March 16, 2021/Riley Draper Table of Contents
Our world has quickly become more modernized. We’re increasingly surrounded by devices that need a trickle of electricity to keep working for us. They make our lives easier, and you’d be at a significant disadvantage if you’re just going to leave them at home because you’re going to be on the back foot during your camping trips. If you want to keep your devices charged while you’re on a long trip outdoors, especially in case of an emergency, you’re going to want something that’s reliable, has a backup source of power, and you’re going to want something functional.
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Here are the top 5 picks (keep scrolling for more details and picks 6-7).
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This solar power bank from Balvor is a good option for an outdoorsman looking for something reliable, with a little extra functionality, that has a backup function in case you’re out longer than you expect or you just plain forgot to charge the portable battery. This solar-powered bank is exactly what you’re going to want for a trip outdoors. The most obnoxious part of owning a portable battery is remembering to actually keep it charged.
There’s nothing worse than getting everything packed up, driving all the way to the campsite, and then realizing that you forget to charge the battery before you get settled in. A portable battery charger is a lifesaver, there’s no way around that. It’s a modern convenience that extends the lives of your phones several times over, but you have to hold up your end of the bargain and keep them charged, and forgetting to do that is like getting kicked in the teeth.
This portable battery charger solves that (partially) by adding some pretty robust solar panels to the battery. These solar panels charge the portable battery with the ever-present sun. They’re not very large, given that they have to fit on top of a portable battery charger, so you’re not going to be instantaneously charging your battery by leaving it out in the sun for a few minutes, but it’s an amazing emergency solution.
If you really need your battery charged and you’re nowhere near an outlet, but you can wait a little bit for the sun to do its work, then you’re really never going to be out of luck. The solar panels are a huge boon for this portable charger, but they’re not the only thing that makes this one a winner. The charger is built for being outside in the elements.
The body of the charger is a little bit bulkier than other chargers with similar capacities, but that extra heft is almost entirely for imparting shock resistance to the body of the charger so it doesn’t immediately crack under pressure. They’re also waterproof and dustproof, so you can make your way through nearly any environment without worry. The features don’t end there. If you’ve ever had moisture in your charging port, you know how irritating it is to wait for your phone to dry out so you can charge it again, but this portable charger has a wireless charging feature as well.
If you have a phone capable of taking advantage of that, then you’re never going to run into a scenario where you can’t get a little bit of energy into your phone. All around, this is a charger that’s built to last you a long time, it’s built to give you power in any situation, and it’s built to predict your needs.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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This portable charger is simple and useful. As long as you’re not carrying a phone that blazes through its battery power, then this light piece of equipment will charge your devices, quickly, fully, and multiple times. Anker just makes great portable chargers. They’re tightly constructed, they feel nice to own, and they do exactly what you need them to with no fuss, and they pack a lot of power into a compact space.
The power storage and output of these is the best thing about this portable charger. It’s has a 20000mAh storage capacity, and it’s a little smarter than most chargers. The capacity is incredible. On a full charge, you’ll be able to fully charge the batteries of some of the newest phones like the iPhone XS or the Samsung S10 about five times before you need to top off the portable charger again.
If you’re out on the trail or camping with your friends and family, you’re probably not using your phone a great deal anyway, so this charger is going to last you way longer than you think it will. The PowerIQ is an excellent feature for this charger to have. It detects the devices that are connected to it and puts out the optimal amount of power to charge them accordingly.
If you have something like an electronic lighter or a flashlight, then this charger knows not to overload the batteries on those devices, making it much more versatile than it seems on the surface. If you’re looking for something with deep electrical pockets, that’s going to last you multiple charges while you’re out in the wilderness for a long time, then this is a simple charger that will fill those needs with style.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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Getting out and camping is all about your ability to bring along your provisions without over encumbering yourself. If you can merge two items into one, then you’re coming out ahead. This camp stove marries a portable battery with a campfire, which will save you a ton of space, and it’s an amazing feat of technology to behold.
This portable charger has a 2600 mAh capacity, which is a little bit smaller than a lot of portable chargers, but its ability to draw power directly from your campfire makes this battery much more useful than its 2600 mAh capacity would lead you to believe. You can charge this battery every single time you need to start your fire for dinner.
The camp stove has fans to redirect heat and airflow to maximize the efficiency of your combustion, giving you hot flames with no fuss. The battery portion of the campfire gives you feedback on the levels of charge, your fan speed, and the heat of your campfire.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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This case solves the problem of carrying a portable charger. If you can’t be bothered to carry around a second device to charge your phone, then this charger is an excellent option for you. This case doubles as a portable charge while also keeping your phone inside of a totally impenetrable fortress. This case has a 4000 mAh capacity, making your iPhone practically immortal.
