TOUGHTESTED SOLAR 15 POWERED BATTERY PACK
It’s become increasingly important to have backup power on the road, not just because we keep more of our important data on smartphones, but because we have more gadgets than before that can be powered from USB ports. The main strength of the Solar 15 Powered Battery Pack by ToughTested is, well, its strength. At 15,000mAh, it’s intended to power your smartphone 10 full charges, as well as tablets (2½ charges), portable games (17½ charges), GPS units (7½ charges) and “action cameras” (10 charges). The Solar 15 also is equipped with a 200mAh solar panel, although there was nothing in the product material that says how long solar charging takes.
What we liked: The dual USB ports allow charging your iPhone and GoPro at the same time, and a digital chip helps identify the kind of gadget and deliver the appropriate charge. Another plus is the rugged exterior, although it’s unclear how much abuse it can take. (I wasn’t in a hurry to drop it.) Not so much: Like almost any battery with this much power, it’s heavy (slightly more than a pound). There’s a clip holder that allows attaching it to a pack or belt (although the loop isn’t quite large enough to fit well on a full-size climbing carabiner). There’s an LED “flashlight,” but it doesn’t seem all that useful.
Vitals: Solar 15 Powered Battery Pack by ToughTested, $100 at www.toughtested.com (or about $68 at Amazon.com).