Our Review
Impressively light at 12.9 lbs with clean pure sine output, but the 300W ceiling and 500-cycle NMC battery are dated specs — buy it for weight, not value.
Specifications
| Capacity | 505 Wh |
|---|---|
| Continuous output | 300 W |
| Surge output | 1200 W |
| Battery chemistry | Li-ion NMC |
| Cycle life (to 80%) | 500 cycles |
| AC recharge | 180 min |
| Max solar input | 240 W |
| Weight | 12.9 lbs |
The Yeti 500X is the veteran of the small-station category: 505Wh of lithium NMC capacity, 300W pure sine output (1,200W surge), in a package that weighs just 12.9 lbs — still the lightest 500Wh-class unit we track, and the reason it keeps showing up in backpacks and camp kitchens years after launch.
But the spec sheet shows its age in two places. Output is 300W where the class standard is now 600W, which rules out even small kettles and many blenders — check your device's real draw against Surge Watts vs Running Watts. And the NMC battery is rated for roughly 500 cycles before noticeable capacity fade, versus 3,000+ for the LiFePO4 packs that now dominate the segment. If you'll cycle it weekly, that difference decides the purchase — the chemistry tradeoffs are laid out in LiFePO4 vs NMC. Wall recharge is a slow-ish 3 hours; solar tops out at 240W.
Pros
- 12.9 lbs — truly backpackable
- Pure sine wave AC, safe for CPAP and electronics
- 1,200W surge tolerance for its size
Cons
- 300W continuous output — half the class standard
- 500-cycle NMC battery vs the Bluetti AC60P's 3,000
- 3-hour wall recharge
- Not currently stocked at our tracked retailers
What it actually runs
A full 505Wh charge yields about 430Wh usable:
| Device | Typical draw | Runtime per charge |
|---|---|---|
| CPAP (humidifier on) | 60W | ~7 hours (short of a full night) |
| CPAP (humidifier off) | 30W | ~14 hours (1.5 nights) |
| Laptop | 50W | ~8 hours |
| Camp lights + phones | ~25W | ~17 hours |
| Phone top-ups | 15Wh each | ~28 charges |
Is the Goal Zero Yeti 500X still worth buying?
Only if low weight is your top priority. At 12.9 lbs nothing in the class matches it, but newer LiFePO4 stations offer double the output and six times the battery lifespan at similar prices.
Can the Yeti 500X run a CPAP?
Its pure sine wave inverter is CPAP-safe, but with the humidifier on, ~7 hours falls just short of a full night. With the humidifier off it delivers about 14 hours — a night and a half per charge.
Who it's for: weight-conscious campers loyal to Goal Zero's ecosystem. With both the 500X and the AC60P currently lacking first-party Amazon offers, most buyers are better served by the in-stock EcoFlow River 2 Pro Solar Generator (currently $549.00) (768Wh, panel included) or the Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 (currently $469.00) one tier up.