I saw Scott’s post on the Lenmar Power Pack and that reminded me that I had been wanting to post my portable power options. My first USB charger was a Duracell model I picked up at Meijer on the discountinued rack several years ago. It worked ok, but since them I’ve upgraded.

First up is the Tekkeon MP1580 TEKCHARGE Mobile Power Pack and Battery Charger. I bought this one because it can take regular AA batteries. I also bought an 8 pack of the Sanyo Eneloop batteries. This way I can use the charger twice before I have to find an outlet. It’s also pretty compact. Unfortunately, AA batteries aren’t the best way to charge an iPhone, only bringing it up 30-40%.

Second is a Mophie Juice Pack for my iPhone. This one I almost always use anytime I know I’m not going to be near an outlet for an entire day. It will bring my phone up to about 60%. It’s a little nicer than the USB chargers since I don’t have to mess around with cables.

The final device I use is the Jackery Giant 10400mAh Premium Portable High Capacity Dual-Port External Battery Power Bank Backup Charger. This thing can charge my iPhone several times and I’ve read that it will charge my iPad 3 once (I haven’t had a chance to try that out). It is heavy though, and bulkier than the above mentioned devices. I always carry it in my bag though, and if I am going out with friends I’ll grab it and a couple of cables so I can charge their phones too (although I don’t have an Apple device that require a Lightning cable, so I can’t charge those).

p.s. For the Great Ohio Bike Adventure back in June I bought the AGPtek 5000mAh Solar Power Dual USB External Battery Pack and Charger. Although it does have two USB ports, one is for charging the battery. As a backup battery it worked fine, but the solar panel is basically on there for emergencies. After a full day of riding with it in the sun I could maybe get 5% charge onto my phone. That would be great if I was stuck somewhere and had to do a quick call or text, but I wouldn’t buy it for it’s solar panel.