External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

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Chazz
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External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

Post by Chazz » February 19th, 2016, 9:06 am

I've been looking for low-weight, high capacity external chargers to power my phone, headlamp, and MP3 player while on the trail for several days. I had 8mAh in two separate batteries (3mAh and 5mAh) last year but the weight/capacity ratio was not optimal. This year, I'll be out on a section hike that will be two days longer than last year where I barely squeaked through with enough charge so I'll be upgrading not only to a single battery but one with a minimum of 10mAh capacity. Many of the batteries I've seen with this level of capacity are 9+ oz.

Today I stumbled on a 10mAh battery with an advertised weight of 6.4oz (excluding cable). It's a well-known brand, unlike many of the special deals you see on Amazon.

Anker PowerCore 10000 Portable Charger
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0194WDVHI

It's $17.99 with the code "SND22GN6"

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miah66
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Re: External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

Post by miah66 » February 19th, 2016, 9:18 am

That's a pretty good deal. I bought a 10000 mAh charger a few years back.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EOB ... ge_o05_s00

I seem to think it's over 8oz though. Kind of heavy, but I've been able to get 2-3 full charges out of it for my cell phone on multi-day trips.

If that 6oz one at that price does what it says, then you can't go wrong.
"The top...is not the top" - Mile...Mile & a Half

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Lurch
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Re: External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

Post by Lurch » February 19th, 2016, 9:20 am

I would lean towards monoprice for something like this.. There are some physical limitations to how much life you can cram into the physical battery pack, so if everything else with the same capacity is 3oz heavier, I would question the validity of it's mAh rating

http://www.monoprice.com/category?c_id=118&cp_id=11805

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retired jerry
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Re: External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

Post by retired jerry » February 19th, 2016, 9:38 am

I've been using a 10,000mAH Anker battery for a while. 8 ounces. Seems to work okay. From Amazon.

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aiwetir
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Re: External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

Post by aiwetir » February 19th, 2016, 10:49 am

I too have a 10000mAh Anker which isn't enough for me anymore, I bought at 26800mAh last year but returned it because it seemed too physically large. I don't believe it was 2x the weight though.

I'm now considering just buying a couple more instead of one large so there's more ports. I know 2 10000mah will weigh more than 1 20000mah, but when I don't need 20000 I also won't have to carry it.
- Michael

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dfs1109
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Re: External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

Post by dfs1109 » February 24th, 2016, 1:34 am

Just purchased the originally advertised one. I will test and let everyone know how it holds up.
"Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?" Peter Pan

Webfoot
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Re: External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

Post by Webfoot » February 28th, 2016, 6:10 am

From what I have seen of a few disassemblies cheap power packs may use low grade or recycled cells. I recommend getting a "battery box" and filling it with 18650 cells of known quality, like new Panasonic NCR18650B.

http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review%20US ... %20UK.html

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dfs1109
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Re: External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

Post by dfs1109 » March 2nd, 2016, 6:28 pm

Ankler Powercore 10000 review... so far.

Sleek body with small synthetic pouch to carry when on the move. Advertised weight is just over 6 oz and that seems accurate. Comes with small usb cable for charging the powercore itself. When charging 4 blue lights will light up if fully charged or blink while charging (if charging is need).

For test I drained my iPhone 6 until it turn itself off. From a full charge on the powercore I plugged my phone into the powercore using the iPhone usb cord that came with my phone. At exactly 2 hrs of charging my phone was completely charged. I kept everything running on my phone as normal and didn't receive any text messages or phones calls (I know, no one loves me). After one charge the blue lights that display the charge level on the powercore has dropped to 3 blue lights (this happened around the 1 hr mark).

Currently I'm impressed for $26! I'm draining my phone again and will use the powercore to charge again and see how many times I can charge my phone before the powercore needs charging.
"Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?" Peter Pan

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forester
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Re: External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

Post by forester » March 2nd, 2016, 8:20 pm

I bought one of the batteries that will also jumpstart a car. Water, dust, and drop resistant. Was spendy but will get used.

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dfs1109
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Re: External USB chargers - low weight, high capacity

Post by dfs1109 » March 3rd, 2016, 7:40 am

Results of the second charge were the same as the first. 2 hours to full charge and now blue lights have dropped to 2 lights.
"Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?" Peter Pan

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