Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 vs Goal Zero Yeti 500
Side-by-side on the specs that decide it — surge, capacity, runtime and price.
Both models' specs verified against manufacturer listings · Last updated
The short answer
Goal Zero Yeti 500 costs $100 less. Whether that gap is worth closing depends on what you need to run.
- Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 holds 114% more energy (1070Wh vs 499Wh), so it runs the same load proportionally longer.
- Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 has 2000W more surge headroom (3000W vs 1000W) — that decides whether a fridge, pump or AC compressor will actually start.
- Goal Zero Yeti 500 is 10.9 lb lighter (12.9 lb vs 23.8 lb).
Neither of these will start a sump pump or well pump — both surge below the ~3,400W those motors need. If home backup with pumps is your use case, look at higher-surge models instead of either of these.
The lightest 1kWh unit here at 23.8 lb, with a 3000W surge that punches above the Anker and EcoFlow units it competes with.
Best for: Campers who want 1kWh but care about carrying weight and need surge headroom.
Where it falls short:
- Only 3 AC outlets
- Not expandable — what you buy is what you get
- 400W solar input trails the Anker C1000's 600W
A rugged, water-resistant unit for people who'll actually beat it up. You pay a premium over similar-capacity rivals for that durability.
Best for: Overlanders and job sites where the unit will get wet, dusty and knocked around.
Where it falls short:
- $699 for 499Wh is expensive per watt-hour
- Only a 2-year warranty vs 5 years from most rivals
- 120W solar input is very low
| Spec | Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | Goal Zero Yeti 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $799 | $699 |
| Capacity | 1070 Wh | 499 Wh |
| Continuous output | 1500 W | 500 W |
| Surge output | 3000 W | 1000 W |
| Battery | LiFePO4 | LiFePO4 |
| Rated cycles | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| Weight (lighter wins) | 23.8 lb | 12.9 lb |
| Max solar | 400 W | 120 W |
| Recharge time (faster wins) | 1h 42m | 1h 25m |
Runtime head-to-head
| Appliance | Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | Goal Zero Yeti 500 |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 15.2 hrs | 7.1 hrs |
| Mini fridge | 28.9 hrs | 13.5 hrs |
| Chest freezer | 11.4 hrs | 5.3 hrs |
| CPAP machine | 22.7 hrs | 10.6 hrs |
| Sump pump | ❌ | ❌ |