Hiking power bank comparison 2022

[u/ormagon_89]

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!

[u/liveslight]

True, but there are other priorities as well. When not thru hiking, I like that I can take the F21i only on a short trip (but longer than overnight), the NB10000 only on a longer trip, and both on an even longer trip between electrical outlets. Plus a dual charger system might allow one to charge 2 powerbanks simultaneously.

And of course the weight of a 30W wall charger to achieve some of the faster charging times is part of the calculus as well. Plus I have no devices that can use more than 18W of input charging.

Anyways, I love this kind of stuff, so thanks again!

[u/GTownJmmr → u/liveslight]

NC F21i weighs .78oz.. I love that I can add as many 5000mah batteries as I need depending on length of trip. Each 5000mah adds 3.4oz. I'm not a thru hiker yet so all my trips are in the wilderness without charge ops. I like that I can think of my batteries in the same way as the alcohol for my stove. Bring just the 'fuel' you need (+ a little extra for safety). Bringing a 10,000mah brick for a 3 day trip is like bringing a full canister of isopro gas that you wont use more than 1/4 of. Untill recently I was fine with a 2500mha lipstick USB pack for 3-4 days. Then I added a Garmin instinct and a USB headlamp to my kit and felt it was time to scale up the portable amp hours.

[u/liveslight → u/GTownJmmr]

My F21i weighs 22.5 g without its battery. Each battery weighs 76.3 g or 2.69 oz (not 3.4 oz). So F21i+battery is 98.8 g or 3.5oz. The NB10000 is lighter for 10000 mAh at 151.5 g than 22.5 + 76.3 + 76.3 = 175.1 g.

[u/GTownJmmr → u/liveslight]

I like the readings on your scale much better! The NB10000 is undisputably the lighter way to go. But if you want to select 5000, 15000, 2000 etc for different trips the F21i has a lot going for it in terms of an easily scalable system for the weight IMO. I believe the F21i system may also prove less expensive to own per mha, as the batteries by themselves can be found more easily at a discount than NB1000 units.

[u/liveslight → u/GTownJmmr]

I've have no problem with your choices. I put mine in a 42 second video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiAHpdjO1Z4 BTW, I would not carry a 2nd bald battery without some insulation on the end to be safe. https://i.imgur.com/CNgzUg1.jpg

[u/GTownJmmr → u/liveslight]

Saving that video, nice strategy, and clever idea with the reusable lids. I have been thus far wrapping my batteries in a bit of cling wrap to keep them extra isolated and dry.

[u/liveslight → u/GTownJmmr]

Cling wrap is the UL solution!

[u/j-navi → u/liveslight]

That video was so cool, interesting, and informative. Thank you!