Jackery Explorer 300 Review: From Jobsite to Campsite
A few weeks back, I shared my thoughts on the Jackery Explorer 1500 (as well as Jackery’s 100w SolarSaga solar panels). I had been using the Explorer 1500 all autumn as I shot fall foliage everywhere from South Carolina to Vermont, but now I am back home in Charleston, SC.
The Explorer 1500 is reserved for my next big adventure, waiting to power anything I could possibly require. Nowadays, my weeks consist of job sites, surfing if the swells permit, and squeezing in camping in the nearby national forest whenever possible. Under these new circumstances, Jackery offered to send me a smaller unit to review, and it’s become an invaluable part of my day to day routine.
Though I still love my Explorer 1500, and will continue using it for long term travel, it is quite a bit larger than the E300. Weighing just over 7lbs, the E300 is easy to move around in my Tundra, where it sits during the week, and small enough to not take up valuable space in my rooftop tent. The E300 is light and compact, but durable enough to withstand never having a permanent home.
The majority of the time, though, the E300 sits in a plastic storage container in the backseat of my Tundra, with my camera, AirPods, and laptop. When I’m having lunch, I can charge my phone and AirPods without needing to start my truck. As a photographer, I never leave home without a camera, and no longer do I forget to grab the battery off of the charger on the way out of the house. I now keep both the charger and battery in my camera bag, and simply plug it into the Jackery whenever it is low. Most recently, as I was repairing a crack in one of my surfboards, I was waiting in-between resin coats while watching Youtube videos, and the Jackery proved it’s usefulness there as well. Halfway through, when I was paused by the dreaded “10% battery left” notification, I went and grabbed my E300 and charged my phone as I worked.
So, day-to-day, the E300 has proven itself. But all portable power stations are marketed towards outdoors enthusiasts — so what about camping?
Some nights, perhaps after a long Friday, I decide I simply want to sleep under the stars and within the pines. That’s one of the biggest benefits of having a rooftop tent, and the E300 is right at home with impromptu camping. It’s portable enough to toss into my tent, and to carry down the next morning, but has enough capacity where I can oftentimes go a week without having to worry about recharging the unit and it can easily power two people through a long weekend off-grid. When it does come time to recharge the E300, I simply plug it into a cigarette outlet when the vehicle is running, or, if camping, connect a 100w SolarSaga solar panel.
As for affordability, which is perhaps the most relevant part for most, the E300 does incredibly well in that regard. The biggest criticism of the larger Jackery units has never been anything technical, but rather that they cost more per watt/hour than a DIY setup. Of course, you are paying for convenience and portability, but the point still stands. That is not the case with the E300. At $300, a DIY solar setup is not feasible. Not to mention this years Black Friday sale.
In summary, the E300 is light, capable, and durable. Its price is incredible hard to beat, and the only downside I have experienced is that unlike its larger companions, the unit does not have a built in flashlight. With the E300, just as with a nice pillow or great fitting jeans, there’s no going back to the before-time. The Jackery Explorer 300 has earned a permanent position right next to my headphones, laptop, and camera.