How we compare portable power stations

We read the maker’s spec sheet, the amazon.com listing and what owners keep mentioning in their reviews, then work out what it all means for your trip. To be upfront: we haven’t tested these stations ourselves, so every runtime here is worked out from watt-hours, with the math shown.

What a pick uses

Watt-hours come first, because they tell you how long your load will run. We take about 85% of the listed watt-hours to allow for inverter losses, then divide by the average watts you’ll draw. Next come continuous watts, which decide what will start and keep running. Then weight, because you’ve got to move it. Solar input matters if you’re bringing a panel, and outlets matter when you need a particular socket, like a 30A RV inlet.

An open notebook on a dark wooden desk, ready for the watt-hour sums we’d do before picking a station

Estimates and peak modes

When we say a fridge lasts a night, that’s our math for a stated wattage. Surge, boost and lifting figures come from the maker, and we treat them as short peaks rather than something you can run on all day.

Skip rules

If a station can’t start your load, we won’t pick it. If it’s too heavy for how you said you’ll carry it, we won’t pick it either, however good the watt-hours look. And if all you need is phone charging, we’ll tell you a power bank will do.

What never picks the product

Amazon star rating, review count, sponsored rank, and commission rate. Find-a-station only sees the stations listed on this site.

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