ArkPak 715 Portable Power Source

Very useful, gives me the ability to power my ARB fridge on the road or camping and not worry about my vehicles battery being drained. Easy to connect/disconnect and remove from vehicle when space is needed or to move to another vehicle or put in tent.

The concept behind the ArkPak 715 portable power source is all good on paper - but in use it may not be the most practical solution to an off-grid power source, mainly because off-grid it relies on cigarette lighter outlet to recharge the battery.Compared to a Goal Zero 400 - the ArkPak is a huge and heavy beast. The word portable must be a relative term - because the smallest 12v battery supported by the AP 715 is a 60Ah, which means the power pack will be slightly north of 50 lbs. Increase the battery size to a 120Ah and the unit will be more than 75 lbs in weight.Let me add that I purchased the ArkPak 715 off eBay - in lightly used condition with the optional DC charger and lock down hardware for about a third of the price that just the AP 715 sells for on Amazon. So, with 2 years of everyday use, I'm not complaining too much.- Minus a 1 Star - From page 8 in the instruction manual - "It may be possible to use the ArkPak to power a device whilst it is connected to mains power, however it is not recommended to do this for a long period of time as this causes excess heat build-up inside the lid of the Ark-Pak." - Translation: you shouldn't use the battery pack to power a high load device while recharging the ArkPak via its built-in charger.So,when recharging the battery- while on the road - you'd best run a high load device like an ARB fridge via a separate dedicated circuit to the vehicle's battery for two reasons:* One is to get your partially depleted battery up to the 90% level as quickly as possible. Since the ArkPak relies on a cigarette lighter port for power when on the road, this limits the charging rate to a maximum of 6 Amps per hour - which is slow.* The second reason not plug in a high current device, (while charging the ArkPak), is that it will confuse the charger to return to its Bulk cycle - which may mean to high of a current and voltage for the state of battery charge, when it is only slightly discharged.*** Update 8/16 ***- I purchased and installed an #10 gauge ARB wiring loom to run the fridge while driving. This allows the ArkPack 12V DC charger to be on a separate circuit as intended by the manufacturer - without any external load while in its charge mode. -Which brings me to what the ArkPak 715 really does well. When used with the 120 volt AC adapter at the house - it will slowly bring a new or well maintained 12V AGM battery up to a full charge and then maintain it at a full charge, which is about 13.0 volts during long term storage.It's a slow process. Expect 4 to 8 hour charging times or longer, especially if the battery is discharged below the 12 volt level.* The first 2 to 5 hours of that time is just for initial Bulk charging cycle.* The AP 715 then follows the Bulk cycle with a Boost/Absorption cycle that takes the battery from the 90% level to 100% or above.The additional Boost/Absorption cycle is not limited to just the ArkPak, but any other method of charging as well. The absorption/ final stage of charging a lead acid battery takes about another 2 hours. The absorption cycle takes a lead acid battery up to 13 to 13.1 volts.Finally, both AC and DC charging provides a float cycle to further cap off the charge and extend battery life. When not in use, the float cycle maintains a steady 13.1 to 13.2 volt charge for 500 hours to really condition the battery. 240 hours is 10 days, so double that period.*** 6 month update - January 29th, 2017 - ***After reading the negative reviews - I initially felt that I purchased a pig in a poke and gave the ArkPak only 3 stars. After four weeks worth of road trips in the first six months, I'll have to admit that the ArkPak is about as good as it gets for ready built battery box with a built-in smart charger for both 12 volt DC to DC charging via a "cigarette lighter port".Charging a moderately sized lead acid battery via a cigarette lighter port is like filling a swimming pool with a garden hose.The reason for the 4 star rating: What I like most about the ArkPak 715 is its ability to take an input voltage that is 12 to 12 point, whatever volts at the cigarette light port - and - provide a boosted output voltage of 14.1 to 14.5 volts during the bulk / absorption phase of the charging cycle - (regardless of what the alternator on the truck is doing.)This is a great feature, especially when your auxiliary battery is in a remote location at the end of long run of wiring - such as on a trailer or in the rear bed of a truck. . Think about the voltage drop that occurs on a long run of wiring - what may have been 12.7 volts at the vehicle battery, may drop to only 12.3 or 12.5 volts when a high amperage load like a remote charger is used. Without a boost, that's the maximum charge available to an auxiliary battery in remote location.It takes a lot of time, but after a few hours on the road - the ArkPak is able to able to bring the auxiliary battery's charge up to 13 to 13.1 volts.Bottom line - 4 stars - if you buy one used at a 1/3rd of a new unit make that 5 stars - but keep in mind , if your over 65 year old, that it's a beast to move. - Yes, I wish you could simultaneously recharge the auxiliary battery in the ArkPak with the included controller, while operating a high load 12 volt appliance. Between charges my fridge has run up to 48 hours in late Autumn weather on the AGM battery that I installed in the ArkPak - after which time the rest voltage was at 12.1 volts.In the Summer months, my set up will last me about 24 hours - before recharging is necessary. 12.2 volts at rest is about as low as I prefer to go on my AGM battery. 12.2 volts is considered 50%.*** 2 year update / June 18th, 2018 ***Essentially, all I've done with the ArkPak 715 is to replace ice cubes with a battery. A Goal Zero Yeti 400 has about 1/2 to 1/4th reserve time of the AP 715, (depending on the installed battery in the ArkPak,). The Goal Zero was my other option. If you are confined to using a cigarette light port for power while on the road - the ArkPak 715 is as good as it gets.*** 3 year update / August 21st, 2019 ***This puppy is on its third camping season. - It is still getting the job done for my needs when on the road to power a 40 quart portable fridge for up to 20 hours. -

I also did not buy this product through Amazon, wish I had. I cannot get ahold of the company to return the product. It is a cheaply made product. Does not begin to be worth the money.