Colghlan’s Portable Power Pack can provide the power that you need for all the little devices we can’t seem to live without today. With its three different options to charge your phone, music player, GPS, or camera, you may never be stuck with a dead battery again.
Three ways? Yes, you can use the Portable Power Pack to charge your USB devices by solar, dynamo crank, or straight USB power from the 6000mAh battery, which is charged via a Micro USB port. Colghlan’s includes a Micro USB & iPhone 5+ style of cable. However, many other types of cables can be used by plugging them into the output port which is a standard USB input. Charge time varies by the source of power you are using. If you want to use solar power, you can get about 10 minutes of talk time with as little as ten minutes of direct sunlight. Want to use muscle to power up? The dynamo gives about 10 minutes of talk time for one minute of cranking. Colghan’s claims you can even charge most smart phones 3 times when the Portable Power Pack has a full charge, based on a 2000 mAh battery. Another handy feature built into the Power Pack is the LED flashlight, making the Portable Power Pack a valuable part of your outdoor and on the go needs. The last feature is the lanyard, which makes it easy to attach the Portable Power Pack to a backpack, hydration pack, or even just holding it in your hand when running from bears.
While testing Colghan’s Portable Power Pack in real life situations, it did impress me with how long it took to run down the battery from a full charge. Once, while out eating with friends at the end of a long day, all our devices had low batteries, so we put the Portable Power Pack to task, and it charged 3 phones to 50% during the course of a casual dinner. After that, they all asked where they could get one for themselves, as they were very impressed with the output, and the multiple ways to charge it.The Solar feature has been quite handy when I have forgotten to charge the Portable Power Pack. Leaving the Portable Power Pack on the dash of my car while out for a bike ride, there is plenty of juice to charge up my phone quickly once I get back, with no need to find an outlet. And the LED light is handy after a good evening bike ride, since it’s pretty bright when set on high, while the low beam is more than enough to allow me to gather my gear and stow it away in my car at the trail head.
My only concern with this product is that it’s a bit bulky to carry around in social settings. But with the many features and a high capacity battery, that is somewhat expected. MSRP is around $49.98. Check it out at www.coghlans.com
– Ryan
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Colghan’s Portable Power Pack for free from Colghan’s in consideration for review publication