There are solar panels along the backside that will capture a little bit of extra energy for you while you settle down and set up your campsites. If you’re planning on being away from an energy source for an extended period of time then this case and its solar panels will give you an incomprehensible amount of battery power.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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The problem with solar panels on portable chargers is the amount of space they have to work with. This portable charger flips that ratio on its head. Solar panels need a lot of space so they can get their work done, so this charger from Nekteck goes all-in on the panels.
This portable charger trades dense batteries for a wide surface area. The solar panels are large enough to effectively utilize solar power in a manageable and realistic amount of time. We’re sure you’ve noticed the solar panel on calculators and how little power they provide, that’s all because of the amount of space they have to work with. These solar panels are massive in comparison to most solar-powered devices you have available to you.
If you think they’re going to weigh you down, then think again. These panels are incredibly light and they’re built into an ultra-portable folio-like design. They’re also designed to attach to your backpack, allowing you to charge your phone while making headway on your trails. You’re most likely going to be traveling while the sun is up, so these will give you an incredible amount of power while you make your way to your next destination.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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If you have high energy demands when you’re camping and you’re sick of running into campsites that can’t accommodate your equipment, or you’re on a long trek and you really need more power than something pocket-sized can reasonably provide. Then this is a small step up that doesn’t totally ruin your backpacking loadout or weight restrictions.
This is basically like a miniature generator. This will provide levels of power on par with your outlets at home, and you can bring along an optional solar panel to squeeze even more juice out of it in the long run. It’s totally covered in outlets, if you have a device that needs to charge, this power station has an outlet for you. There’s really nothing it can’t accomplish if you’re willing to make the space for it.
This is a great option for you folks out there on the road making your way across the county. The car outlet will allow you to charge this portable station while you’re making your drives, and once you’ve settled down in your campsites overnight you can reap the benefits of your patient driving.
Folks with smaller campers or making their way in a passenger vehicle can get a lot of utility out of this power station by capturing the energy from their car and redirecting it to their campsites. The optional solar panel makes this a winner, something this robust being paired with the ability to pull power for the sun is just unstoppable.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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This portable battery charger is the embodiment of muscling through a problem. If you’re prone to forgetting to charge your portable chargers, or you’re constantly draining smaller portable batteries, then is the charger you’re looking for. This portable charger that a 30,000 mAh capacity, which is going to be a great deal more power than other portable chargers are capable of providing.
If you’re running a phone that gets about a day’s worth of functionality off of a full charge, then you’re going to get about a week’s worth of charges off of this battery pack. This doesn’t seem like the kind of portable charger often marketed towards the outdoorsy types, but it fits all of their needs.
If you’re a backpacker or just someone that finds themselves away from power sources, then this portable charger will provide you with the kind of power you’ll need to make it back home or to your next stop. This power pack is also built to charge a wide array of devices at the same time, and there are multiple input ports so you’ll never be without the ability to charge your charger.
You can use the tried and true micro-USB charger or something more modern like a lightning cable or USB Type-C. All of these quick-charging options will pump the sizable battery full of energy for your devices in a pretty respectable amount of time.
The outputs are capable of simultaneously charging three devices with high power demands. If you’re out with friends that all have a device that needs a charge at the end of the day, then you’ll quickly become the hero of your hike if you break out this portable charger on the trail.
Read more buyer reviews at Amazon.com.
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This one is just plain hard to beat. Just at its base functionality, this is a portable charger with a respectable capacity that will charge your devices in a respectable amount of time, and that’s exactly what you’d want in a charger, but it doesn’t just stop there. The wide array of functionalities displayed by this charger make it the perfect companion on your camping trips.
From compass attachments to solar panels and wireless charging, this portable charger is the kind of rugged reliable tool you’d want at your side when the chips are down. It’s also something you’d get a lot of mileage out of in your daily life. It’s a little bulkier than other power banks, but it’s not so thick that it becomes unmanageable.
It’s great for keeping your phones or other USB chargeable devices full of power no matter where you are and no matter how recently you’ve remembered to charge your portable charger. The flashlight and solar panels might be overkill for a 9-5 environment, but it’s also nice to know that you’d have the expanded functionality to fall back on if you did end up needing a high powered light or you forgot to charge your portable charger before a brief commute.
Of course, you’re going to be limited by your access to sunlight, but that’s a much more manageable shortcoming than needing to find an outlet to get a little bit of juice in your portable charger. If you’re looking for something that’s going to last you a long time without buckling under the pressure that outdoor activities present you, something that’s fully featured, and something that’s going to pull through when you need it most, then this is the charger for you.
Bonus tip: Maybe you’re not ready to rely on a battery, here’s a hilarious video showing you how to make a human-powered battery.
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Riley Draper is a writer and entrepreneur from Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a world traveler, he has been to more than fifty countries and hiked some of the most elusive trails in the world. He is the co-founder of WeCounsel Solutions and has published work in both national and global outlets, including the Times Free Press, Patch, and Healthcare Global. When he’s not writing, he’s probably on a hiking trip or climbing in the mountains.
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