Once upon a time, I used to backpack, travel abroad, and take road trips without packing an external power bank for my cellphone. These days, though, I stay tethered to my phone, using it for just about everything: reading on my Kindle app, navigating new cities, making hotel reservations, updating my offline Spotify library, and more—so naturally, portable chargers have earned a permanent part of my travel bag.
While I’ve used other portable chargers for both front-country and backcountry travels, Amazon’s Statik SmartCharge 5-in-1 Portable Charger has been an absolute game changer, whether I’m flying overseas or living out of my truck in a pullout.
Statik SmartCharge 5-in-1 Portable Charger
Amazon
The Statik SmartCharge power bank’s 10,000mAh capacity is enough for two full iPhone charges (I can vouch as someone who owns an iPhone 15), and it can also power smaller devices like headlamps, headphones, and camping lanterns. While its wireless charging feature is convenient, I’ve found that the power bank charges my phone faster via the cables. And while you can technically plug in up to five devices at once by using the power bank’s cable ports, retractable cables, and wireless charger, the 20-watt output loses noticeable power if you connect more than three devices at once.
This nifty little gadget is packed with features. Along with an impressive 10,000mAh capacity and two retractable charging cables (USB-C and Lightning), it also has wireless charging capabilities, a battery readout that tells you how much juice is left, and a folding wall plug that plugs into an outlet for fast recharge. You can also charge it via a USB-C cable input, which I’ve done on road trips with my truck. This recharge method is slower than connecting it to a wall outlet, but it is still convenient and performs faster than other power banks I’ve tested.
The Statik SmartCharge can also act as an international adapter. It includes three adapters for global charging: Simply plug it into the wall outlet before connecting your device to the power bank for two-way charging.
Statik SmartCharge 5-in-1 Portable Charger
Amazon
My partner and I recently spent five days living out of my truck while exploring the Tetons, never once stopping at a coffee shop or getting a hotel room. While I was able to charge my phone in my truck during our drives to trailheads, we both needed to recharge our phones and headlamps before a long hike—and the Statik SmartCharge power bank gave us enough juice to download a GPX track, which helped us complete the trek safely.
Without this power bank, we would have spent four hours skulking around a coffee shop with our devices plugged into the wall. After we brought our phones and headlamps back to life, we plugged the power bank into my car port, and it went from 30 percent full to 60 percent full during a one-hour drive.
Like I said earlier, I own a lot of power banks, but I’ve been largely underwhelmed by their ability to hold a charge, and I tend to avoid purchasing 10,000mAh power banks, as they can be quite bulky. But the Statik SmartCharge power bank is among the more compact models I’ve tested, and the fact that it can double as an international wall-outlet adapter is key for both road trips and international travel. I’ve brought it with me on trips to Europe and Asia, where it’s been invaluable as both a wall adapter and a backup power source.
Amazon is stocked with more power banks to shop, however, keep scrolling for additional options, including international adapters and more streamlined models.
Shop More Portable Chargers at Amazon:
Anker PowerCore 10K Power Bank
Amazon
PowerPack Universal 5-in-1 Portable Charger
Amazon
BioLite Charge Portable Power Bank
Amazon
Belkin Portable Charger Portable Charger
Amazon
Anker Nano 3-in-1 Portable Charger
Amazon
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