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).

 

[Chip]

I have tripped with a CXLiy 074 Power Bank. It kept my phone charged on 10-day trips, when I was using the phone for mapping. On big rivers, navigation generally means following the water, so I didn’t use the phone a lot, mostly while looking for camp sites, not wanting to pass them. This power bank is now 6 years old, so not really relevant since you are looking for current technology PBs. I never charged a laptop with the 074, which I think would rapidly deplete its charge. Capacity 24000mAh. Its power is waning as it ages, and it doesn’t seem to charge the phone as many times as it used to. Of course, I’ve migrated phones, too, which probably makes a difference. I would buy this one again.

I have a bigger, newer power bank, a Jackery 300. It weighs about seven pounds and has numerous outputs. The first one I had lived in my van, charged off the 12v system, and after 5 years, died of fried charging circuitry. The Jackery people said exposure to temperature extremes in the van likely shortened its life. So, I don’t leave the new one in there. I have used the Jackery to charge my laptop and phone, but the main use is to power a fan in the van. Capacity 20.4Ah Runs the fan for about 5 nights, plus incidental use to charge phone.

 

[MJones]

I have a power station about the same physical size as a Jackery 300 (280Wh) that I use for my travel CPAP machine; it has enough charge for about 4 nights, as well as keeping a phone for GPS fully charged. The use of a power station of this size is a bit different than one big enough the keep a phone charged but I thought it might be of interest to some in terms of what a power station/bank can be used for. In combination of two 70W solar panels, I can go out for as long as my food lasts and my CPAP will work every night.

Sorry, this doesn't help with your specific question of currently available power banks but I hope it is of interest to some.

 

[Alan Gage]

I've never used one for this purpose but what about a small NOCO boost pack? They're made to jump start vehicles but are essentially just a battery bank. The smaller ones have USB output terminals. On the smaller ones the large jump start cables are removable so it would be smaller/more portable while traveling. You'd just leave them in the car.

For car camping I don't see a downside.

For backpacking or real canoe tripping it's probably a bit bigger and heavier.

But, on the plus side, you can use it to jump start your car if the battery goes dead.

I have a small one in a vehicle I leave unattended for months at a time in case the battery is dead when I need it. It had been sitting for 1 1/2 months and still showed a full charge when I checked it last weekend.

Amazon Link