portable power bank
How to choose a portable power bank or power station for travel and camping
A power bank keeps your phone charged between outlets. A power station runs bigger gear when there's no outlet at all. Here's how to choose. A wall charger is a third thing. Even when the box says charging station, it stores nothing. It works only while it's plugged into a live socket.
Weight, outlets, and price can change. Read them on the listing the day you buy. Figures on this page come from the listing title, not our tests. This page uses the banks and stations we already list.
What you actually need to keep on
A phone between hotels is a different purchase from a laptop, and both are different from a fridge or anything that expects a wall plug.
If the device charges by USB, start with a power bank. Write down the watts your phone or laptop charger already uses, if that number is printed on it. Then compare it with the watts in the product name. A name that says 15W isn't the same offer as a name that says 45W.
If the device wants a normal wall plug, look for an AC outlet on the listing. A pack that only offers USB won't run that cord.
If the load is a 12V fridge, start with the 12V fridge guide. That page is about the fridge. This one is about the battery you might run it from. A wall outlet on a station isn't the same thing as a 12V socket. Check which one the fridge cord needs.
What the name already says
These are the packs and stations this page compares. Other shelves are linked further down.
| Listed as | The title says | You still have to read |
|---|---|---|
| INIU 45W power bank | 45W, 10,000mAh, a detachable cable, USB-C, and flight-safe. It also says 40% smaller. | Smaller than what, the weight, and the watt-hours. |
| Anker MagGo power bank | Slim, 10,000mAh, magnetic, Qi2, 15W, and MagSafe compatible. | Whether your phone sticks to it, and the watt-hours. |
| Anker Nano portable charger | 45W, 10,000mAh, and a 2.3 ft retractable cable. | Which plug that cable uses, and the watt-hours. |
| Anker 737 Power Bank (PowerCore 24K) | It's a power bank. PowerCore 24K is the model name, not a watt-hour figure. | Watts, capacity, and weight. |
| Jackery Explorer 300 Plus | Portable power station. The title doesn't print watt-hours. | Watt-hours, weight, and which outlets are on the unit. |
| EcoFlow Delta 2 | Portable power station. Listed at 1024Wh of stored energy. | Weight, the outlets, and how you will recharge it. |
| Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus | Portable power station. Listed at 1264Wh of stored energy. | The same checks. A bigger watt-hour number isn't automatically lighter. |
A higher number isn't a score. On the label, 1264Wh is more stored energy than 1024Wh. It's also a different object to lift. The 300 in Explorer 300 Plus is a model number. It isn't 300 watt-hours unless the listing says so. The Goal Zero Yeti 1500X is the same kind of trap. 1500X is the model. Read the watt-hours on that listing before you treat 1500 as a measurement.
A bank is for the gap between outlets
On a travel day you're usually near a wall again by night. The useful bank is the one you'll actually put in the bag.
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Put the INIU 45W power bank next to the Anker Nano. Both titles say 45W and 10,000mAh. The INIU title says a detachable cable, USB-C, and flight-safe, and it says 40% smaller without saying smaller than what. The Nano title says a 2.3 ft retractable cable and doesn't say which plug that cable uses. Read that on the listing.
The title says 45W, 10,000mAh, a detachable cable, USB-C, and flight-safe. Read the watt-hours.
The Anker MagGo title says slim, 10,000mAh, magnetic, Qi2, and 15W. Fifteen watts is a smaller number than 45W. If you need the higher figure for a laptop, don't stop at the magnetic part. Also check that your phone is one the listing says will stick.
Slim, magnetic, and 15W in the title. Check that your phone is one it says will stick.
The Anker 737 Power Bank (PowerCore 24K) is the bank in this set whose title doesn't print watts or milliamp-hours. It's a power bank. PowerCore 24K is the model name, not a watt-hour figure. Open the listing for capacity and weight.
It's a power bank. PowerCore 24K is the model name, not a watt-hour figure.
One more bank sits in the catalog if you want a 20,000mAh figure on the screen. The 20,000mAh pack title says 22.5W, a built-in cable, and airline friendly.
The title says 22.5W, a built-in cable, and airline friendly. Read the watt-hours.
Airlines publish their own watt-hour limits for spare lithium batteries. Check the carrier you're flying, and read the watt-hour figure on the listing. A bigger mAh number isn't permission. Treat spare lithium batteries as a cabin item until the airline tells you otherwise. This page isn't saying any pack here is cleared for your flight.
You can turn milliamp-hours into watt-hours only when the listing prints the voltage next to that mAh number. Divide milliamp-hours by 1,000 to get amp-hours. Multiply amp-hours by the printed voltage. The result is watt-hours. If the voltage isn't there, stop. Don't fill it in.
The cable is a separate choice. When the listing says USB-C, the USB-C cable guide separates a charge-only cable from one that also moves data. A detachable or retractable cable in a title doesn't tell you the watt rating of that cable.
A station is for the night with no outlet
Camping is the other job. You may not see a wall socket again until you pack up. A pocket bank can keep a phone up. It's the wrong object if you need an AC outlet, a 12V port, or enough stored energy to cover more than phones.
