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LTR: Goal Zero Lithium Yeti 1400 and Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase

Goal Zero knows a thing or two about powering gear in the field.  From backpacking-friendly solar panels that can keep your phone topped off on a through-hike, to much larger solar panels and batteries that can run Hollywood-caliber film productions in the bottom of the Grand Canyon for 21 days, the Goal Zero ecosystem can power all of the things.  I’ve been using their Lead-Acid AGM-powered Yeti Portable Power Stations for years, so when Goal Zero released a line of Yetis with Lithium-Ion Nickel-Manganeese-Cobalt (NMC) batteries, I had to get my hands on one and put it though a long-term test to see how it compared to the OG Yeti’s that have proven themselves with me.  To round out the test, I also got a Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase to harvest the sun for the new Yeti.

Meet the Lithium Yetis

The Lithium Yetis are available in four sizes, with the 1400 being the second largest battery behind the Lithium Yeti 3000.  The Lithium Yeti 1400 packs 1,425 Watt Hours (Wh) into a unit that weighs 43.7 pounds, which is less than half the weight of the Lead Acid-powered Yeti 1250 (1,200 Wh) that weighs 103 pounds.  Power outputs on the 1400 are: a two-outlet 120V pure sine wave AC inverter rated at 1500 W (3000 W surge), a 12V 10Amp car-style (cigarette-style) port, two 6mm ports at 10 Amps, a Power Pole port at 20 Amps, and four 2.4 Amp USB ports.  Goal Zero has since revised the Lithium Yet 1400 and 3000, adding Wi-Fi connectivity that will allow you to remotely monitor your Yeti with the Goal Zero app, and reconfigured the USB ports – you now get a USB-PD (Power Delivery), a USB-C at3.0 Amps, and two USB-A ports at 2.4 Amps.  In other words, the Lithium Yeti can charge all kinds of things in the field.  But enough tech-talk, lets discuss how the thing actually works.

Bring the Power

Bringing a Lithium Yeti 1400 Portable Power Station with you on your adventures is almost like bringing the power grid with you.  So don’t be surprised if you find yourself thinking about powered gadgets not on the “needed” ended of the spectrum, but on the “wouldn’t it be fun if” end of things.  Case in point, this big bad Yeti can run your Margaritaville blender, or other AC-powered gadgets that might make consumer grade cigarette lighter style DC-AC inverters emit magic smoke.  The pure sine wave inverter also means that sensitive electronics can safely be run from the Yeti’s AC outlets.  (Just remember to do the energy math before you hit the switch – running a 1500 Watt appliance will use power quickly.)  For those of us not trying out for Overland Bartender of the Year, the Yeti 1400 will handle days of recharging your essentials like a phone, comms, GPS, and camera batteries, while still having the power on tap to keep a fridge cold throughout your trip.

The Yeti 1400 can also be moved around easily thanks to it’s very manageable weight, so bringing the unit into your tent, out to a table, or really anywhere you need power isn’t a major hassle, or a team lifting exercise.  Once you have the Yeti where you want it, the spectrum of power outlets allows you to power so many different things.  Modern USB standards enable phones and other devices to charge just like they would with their factory chargers, which means more time using gear and less time charging in the field.  From charging power tool batteries for that backcountry cabin you’re working on, to running mission-critical equipment as a first responder, or keeping the lights on at an aid station for an Ultra – the Yeti can bring the power reserves, and the power outputs you need to run your equipment. Anywhere.

Even when you’re at home and the power goes out for an extended period of time, the Yeti can power appliances around the house.  Goal Zero has even taken this concept a step further with a dedicated add-on breaker panel for your house which will allow your Yeti to supply power directly to your home breaker panel – so you don’t have to drag the fridge out to keep it powered up when the grid goes down. This is an impressive feature that adds unique value to this unit.

Harvest the Sun

Recharging the Yeti 1400 can be done from either an AC power source or from the Sun using a number of different Goal Zero solar panels, and I’ve been using the Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase to keep the Yeti 1400 powered up while I’m out in the field.  The Briefcase part means that the panel is actually two 50 Watt panels that fold up back-to-back which reduces the footprint of the panel when stored.  Setting up the Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase can be done in a matter of seconds, and I’ve really come to appreciate the legs on the panel that help me get a better angle to the sun as opposed to having to constantly hunt for something to lean the panel up against, like I watch many of the folks I travel with having to do.  The free-standing ability of the panel really helps when you’re trying to collect every last Watt possible from the sun, as you can simply turn the panel to track the sun across the sky, as opposed to having to constantly adjust your support like you would with a other panels.

