Are you looking to buy an off-grid solar generator? Indeed, there is a number of solar generators on the market. Needless to say, solar is the most reliable way to power your appliances on-the-move. If you are heading into or living in a place, where you have enough sunlight solar is certainly the finest green energy source. That is why a solar generator is an amazing choice for outdoor enthusiasts like campers, hikers, and tailgaters. Above all, a solar generator is also a great piece of survival gear.
Here, as you know, we have three brilliant solar generators for a comparison. They are Goal Zero’s old-gen Yeti 1250, its lithium upgrade Yeti 1400, and Renogy Lycan Powerbox. The first two, as you know, are very popular models of the kind. Meanwhile, Renogy Lycan is yet to make a big presence in the growing portable solar power market. Anyway, we would like to analyze the specs, features, and other attractions of the three powerful off-grid solar generator products.
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Best Off-grid Solar Generator – Face-Off
Goal Zero Yeti 1250, the flagship of the old-gen Yeti line-up, is definitely one of the top-sellers of the category. With a powerful battery and inverter, it could ideally power up a range of your emergency appliances. Meanwhile, its replacement in the new Yeti lithium line, Yeti 1400, is a more advanced product. Of course, it comes with a more powerful and long-lasting battery and a better inverter.
Meanwhile, we have picked Renogy Lycon Powerbox for this off-grid solar generator face-off simply because it shares many common things with the two higher-end Goal Zero Yeti devices. In fact, all three products fall in the category of heavy-duty solar generators on the market. Hence, it would be a nice experience for you to find the best off-grid solar generator from our comparison article.
Goal Zero Yeti 1250 Solar Generator
We would like to begin with Goal Zero’s Yeti 1250. As said above, it is the top-end model of the USA maker’s old series of Yeti lead-acid. However, it is still one of the best selling solar generators on the market. Being an old model, it packs up a heavy lead-acid battery but is rather cheaper compared to the new Yeti 1400 or most of its lithium competitors today. Use the link below to buy a unit of Yeti 1250 with the compatible solar charger, and stay with us for more details after the break.
Design-wise, you get the boxy machine with a built-in cart that has strong wheels and a collapsible handle. So it is quite easy for moving. You can just pull out the carrying handle and drag it smoothly even on tough terrains. Well, you have every component of the solar generator inside the solid case. Notably, it includes a 1200W pure sine wave inverter that could peak up to 1500 watts. The battery is a 100Ah 12V lead-acid unit that is capable to deliver an output of 1250 watt-hours.
The Yeti 1250 off-grid solar generator integrates all popular output outlets. First off, you get it with three units of 110V AC sockets, three 12V carports, three USB ports, and one 12V power pole port to offer versatile power to run a battery of your devices and appliances. What’s more, you could chain the device with other 12V batteries to achieve longer runtimes.
Compatible Solar Charger
As you know, Yeti is primarily a power station with a solar charging facility. To call it an ideal solar generator is factually a misnomer as long as it doesn’t integrate a solar panel. Other than the solar option, you can charge it from a wall socket or car charger as well. Anyway, Goal Zero recommends its own solar chargers for Yeti although it is compatible with third-party panels. Goal Zero’s brand-new Boulder 100 Briefcase looks to be one of the best solar chargers for Yeti 1250.
What is lovely with Boulder 100 Briefcase is surely its folding suitcase-style design. So, you can fold it down after use and store in a small room in your RV or camp tent. Meanwhile, the powerful 100W solar panel is quite enough to charge a Yeti 1250 in some hours. On the market, you have got many suitcase-style folding solar chargers from other makers. You could try out any such model, but Goal Zero’s Boulder series would indeed be the best recommendation, for sure.
Highlighted Features
- 1250Wh Lithium Portable Power Station.
- 1200W Pure Sine Wave Inverter with 1500W Surge Power.
- Powerful 100Ah @ 12V Lead-Acid Battery Inside.
- Versatile Charging Options to Support Multiple Devices.
- Integrated Cart and Strong Carrying Handle.
- Multiple Solar Chargers Available.
Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Solar Power Station
Next, we have Goal Zero’s new Yeti 1400 Lithium. Simply, this is a rather advanced, lightweight and powerful variant of the Yeti series. Though having a big brother called Yeti Lithium 3000, this is one of the best-sellers of the line today. Compared to Yeti 1250, it is an entirely different device, for sure. Most notably, it comes with a powerful, lightweight, and long-lasting lithium-ion battery to support most of your appliances and gadgets comfortably in an off-grid life situation. That is why we have it as one of the best off-grid solar generator products in our comparison today.
Design-wise, Yeti 1400 features the typical Goal Zero style and color tone. Meanwhile, compared to Yeti 1250, it has only half the weight. Hence, you could easily carry it anywhere by seizing it on the built-in handle. Inside the device, it comes with a 1425Wh lithium battery of 396Ah @3.6V. Plus, it touts a patented 1500W pure sine wave inverter with a surge power of 3000W. Above all, the device highlights Wi-Fi connectivity so you could connect it to your handset via the included Yeti App and monitor various data from anywhere, anytime.
