TESTED: PRIMUS PORTABLE POWER PACK
THE PRIMUS PORTABLE POWER PACK IS ALMOST THE IDEAL SOLUTION FOR THOSE WITHOUT A DUAL-BATTERY SET-UP.
MY PORTABLE fridge spends much of its time sitting in the back of my 4x4, but I occasionally drag it out and throw it in the back of a test vehicle, which means I have to power it from said vehicle’s starting battery. Of course, the issue here is that I run the risk of draining the starting battery, especially if I leave the fridge on overnight.
I recently bought a 44Ah Primus Portable Power Pack to overcome this dilemma. I now run the fridge off the starting battery during the day (when the vehicle is running) and swap over to the power pack at night.
Inside the Primus Portable Power Pack’s tough ABS housing are two 22Ah AGM batteries. There are several power outlet options including a 12V/15A cigarette lighter socket, a 12V/15A heavy-duty merit socket and a 5V/2A USB port.
The power pack comes with 240V AC and 12V DC charging cables, and it has an Anderson socket connection for charging via a solar panel (not supplied). It should be noted that the 12V DC input is only enough to trickle-charge the power pack, so you’ll need to find a 240V AC power source or use the Anderson socket connection to give it a proper top-up during the day.
Features include a digital voltage/ amperage display, a low battery warning (light and alarm), overload protection with resettable circuit breaker, and supplied 240V AC and 12V DC charging cables. Weighing in at 16kg, you’d hardly describe the Primus pack as light, but it’s relatively compact (330x310x290mm) and easy to manoeuvre thanks to a sturdy fold-away carry handle.
If you don’t have a dual-battery set-up in your vehicle, the Primus Portable Power Pack could be the ideal power solution. However, the fact it doesn’t fully charge via its supplied 12V DC cable is a bit of an inconvenience and something to keep in mind. The Power Pack should be charged every three months when not in use to maintain peak performance, and it’s covered by a 12-month warranty.