Another thing that I really appreciate about Goal Zero is that their products are designed to work together in as many ways as possible.  We’ve all run into a situation where a given cable is too short, which is why I always make sure that I’ve got an 8mm extension cable with me in the field.  This way, I can put the Boulder 100 where it is going to get the best sun exposure, and I can keep my Yeti wherever I happen to be using it, instead of having to move closer to the panel.  Goal Zero also makes a 12 V battery charger called the Guardian, which turns your solar panel into a lead acid battery charger that works great for keeping your vehicle batteries topped up if you’re going to be parked for a few days, or keeping the battery in your boat or other toy ready to go.

Gear That’s Grand Canyon Rated

The Grand Canyon is a wonderful place to destroy gear.  Cameras, electronics, even analog items like life jackets, cam straps, and boats all suffer serious wear and tear in this environment.  Here you’ll find some of the biggest whitewater in North America combined, with sand that gets into everything, and wind that can reshape an entire beach in a few hours… You get the idea.  Despite this challenging environment, Goal Zero equipment has held up to multiple trips and been our mission critical system for powering cameras, hard drives, and laptops used on our film expeditions.  Our production boat uses six Boulder 90 (older generation panels) solar panels piped into two Yeti 1250s, each of which has additional deep cycle batteries chained in, giving our productions thousands of Watt Hours to use (chaining in additional battery capacity is a feature of the Yeti 1250).  This setup has handled multiple river trips in the Grand Canyon without so much as a hiccup, so I’m sold on this gear holding up to real adventure use.

So What’s The Catch?

The Lithium Yeti 1400 and the Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase are both awesome pieces of gear.  The Yeti is like the battery equivalent of a swiss army knife or your favorite multi-tool – it can do so many things and will last you for a long time.  From powering your house when the power goes out to keeping almost anything powered up in the field, the Yeti is an incredibly powerful piece of gear that’s well complimented by the Boulder 100 solar panel for general use.  Yet, the biggest pain point for folks looking to pick these items up is the price.  The Yeti 1400 will set you back $1800 USD, and the Boulder 100 Briefcase is $300 USD.  The Boulder 100 Briefcase can also be somewhat tedious to fold up, as you need to ensure that the latch loops stay up and out from between the two panels, and that the cables don’t go where they can get pinched.  However, with a bit of practice checking for these things when stowing the panel will become automatic, so they’re certainly not a deal breaker.

The Bottom Line

Buying into the Goal Zero ecosystem with a Lithium Yeti 1400 Portable Power Station and a Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase is an investment that will provide some very dynamic and long-lived utility.  The Lithium Yetis harness the increased energy density of the Li-Ion NMC battery chemistry to provide power outputs that let you run all kinds of devices and appliances in the field.  The Boulder 100 is a great option for keeping the Yeti topped up in the field, or when paired with the Guardian to keep your rig or your other toys ready to go.  Goal Zero’s product ecosystem allows products of different generations and capacities to work together, meaning that nearly any Goal Zero solar panel with an 8mm plug can be used to charge the Yeti 1400, which is a huge value add.  (More on product selection to follow.)

From a basic single power station and panel setup to a complex multi panel, multi Yeti power system, Goal Zero’s products can be configured to meet almost any power need you can come up with.  These same products have held up to Grand Canyon backcountry and River trips, and thousands of miles driven all over North America.  They’ve reliably charged hundreds of camera batteries, drone batteries, and V-Lock batteries, powered laptops and hard drives, charged and run power tools, kept the lights on at remote aid stations, and of course a house and a Margaritaville once in a blue Moon.  As folks continue to bring more and more battery powered gadgets into the field, power and charging needs will only increase, and Goal Zero’s Lithium Yetis and Boulder Solar panels are hard to beat for meeting that need.

A Word On Product Selection

The first step in choosing the right size Yeti and panels is taking an honest look at what your power needs really are.  If you have lighter power needs when you’re in the field, a Boulder 100 and maybe a Yeti 1000 will do the trick for you.  Yet if you’re like me and unable to escape technology, going for a bigger panel such as a Boulder 200, or having multiple panels feeding a larger Yeti (1400 or 3000) will help prevent you from outrunning your power supply.  Doing the math is easy, so take a few minutes to outline what gear you’re going to charge, and how often you’re going to charge it (or run it constantly, like a fridge), and how you’re going to recharge your system to get an idea of what you really need.  Take comfort in the fact that if your needs grow, you can simply add more charging capacity in the form of more panels to keep up with increased energy demands.

Full Disclosure:

American Adventurist nor the author were paid for the contents of this article.  Goal Zero provided the Yeti 1400 and Boulder 100 Briefcase for review.  All other products are owned by the author.

