Generator Deals March 2025: Take 46% Off Backup Power

Mar 10, 2025

These devices ensure you’ll never be left in the dark, from unexpected blackouts to off-grid adventures.

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With winter in the rearview, it’s time to finally focus on the seasons ahead. That means ensuring you have reliable backup power, which is essential for outdoor adventures and unexpected emergencies. The upcoming months will bring not only the chance to enjoy warmer temperatures but also a wave of unpredictable weather that can take the grid offline. Don’t get caught unprepared. With retailers gearing up for summer inventory changes, now’s the perfect time to save on portable generators and power stations, including 40 percent off the diminutive Jackery Explorer 100 Plus.

Our testing experts recommend investing in backup power before the upcoming storm season arrives. By getting something now, you’ll ensure you’re ready for whatever comes next, whether it’s an outage or a long weekend at your favorite campground. The last thing you want is to be searching for a portable generator when severe weather is already in the forecast and inventory is limited (and potentially more expensive).

Whether you’re gearing up for a weekend by the lake, a pre-summer road trip, or simply planning for the inevitable power outage, these deals make emergency preparedness more affordable. Many of the deals below are better than what we saw during Presidents’ Day, so if you held off, now’s a good time to pick something up. Below, we’ve rounded up the best portable generator and power station discounts.

Portable power stations are a popular alternative to traditional gas-powered generators, using battery technology instead of fossil fuels to provide electricity. When shopping for a power station, focus on battery capacity (measured in watt-hours), which determines how much energy it can store, and output capacity (measured in watts), which indicates how powerful of devices it can run simultaneously. Unlike gas generators, power stations operate silently with zero emissions, making them safe for indoor use and environmentally friendly. They typically feature multiple output ports, including AC outlets, USB ports, and DC connections. Additionally, power stations can be recharged via solar panels and require virtually no maintenance.

After testing, our editors say the Explorer 1000 v2 is the best value portable power station, offering the best combination of size, output power, and features. It’s powerful enough to run a 25-cubic-foot fridge for over 18 hours, keeping your perishables fresh during an outage.

Whether you’re working remotely or just want to keep your devices charged on the road, the Explorer 300 is an excellent pick. It has six ports and 300 watts of output power, allowing you charge multiple electronics simultaneously.

For bite-sized power, the Explorer 100 Plus is ideal for travelers. This airline-approved model offers three ports, with enough output power to work with a heavy-duty laptop like the MacBook Pro. Despite its size, the Explorer 100 Plus is still compatible with Jackery’s solar panels, so you can charge when no outlet is nearby.

The Explorer 2000 v2 is comparable to some traditional portable generators, offering an output of 2,200 watts (peak of 4,400 watts). That’s plenty of power for keeping your devices connected. And at less than 40 pounds, it’s relatively easy to transport around your home, so you can place it near whatever it is that needs to be powered.

The River 2 Pro has a hefty 11 ports, including four AC outlets, a USB-C port, and three USB-A ports, giving you great flexibility for connecting devices. Additionally, it delivers up to 1,600 watts of output power with its X-Boost mode, which is a lot considering the power station weighs just 17.2 pounds.

The River 3 is 30 percent smaller than similar models from competitors, according to EcoFlow, but no less capable. It delivers 300 watts of output power while offering six ports, so you can connect multiple devices simultaneously. And with a sturdy built-in handle, the River 3 is easy to carry.

Do you want multiple ports? The Delta 2 is the answer. With 15 ports and an output of 1,800 watts, this model allows you to connect several devices at once. In fact, EcoFlow claims the Delta 2 can power 99 percent of appliances, making it a great model to have on-hand.

With an output of 1,800 watts and dimensions of a shoebox, the AC180 offers compact power for home and remote use. In addition to 11 ports, the power station features a 15-watt wireless charging pad, so you can quickly top off your smartphone’s battery while you relax around the campfire.

With six ports and 700 watts of output power, the AC50B is ideal for road trips and long weekends. While it doesn’t offer the same power as other options on sale, it weighs less than 15 pounds and supports multiple recharging solutions, including AC and solar.

While portable power stations provide reliable backup power, their true potential is unlocked when paired with compatible solar panels. This combination creates a self-sustaining system that can continuously recharge if sunlight is available. As the components in power stations get better, solar panels are keeping pace as a must-have accessory, offering weather-resistance construction, technology that can maximize energy even in partial sunlight, and folding designs for excellent portability. A portable power station and solar panel are the ideal pairing for enduring extended outages, providing clean, silent power while eliminating the ongoing fuel costs and maintenance of traditional generators.

The Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 is an excellent value pick on its own, but pairing it with a 200-watt solar panel gives you a very powerful setup for long weekends. The “bifacial” solar panel can capture both direct sunlight and reflected light, allowing you to charge up faster on a sunny day.

You want a portable, self-sustaining system for going off the grid? This kit includes the portable but powerful Explorer 300 Plus and a 100-watt solar panel. Whether you’re spending a weekend by the river or working remotely, this kit is easy to transport and easy to use.

The solar panel in this kit features an IP67 rating, making it resistant to both dust and water. That makes this kit the perfect choice if you frequently hang out at the beach or in the mountains. Not to mention it’s nearly 50 percent off (as of this writing), saving a huge chunk of change before storm season arrives.

With a two-sided design and large surface area, the 220-watt solar panel in this kit can completely recharge the River 2 Pro in just over four hours. That means you can set it out in the morning and be topped up for adventures later in the day. Meanwhile, the solar panel features an IP68 rating, ensuring it withstands the outdoors.

