Portable Power Bank options for the Outdoor enthusiast
Portable Power Bank options for Outdoor enthusiast
In this article we look at some of the best portable power bank options that we have available to keep your mobile phones, GPS Devices, Smart watches, re-chargeable headtorches etc charged whilst away from home.
Things to consider when looking at a portable power bank are as follows:
- What is the capacity (size of battery in mAh) in the power bank, will it be sufficient to charge the devices that you want to charge?
Some examples below of battery capacity sizes:
Garmin GPSMap 66 series with built-in battery capacity 3100mah
Garmin Montana 700 series with built-in battery capacity 3100mah
Garmin Fenix 6/6x range of watches – battery capacity 350mah – 500mah
SatMap Active 20 GPS Device – battery capacity 5000mah
Iphone 13 pro – battery capacity 3125mah
Samsung S21 – battery capacity 4000mah
- Size & weight of the power bank?
- Can the power bank charge multiple devices at the same time?
- Charging speed of the power bank?
- Weatherproof rating (IP Rating of the power bank?
- Extra features of the power bank, e.g., backup torch?
We stock a fantastic range of BioLite & Powertraveller portable power banks which we will look at in more detail below.
BioLite Power Banks
With the BioLite power banks that we stock there are 3 x power banks each going up in capacity and size, starting with the Charge 20 PD which has a battery capacity of 6,000 mAh, the Charge 40 PD which has a battery capacity of 10,000 mAh and finally the Charge 80 PD which has a battery capacity of 20,000 mAh.
All three of the BioLite power banks come supplied with a USB-A to USB-C cable that is used to charge the devices from USB mains plug, please note the USB plug is not included.
They are durable units but do not have an IP weather rating hence they not designed to be used in the rain but are a great cost-effective power banks with fast charging and multiple outputs.
All of the units have an LED illumination that gives you an indication of the charge level.
BioLite Charge 20 PD - £34.99
The BioLite charge 20 PD power bank is the smallest in battery capacity / size and the lightest of the BioLite options, with a battery capacity of 6,000 mAh and only weighing 165g. The size of the power bank is only 128 x 75 x 14 mm making this a great lightweight and compact unit that can be easily carried in a pocket, ready to give your devices a boost when away from home for a day or two.
There is 1 x USB-C output & 2 x USB-A outputs all rated at 5V/3.0ah which allows for fast charging of multiple devices, the USB outputs are also rated at 9v/2ah & 12v1.5ah. This is a great compact, lightweight power bank to take with you when you are away from home for a short time and want to be able to give either your Mobile phone or GPS device a 1.5 x charges (One device only) or give both your phone & typical GPS devices a 75% boost each.
BioLite Charge 40 PD - £49.95
The BioLite charge 40 PD power bank is the middle-sized power bank within the BioLite range, with a battery capacity of 10,000 mAh, weighing 265g. The size of the power bank is 150 x 81 x 17 mm, although a bit larger and heavier than the smaller charge PD 20 this is still a compact unit that can be easily carried in bag, backpack etc. With its increased battery capacity from the smaller charge PD 20. This is a great unit to take away when you are needing an emergency backup for just that little bit longer giving you piece of mind that you will have emergency power for your Phone, GPS devices etc.
There is 1 x USB-C output & 2 x USB-A outputs all rated at 5V/3.0ah which allows for fast charging of multiple mobile devices, the USB outputs are also rated at 9v/2ah & 12v1.5ah. This is a great power bank to use when you are away from home for a short time and want to be able to give either your Mobile phone or typical GPS device a 2.5 x charges (One device only) or give both your phone & typical GPS device a 1.5x charges each.
BioLite Charge 80 PD - £69.95
The BioLite charge 80 PD power bank is the largest sized power bank within the BioLite range that we stock, with an impressive battery capacity of 20,000 mAh, weighing 465g. The size of the power bank is 170 x 82 x 25 mm, this is a larger and heavier unit than the other BioLite Power banks but with its greatly increased battery capacity this a great unit to take away when you are needing backup over a longer period of time, with the 20,000 mAh battery capacity you can also use this unit to give a tablet or even a laptop a charge.
There is 1 x USB-C output & 2 x USB-A outputs all rated at 5V/3.0ah which allows for fast charging of multiple mobile devices, the USB outputs are also rated at 9v/2ah & 12v1.5ah. This is a great power bank to have with you when you are away from a power source for a longer period and want to be able to give either your Mobile phone or GPS device a 5 to 6 x charges (One device only) or give both your phone & typical GPS device a 2.5 to 3 x charges each.
Powertraveller Power banks
We stock a range of 5 x Powertraveller Power banks, these all have an IP (Ingress Protection) weather ratings and various models give you a tough rugged option for use in the outdoors in all weathers.
Within the range we go from the very lightweight and compact Nighthawk 15 weighing only 120g and a battery capacity of 2600mAh right up to the Merlin 75PD which has an impressive battery capacity of 20,000 mAh.
Within the range we have options that come with built-in torches and a SOS flash alert function.