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Dometic CFX 75 DZ W

I need to start off this review of an electric cooler by saying that I’ve been happy with the ice-powered “super coolers” that I have for keeping things cold.  With a super cooler, as long as you take good care of your ice, it will last for an impressively long time.  Super coolers are leaps and bounds ahead of your run of the mill plastic ice chest, but no matter how good your ice-powered cooler is, there is no beating the laws of thermodynamics and the fact that ice will eventually turn into water inside your cooler.  Water in the liquid state means wet food if you don’t pack your cooler well, and accelerated melting of your remaining ice, which only accelerates the need to procure more ice.  Meanwhile, with a 12V electric cooler, you don’t need to futz with ice, and Dometic has made the process of keeping an electric cooler powered up, and ice cold, so easy that switching to an electric cooler becomes one of easiest, most game-changing things you can do to support your off-grid adventures .

Saying goodbye to ice, and hello to perfectly-cooled food and beverages is a plug and play experience with Dometic’s CFX 75 DZW.  And no, you don’t have to have a dual battery setup to run this electric cooler safely.  Thanks to some modern technology and features, you can enjoy all of the benefits of a highly efficient dual compartment fridge and freezer without ever having to worry about killing your vehicle’s battery.  When on DC power, the unit will monitor the voltage of the power source it’s plugged into, and should the voltage drop below one of three user-selectable thresholds, the unit will automatically power off to save the vehicle’s battery.  The CFX 75 DZW also happens to be very efficient, so you can leave the unit plugged into your vehicle without tripping the low voltage cutoff for some time.

Dometic is well respected in the RV appliance industry, so as you would expect the unit is very thermal and power efficient.  When the compressor isn’t running, the unit will sip power and the unit is so thermally efficient that you’ll wonder if you accidentally turned it off when the compressor doesn’t come back on for such a long time.  Power consumption is modest – at 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Dometic states that the unit will pull 1.30 Amp Hours per hour, or 15.6 Watt Hours per hour at 12 V DC.  Speaking of the compressor, it’s also very quiet, making all of 37 dB(A) when running.  For comparison’s sake the CFX 75 DZW makes less noise than my modern refrigerator at home, and is so quiet that it has made no impact on my quality of sleep when I’m sleeping next to the unit in my truck bed.

The DZ in CFX 75 DZW stands for dual zone, and that makes this electric cooler a very dynamic unit whose storage volume is 70.001 L.  You can set the temperature of each compartment individually, (from -7 to +50 F) so you can have two freezer compartments, two refrigerated compartments, or one of each, or only one compartment on, depending on what your needs are.  Each compartment can be divided further with the included baskets, allowing you to protect your crushable items or make it easy to pull out your most-used items in one go.  (Or to hide the ice cream or your favorite beverages.)  Each compartment has its own user-reversable and independently openable lid.  When it comes to finding items in the dark, each compartment also has a LED light that provides plenty of illumination and will start flashing should the lid get left open for too long.

Further utilizing modern technology and the computers that we all carry in our pockets, the CFX 75 DZW also has Wi Fi capability, allowing you to perform a number of functions remotely.  With the CFX app, you can set the temperatures in each compartment, set battery protection levels, set temperature alarms, and see your supply voltage when on DC power, among other features.  Having the CFX app is handy when you’re going to be parked for some time in camp, as you’ll know if and when you need to haul out your solar setup or provide some power to your battery system.  More on power in a minute.

Dometic also makes an insulated cover for the CFX 75 DZW, which is a well-made jacket that fits over the unit to provide additional insulation, and therefore reduce energy consumption.  To see just how much of a difference the insulated cover made, I performed the following test once with the insulated cover and once without:  In a temperature-controlled environment, I started with a room temperature unit, and cooled one compartment to 38 degrees and the other to 20 degrees.  I then loaded the unit with the same amount of food, and let the unit sit for a week – opening the lid of each compartment six times each day for 15 seconds each time I opened a lid.  I had the unit powered through a power meter, and at the end of my test the insulated cover caused the unit to use 19.5% less energy.

Yet, the insulated cover highlights one CFX 75 DZW’s two shortcomings, one of which is that the latch side of the unit’s lid isn’t the most obvious.  I watched folks who had never seen the unit open the insulated cover (opening a few Velcro flaps) to access the lid and several folks reached for hinge side of the lid by mistake.  Obviously, if you know your gear this won’t be an issue, but don’t be surprised if it throws your buddy for a loop the first few times they try and get in your fridge or freezer. Maybe that’s a blessing in disguise as your IPA’s remain elusive.

