabulous56]

@@kampinglogik Awesome. I was hoping you would say that. I will be driving for at least 8 hours a day so the power station will charge during that time. I would only use the 296 or probably a 300W specifically for the 12 volt fridge at night when not driving, so yes I totally understand what you said. Thanks so much for taking the time to explain.😊👍

[@kampinglogik]

No problem! Glad that was the info you were looking for. Yeah with that kind of daily driving, the fridge/power station should get through the night without issue, as far as I can tell from my experiences anyway.

[@PartyUpLive]

I'm looking at a solar generator that has pass-through charging. Meaning I can have it running the fridge and charge itself while driving. I'm not sure how many hours a day I'd be driving on a 5 day trip.

[@jerseygirl6261]

I just got my Jacquerie 290 and it said on the instructions that you can run an item and have your solar connected to the generator and not use one word of your generator until the sun goes down and then it starts using your generator

[@kampinglogik]

Yes there is pass-thru charging... though reading the manual it appears that any wattage draw is coming from the battery, and the battery is being replenished by whatever is charging it... so if you are drawing 200 watts from the unit while charging with say the solar panel, which is limited to 60 watt input, it would not keep up as I understand it.

[@PartyUpLive]

Thanks for the video. I'm looking into what size solar generator I should get for a car fridge for 5 day road trips. I currently have a 300 wh but I'm thinking of getting a 1000 Wh. Maybe 1500, which should be enough seeing as it'll just be me. I won't be doing solar panels and will be charging it while I drive.

[@kampinglogik]

Hey thanks for watching! Do you plan to drive every day? I think with the 300wh generator you will have to drive a couple hours everyday to keep the generator charged up for the night, at least in the warmer months. Probably get away with driving/charging every other day in cooler months or high altitudes. So I would say that 1000wh would make it 3 to 4 days without driving, and all 5 days if its chilly. Its easy for me to tell you to spend your money on a 1500wh unit, as it is not my cost to bare. BUT: one thing I've noticed, you always find ways to use more wattage ;-) Whether that is charging electronics, running fans, running heated blankets in winter... plus once you have a nice 1000wh unit, you won't necessarily get your money back out of it if you decide to upgrade. Basically, the one and done approach vs incrementally upgrading, which may actually be more cost long term. If you went all in on 1500w, I think you could sit in one place for 5 days, not driving and still have some watt hours left at the end of the trip. It really depends on your driving plans, if you are driving hours everyday, than you will have no problem keeping everything charged up. If you are chilling in one spot, a different situation for sure. If you go with a 1000wh unit and realize you are going to need to recharge, maybe grab a folding solar panel for longer stops? Hope that helps!

[@PartyUpLive]

@kampinglogik Thanks for the reply. So I'd be driving at least a few hours every other day. In the future I may do car camping at a camp ground for maybe 4-5 days, at which point I'd definitely get solar. I'm leaning towards getting a 1500 wh mainly to run the fridge and in the future maybe something like a hot plate for quick meals. I'll still have my 300 wh in a pinch and for small things like my phone/tablet. I even thought of going with 2000 wh and being done with it. That should be plenty for 5 days running a fridge and a few other items. as they are on sale close to the 1500 cost. And if I really enjoy the trips and camping, I may want to bring more "toys in the future. I wish there was a road trip/car camping meetup, I'd definitely give it a go. Thanks again for the help.

[@kampinglogik]

Yeah I think you've got a good plan. 1500 should be plenty, especially if you are driving a bit. But 2000wh, you'd probably never even have to think about it all trip. I've noticed that harsher conditions are where you need the most watt hours. If its really hot, and or humid, or really cold, that is when you will probably have the most energy usage. If you are in a really temperate climate, you may not use as much.

[@PartyUpLive]

@@kampinglogik I'll be mostly heading out west in the summer months so will definitely have to deal with the head. I won't be traveling much if at all during the colder months. And yeah, 2000 should be more than enough, and since they are on sale, I'd rather go that route and not have to worry about power at all if I can help it. THANKS AGAIN.

[@kampinglogik]

@@PartyUpLive Definitely a good call if the price is not significantly different. The nice thing about the West in general is that as long as you are at higher altitude, even in the middle of summer the nights cool down to a manageable level! The humidity in the Mid-West, South and East Coast is brutal ;-) Cheers!

[@Grindstaff09]

is that a custom cushion on the fridge or some insulation?

[@kampinglogik]

Its an insulated cover. I love it! CF55 Insulated Protective Cover for Alpicool Insulated Transit Bag 12 Volt Portable Refrigerator Cover a.co/d/bNhsEmn

[@Grindstaff09]

Have you tried connecting an additional battery to the Jackary 290?

[@kampinglogik]

No I haven't... have you you tried it? Does it work?

[@Grindstaff09]

@@kampinglogik I just today purchased the battery, so not yet. I have the a similiar cooler, it appears this config will work. I did get a 100w solar panel

[@americanmade422]

I have a explorer 300 ans run my 12v fridge for a few days at a time with a 100w solar panel

[@kampinglogik]

Hey thanks for watching and adding your experience. Yes I agree!! This test was kind of a "minimum baseline" type of test. Depending on the ambient temperatures and how full the fridge is, it can definitely run for a couple days on these 296 watt hour power stations.

[@MajorWeakness]

How do you like the fridge

[@kampinglogik]

This fridge has been a major game changer!! We love it so much.... 1000x better than dealing with an ice chest. I can't believe I didn't get one of these 5 years ago. Anyway, we have used it pretty extensively since purchasing in January. A good mix of short and long camping trips and day trips to the lake. It cools down so quickly you can turn it on jist before loading it, maybe 20 or 30 minutes and its already down to 32F even in hot summer weather. We are camping down at the beach today. About a 4 hour trip each way. We keep it in the middle of the van front seats as in the video and we have easy access while driving. Never need to stop for food. Woke up this morning at campsite, drove to the beach to have breakfast 👍 obviously a lot of my stoke would apply to any working 12v fridge, but this Alpicool has been great for us!

[@MajorWeakness]

@@kampinglogik cool, thanks for the response. I'll check the fridge out on Amazon!

[@kampinglogik]

Yeah glad to help!!

[@frankroper3274]

Not having anything in the refrigerator will make your test show much better results in the cool down but on the staying cool side it will make the results show a decline since the product in the refrigerator will help it stay cool when it is cool itself.

[@kampinglogik]

The fridge cools down in 30 minutes or less, so I never need to cool it down with anything* in it. Yes I realize cold items would help keep it cool, this test is kind of a minimum estimate of what one could expect, since no two individuals are going to pack the same items in the fridge anyway.

[@frankroper3274]

@@kampinglogik I have an Alpicool and when I stock it and the ambient is around 80F then it pulls 50 watts and it takes around 3 hours to cool down to 39F. You must have an amazing fridge or be at a high altitude.

[@kampinglogik]

@@frankroper3274 hmm, we are at about 1000ft Elevation. Like I said, I always chill it empty, and the fact that it consistently cools down very quickly, even on summer days is one of my favorite aspects of the fridge, enables us to use it on a whim if we decide to take a day trip. We can't get the kids in the van any faster than the fridge takes to cool. Do you have a CF55 or another model? My dad has another brand 12v fridge, and his cools off quickly as well.

[@cindynichols27]

Is this the Jackery 240 or 300? I don't think they make a 290.

[@kampinglogik]

Yes the Jackery 290 is sold by Harbor Freight stores

[@CaptainFALKEN]

I have a jackery 290

[@carlosbarraza2904]

Cool 😎

[@kampinglogik]

Thanks brother!!