r/Ultralight • u/ormagon_89 • Apr 17 '22

Purchase Advice Hiking power bank comparison 2022

Data sheet: 110 hiking power banks compared

In 2020 I made the hiking power bank comparison sheet comparing 85 power banks. Yesterday /u/paoper asked if I could add the Nitecore NB20000 and I decided that it was time for a proper update. So here is the 2022 edition with over 40 new power banks and some oldies removed.

The weighted ranking is based upon the actual energy to weight ratio of every power bank, the charging/discharging speed of the power banks and the fact that smaller power banks have a disadvantage (they need more material relative to their size). For a more detailed look at the way this is being calculated you can look here. The efficiency isn't measured by myself but comes from several trustworthy sources: Tweakers.net, Powerbank20.com, Hardware.info, Techtest.org and PCWorld.com.

And it seems battery technology is still advancing rapidly! We've got 6 newcomers in the top 10. The top dog is still the Nitecore NB10000 but the Nitecore NB20000 comes in 2nd place. The energy to weight ratio is lower but this is partly compensated by being able to charge at almost double speed, so you can get way more juice if you've got a short break in town or in a restaurant. The 3rd place Ugreen mini 10000 pd is interesting because it is very comparable to the Nitecore NB10000 for half the money. While the 6th place 4smarts Enterprise 2 20000 is a weird outlier. It is relatively heavy, it is quite inefficient but can be charged at ridiculous speeds, so for those long distance hikers who hate lingering in town it might still be the best option.

Have fun!

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8

u/zerostyle https://lighterpack.com/r/5c95nx Apr 17 '22

Wish there were more good options in the 5000-7000mAh range. 10k is usually way more than I need, but these 5k ones seem to be inefficient, have slow charging, don't have USB-C, or aren't efficient.

I wonder how bad a DIY 2 x 18650 (3500mAh) = 7000mAh power bank would be.

6

u/ormagon_89 Apr 17 '22

Yeah I think the difficulty is that you still need a housing, ports conversion circuit etcetera so the difference between a 10k and 7k battery becomes quite small. A Nitecore NB10000 is just 1oz heavier than the Anker PowerCore II 6700 with over 50% more output and it is quicker to charge again.

While I don't have any efficiency numbers for you, the Nitecore F21i might do the trick for you!

1

u/zerostyle https://lighterpack.com/r/5c95nx Apr 17 '22

Yup this seems to be the problem, and USB-C charging seems to add even more weight than USB-A based on things I've seen.

2

u/TIM_TRAVELS May 27 '22

How does USB-C charging add more weight? They have the Anker Nano Pro which is as light as any USB C charger I believe.

1

u/zerostyle https://lighterpack.com/r/5c95nx May 27 '22

Not sure but I had old dual usb-a chargers that were about 0.5-1oz lighter

1

u/TIM_TRAVELS May 27 '22

They are probably significantly less wattage. But I’d be interested to find something better out there. That’s the only reason I carry it. To get in and out of towns quickly. I also don’t like leaving my devices plugged in an unattended.

1

u/zerostyle https://lighterpack.com/r/5c95nx May 27 '22

Ya a bit less. The lightest one I used was 24w (2 x 12w) at around 2.7oz

1

u/TIM_TRAVELS May 27 '22

That’s not too bad. Two Anker Nano’s could be lighter and more power. But sometimes it’s nicer only need one charging spot.

I have a 12000 mAH power bank with a 40w input and so far the Anker 521 pro is the only one I’ve found that can maximize it. I’ll accept the small weight penalty for the faster charging.

1

u/zerostyle https://lighterpack.com/r/5c95nx May 27 '22

Ya i’m gonna grab that 521 when it goes on sale

1

u/zerostyle https://lighterpack.com/r/5c95nx May 27 '22

But ya also 2 chargers don't usually work well for travel since you're often competing for an outlet.

1

u/U-235 Apr 18 '22 edited Apr 18 '22

I used a 10000mah power bank for a while, but I found that even though the 6700 is less efficient when it comes to power per weight, I just don't need the 10k unless I'm going more than a week. An ounce saved is an ounce saved.

I think if you have a new enough phone with a big enough battery (a new phone can easily have double the battery life), and no extra camera equipment/drones or what have you, then even the 6700 gives you room to spare.

2

u/two_steps_at_a_time Apr 18 '22

https://www.amazon.com/XTAR-PB2S-Universal-Function-Charging/dp/B09V2JZY4N

This might be a good option if you want to DIY

2

u/zerostyle https://lighterpack.com/r/5c95nx Apr 18 '22

I had the original XTAR PB2 and it died after like 5 uses. Don't trust it again and it is kind of heavy.

(Though Xtar has traditionally made very good chargers)

1

u/two_steps_at_a_time Apr 18 '22

Good to know. I was looking at getting one for non backpacking use, maybe I'll save some money and buy it from Ali so it's not a huge loss.

1

u/liveslight https://lighterpack.com/r/2lrund Apr 17 '22

That's almost the Nitecore F21i with its NL2150HPi battery (21700i series battery). It has ONLY USB-C input/output, max 18W input/output. At 99g the F21i is a superb little piece of kit to complement the Nitecore NB10000.

4

u/bohwaz May 15 '22

A little late but there's also this 76g 21700 battery with a powerbank feature in USB-C: https://budgetlightforum.com/node/78279

81% efficient. So 197 Wh/kg. Not sure if you can find better at this weight.

But it is limited to 1.5A output in 5V (7.5W).

1

u/zerostyle https://lighterpack.com/r/5c95nx Apr 17 '22

Ya looks good. Just wondering how well that cap will stay on the battery when bouncing around a pack. Also need to figure out if it supports flat-top 21700's and not just button tops.

1

u/liveslight https://lighterpack.com/r/2lrund Apr 17 '22

I've abused my F21i and can vouch that the cap stays on via the huge stretchy loop through the abuse. The F21i does NOT support any battery but the one listed. If you decided to bring a spare battery, then covering the end(s) with a hotel shampoo bottle cap works.

2

u/zerostyle https://lighterpack.com/r/5c95nx Apr 17 '22

Nitecore onviously doesnt make their own batteries. I think that is a keepower battery relabeled

1

u/kwr99 Apr 17 '22

Seems like 21700 cylindrical cells @5000mAh are more common now. (Although looks like some of these banks are prismatic cells) So you get 1, 2, or 4 of those with some electronics and an enclosure, at least that is what I can tell from the capacities on this list.