The best solar generators for emergency power and off-grid living

No one wants to stray too far from a power source these days — and with a powerful portable power station, no one has to. The smaller, user-friendly cousins of massive generators, portable powers stations are one of those tech gifts that everyone could use but might not invest in themselves.

If you know someone who is giving off-grid living a go in the wilderness or on the road in a van, a power station will be a most welcome and thoughtful gift. They’re also great for anyone worried about emergency power in their home during blackouts or rough weather. There are stations out there built for just about every power situation — you just need to know what to look for.

We’ve rounded up some of the top power stations on the market and broken them down by battery capacity, outage, and design. You don’t need to know exactly what someone will be using it for, but it’s important to have a general idea of how much power they need and where they’ll be using a power station before purchasing one.

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The Anker Powerhouse II is built for more short-term off-grid trips and emergency power for smaller devices. The 777Wh-capacity battery can easily handle charging devices like phones and laptops or a small appliance for a little while. Bring it on a camping trip to keep phones charged for photos, rechargeable lanterns lit, and pump up that air mattress. It supports solar pannel add-ons, so you can set it up to power your trip for quite a while with a little extra investment.

This may not be the most powerful battery on the market, but it's tough and one of the most durably designed. The rounded, reinforced corners mean it will survive a tumble from wherever you decided to set it up in camp.

The Delta Mini isn’t exactly light at just under 24 pounds, but it's the smallest power station in EcoFlow’s Delta lineup. With a battery capacity of 882Wh, the ability to pump out 1,400 watts continuously, and output flexibility, this little guy is a fantastic option for a little extra power around the garage, a camping companion, or a short-term emergency power source.

The Jackery Explorer 1500 is rated for up to 1,800 W of power and has a 1,534Wh battery capacity, its got the juice to power serious tools, larger appliances, or recharge something like an electric bike. At 35 pounds, it’s not the lightest battery (although that built-in handle helps), but it’s great for off-the-grid trips or keeping mostly stationary in your home.

If you’re aiming to use this station as a more continuous power source, pair it with some Jackery solar panels.

With a 2,000Wh battery capacity, a 2,000W output rating, and 17 output ports, the Bluetti AC200P is powerful and delivers serious bang for your buck. Using LiFePo4 battery cells, this power station has a lifecycle of around 3,500 charge cycles, blowing most power stations out of the water. Of course, this also means it's a bit hefty, weighing in at just over 60 pounds. Whether that’s worth the trade is up to you.

Performance aside, this is easily the most user-friendly and well-designed model on the market. It just looks sleek and the LCD display takes the guesswork out of charging.

The Yeti 1500X is one of our favorite power stations for outdoor recreation. Its tough exterior will survive being jostled in your camping van setup and the 1,516 Wh battery capacity is great for short-term emergency power and charging all sorts of tools and accessories in the great outdoors.

Goal Zero gear comes at a premium price, but the quality and on-call support from the company is worth it. A power station like this will last you years if you aren’t riding it too hard.

EcoFlow’s Delta Max is an absolute tank and a fantastic off-grid power solution. At 48 pounds it’s pushing that portable label, but the results are worth the added bulk. It has a 2,016Wh-capacity deep-cycle solar battery, a shelf life of over 12 months, and can easily handle powering devices up to 3,400W. The charging is pretty quick too — it can reportedly get an 80% battery charge in about an hour, and you can cut that time down by adding compatible EcoFlow solar panels to the mix.

If someone is looking to give off-grid living a go or is looking for emergency power for their home, the Yeti 3000X is the ultimate power station gift. This solar generator is massive (but still technically portable thanks to those wheels), with 3032Wh of battery capacity and an inverter that supports 2000W of continuous power output and 3500W of surge power.

If you purchase the additional Home Energy Storage kit from Goal Zero, this power station can be integrated directly into your home power system to back-up important circuits.