In this post, you’ll find out everything you need to know about camping portable power supplies, in my Jackery portable power station explorer 240 review. What’s more, you’ll find out how you can use green power on your next outdoor adventure. We love camping with kids and the Jackery is a great addition to our camping kit.
Whether you like to wild camp completely off-grid or if you want to camp on a non-electric camping pitch, we all need power from time to time. There are phones, cameras, tablets and all sorts to charge up. Or perhaps you want to run an electric coolbox. Whatever your power needs, a portable power supply will help you enjoy your camping trip without worrying about your phone battery dying.
Ad – This post contains affiliate links. These are marked with *. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. We were gifted a Jackery explorer 240 and SolaSaga 100 in exchange for this review. All thoughts, photos and opinions are my own.
What is a portable power station?
Jackery portable power stations are rechargeable battery-powered generators. They are equipped with AC outlet, DC carport and USB charging ports. They can be used whilst camping to recharge smartphones, tablets, laptops and to power electric cool boxes or portable heaters. They’re portable, silent and so useful for all your electric needs.
See * the full Jackery range of portable power supplies here.
Jackery Portable Power Station Explorer 240
The * Jackery Explorer 240 is the entry-level portable power station, the smallest one. As soon as it arrived I was impressed by the small size and low weight making it incredibly portable (it weighs 3kg or 6.6lbs). It measures 23 x 14 x 20cm so we soon found space to store it in our campervan. The handle on top of the device makes it really easy to carry around too. We love that it’s completely silent when charging and when in use.
I have found it to be really simple to use. The front of the portable power supply has a simple, small electronic screen where you can see the percentage charged, the amount of energy going in and the amount of energy being used by anything that the portable power station is powering. There is a button that you can use to switch this screen on or off.
There is a clear DC input socket where you can plug in either the mains electric lead (provided), vehicle charging wire (also provided) or the SolarSaga panel (purchase separately) if you have one.
Then you will find the output ports for plugging in your electricals. There are two USB ports, a 3 pin AC UK plug socket (230v) and a 12v car port. Each port has a simple on/off button.
We have a Mazda Bongo campervan that is not fully converted, so a portable power supply is an amazing addition to our van. We have a leisure battery fitted to our van but the only sockets are 12v chargers so no 3 pin sockets.
The portable power supply is suitable for use in temperatures from -10 to 40C so this is perfect for the UK climate. It’s also worth noting that you should charge and use the Jackery explorer 240 every 6 months at a minimum to preserve the battery lifespan.
How do I charge a Jackery explorer 240 portable power station?
You can charge your Jackery explorer 240 by several methods. The green method of power supply generation is to use the * solarSaga 100, a portable solar panel. It can also be charged up whilst you are driving using the 12 v cigarette lighter sockets. Finally, it can be charged up using the mains electric cable.
How long does it take to charge a Jackery explorer 240?
All three methods take between 5 and 5.5 hours, surprisingly the solar panel being quickest if the weather is good. The car method takes the longest so this is only useful on long journeys.
We have charged ours up several times now, always by solar power and I can confirm it does take around this kind of length of time on a sunny day. We love waking up on a sunny morning and putting the solar panel out and recharging the portable power supply.
What can a Jackery Explorer 240 power?
We used our Jackery Explorer 240 to run our electric cooler box overnight. With the cooler set to eco mode, the Explorer 240 would keep it running for around 12 hours. You can also use it to recharge your smartphone, tablets, laptop multiple times.
It stores 16.8Ah/14.4v (241.9Wh). This could charge a smartphone around 25 times, a laptop around 3 times or a car fridge for around 19 hours. You can charge from the Jackery explorer 240 whilst charging it up. So for instance we ran our cooler box off the portable power supply whilst also charging it by the solar panel.
The battery isn’t replaceable but it does have a lifespan of at least 500 charges.
Does it come with a carry case?
The Jackery Explorer 240 comes with a small pouch containing the wires for charging it back up. It doesn’t come with any sort of case to transport it in or protect it. It does have a handle on the top though so it is easy to carry.
If you want a storage bag to protect it and keep the power supply and chargers together, you can purchase a carry case separately. * Click here to see the current price of the carry bag.
Where can I buy a Jackery Explorer 240 portable power station in the UK?
You can buy easily in the UK from Amazon – * Buy Jackery Explorer 240 here.
In the UK you can also get the 500 and 1000 explorers in the UK which hold even more power. Find out more in the * UK amazon Jackery store.
Jackery SolarSaga 100w portable solar panel
If you have a Jackery Portable power station, a * Jackery SolarSaga 100 is a great bit of kit to have. It has a built-in cable that is neatly stored in the pouch attached to the back of the panels. This cable plugs into a Jackery explorer and charges it up.
There is also a built-in port for either a USB or c type charger. This means you can recharge your smartphones directly from the solar panel and save your portable power station for when the weather is not suitable for solar power or for things that can’t be charged by a USB or C type charger.
We used the solar panel to charge our mobiles and it took on average about 2 hours. This was either in the morning or late afternoon when we were by our campervan. As mentioned above, we used the solar panel to recharge our Jackery Explorer 240 and it took around 5 hours.
The panel is a good size. When not in use it folds in half for easy storage and transport. The handles are magnetic so they stay together well. All the power lead and ports are neatly stored attached to the back of one panel in a zip pouch so you only need to pick up one item.
There is also a fold-out support on each panel that are needed to support the panels in the best position for collecting solar energy. These are really securely attached and the bottom is attached to the panel by velcro when not in use.
We love this solar panel, it’s well made and everything has been thought of in the design process.
Where can I buy a Jackery SolarSaga 100w in the UK?
The * Jackery SolarSaga 100 portable solar panel is available to buy from Amazon.
What if my power needs are higher?
If this entry-level Jackery Explorer 240 sound too small for your needs, you will be pleased to know that there are 2 bigger Jackery portable power supplies.
Jackery Explorer 500
The Jackery Explorer 500 has a capacity of 518W. Again it is supplied with a 12v car charger cable and an AC adaptor. Again you could use a * Jackery SolarSaga 100 to charge it up. It can charge a smartphone 53 times and a laptop 7 times.
Jackery Explorer 1000
The Jackery Explorer 1000 has a capacity of 1000W. Again it is supplied with a 12v car charger cable and an AC adaptor. Again you could use a * Jackery SolarSaga 100 to charge it up but you’d probably want to invest in 2 solar panels. It can charge a smartphone 100 times and a laptop 12.5 times. It can also be used to power other items like TVs, electric grills etc.
More camping equipment advice
Find out the top essential items you need for camping with under 5s in my post – what do I need for camping with a toddler?
Find our favourite passive cooler Coleman 28QT Xtreme cooler box review
Find out how to keep your food cold while camping here.
Looking for ways to entertain your kids? Find The best camping toys for kids here.
Hi, nice review
How long can you run the diddy heater for from the Jackery 240?
I was concerned the wattage would be too high
I haven’t had chance to test that yet. We have found using the diddy heater in our van that we only need it on for about 15 minutes to warm it up. It’s very powerful but I have no idea how much wattage that uses.