EcoFlow River Portable Power Station Review

I received an EcoFlow River Portable Power Station at no cost to evaluate.  I am now an affiliate for EcoFlow.  If you click on the links in this post and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.  The opinions in this post are my own.

As we were traveling, we were doing well with keeping up with charging our phones. On driving days, it was easy to keep them plugged into the truck. The laptop was another story. It does not charge with a USB cable. We looked into what options were available for power stations that we could use while on the road. We found a few options at Bass Pro Shop with solar panels that would work for what we needed, but they were pricey. We decided to wait on that expense.

While quarantining at Chiriaco Summit, I had an offer to test an EcoFlow River portable charging station. After I did some research, I was excited to test it out. Being on the road, I had it shipped to my sister’s house. We knew we would be stopping in her area as we traveled through California. As it worked out, it arrived at her house just a few days before we did.

The charger arrived well packaged, with foam padding to prevent damage. Warranty returns require the original packaging and shipping box. With our limited space, I had to think about the best way to keep the boxes. We broke the shipping box down flat and put it under the air mattresses. I used the EcoFlow box to store things we do not use all the time and found a spot for it in our under-bed storage. It was nice to have a place for those items that were previously loose.

The EcoFlow River comes with an AC charging cable, a car charging cable, a solar charging cable, a DC5521-DC5525 cable, and a user manual. Upon unpacking the power station, we immediately plugged it in. It was 100% charged in about an hour and a half. Chris downloaded the app, allowing him to control the box with his phone.

The power station only weighs 11 pounds. Its 11.3 by 7.3 by 7.7-inch size makes it completely portable, fitting easily in our truck with our camping gear. The River has three AC ports (600W output), three USB-A ports (one for fast-charge), one USB-C port, one car power outlet, and two DC outlets. It also has an emergency light. It has a 288Wh capacity, which you can double by adding an available extra battery. Those numbers don’t mean much to me. I can only attest to how it works for my charging needs.

Our week of boondocking in Felicity gave us an excellent opportunity to test out the EcoFlow River. It quietly charged my laptop entirely in about an hour. Fully charging the computer, both phones, and our portable phone charger only took the River down to 83%, meaning we could get multiple charges on all our electronics before having to recharge the box.

For our first attempt at charging the power station on the road, we used the inverter in the back of the truck. The inverter did not put out enough power to efficiently charge the box. We found that plugging it directly into the truck using the car charging cable was more effective. This option worked well on the road, only taking about three hours to charge the box completely.

We later purchased a 110W solar panel for off-grid charging. We had no problem charging the box while we enjoyed the beach on the Gulf of Mexico. The solar panel folds up compactly for storage. Two parallel solar panels will charge the power station in about three hours with full sun. We may choose to purchase a second solar panel in the future, but for now, the one is working fine for our needs.

We put the EcoFlow to the test at the chili cook-off, plugging in two crockpots on high. It ran both perfectly, but they drained the unit in about half an hour. While it is not ideal for heavy-duty appliances, it works very well for our off-grid needs.

The EcoFlow River is perfect for camping and outdoor activities, but it is also a great backup when the power goes out at home. Fully charged, it will maintain its charge for a year. However, they recommend you discharge the unit to 30% and recharge every three months for peak performance.

I like the EcoFlow River enough to have become an affiliate. Click here to learn more about EcoFlow’s portable power stations.
Should you choose to make a purchase, I will receive a small commission, so going through my link is much appreciated.

The River is the smallest of the power stations EcoFlow offers. If you need more power, they are bound to have something that fits your needs, as well as extra batteries for a boost and solar panels to charge them when you are out in the wild.

We are happy to have finally found a reliable power source to use while traveling and enjoying the out-of-the-way spots around our great country.