Here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re heading into the cold and windy season, which generally means power outages. One of the best ways to stay prepared for those cold and dark days is a portable power station like the Jackery Explorer 300 Plus, which is currently marked down by $100 at Best Buy and by the same amount at B&H. It’s compact enough to tuck away in a cabinet for a rainy day, but still has enough juice to power small and medium sized devices.
I actually picked up one of these a few weeks ago ahead of a big windstorm, and although I fortunately didn’t have to use it, I did run some quick tests on it to make sure everything was in working order. Every device I connected to the Jackery started charging at its fastest rate instantly, and I plugged my router in as well, which happily ran off the outlet with no issue. While I didn’t get a chance to drain the battery, it has a 288-watt-hour capacity that’s excellent for many charges of smaller devices like phones and tablets, or hours of use keeping your small appliances awake.
It has a raft of ports for charging and powering your various devices. There’s a regular USB-A port with a 15W max for incidentals, plus two USB-C ports with a 100W max, one of which is also used as the input to charge the power station. There’s a traditional American 120V outlet too, with a 300W limit, in case the lower wattage USB ports don’t quite fit the bill for your most demanding equipment. There’s even a charger of the style you find in cars, in case you have accessories that need it.
If you’re worried the Explorer 300 Plus won’t have enough juice to get you through a long outage, or you’re a frequent road tripper, I also spotted several Jackery solar panels marked down at Best Buy. The smaller 40W solar panel is marked down to $79 from $130, and the larger 100W version is discounted down to $198 from $299. While this smaller model is great for individuals and occasional use, make sure to check out our other favorite portable power stations for bigger batteries.