Obviously, Goal Zero Yeti 1400 features versatile charging options. First of all, it features a pair of high-power AC sockets. Apart from that, it has got multiple USB-C, USB-PD, and 12V DC sockets to support as many as 10 devices at the same time. Above all, it features a weight of just 43.7 lbs and size of 10.1 x 15.3 x 10.4 in. Of course, made with a quality lithium battery and other materials, this Yeti is indeed an ultra-safe and user-friendly off-grid solar generator you could find on the market.
Compatible Solar Charger
Goal Zero’s Boulder series is surely the best choice for this power station as well. The recommended model for Yeti 1400 is a unit of Boulder 100 Briefcase. By the way, if you would afford you could try out its higher-end model Boulder 200 Briefcase to ensure faster charging under the sun. Whatever, make sure you buy the foldable variant as it would be much helpful in using the power station on the move. Follow the button below to check out all the Boulder solar chargers to find the best one.
If you are buying Yeti 1400 for permanent installation, you could try out any of the regular Boulder solar chargers at a rather affordable price. So, you could place the solar charger neatly on the top of your roof, camp tent, RV, and more. Meanwhile, the foldable briefcase charger variants make it quite comfortable to handle the entire system. You could fold it down and keep in a carrying bag to move anywhere and place easily to attract as much as sunlight.
Highlighted Features
- 1425Wh Lithium Portable Power Station.
- 1500W Pure Sine Wave Inverter with 3000W Surge Power.
- High-Capacity 396Ah @3.6V Lithium Battery Inside.
- Lightweight and Long-Lasting Lithium Battery.
- Versatile Charging Options to Support Up to 10 Devices.
- Integrated Wi-Fi Connectivity and Yeti App for your Handsets.
- Multiple Solar Chargers Available.
- 18 x 13 x 13 inches and 43.7 Lbs.
Renogy Lycan Powerbox
This is Renogy’s reply to Goal Zero’s Yeti off-grid solar generator line-up. Renogy, though a leading player in the portable solar power industry, came up with its powerful Yeti rival a bit late. Of course, Renogy Lycan Powerbox solar generator is an ideal choice for outdoor enthusiasts, even if it is yet to attract a large number of takers. Certainly, Lycan Powerbox shares many similarities with both the Yeti variants in design, form factor and features. It comes with a built-in cart that has quality wheels and a collapsible handle to let you carry it easily.
This is a 1075Wh portable power station with solar charging capability. Inside, it features a 1200-watt pure sine wave inverter and a custom lithium-iron-phosphate battery. Design-wise, it features some resemblance with both the Yeti devices. It comes with a carrying handle, a cart with wheels, and overall an ultra-portable profile. So, you could easily carry the 60lbs device anywhere easily.
What’s more, the Lycan off-grid solar generator features a wide number of output ports. Clearly, you have it with four universal AC outlets, three 12V DC sockets, four USB ports, one 12V CIG plug, and a power pole port. Further, it features a multi-mode 3W LED light, an LCD readout display, and, an MPPT solar charging technology.
By the way, you could charge it from a wall socket or carport other than a solar panel like Yeti 1250 and Yeti 1400. It is made of high-quality and durable plastic to make you use it roughly in outdoor conditions. It has got a size of 15 x 15 x 12 inches and when it comes to the weight, Powerbox falls in between the Yeti devices with 60 lbs. Overall, what you get is a decent off-grid solar generator with many advanced features.
Compatible Solar Charger
Renogy doesn’t suggest a specific solar charger for Lycan. But you get a variety of compatible solar chargers from the brand at cool prices. First, we have Renogy’s much-popular 100W solar suitcase, which is a foldable solar panel exactly like Goal Zero’s Boulder 100 Briefcase. You can simply place it on the included kickstands and collect around 500 watt-hours of power per day depending on the sunlight. Being a foldable model, you can easily keep it in a small room after the use.
If you don’t want a foldable solar charger, Renogy has other options too. You can buy a single sheet 100W Renogy solar panel or a semi-flexible model to easily fix it on various surfaces. Well, a semi-flexible model lets you mount the panel comfortably over uneven surfaces like RV roof, boat deck, camp tent roof, and etc. Renogy also sells more powerful variants of all its solar chargers. So, it will be quite a nice experience to find a cool Renogy solar charger for your off-grid solar generator.
Highlighted Features
- 1075Wh Portable Solar Power Station.
- Powerful Custom Lithium-Iron-Phosphate Battery.
- 1200W Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter.
- Heavy-Duty Carrying Handle and Sturdy Wheels for Moving.
- Multiple Solar Chargers Available – Regular, Foldable, and Flexible.
Final Thoughts
Hope you have enjoyed our comparison of the three big solar generators. As you see, it is never easy to find a model from the list since all the items feature many common things. It is now up to you to decide on what off-grid solar generator fits your needs. The Yeti 1400 and Renogy Lycan are newer products with the advanced lithium batteries, meanwhile, Yeti 1250 is the former flagship of Goal Zero. Anyway, coming to the price, almost all the models fall in nearly in the same range. You have three massive machines that would come out to be ideal solar generators with solar chargers.
