As the old saying goes: “never forget your A-B-C’s” (Always Be Charging). Whether you’re a digital nomad, or just a person who loves to travel with an iPhone and a camera, you’ve likely lived by this motto at some point on the road.
But sometimes it’s not so easy to find outlets while you’re travelling and that flashing battery sign is the last thing you want to see when there’s a picture or phone call to be taken. Here are a few cool gadgets that can help you make sure that your batteries stay out of the red zone.
1. Uiee
There are a ton of options for quick power boost of your smart phone or tablet, and Uiee is among the coolest. It’s easy to use with a retractable cord and offers your smart device around a 30% power boost when you need it most. The best part about this particular gadget is that you can charge it while it’s charging your phone.
It has fold away plug prongs, comes in a few funky colours and has a handy LED row to show you how much charge is left in the Uiee. This little thing is compact and cute and I just had one sent to my house in Canada last week!
2. Solar Charger
The PowerPort Solar Lite is known to be one of the most efficient both for space and energy. It’s just 6 inches when folded and 18 x 11 inches when fully extended and capturing rays. It weighs less than a pound and does better than most other chargers on cloudy days.
This thing is durable, and pushes the juice at 15 watts, which means it can charge your devices pretty quick. The only downside is that it doesn’t have a built-in battery so you have to charge your devices while plugged in and under the sun. Still, because it’s such a quick and efficient charger, the PowerPort Solar Lite is almost always ranked at the top of the list of best solar chargers.
3. Multi-Plug
You can’t travel anywhere without one of these! We’ve been without one for a while now and it’s driving us crazy. Too often at airports, hotels and cafes, there just aren’t enough plug-ins… especially for us digital nomads who have WAY too many devices.
My favourite multi-plug on the market right now is the Belkin Mini Surge Protector with USB Charger. It has 3 AC plugs for multiple laptops / external batteries to be charged, 2 USBs for smart phones and cameras and a full 360° plug for those times when the other plugs are taken and you need to squeeze in.
It’s also a surge protector that comes with a $75,000 guarantee that your devices won’t be damaged by uneven power while you’re plugged in. The model in the second picture only has 2 AC ports and 1 USB port, but has a built-in battery that can charge your USB devices when it’s not plugged in.
4. Charge Backpack
This type of backpack is pretty cool, but we’ve never bought one mainly because we’re always on the road and they tend to be a bit heavy. Nevertheless, if you’re going on a short trip and you have a lot of camera gear, these backpacks could be perfect for you.
The Eceen Hiking Daypack is a great option for anyone looking for this kind of portable charging convenience. It comes with a built-in solar panel and a 2,000 mAh battery to store your juice for you. If you’re hiking it can charge your devices and its internal battery at the same time and at around a half kilo, this is one of the more portable options on the market.
5. Omnicharge
For the ultimate in battery back-up, and for those who don’t need to be as portable as the Uiee, but want to have a few full charges in their pocket, the Omnicharge is a great option.
What sets this particular device apart from its competitors is that you can actually charge your laptop from it and it charges extremely fast. Unbox Therapy (the YouTube Channel) did a good job of explaining this cool charger in the video pictured above.
6. Magnetic Tip Multi-Cord
I’ve been waiting to get my hands on these for a long time. The most annoying part of charging different devices is the fact that some charge with microUSB (like GoPro), some charge with MiniUSB (like some cameras), and some charge with lightning cords (Apple devices).
The magnetic tip charge cords are special cords that solve this problem. You simply insert the sleek removable ends into each of your devices, and then you use the magnetic cord to charge them all. One cord, for all devices. It’s brilliant!
7. Universal Charge Cord
If you don’t want to have a bunch of tiny little losable ends to your cords, you can go with the more simple multi-cord that still doest the same trick. I personally like the convenience of the magnetic tips and will be ordering them soon, but we do have a universal charge cord in our backpacks.
This particular model has a pretty cool design with a retractable spool to avoid tangling and a two-in-one plug at the end. The USB cable and the charge cables both have covers to avoid getting damaged and the spring back functionality is easy to use.
8. Wireless Charger
Wireless charging capability should come standard on all devices by now, but seeing as it doesn’t , the Qi Wireless Charging Pad for for iPhone does the trick pretty well for the most popular smartphone on the market.
Simply click the adapter into place, stick it to the back of your device and then plug in the charging dock somewhere in your home. Then, drop your iPhone on the doc and it will charge it for you. The adaptor is also compatible with many other wireless charging docs.
Stay Charged!
I love every item on this list and they’re all perfect for different situations. Whether you need a full charge on the road or a quick boost in your pocket, you can use these 8 gadgets to keep the juice for when you need it most.
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