Best Power Pack to take on a thru hike

[Neva I]

HI

Im a first time user, not sure I’m in the right section…..I need a power pack for my iPhone 6 which I will be using as a GPS. I think I need one that will be able to give at least 3 charges before having to be recharged itself. Is there a reasonable lightweight solar charger on the market for this purpose? or if not what is the best and lightest power pack. Appreciate all advice…I have looked on the internet but am finding it difficult plowing thru all what’s out there and don’t seem to be able to come to a conclusion as to what is best.

Thanks

Neva

[Aubrey J]

IMO if you want 3x and the ability to recharge it relatively quickly:

Anker PowerCore Speed 10000 QC – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JIYWUBA?ref=emc_b_5_t

• 6.98oz
• 3.6 charges for your device

If you are up for more weight:

Anker PowerCore Speed 20000 QC – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01J5P98SK?ref=emc_b_5_t

• 13oz
• 7.3 charges for your device

My experience is that the Anker ones produce a bit more charge and recharge faster  than their competitors AND they are usually a tad lighter / they seemed to be concerned about producing lighter and lighter ones. I have the 10k for fast and light and two of the PowerCore 20100 ones for super long trips / recharging my kids iPads on the go. The 10k one I have is QC and it recharges significantly faster, I rec this feature.

I also rec getting the QC chargers Anker sells on amazon (again bc its super fast) and super short Micro USB cables with a lightning adapter tip to save weight. Either the all-in-one http://a.co/gbQNNVf or these two items: http://a.co/4jPE9U9 and http://a.co/eu60ypC

[Mike In Socal]

For 3 charges, go with the above recommendation (Anker chargers).  While the iPhone is not technically compatible with the Qualcomm Quick Charge feature that some Anker chargers have, you can still charge an iPhone 6/6S at a 2.1 mAh rate.

A solar setup is going to weigh at least 12-16 oz and would be useful for longer trips.  I’d recommend a solar panel and battery such as the ones available from Goal Zero.  Charge the battery pack during the day and then charge your device(s) at night.  The Goal Zero Guide 10 AA battery pack, charges really fast (3-4 hours in full sun) because it’s taking a 12v input from the panel.  Charging the pack from USB is not as fast (6-10 hours).

 

[Aubrey J]

Mike is right about the QuickCharge bit. I couldn’t personally justify the solar panel :) (felt like bringing a chair) they also don’t work well in wooded areas / tree cover. You really need ample direct sunlight.

Another thing to note – the QC 3.0 charging plugs can fully charge the 10k model in 2-3 hours (the older and stock ones take 6/7 in my experience from a wall outlet).

[Matthew / BPL]

Yeah QuickCharge is nice when recharging if you are stopping to resupply anywhere.

I’ve had good experiences with several Anker battery chargers.

You might google around a bit looking for ways to save battery life. On iOS you can turn off lots of location service stuff and get pretty good battery life. I can get 3–4 days out of an iPhone 7 charge in the backcountry using my phone to take lots of photos, verifying location via GPS a couple times a day, listening to a podcast or reading a book at night for a little bit.

[Eric Osburn]

I really dig the 10,000mah battery pack. It’s a bit lighter than the newer models that charge a bit quicker. Mine weighs in at 182g.

 

[Neva I]

Hi everyone….thank you for your advice. Unfortunately it appears that Amazon or the company that supplies the Anker pack does not send internationally. I will look tomorrow to see if it can be purchased here in Australia…

thank you again

Neva

[Matthew / BPL]

It looks like you can get their items on eBay. Prices are a bit higher than here in the US.

http://stores.ebay.com.au/AnkerDirect

[Neva I]

1. Thank you Matthew have ordered it….actually I’ve gone for the bigger one…the battery life on my iPhone 6 is not good ….even on low power mode.
2. Thanks again for everyone’s input. Cheers

[Matthew / BPL]

Neva, I don’t know how it works in Australia but when the battery life on my iPhone 6 started to go downhill I just went into the Apple Store and after running a battery test on the phone they handed me a new one.

[Neva I]

Thats interesting….I will try it.
Thanks

[Cameron M]

I found out the hard way that a battery that is sort of flagging in the city just fails outright in the cold. If you can’t get apple to replace the phone, you might want to at least replace the battery before along trip.

I get five days on the iphone, or I use up 55% of it when I do GAIA tracking for 12 hours. The Anker 10000 weighs only 6.3 oz. Fast charging is only useful when you carry or find a fast charger.

[Thomas E]

I found that the anker powercore 13600 provided the most mAh per gram btw (don’t have the numbers here right now).

[Author]

Posts