G'day Zac,

The Yeti 400 Power Station can power devices with a maximum 300-watt load so you'd need to double-check with Paceman what the input power requirements of the unit are. 

G'day Richard,

The Yeti 400 Portable Power Station has a capacity of 33Ah so most 40-50L fridges will run for approximately 13 - 30 hours depending on the model. The Dometic Waeco CFX 40 or the Engel MT45 are both popular models. Kettles and Microwaves are not able to be used with the Yeti 400 as their maximum output is 300 watts on 240v. Most kettles and Microwaves are 800-1500 watts.

G'day Nathan,

You can certainly use the Yeti 400 to power your CFX50 while driving. You may find you draw more from the battery than the rate it charges though depending on the conditions and your cigarette socket output. I would suggest charging the Yeti from the car separately to the fridge and then moving the plus across to the Yeti while stopped. The CFX50 draw approximately 0.77Ah/h, and the battery is a 33Ah so as a rough estimate you could run the fridge for 30-40 hours off a full charge depending on how hard the fridge is working.

G'day Bethany,

Unfortunately, the Yeti 400 isn't designed for use with electric cars as they will overload the maximum output of the unit. The maximum wattage when powering 240V items is 300 watts, so laptop chargers, phones etc. 

G'day Bec,

The Yeti 400 Power Station is cable of taking 120W of solar input so you should be fine with your current panels as long as you can bypass the inbuilt solar regulator. You might need to purchase the Anderson to 8mm Adaptor too depending on the output of your panels.

G'day Adam,

Goal Zero and most major battery suppliers will indicate it is always best to keep your battery healthy by keeping it topped up. If it is being regularly used/exercised then depleting and recharging it shouldn't be a problem. The main damage to batteries occurs if they're not regularly charged and left flat or depleting for long periods of time (e.g. between camping trips).

G'day Jack,

The maximum power input on the Goal Zero Yeti 400 is 120W so to be on the safe side I'd suggest looking at panels with an output of 100W. The Goal Zero Boulder 100 is the obvious choice as its compatible out of the box with all Yeti and Sherpa power packs from Goal Zero. This would be an especially good option if you were looking to mount it permanently somewhere, say on the caravan roof. But if you wanted something lighter to use in a variety of situations you could look at the Korr 100W Crocskin Folding Solar Mat. If you go down that road you'll also need this Goal Zero adapter cable to be able to plug the Yeti in. 

There are a few differences with the Lithium and Lead Acid Yeti 400s. The Lithium will be much lighter (almost half the weight) and it will hold its power longer (up to 18months) whereas the Lead Acid option will be quite heavy and need charging at least every 3 months (preferably more often) to avoid damaging the battery. Probably one big thing to take note of is that you can't charge the Lithium one from the 12V socket in your car, so if you want to charge it whilst driving from the cars cigarette socket you'll need the Lead Acid one. I haven't seen them available yet, but apparently, you'll be able to replace the Lithium battery as well in the long term. 

G'day Stein,

I've had a chat with Goal Zero about this just to be sure. They told me that the regulator is designed to cut off power once the battery is full but it isn't designed to reduce or cut power if there's too much being pushed into the Yeti 400 from the panels at any given time. The battery pack can handle up to 120W of power but if you're pushing through more than that, it can overload and burn out your battery. 

G'day Nick, 

For what you're needing to get out of a battery pack, the Goal Zero Yeti 400 Portable Power Station is an absolute winner for you!

G'day Adam, 

I've just had a gander at the Goal Zero Yeti 400 Portable Power Station's manual, and yes it does come with an AC charger for charging through a wall outlet. 

You sure can replace the battery Damian.

It's something you can do yourself and the batteries are a common size available from any good battery store. As for the Engel Battery Box, this doesn't actually contain a battery, so you'll need to purchase one to go inside.

Otherwise, comparing the two products, if you want to start chaining batteries and solar panels and powering/charging numerous devices such small power packs, mobile phones etc, then the Goal Zero products are a good way to go.

However, the Engel Battery box has the ability to add batteries up to 130 aH, which is a big jump when compared to the 33aH battery in the Yeti, and would be a better choice if you simply want to power a fridge for numerous days in camp. I hope this helps with your decision.

G'day Cam,

I've called our rep at Goal Zero Australia and he informed me that yes, you can use other solar panels with the Goal Zero Yeti 400 Portable Power Station. He did say though that you need to be careful about overloading the power station. Just make sure that you don't exceed the maximum wattage (120W), maximum voltage (29 volts DC), and make sure that there's not a solar regulator on your panel as there's one built into the power station. 

G'day Stein,

I've had a chat with Goal Zero about this just to be sure. They told me that the regulator is designed to cut off power once the battery is full but it isn't designed to reduce or cut power if there's too much being pushed into the Yeti 400 from the panels at any given time. The battery pack can handle up to 120W of power but if you're pushing through more than that, it can overload and burn out your battery. 

G'day Nic,

We're hoping that Goal Zero will have more stock in the country and to us within the next fortnight. Unfortunately, the ETA is quite vague at the moment as from our understanding, due to many products being batteries, they need to come to Australia by sea (can't be flown).