Goal Zero Yeti 400 Solar Generator Kit w/Nomad 20 Solar Panel

We use this in our off grid cabin. I have not charged it much by the solar panel that came with it other than to make sure it would charge it, i charge it with the ac adapter that came with it. We mainly use it to recharge our phones and to recharge 20 volt batteries that i use while building on the cabin. Charging the phones have no noticeable drain on it and it can recharge the 20 volt battery 3 times. The display makes it really easy to use. Other than the price i would recommend this to anyone.

This was just the system I was looking for. When fully charged (overnight) with AC input, the battery charged an iPhone and iPad quickly and came back up to full shortly. The read-out is clear and simple, also backlit. The ability to input through solar and AC is just what I need. Output through DC, two USB ports or two AC ports is amazing. The Nomad 20 topped off the storage in bright sun easily. The battery is to be kept dry so I'll have to get a box for it for boat use. This is my introduction to solar energy and I'm glad I started with the kit and well-rated products. I'll update this review after a trip to Lake Superior where I'll be charging a Torqeedo 1003 outboard motor battery from the Yeti 400. Update: This set worked as planned on the big lake last summer. The Torqeedo did use appreciable energy when powering a 19' aluminum sport boat at top speed. However, I plan to use the motor at low speed on a kayak with outrigger and only as a backup to paddling or sailing. I now have two Yeti 400s and four Nomad 20s to capture solar energy quickly for various uses.

This is just the perfect size for a small RV where small electronics need to be re-charged or powered. It has all you need as a power center: usb, 120v ac outlets, 12v cigarette outlet, 12v 6mm outlet, pure sine wave inverter and a monitoring readout screen showing power data in various units. If 33ah is not enough you can hook up in parallel another same rated Yeti to bump that up. Watched a small 16" flatscreen tv (2amps) w/ dvd all night and a laptop plugged in with power to spare. I wanted something that I can carry outside easily (29 lbs), or to use in the house when there is a power outage (I was able to run my sony bravia 40" widescreen for over 3 hours). The solar panel conveniently folds in thirds so it's compact, pretty good charging input at 14 watts on low autumn sun. I keep it fully charged when house ac outlet is available, then just occasionally hook up the solar panel to trickle charge and keep it topped off for emergencies. I use the van cigarette lighter outlet when it needs recharging while I'm driving. From goalzero website I found out that eventually the battery will need replacing (10-yr life??). There is a way to remove it by unscrewing the casing. My next experiment will be seeing if it can power a small inflatable raft trolling motor - just gotta get a water proof battery box.

The Yeti 400 makes a heavy paperweight! Arrived with a defective AC inverter. I read the other negative reviews on amazon and believed I would not have the same experience. But I was wrong. It takes a long time to charge which you must do immediately out of the box. It outputs in DC and USB, but the AC output was dead with a fault reading on the display "AC!" The manual and Goal Zero customer service indicated that I should try the following troubleshooting methods: a. turn the AC button on and off b. remove all connections, open the battery box, and disconnect the battery to reset c. press down the AC button for 30 seconds d. or press down the display button for 30 seconds. None of this worked. So I contacted customer service again to repair it under warranty. Customer service at Goal Zero picks up there phone and is responsive on the phone. But they asked me to email them my concern and contact information, along with the proof of purchase from Amazon. No response yet - not even an acknowledgement - just radio silence. This is not a returnable item through Amazon. Amazon instead offered an full refund or replacement. I had purchased this for an upcoming camping trip. With no immediate resolution in sight, I went ahead and purchased the Atoto Lithium Ion Portable Power Station instead of another Goal Zero product. I called Goal Zero again, this time to ask if they had a solution to connect the two nomad 20 solar panles in the kit to anderson adapters or even to MC4s for the Atoto PPS. The answer by Goal Zero customer service was simply NO and that the Nomad 20 panels were basically for this goal zero product, which was defective. It takes 8mm connections. Save your money and purchase something else. Goal Zero seems to be everywhere on the internet when it comes to portable power supplies. I had hoped they produced a reliable product. But I see from the other many reviews that this is not the case. I share in the frustration expressed by many. The replacement product that I purchased, Atoto PPS, is similarly rated as 400 watts, is much more lighter because of the the lithium ion batteries, is comparably priced to the Yeti 400, more portable, and most importantly works! I would recommend anybody that asks not to buy this product.

This is "one fancy iPhone charger" as my adult son said. The 2 20 watt solar panels included in this bundle are completely inadaquate to do much more that charge small electronics. Luckily I live near the Goal Zero headquarters and I was able to get a couple additional 30 watt panels to add to it. With that I can generate enough power to run a small fridge as long as I stay vigilant with keeping the solar panels pointing at the sun all day. If I wanted to just drop the panels on the top of my camp trailer and forget about it I think I'd need at least a couple more 30 watt panels. I wanted to have this in place of a gas generator for emergencies but I'm not sure it is quite there.