Portable Power Pack
- Thread starter Louisianarunner
- Start date
Louisianarunner
Member
Pluton and OllieCristopher, thank you both for the input. I have a bit more research to do and look forward to hearing how the Jackery did. It seems to be most cost effective of the Jackery/Dometic batteries.
Pluton since you have the NL do you have the older style or newer with more accessory plugs. What is the weight of the unit with battery(as this is the main con I see for it). and last thing do you happen to have a picture of it in the vehicle. ( I am a visual/hands on kind of person).
Thanks to all for information.
Pluton since you have the NL do you have the older style or newer with more accessory plugs. What is the weight of the unit with battery(as this is the main con I see for it). and last thing do you happen to have a picture of it in the vehicle. ( I am a visual/hands on kind of person).
Thanks to all for information.
Louisianarunner
Member
Pluton , forgot to tell you I'm in a 4runner also. That is why I want to see picture it will give me a great reference.
OllieChristopher
Well-known member
It’s a trade off to charge your solar generator more quickly than DC.
Well first experiment was a fail. My little 300 watt inverter was not quite up to the task of powering up my garage fridge. I’m not sure what the start up amps are? I’ll try my 300 Jackery when it gets here.
jadmt
ignore button user
i am confused I guess on what you are trying to do. my 1000W sine-wave inverter would kill the stand alone battery quickly when trying to run my 50arb cooler on AC yet same battery would run it on 12V for 3 days and still not be dead. Not sure why you would want to run your fridge on ac. I plan on getting a Jackery 1000 and charge it with my ARB harness nice heavy harness direct off the truck battery.
blacklbzbeauty
Active member
Have also been running the NL for 4 years. Came from Paul @ Equipt with everything needed for clean install. Functions as advertised. No room under the hood for a third battery and wanted to isolate from starting system or combine if needed. We run a 60L NL fridge/freezer along with a couple of auxiliary lights. Odyssey size 31 along with portable solar and we are good to go for extended stays in remote locations.
With that said the lithium portable power packs are getting better all the time and definitely a viable option depending on desired use.
With that said the lithium portable power packs are getting better all the time and definitely a viable option depending on desired use.
pluton
Adventurer
It's the older one with just a cigar, Hella, and 50A Anderson for 12V outs.
It weighs about 79 pounds with the Northstar NST_AGM27F battery in it. Noticeably heavier than with the group 34 in it.
Don't have a photo, but I'm hoping to install/use it later this month (Feb 2021) and I can come back to this thread and post some pix then.
OllieChristopher
Well-known member
I am just trying a few things with what I have on hand. For now it's my AC garage fridge. Down the road I plan on getting a small AC/DC cooler. That one will be run through my AC circuit at home (to cool it initially) then the DC circuit when in my truck.
My plan with my my small 300 watt inverter is to use it pretty much exclusively charging my solar generators while I am driving. AC charges faster than DC and having that bi directional 60 watt C port is going to bring the charge times down even more.
I'm taking baby steps right now in regards to aux power.
dstefan
Well-known member
FWIW I just changed from tent camping a 2nd Gen Tacoma with dual Odesseys to a 3rd gen Tundra w/ popup Ovrlnd Camper. Just ran my 50qt ARB off the aux in the Tacoma. Weight management was a big issue for me, hence the light weight Ovrlnd. Wasn’t gonna do house battery under the hood again. Wanted Lithium for weight to amp hour ratio.
Decided on the NL DCDC power pack (AKA green box). with a Battleborn 100 Ah. Got some good holiday deals, but it definitely is the most costly way to go. I seriously researched the Jackery and others. Lack of good non-solar charging option along with skepticism about Li-ion durability and handing high heat as well as the superior amount of amp hours available put me squarely in the Battleborn LiFePo camp. I also don't want to have to install constant rooftop solar if I can avoid it.
I’ve just got it hooked up and love it. charges up well from my existing 100 watt portable solar kit. Charges up fast from the starter battery/alternator at a full 25 amps. Comes with a 23ft 6awg 50 amp Anderson power input cable you have to run to the starter battery. 39 lbs combination.
Couple of other things swayed me. Talked to Mario at AT Overland and he's using using the NL DCDC chargers in his builds. When I talked to Equipt about the NL PP they told me Mario was bulk buying the Green boxes for his Summits, etc. Good enough for Mario is good enough for me.
The other really important thing to me was, while I want to have it be removable (and useable in my 4runner) I also will be using it to power a fixed fuse panel in the camper. The 50 Anderson plug power outlet is significant. Can’t do that with a Jackery. Hope this helps you!
Decided on the NL DCDC power pack (AKA green box). with a Battleborn 100 Ah. Got some good holiday deals, but it definitely is the most costly way to go. I seriously researched the Jackery and others. Lack of good non-solar charging option along with skepticism about Li-ion durability and handing high heat as well as the superior amount of amp hours available put me squarely in the Battleborn LiFePo camp. I also don't want to have to install constant rooftop solar if I can avoid it.
I’ve just got it hooked up and love it. charges up well from my existing 100 watt portable solar kit. Charges up fast from the starter battery/alternator at a full 25 amps. Comes with a 23ft 6awg 50 amp Anderson power input cable you have to run to the starter battery. 39 lbs combination.
