How long will a Goal Zero Yeti 500 run LED Christmas tree lights (500 bulbs)?
About 8.2 hours — 8 h 14 min typically, from 7 h 46 min in the worst case to 8 h 44 min at best. That assumes LED Christmas tree lights (500 bulbs) pulling 35 W continuously, plus the station's 9 W AC mains socket overhead — 44 W in total out of 363 usable watt-hours.
About a sixth of the same tree in old incandescent bulbs, and cool enough to touch.
The numbers
| Setup | Average draw | Cautious | Typical | Best case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 × LED Christmas tree lights (500 bulbs), UK 230 V | 44 W | 7 h 46 min | 8 h 14 min | 8 h 44 min |
| 2 × LED Christmas tree lights (500 bulbs), UK 230 V | 79 W | 4 h 19 min | 4 h 35 min | 4 h 52 min |
| 1 × LED Christmas tree lights (500 bulbs), US 120 V | 44 W | 7 h 46 min | 8 h 14 min | 8 h 44 min |
- 1 nights of eight hours, or 0.34 days of continuous running.
- Usable energy: 363 Wh of the 499 Wh on the box, after chemistry, inverter losses and the reserve.
- To keep it going for a full 24 hours you would need about 1,453 Wh of rated capacity — 2.9× this station.
- Start-up: the LED Christmas tree lights (500 bulbs) asks for 35 W at switch-on against this station's 1,000 W peak — comfortable.
Buy the Goal Zero Yeti 500
Where to buy
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What changes the answer
| If instead… | Typical runtime | Change |
|---|---|---|
| The pack is two years old | 7 h 35 min | -8% |
| The pack is five years old | 6 h 35 min | -20% |
| It is −10 °C outside | 7 h 1 min | -15% |
| You run it flat, no reserve | 9 h 10 min | +11% |
| You keep 20% back | 7 h 20 min | -11% |
If you need it to run longer
These run LED Christmas tree lights (500 bulbs) for at least twice as long as the Goal Zero Yeti 500 does, cheapest first.
| Station | Wh | Typical | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 1,070 | 17 h 17 min | £419 / $549 |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus | 1,264 | 19 h 58 min | £549 / $999 |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 | 1,056 | 16 h 41 min | £699 / $799 |
| ALLPOWERS R1500 | 1,152 | 17 h 49 min | £699 / $539 |
The cheapest step up: Jackery Explorer 1000 v2
Amazon and approved-programme links are affiliate links; the site may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Links marked “official site” are untracked. Prices and stock change constantly — check before you buy.
Smaller options that still work
| Station | Wh | Typical | Weight | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluetti AC50B | 448 | 7 h 24 min | 6.5 kg | £299 / $399 |
| Bluetti AC60 | 403 | 6 h 40 min | 9.1 kg | £449 / $599 |
| Bluetti Elite 30 V2 | 288 | 5 h 18 min | 4.3 kg | £229 / $449 |
| Goal Zero Yeti 300 | 297 | 5 h 1 min | 6.2 kg | — / $350 |
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