All of the units have an LED illumination that gives you an indication of the charge level.
All of the Powertraveller power banks come supplied with a USB-A to USB-C cable that is used to charge the devices from USB mains plug, please note the USB plug is not included.
Nighthawk 15 - £29.00
The PowerTraveller Nighthawk 15 is a lightweight compact unit weighing only 120g, the size of the power bank is only 40 x 39 x 39mm and it has a battery capacity of 2600mAh. As well as being a power bank this unit also has a built-in lantern and a 120 lumens torch with an SOS flashlight function.
With an IP (Ingress Protection) Weather-proof rating of IP67 this unit can be used in the rain with no issues.
There is 1 x USB-A Output rated @ 5v/1ah, with smart charging on / off detection this units detects when you have a device connected for charging and will also shut-off once it detects that the device is charged. A great lightweight compact unit with Torch & Lantern that can be easily carried in a pocket, handy when you need a backup just to give your phone a top-up charge, depending on the capacity of your phone battery you should be able to top it up with between a 50% - 75% charge.
Merlin 15 - £29.00
The PowerTraveller Merlin 15 is very similar to the Nighthawk 15 other than it does not have the lantern but does have a 100 lumens torch beam which also has the SOS flashlight function, it has a larger battery capacity of 3350mAh.
Again this is a lightweight compact unit only weighing 100g with a size of 107 x 28 x 38mm.
It has a lightly lower IP (Ingress Protection) Weather-proof rating of IP65, but this is still fine if you get caught out in a light rain shower.
There are 1 x USB-A Outputs rated @5v/1.5ah & also a USB-C output rated @5v/1.5ah, with smart charging on / off detection this units detects when you have devices connected for charging and will also shut-off once it detects that the devices are charged. Another great lightweight compact unit with a Torch that can be easily carried in a pocket, handy when you need a backup just to give your phone a charge, depending on the capacity of your phone battery you should be able to charge it approximately 1 – 1.5 x charges.
Sport 25 - £45.00
The PowerTraveller Sport 25 is the next in size range of PowerTraveller Power banks, with a larger battery capacity of 6700mAh, but still a compact unit weighing 187g, with a size of 105 x 50 x 30mm, so it is still compact and light enough to be carried in a pocket, this unit also has a 150 lumens torch with the SOS flashlight function.
A rugged tough unit with an IP (Ingress Protection) Weather-proof rating of IP67 this unit can be used in the rain with no issues, also included with this unit is a protective storage case.
There are 1 x USB-A Output rated @5v/2ah & also a USB-C output rated @5v/3ah, with smart charging on / off detection this units detects when you have devices connected for charging and will also shut-off once it detects that the devices are charged. Another great compact unit, with a more robust feel, great when you need backup to give your mobile devices more than a full charge, depending on the capacity of your phone battery you should be able to charge it approximately 2 x charges, also great if you have a Handheld GPS Device with a built-in battery or Smart watch to charge or give a boost to.
Harrier 25 - £60.00
The PowerTraveller Harrier 25 is the only Power bank that we stock that has a Wireless Charging function, great for using with a mobile phone that can be charged wirelessly, the unit has elastic straps to safely attach your smart phone, a great way to charge without the need for a USB charging cable.
The battery capacity is the same as the Sport 25 @ 6700mAh, still a compact unit weighing 220g, with a size of 86 x 86 x 25.5mm.
It has an IP (Ingress Protection) Weather-proof rating of IP65 which is fine in a light rain shower.
As well as the Wireless charging 10W quick charge option there is also 1 x USB-A Output rated @5v/3ah for quick charging & also a USB-C output rated @ 15w.
A great portable wireless charging device when you need backup to give your mobile devices more than a full charge, depending on the capacity of your phone battery you should be able to charge it approximately 2 x full charges, also great if you have a Handheld GPS Device with a built-in battery or Smart watch to charge or give a boost to.
Merlin 75PD - £95.00
The PowerTraveller Merlin 75PD is the largest in Capacity PowerTraveller portable power bank that we currently stock at Shepherds Walks, with an impressive 20,000 mAh battery capacity, weighing 560g. The size of the power bank is 180 x 46 x 60 mm, this is a larger and heavier unit than the other PowerTraveller Power banks but with its greatly increased battery capacity this a great unit to take away when you are needing backup over a longer period of time, you can also use this unit to give a tablet or even a laptop a charge.
With an IP (Ingress Protection) Weather-proof rating of IP67 a rugged weatherproof Power bank.
There is 1 x USB-A Output rated @5-6v/3ah, 6-9v/2ah & also a USB-C output rated @5v/3ah, 9v/3ah , 12v/3ah, 15v/3ah, 20v/2.5ah, with smart charging on / off detection this units detects when you have devices connected for charging and will also shut-off once it detects that the devices are charged.
This is a great power bank to have with you when you are away from a power source for a longer period and want to be able to give either your Mobile phone or GPS device a 5 to 6 x charges (One device only) or give both your phone & typical GPS device a 2.5 to 3 x charges each.