The EcoFlow River 3 features an impressive balance of size and power, and it’s even better when you add a solar panel. While the solar panel in this kit is only 45 watts, it can still charge the River 3 in just over six hours. That means you can set it up in the morning and be fully charged by late afternoon.

Not only does this kit come with an expansion battery, providing an additional 2,764.8-watt-hours, but it comes with two 200-watt solar panels. This combination gives you a powerful and flexible system to power devices when the grid goes offline or in your workshop.

While portable power stations are growing in popularity, traditional generators continue to lead the high-capacity power market. These devices deliver consistent electricity for demanding applications that would quickly drain smaller battery-based alternatives. With typical power ratings ranging from 1,500 to 8,000 watts, they can operate high-draw appliances like refrigerators, window air conditioners, and power tools simultaneously. You also get flexibility thanks to dual-fuel and tri-fuel options, which operate on gasoline, propane, or natural gas, giving you extended runtime as long as fuel is available. While these units require outdoor operation and regular maintenance and produce loud noise, their ability to provide sustained power for days with simple refueling makes them ideal for serious emergencies, construction sites, and outdoor events.

The Westinghouse WGen9500F is a dual-fuel powerhouse that can run on either gas or propane and delivers an impressive 9,500 running watts (and 12,500 peak starting watts). While it delivers heavy-duty performance, this generator is a substantial piece of equipment, weighing 210 pounds.

The DuroMax XP13000EH is another high-capacity dual-fuel generator that’s powerful enough to serve as a whole-home backup power solution. For ease of use, it comes equipped with an electric start button and is transfer-switch compatible, which means it can be safely connected to your home’s electrical panel through a 50-amp outlet.

The Craftsman CMXGGFMP03633 is an ideal portable generator for everyday tasks, from construction site power to tailgate parties. While it runs on gasoline only, its relatively manageable weight of 108 pounds makes it more practical to transport than most heavy-duty generators.

Most portable generators are heavy systems that require wheels for transportation. However, this Champion model offers a more compact design, weighing just 49 pounds. Its lighter profile makes it considerably more manageable to transport than traditional models.

With up to 15 hours of runtime and a 120-volt 20-amp RV outlet, this Champion portable generator is ideal for long holiday weekends. It boasts an easy start dial and carbon monoxide auto-shutoff system, providing both convenience and critical safety features.

Beyond traditional generators and portable power stations, those frequently dealing with outages may want to consider a whole-home backup solution. These high-output options can integrate with your home’s electrical system through an automatic transfer switch, providing essential power for lights, appliances, and more. When the grid fails, these systems can detect the outage within seconds and automatically start up, seamlessly transitioning your home to backup power.

Portable power stations generally offer a lower output than gas-powered generators, but the Solix F3800 from Anker is a different story. It delivers an output of 6,000 watts to power everything from appliances to EVs—but it doesn’t emit any harmful gas, so it’s safe to use in your garage or home.

This kit from Jackery features the robust Explorer 3000 Pro, two 200-watt solar panels, and a manual transfer switch, giving you the flexibility to power essential home circuits during outages or harness clean solar energy for off-grid adventures. The transfer switch allows seamless integration with your home’s electrical system, while the included solar panels enable sustainable recharging wherever sunlight is available.

The Westinghouse WGen11500TFc is a powerhouse, delivering 11,500 running watts and a whopping 14,500 starting watts. And unlike other options on this list, it’s a tri-fuel model, meaning you can use it with gas, propane, or natural gas. This fuel flexibility provides adaptability during extended emergencies when one fuel type might become scarce or unavailable.

You don’t want to wait until disaster strikes to buy a portable generator or power station—the ideal time is today, not when severe weather looms on the horizon. By preparing in advance, you’ll avoid the inevitable rush that occurs when power outages threaten, when generators typically sell out and prices often surge due to higher demand. With spring just a few weeks away, it’s a great time to get your emergency power situation sorted out before summer storms roll in. Trust me, there’s nothing worse than frantically searching for a generator while everyone else is doing the same thing. Taking care of this now means you can take advantage of big discounts and actually sleep soundly the next time the weather forecast looks dicey.

If you’re looking to power stuff indoors, take it camping, or use it regularly without the hassle, a portable power station is your best bet. These battery-powered boxes run silently with zero fumes and practically no maintenance—perfect for keeping your phone, laptop, and CPAP machine running when needed. They’re clean and quiet enough to bring anywhere from your work-from-home setup on the patio to a day at the beach without annoying everyone around you.

That said, a traditional gas generator is the better option if you need serious power that keeps going and going. Yes, they’re louder and need more babysitting, but as long as you’ve got the fuel, they’ll keep running through those multi-day outages when the power company is still figuring things out. When you need to keep your fridge cold, microwave your leftovers, or run the AC during a summer blackout, these devices can handle jobs that might make smaller power stations short-circuit.

Figuring out your power needs is a fairly straightforward process. Start by listing everything you’ll want to run at the same time. For each device, you need to know two numbers: running watts (what it consumes during normal operation) and starting watts (that extra juice it needs when first turning on). This starting surge is especially important for devices with motors. For instance, your fridge might run on 700 watts but need 2,100 watts for a few seconds at startup.

Our recommendation: choose a generator with more capacity than your calculations show. This prevents overloading your system, accounts for manufacturer variations, and gives you the flexibility to power additional devices you might not have initially considered. When the power’s out for days, you’ll appreciate having that extra headroom.

Brandon Russell is a freelance writer covering gear and technology. He started his journey as a news writer at a small newspaper and later began reviewing smartphones, movies, and video games. In his free time, he enjoys the slower, more intentional experience of using a 35mm film camera and making short videos about movies he grew up watching.

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