On the station listing, write down three things. The watt-hours, if they publish them. The empty weight. The outlets: AC, USB-C, and 12V, and the watts or amps next to each one. The words portable power station don't list the ports.
The Jackery Explorer 300 Plus is the station in this set whose title doesn't print watt-hours. You can't compare it with the Delta 2 until you read the listing. The EcoFlow Delta 2 is listed at 1024Wh of stored energy. The Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus is listed at 1264Wh of stored energy. Open those pages on the same day.
The title doesn't print watt-hours. Read them on the listing.
Listed at 1024Wh of stored energy.
Listed at 1264Wh of stored energy. Compare the weight with the Delta 2 on the same day.
Other stations in the catalog are the EcoFlow River 2 Pro, the EcoFlow Delta 2 Max, the Jackery Explorer 1000 v2, the EcoFlow Delta Pro, and the Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus. River 2 Pro, Delta 2 Max, 1000 v2, Delta Pro, and 2000 Plus are model names. Open the listing for watt-hours.
Recharging is part of the purchase. A station that leaves home full still has to be filled again. That might be a wall at the house, a 12V socket in the car, or a panel in the sun. The Anker SOLIX 60W foldable portable solar panel is in the catalog. The product name includes 60W. It doesn't mean full sun, and it doesn't mean the plug matches every station. Read the station's input and the panel's output before you count on it.
A wall brick isn't a battery
The Anker 727 100W GaNPrime charging station, the UGREEN Nexode 100W GaN USB-C charger, and the Anker Nano 30W USB-C compact charger are wall chargers. The Nano 30W isn't the Nano battery further up. Unplug any of these and the power stops. They're what you want when a hotel room has a socket, and they're the wrong object if the campsite doesn't.
A wall brick. Unplug it and the power stops.
One hundred watts is the claim in the name.
Thirty watts is the figure in the name. This is the wall charger, not the Nano battery.
A laptop that wants its own adapter is a narrower case. The Dell 65W charger title names particular Latitude models. If your laptop isn't one of them, don't assume the brick fits.
Where they sit in the shop
Travel gadgets shows the INIU, the Jackery Explorer 300 Plus, the EcoFlow Delta 2, the Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus, and the wall chargers from the last section. The Anker 737, and the Anker PowerCore 26800, are on festival tech. The PowerCore title includes 26800. It doesn't say milliamp-hours or watt-hours. Read the listing.
The title includes 26800. It doesn't say milliamp-hours or watt-hours.
If the charger stays on a table, set up a small desk compares those wall bricks with a stand and a speaker. See everyday picks.
Watch someone deal with power away from a desk
She Roams Wild's Oregon tent-camping video runs about 17 minutes. The description marks a power chapter just before the eight-minute mark. The description names a BLUETTI Elite 100 Mini. That station isn't in this shop. A code in an old description belongs to that video, and it expires. More from She Roams Wild.
Amanda Woolsey's Anker Prime video is about four minutes. The title says a 67W GaN charger for several devices. That's a wall brick, not stored energy. Any code in the description is old unless the current page still says otherwise. More from Amanda Woolsey.
More travel reviews are on the travel gadgets video shelf, and the travel gadgets category collects the same topic.
Before you buy
- Phone and tablet between outlets, or a laptop, a fridge, or a wall plug?
- Bank, station, or a wall charger that stores nothing?
- Watts the device already asks for, next to the watts in the product title.
- Watt-hours on the listing. Not the model number.
- If the label is in mAh, is the voltage printed next to it?
- Airline watt-hour limit, if it will fly. Cabin, not the checked bag, until the airline says otherwise.
- Empty weight, and whether you will actually carry it.
- AC, USB-C, and 12V: which of those are on the unit, and which one your cord needs.
- How it gets full again: wall, car socket, or a panel whose plug matches.
- Today's price. Last month's screenshot is already old.
Questions to settle before you open a listing
Is a power bank the same thing as a portable power station?
A power bank keeps your phone charged between outlets. A power station runs bigger gear when there's no outlet at all. A wall charger, including one sold as a charging station, stores nothing. It works only while it's plugged into a live socket.
Does a bigger mAh number mean the pack is allowed on a plane?
No. Airlines publish watt-hour limits, and a title that says flight-safe or airline friendly is that listing's claim. Read the watt-hours on the same page and check the airline you're flying. A bigger mAh number isn't permission.
Can you turn mAh into watt-hours from the product name alone?
Only when the listing prints the voltage next to that mAh number. Divide milliamp-hours by 1,000 to get amp-hours, then multiply by the printed voltage. If the voltage is missing, stop. Don't fill it in.
Will a pocket bank cover a campsite the way a station will?
A pocket bank can keep a phone up between outlets. It's the wrong object if you need an AC outlet, a 12V port, or enough stored energy for more than phones. Confirm the ports on the station listing. The words “portable power station” don't list them.
Does the number in a model name tell you the watt-hours?
No. Explorer 300 Plus doesn't print watt-hours in the title. Yeti 1500X is a model name, and PowerCore 24K is the model name, not a watt-hour figure. The EcoFlow Delta 2 is listed at 1024Wh of stored energy, and the Jackery Explorer 1000 Plus is listed at 1264Wh. Use the figure the listing actually prints.
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