Is the Rockpals RP300W your friend when rambling around the rocks or beating through the bush in the great outdoors? How about keeping your phone, tablet or laptop computer in power during an emergency? I review this Rockpals 280Wh lithium battery pack to see if it rocks or not.

Accessories Are Included

This Rockpals 280Wh lithium battery pack is shipped with these items:

• 120V AC wall adapter
• car charger cable
• MC4 solar panel adapter (solar panel is sold separately)
• user guide

Recharging The Rockpals RP300W

The included adapters are used to recharge the 280Wh (75000mAh) lithium battery pack.

The first, and quickest, way to recharge the battery is to connect it to a wall socket with the AC wall adapter. It recharges the lithium battery in about 7 hours.

The second way to recharge it is by plugging it into a vehicle outlet with the car charger cable.

The third option is the greenest, but also the slowest way: plug the MC4 adapter into a compatible 60-watt or 100-watt portable solar panel. A solar panel is not included with the battery pack, so you should provide your own. For example, Rockpals has a 100-watt foldable solar panel charger that works nicely with its portable power station (view the solar panel on Amazon – paid link).

Output Ports

The 120-volt AC outlet has a rated power output of 300 watts, thus it can power a device that requires less than 300 watts. The inverter provides a pure sine wave output that is more stable than a modified sine wave output.

There are four 12-volt DC outputs and one 24-volt DC port. The first row of DC outlets (DC1) have a maximum output of 96 watts. The second row of DC receptacles (DC2) have an output of up to 48 watts.

It is important not to exceed the maximum output of these outlets because the portable power station will shut down automatically. If this happens, then it apparently needs to be reset by charging it with a wall socket. We recommend that you avoid such a situation.

This Rockpals portable power station has both USB 2.0 ports and quick charging USB 3.0 ports. However, it does not have a USB-C port. In fact, the RP200W seems to be the only Rockpals portable power station that has a USB-C port.

Other examples of small portable power stations with USB-C ports are the Anker Powerhouse 200, the Jackery Explorer 160, and the Poweradd Powercenter 280. I have written full reviews for these products that might be worth reading.

Run Or Recharge Devices

The AC 120-volt outlet can provide up to 300 watts continuous power for running or charging small devices. For example, it might recharge a laptop computer’s battery a few times. The inverter produces a pure sine wave, so it is safe to use for electronic gadgets.

The 12-volt DC outlets are useful for car related devices such as car vacuum cleaners or car refrigerators. The 24-volt DC output is specifically for 24V devices.

The USB ports are used for charging phones, cameras, tablets and other small digital devices. It even has two small LED lights that can provide basic lighting in an emergency situation or at a camping site.

Power For CPAP Machine

The Rockpals RP300W has both a 110V AC port and 12V/24V DC ports that might be used for powering a CPAP machine. Nevertheless, Rockpals recommends that you also buy the Rockpals DC converter when using it for a CPAP machine.

Furthermore, you should turn off the humidifier and heater of the CPAP machine to get the most amount of sleeping hours when using the RP300W as a portable power source for your CPAP device. Regardless, you should probably ask the manufacturer of your CPAP machine or contact the Rockpals company in order to check if it will work with the DC converter or not.

Pass-Through Charging

The Rockpals RP300W is capable of pass-through charging, but only up to a certain limit. The maximum input charge rate is 78 watts, hence the maximum output must be less than 78 watts in order to keep the internal battery charged. For example, if you charge the battery pack while powering a device that requires more than 78 watts, then the battery pack will slowly lose charge and eventually run out of power. Therefore, keep this 70-watt limitation in mind if you want to use it as a UPS for your computer or other device.

Low Wattage Automatic Shut Down

An important feature and possible problem to be aware of is the automatic very low wattage draw shut down. The idea behind this function is to save battery power. However, this caused problems in the past when the battery pack would shut down when charging a very low wattage device.

It seems like the problem was corrected by Rockpals so that the RP300W is now set to shut down only when less than 1 watt is being drawn from the AC port. The low wattage shutdown figures for the other ports are less than 1.68 watts for the 24V DC port, 1.2 watts for the 12V DC port and 0.25 watt for the 5V USB ports.

Remember to turn on the port you want to use by pressing the small buttons labeled DC1, DC2, USB or AC. The port will obviously not provide a current if it is turned off. Anyway, that is about as much as we understand about this automatic low wattage shut down issue.

Rockpals RP300W vs. RP250W

The Rockpals RP250W has a 240Wh lithium battery pack, so it has only 40Wh less battery capacity than the RP300W. In light of that, why buy the RP300W instead of the RP250W?

The main reason to buy the RP300W is that it has a 24V DC output port. Furthermore, its output ports have a small button which can turn them either on or off. Turning off a circuit when not in use can help to save battery power. Overall, the Rockpals RP300W is a better package, and it costs only a few dollars extra.

Rockpals RP300W: Conclusion

The RP300W provides good performance when you consider its lightweight design and compact size. This makes it easy to carry and easy to use for camping trips. It truly is a portable power source for a variety of small devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptop computers. However, the 280Wh lithium battery pack is really too small to support any significant AC device.

Please note that the latest version of the Rockpals 300W portable power station has a different exterior, yet it still has the 280Wh lithium-ion battery pack. Likewise, it has a pure sine wave 110V AC outlet, car port and various USB outlets for charging small devices.

Keep in mind that it cannot provide power for a coffee maker, toaster or microwave oven. It cannot support devices with a power rating of more than 300 watts. Furthermore, please check the power supply watts and volts of your CPAP machine if you want to get this Rockpals power station for that purpose. It should not exceed the 300W maximum limit.

Its battery pack can be recharged in five different ways: by solar panel, car port, AC wall outlet, USB-C 30W PD input or wall outlet plus USB-C PD input.

To conclude, the Rockpals 300W portable power station is easy to take along and use on camping trips or when traveling around the country. Just keep its limitations in mind, never exceed its rated power output and this Rockpals portable power station might provide good value (buy it on Amazon – paid link).