Power Banks - 2026

[Glenn MacGrady]

Our power bank (AKA battery pack) threads are five to six years old. Technology changes fast.

The topic is currently available power banks to charge electronic devices such as phones, laptops/tablets, satellite communicators, and other electronic devices you take on canoe or camping trips. NOT whether you use electronics or not. NOT how to save charge without a power bank. JUST power banks currently available.

I only base camp now, for five or six days, but my needs would be the same if I were still in-canoe tripping. I want to be able to charge a phone maybe twice over the five-day period and a laptop maybe once.

I've preliminarily narrowed my search to Anker power banks to simplify the decision and because Anker products have a good reputation for reliability. However, feel free to recommend or discuss any brand of power bank.

In my mind the key parameters boil down to mAh battery storage capacity, charging watts, size/weight, and price. Currently, I'm considering these three Anker power banks, which all have built-in USB C cables, but I'm not yet married to any one:

Anker Laptop Power Bank - 25,000 mAh, 165 watts, 20.6 oz., $96.00 (w/REI coupon)

Anker Zolo Power Bank - 20,000 mAh, 40 watts, 12.5 oz., $36.00 (on sale Amazon)

Anker Zolo Power Bank - 10,000 mAh, 22.5 watts, 8.1 oz., $24.00 (w/REI coupon)

Any thoughts, experiences, opinions or facts are welcome.

 

[recped]

I have an Anker that is more than 5 years old (20,000 mAh), I am very happy with it, holds a full charge for months. I also have a few other cheapie ones, they work but are not as robust and seem to drain somewhat over the course of a month long trip.

Multiple ports are nice to have if you have several things to charge at the same time.

I would look for one with both USB3 and the older USB2 ports, USB3 is the current standard but I have a variety of older devices with different input ports (you can always adapt with various conversion cables).