The Best Portable Power Banks of 2023: Tested

From cell phones to headlamps to satellite communicators, for many of us, electronics are now part of the backcountry experience. But the juice to run them doesn't grow on the trees.Whether you're looking for a lightweight power bank to keep your smartphone charged in the field, or a device big enough to keep a fridge running at home during the next power outage, look no further. With the help of a crew, I tested a range of power banks, higher-capacity portable power stations and even a solar panel—all to find the best devices available at the co-op to keep your batteries charged.Test ResultsFor quick recommendations, check out our roundup below, or scroll down for more in-depth reviews.Best Portable Power Bank for Day Hikes: Goal Zero Flip 24 Power BankBest Portable Power Bank for Backpacking: BioLite Charge 80 PD Power BankBest Portable Power Station for Car Camping: Goal Zero Yeti 200X Portable Power StationBest Portable Power Station for Car Camping for Large Groups: Goal Zero Yeti 500X Portable Power StationBest Portable Power Station for Extended Trips: BioLite BaseCharge 1500Best Portable Power Station for Emergency Prep: EcoFlow DELTA max Portable Power StationBuying Advice for Portable PowerWhen buying a portable power bank or station, consider first how you plan to use it the majority of the time. How much power will you need for the kind of use you envision? How many devices will you be charging? How long will you be off the grid? Will you be mobile or stationary (and if mobile, will you be on foot or in a vehicle)? What features are crucial to you? Think hard about these needs before you buy. Underestimate them and you may run out of power before your adventure is over. Overestimate, and that bigger and heavier kit might be more of an anchor than an enhancement.For a more in-depth buying guide, consult our article, "How to Choose Solar Chargers and Portable Power."Storage CapacityStorage capacitytells you how much charge the power bank can hold for later use, when you're ready to recharge your devices. Capacity is measured in milliamp hours (mAh), Amp hours (Ah) or watt hours (Wh). (Anything with a capacity about 100,000mAh will often switch to using "watt hours"). As capacity increases, devices get larger and heavier since they rely on internal batteries to function.Portable power banks provide lower output, up to 10,000mAh for the Goal Zero Flip 24, for example, and are best for short-term power needs; they can charge up an iPhone roughly two to three times. Portable power stations like the BioLite Base Charge 1500 and the EcoFlow Delta MAX are larger, high-capacity devices that are capable of powering small appliances or serving as emergency backup. They're also designed to charge up multiple devices at a time, and often have USB outlets, an AC (standard "wall outlet") outlet, or a 12v outlet.How Much Power Will You Need and for How Long?This is one of the trickiest variables to calculate. Think about all the devices you need to keep charged and how much you'll use them. If you only use your mobile phone for occasional photos or videos, you won't use much power. If you use it frequently for a lot of purposes, you will use more power. Obviously, the more power you need, and the longer you're off-grid, the larger battery capacity you'll need—unless you supplement with a mobile recharging system, e.g. solar panels. By comparing the storage capacity in your device to that of the power bank or station, you can get an idea of how many recharges you have available. A power bank with 10,000 mAh would ideally be able to charge an iPhone 14 (with 3,279mAh battery) at least two times.All the products in our lineup are made with lithium ion batteries. This may matter if you plan to take a portable power bank on an airplane; TSA requires that spare lithium ion batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, with 100 watt hours or less be carried in carry-on bags.FeaturesFeatures are often similar within each class of portable battery, though there are always exceptions. Most of the smaller batteries come with still-prevalent USB-A output ports, though USB-C is gaining popularity.Larger units typically have AC ports but not wireless charging. (The BioLite 1500 is an exception.) Larger units also vary in how powerful the inverter is in ramping up the wattage output. This changes how much total power can be pulled from the battery from multiple ports at the same time. Most camping uses don't draw much, but just because a battery has six AC ports, it doesn't mean you can use them all at once. Everything plugged into the unit still needs to total up to less than the wattage allowance. The main reason to consider a higher watt battery is for remote construction work where corded power tools are being used.Other features that vary among sizes include what sort of screen (if any) is on the unit and how easy or difficult it is to read the screen in direct sunlight. Most units with screens will show the current charge of the battery, how much longer the battery will last under the current load, and how much power is being drawn at any given moment. Some of the units offer a smartphone app to monitor this information.PRO TIP: Consider checking how much power you have used in the first half, third or quarter of your trip. From this you can gauge how long the battery will last and manage accordingly.MethodologyMy wife and I have years of experience using portable power sources and spent over two years taking these specific units (and others) on road trips, camping trips and through mock and real power outage situations. We adjusted the weight of our scoring depending on the use case scenarios. For example, for vehicle-based adventures, the weight of the unit was not of much concern. For single-person versus group use, the number of ports and maximum draw rating was taken into consideration. Other factors we took into account in rating these units include ease of use, ergonomics, packability/storability, price, capacity, output, charging times and durability.