The other issue is the USB port that Dometic had the forethought to put on the cooler.  While it might seem like a great idea as the USB port is in a prime location, (you always make it easy to get to your fridge / freezer) it’s only able to output 500-milliamps.  This low output current makes the USB port all but useless, as many devices won’t work, or will take forever and a day to charge as a result of the low current output.  I hope that the next revision of CFX electric coolers will get a more powerful USB port or two, as it’s a great idea for a world that can never have enough USB power.

Even when you’re not out adventuring, the CFX 75 DZW is a great tool to have on hand.  Heading out for errands on a hot day?  No need to worry about food spoiling in your car with an electric cooler in the back to keep things cold.  Hosting a social event where you need some extra fridge or freezer space?  Simply setup your electric cooler wherever it’s most convenient.  Having a highly-efficient fridge and / or freezer that can go just about anywhere is game changing for so many more activities than vehicle-based adventure travel.

Dometic has made the CFX 75 DZW so easy and idiot-proof to use that you’ll wonder why you didn’t get on the electric cooler train sooner.  Ice-powered super coolers are definitely head and shoulders over el cheapo coolers that fall apart after a few trips, but super coolers still consume ice, and ice at the store costs money and still melts, and that water can still get in or on things you want to stay dry in your cooler.  Not having to care for ice (unless you need it for putting in your adult beverages, and it turns out its really easy to keep ice with a freezer) is a profound upgrade to your adventuring experience:  You can keep frozen stuff frozen for days on end, or keep your favorite items at just the right temperature.  With a 12V fridge/freezer, you can break out the ice cream on day 10, and never have to worry if all that bouncing around off-road caused your cheese or other sensitive provision to go swimming in the bottom of your ice powered cooler.

The CFX 75 DZW is a great option for anyone looking to graduate from ice-powered coolers with a unit that is very dynamic and can work in almost any vehicle or off-grid abode. Having a low voltage cutoff and remote monitoring with the WiFi-enabled CFX app allows you to use this electric cooler literally anywhere that’s within reach of an AC or a cigarette-style power outlet.  The unit can safely draw from a single battery vehicle and will take it’s self out of the game before it takes your starting battery out.  The WiFi App provides a great way to make sure your fridge / freezer is doing what it needs to be, and you’ll never wonder if the lid was left open – as long as you’re able to see the flashing light, or in WiFi range.  All of this is packed into a sturdy, well-made unit that has so far held up great to thousands of miles of remote travel over the last few months.  If you’re ready to give your adventuring food supply a serious upgrade, take a look at a Dometic CFX series electric coolers.

A word on Power and Dual Batteries

Let’s talk power for a minute.  Running a Dometic CFX series electric cooler in your vehicle can be done with no modification to your vehicle, assuming that you have a 12-volt cigarette-style outlet that is always energized, (not switched with your key) and is rated for handling the current of your particular fridge / freezer. If you’re like me, and only own Toyotas – adding a not-switched circuit isn’t hard, just do it correctly with properly rated wire and fusing.  (or get such a circuit installed professionally).

Your stock battery (assuming that it is in good health) can power your fridge / freezer for a day or two without tripping the low voltage cutoff, but a good upgrade is a quality AGM battery to replace your vehicle’s stock battery.  See what options are out there and if you can safely fit a larger battery in your vehicle’s stock battery location.  Again, if you’re not comfortable working on your vehicle’s electrical system, please get professional help – electrical fires are no joke.

If you’re going to be parked for more than a couple of days, bring a solar charging system or a portable battery that has the capacity to go the duration of your stay, like a Goal Zero Yeti.  Dometic is also going to be releasing a portable battery tailored to powering their electric coolers in early 2019.  Regardless of what power setup you use, you should always take good care of your vehicles’ battery by keeping it charged (you do plug your vehicles into the grid when they’re going to be sitting for a while, right?), and you should always carry a way to jump start your vehicle like a jump battery.

For the record, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having a properly configured, isolated, dual battery setup in your vehicle.  Yet, don’t feel like you have to have one to be able to use an electric cooler.  The name of the game here is to go prepared, and that means having the power generating and / or power storage capacity to see you through your trip with plenty of power to spare – because sometimes you will have to wait out that storm for a couple of days.  Or better yet, you’ll just want to stay out longer.

 

Electric Cooler to Ice-Powered Super Cooler Size Comparison Photos:

CFX 75 DZW and Canyon Coolers Outfitter 75

Full Disclosure:  This equipment was provided to the author at no cost for the purpose of this review on American Adventurist.