ADVICE: Best Lightweight Battery Brick for PCT Thru-Hike = Mophie vs. others (RAVpower, Xuma, etc.)

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I've been using a New Trent 5000mAh pack, bought off Amazon. Haven't used it under thru hike conditions, but it's worked well, powers my iPod, motorola (non-smart) phone, external speaker for my iPod, Kindle. They have several packs with varying levels of output, so possible to get what you need. Had to buy a iPod adapter tip and wall adapter separately, plus the included cable didn't transmit data, so I use iGo USB connectors to connect to a computer if I'm doing any photo uploading, or transfering documents to my Kindle.

I recently replaced an older and smaller recharge battery I was using with this one.

RAVPower® 5600mAh External Backup Battery
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ZTMEZ4/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

At $30, it is a good deal. Although, I would not argue this is the best of the options. But I did look at what I found on Amazon and looked at capacity/weight ratios. There are lots of others on Amazon. Many look identical with just different names on them. Clearly, they are just different resellers all buying from a few Chinese factories. But they all use internal batteries from Samsung or one of the other few battery Li-ion manufacturers. So it is pretty much a commodity product now. The variables to look for are:

* Capacity. That you just have to pick how many mAh you want.

* Casing. This is where the weight difference come from since they all use basically the same internal batteries it seems. Some cases are just heavier. So my old battery is around 3000 mAh but was over 5oz. This new one is 5600 but is 4.1oz. The difference is the weight of the casing. If you want waterproof, though, you are going to spent a lot more and add a lot of weight. Just use a ziploc.

* Accessories. If you want more than one usb port or a light. I really wanted a light on mine, because I like the idea of having the option of leaving on a light at night with no worry of running down the battery. That way I can save my headlamp battery for when I really need a headlamp.

Seth, found the one you mentioned for less than $60, http://www.amazon.com/Mophie-Powerstation-4000mAh-External-BlackBerry/dp/B005OW4BFE

Might finalize the decision for you with a lower price, might not.

Steve

I ordered this one the other day (still awaiting delivery):

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10831&cs_id=1083110&p_id=10069&seq=1&format=2

The specs seem too good to be true: 5200mAh, 2.1A usb outlet, weighs 4.2oz, and only about $30. I've purchased many, many items from monoprice for home theater and computer uses and have always been pleasantly surprised by the quality though. User reviews say they've been getting about 2.5 charges on an iPhone, and while this is a new(er) item, monoprice's previous batteries have all had stellar user reviews.

*Edit*

Showed up in the mail this morning. Unfortunately, it weighs 5.1 ounces, but i can't hold it against them because it's advertised as "about 4.2 ounces", and .9 ounces is nothing to a non-backpacker and falls well within the realm of "about". Arrived with 75% charge, charging it up now and I'll try it out for a couple days. it also comes with a pretty sturdy (albiet heavy) zip case that weighs 1.4oz.