Last checked Oct 28, 2026

Goal Zero

Yeti 500

499 Wh battery, 500 W output. Small: CPAP, laptops, lights and phones. A 40 W CPAP runs about 11 hours.

Battery

499 Wh

fridge about 7 hours

Output

500 W

1,000 W surge

Solar in

200 W

full in about 3.5 hours

Weight

16.1 lb

one hand

Good for

A fridge through an outage, about 7 hours
A CPAP for about 1 night
Starlink for about 4 hours

Skip it if

You want a microwave, kettle or hair dryer: they draw 1,000 W or more, this puts out 500 W
You want a fridge, lights and a TV through a long outage: that is about 3 hours here

Also consider

EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max 500. About the same size for $171 less at today's store prices: 499 Wh, 500 W. Compare the two

Where to buyPrices checked Oct 28, 2026

Goal Zero store

Ships from the maker, usual warranty

$500Buy

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Complete the setup

The panel pairing our checker rates best for the Yeti 500, on a 20F morning, with today's prices.

Goal Zero Yeti 500$500

1 × Renogy E.Flex 200W Portable Solar Panel$220

WorksAbout 200 W of sun into the station, full in about 3.5 hours of good sun.

Cable: Needs an MC4 to 8mm adapter cable.

Station and panel: $720 at the brand stores today

$220Buy the panel Panel on Amazon Open in the checker

What can it run, and for how long?

Tap what you would plug in. Hours assume a full battery and 15% lost to conversion.

Fridge + LED lights + Phone

5.5 hours

on a full charge, drawing 80 W

Battery over time80 W draw

Full5.5 hours

Specs in plain English

Tap any underlined term for a one-sentence explanation.

Open the brand's page

499 WhFrom the brand's page

Enough for a 60 W fridge for about 7 hours, or a CPAP for about 11 hours.

500 WFrom the brand's page

Fridge, CPAP, laptops, lights.

Surge

1,000 WFrom the brand's page

Short bursts for motors starting, like a fridge compressor or a pump.

Voc

12.3 to 28 VFrom the brand's page

Goal Zero's page does not say whether this is open-circuit or working voltage, so the checker uses the stricter reading. Your panels, wired up, must stay inside it even on a cold morning.

Imp

10 AFrom the brand's page

Over this, the station simply caps what it takes. You lose watts, nothing breaks.

MPPT

200 WFrom the brand's page

From empty to full in about 3.5 hours of good sun at 70% of rating.

Solar portplug

8mmFrom the brand's page

The plug on the station. Panels with a different plug need an adapter cable; we list it in the checker.

LiFePO4

LiFePO4From the brand's page

Long-life chemistry, suited to daily solar use. Check the manual for the exact cycle rating.

Weightlb

16.1 lbFrom the brand's page

One-hand carry.

Solar panels that work with it

Checked against the 12.3 to 28 V input range and the 10 A current cap, on a 20F morning. Change panels, count and temperature in the full checker.

Jackery

SolarSaga 200 (JS-200D)

200 W

1 panelWorks

2 panels, in parallelWorks

The brand does not say whether its voltage limit is open-circuit or working voltage, so we check against the stricter open-circuit number.

2 panels, in parallelWorks

The brand does not say whether its voltage limit is open-circuit or working voltage, so we check against the stricter open-circuit number.

EcoFlow

175W Rigid Solar Panel

175 W

1 panelWorks

2 panels, in parallelWorks

The brand does not say whether its voltage limit is open-circuit or working voltage, so we check against the stricter open-circuit number.

2 panels, in parallelWorks

The brand does not say whether its voltage limit is open-circuit or working voltage, so we check against the stricter open-circuit number.

2 panels, in parallelWorks

The brand does not say whether its voltage limit is open-circuit or working voltage, so we check against the stricter open-circuit number.

Renogy

E.Flex 200W Portable Solar Panel

200 W

1 panelWorks

2 panels, in parallelWorks

The brand does not say whether its voltage limit is open-circuit or working voltage, so we check against the stricter open-circuit number.

Check any of our 33 panels with the Yeti 500, or browse every panel.

Watch out for

Things on Goal Zero's page that catch new owners.

01Goal Zero says a 200 W panel needs its HPP to 8mm connector for this station.

Compared with

Side by side with the same-size station from other brands.

vsYeti 500 vs EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max 500

vsYeti 500 vs Goal Zero Yeti 500X

vsYeti 500 vs BLUETTI AC50P

vsYeti 500 vs BLUETTI Handsfree 2

vsYeti 500 vs DJI Power 500

vsYeti 500 vs EcoFlow RIVER 2 Max

vsYeti 500 vs BLUETTI AC50B

vsYeti 500 vs EcoFlow RIVER Max

Having a problem?

Short fixes from the manuals.

→Power station shuts off when you plug something in? Overload

→Power station won't charge in the cold? The freezing-point rule

→Can a power station work as a UPS? Switch times by model

→Can I use another brand of solar panel on my power station?

→How to store a power station without losing the warranty

Every panel we track, checked against the Yeti 500

Quick answers

How long will the Goal Zero Yeti 500 run a fridge?

About 7 hours for a typical full-size fridge averaging 60 W, on a full charge with 15% lost to conversion.

Can the Goal Zero Yeti 500 run a CPAP?

Yes. A CPAP at about 40 W without a heated humidifier runs about 1.3 nights of 8 hours on one charge. A heated humidifier uses several times more.

Can the Goal Zero Yeti 500 run a microwave or a space heater?

Its AC output is 500 W (1,000 W surge). A typical microwave draws about 1,000 W: no. A space heater on full draws about 1,500 W: no.

Which solar panels work with the Goal Zero Yeti 500?

Of the 33 panels we track, 24 fit it cleanly, even on a 20°F morning (for example the Jackery SolarSaga 200 (JS-200E), Jackery SolarSaga 200 (JS-200D), EcoFlow NextGen 220W Bifacial Portable Solar Panel); 1 more work with a catch, such as going over the voltage limit on cold mornings.

How fast does the Goal Zero Yeti 500 charge from solar?

At its full 200 W solar input, about 3.5 hours from empty to full. Real panels give roughly 60 to 80% of their rating in good sun.

How much does the Goal Zero Yeti 500 weigh?

16.1 lb. one hand

Sources

From the brand's pageGoal Zero Yeti 500 product page

Shop listing, not yet confirmedPrice, from the Goal Zero store on Oct 28, 2026 (checked every morning)

Spotted an error? Email [email protected] with the manual page number.