There are three ways to charge the Yeti 1500. There is AC wall power, which can charge at up to 1,800 watts, allowing you to charge from 0 to 100 percent in just over an hour. (There’s a switch to slow this down to 1,500 watts if you’re connected to a camp pole, which usually can’t handle the full draw.) You can also connect the Yeti to a maximum of 900 watts of solar panels. There are 8mm inserts and HPP inserts for Goal Zero solar panels. However, you don’t need Goal Zero panels; You can use almost anything as long as you get the right adapters and stick to charging limits (I use an adapter like this to connect almost any solar panel to any power station/charger). The rear charging plate is also where you’ll find the ground lug for semi-permanent installations in an off-grid car or small home.
Goal Zero’s Yeti app lets you control the system from your phone, and perhaps from the other side of the world if the battery is connected to Wi-Fi. I chose to connect directly via Bluetooth, bypassing the network, since I don’t always have my Starlink network running in my camper. This still allows me to toggle all the output types on and off, get basic battery status like charge status, current power draw (by type), change the charging profile (there are four), and some charge and discharge history information. The latter isn’t as full-featured with a direct connection as it is with a network connection, and I found that it often had trouble loading, but overall I found the app handled everything I needed it to do. I especially like the ability to turn off the 12V outlet of the bed at night, turning off all power to eliminate any phantom battery drain.
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Photo: Scott Gilbertson
I’ve relied on the fourth-gen Yeti 1500 as a supplement for many years now. I’ve powered everything from power tools to space heaters to full-sized refrigerators, and as a backup to the RV when I needed to do something with the built-in system. In all this time it has never let me down, and in my experience it has achieved the best balance between portability and power. It’s heavy, but the double handles make it easy to carry. I also tested the 1000X and 500X models, which, although lighter and smaller, lack some of the things that make the 1500 great.