Couple of other things swayed me. Talked to Mario at AT Overland and he's using using the NL DCDC chargers in his builds. When I talked to Equipt about the NL PP they told me Mario was bulk buying the Green boxes for his Summits, etc. Good enough for Mario is good enough for me.
The other really important thing to me was, while I want to have it be removable (and useable in my 4runner) I also will be using it to power a fixed fuse panel in the camper. The 50 Anderson plug power outlet is significant. Can’t do that with a Jackery. Hope this helps you!
Louisianarunner
Member
Yes it does help> I have been looking at both the green box and the PPP from NL besides a few additional outlets and the ability to charge via solar, is there another difference between the two (besides the price). thanks.
OllieChristopher
Well-known member
That's cool different applications require different solutions. There is a trade off no matter what you use. For my it's simplicity, light weight and portability. I'm not a hard core overlander. I'll be a weekend warrior with my dirt bikes in the back and a ground tent or sleep in my truck bed with soft shell. I'm hoping to get close to 500 cycles and still be at 80%. More than enough for many many years of use. Twice a month camping means close to 20 years of use. In reality there will be better options by then.
I figure between my dual battery setup and a small 300 watt portable Jackery Solar Generator, I'll have more than enough energy for my needs for many years to come. If not then I'm only out 300 bucks.
Battleborn batteries are super popular right now in the RV community and people who live full time in their vehicles. You can't go wrong except for the cost.
I figure between my dual battery setup and a small 300 watt portable Jackery Solar Generator, I'll have more than enough energy for my needs for many years to come. If not then I'm only out 300 bucks.
Battleborn batteries are super popular right now in the RV community and people who live full time in their vehicles. You can't go wrong except for the cost.
OllieChristopher
Well-known member
WOWEE!! That is a serious piece of gear!! Almost 1000.00. Looks to be very stout with the ability to move from rig to rig as long as they have Anderson connectors. You can go as mild or wild as you want for the battery. Adding up the cost this option cost more than my dual battery setup in my truck. It looks like you are getting what you pay for though.
https://www.equipt1.com/products/dc-25-power-pack
dstefan
Well-known member
Yes, a big one. The Green Box has a built in NL 25 DCDC charger (along with an MPPT solar controller and the ability to switch between solar and starter battery power as needed) and has parameters for Li batteries (which are approved by Battleborn in conversation with them). The regular (Gray box) PPP has a standard battery combiner/isolator. The DC DC chargers take whatever voltage comes from the main starter Battery and step it up/down to 25 A (or whatever the particular DC DC charger‘s rated for). This way it compensates for voltage loss due to long cable runs from the starter battery, and may be more importantly, it prevents the lithium battery from draining your starter battery. Lithiums want to take up just about as much charge as they can, really fast so their draw on the starter battery has to be managed. A regular combiner/isolator doesn’t do that. The DCDC charger is important in combining batteries with dissimilar chemistries.
You could use the regular gray box with a lithium battery, but you would most likely run into some problems over time and depending on the circumstances. A deeply discharged lithium battery in the standard gray box could easily suck down your starter battery when you don’t want it to.
There are others on this forum who are far more versed in detail about these issues, but in general I think this is fairly accurate summary of the issues as I understand them.
dstefan
Well-known member
dstefan
Well-known member
Louisianarunner -- one other thought. In wifey's 5th gen 4runner, which we haven't really built out much or camped in, but have traveled a lot in with the fridge, pre-Covid, we just have one battery.
We put in a 95 AH Northstar AGM (actually the Batteries+ rebranded X2 Power battery which IS the Northstar and came with a great price, warranty and national dealer network). Have the ARB 10 awg, inline fused wiring loom running to the back with the ARB screw in plug mounted where the factory outlet is in the back. This will power our fridge for 24 hours easy without compromising our starter power. I'm guessing it would work OK for 36 hrs. We carry an Antigravity jump starter, and a our 105 watt Acopower portable solar panel, but never have had to use either. IF we build her's out for more serious off-road needing the short wheelbase, we would swap in the NL DC PPP as needed.
I get that you have a more built 4runner with more power demands, but you could likely do well with the same set up and a small Jackery (500) for the internal lights, etc. Charge the Jackery from the AC outlet while you drive and solar if needed. Would be less than that NL PPP and Battleborn, but accomplish what you need maybe?
We put in a 95 AH Northstar AGM (actually the Batteries+ rebranded X2 Power battery which IS the Northstar and came with a great price, warranty and national dealer network). Have the ARB 10 awg, inline fused wiring loom running to the back with the ARB screw in plug mounted where the factory outlet is in the back. This will power our fridge for 24 hours easy without compromising our starter power. I'm guessing it would work OK for 36 hrs. We carry an Antigravity jump starter, and a our 105 watt Acopower portable solar panel, but never have had to use either. IF we build her's out for more serious off-road needing the short wheelbase, we would swap in the NL DC PPP as needed.
I get that you have a more built 4runner with more power demands, but you could likely do well with the same set up and a small Jackery (500) for the internal lights, etc. Charge the Jackery from the AC outlet while you drive and solar if needed. Would be less than that NL PPP and Battleborn, but accomplish what you need maybe?