Best Backpacking Battery Pack Portable Charger 2024 – GWC Mag

How to Store A Backpacking Power Bank

We strongly recommend storing your power bank inside a dry bag, inside your pack. Electronics are more sensitive than socks, and they are far, far more likely to sustain damage on the outside of your pack than on the inside.

One of the most common ways to damage electronics is to place them in your pack’s front mesh pocket, set your pack against a rock, and then use your pack as a backrest while you take a break. You may unintentionally find a high pressure point on the rock that jabs right into your device. The front pocket also exposes them to rain. And of course, another reason not to store a portable charger in your front mesh pocket is that they are relatively heavy items, and ergonomically speaking, you want to put the weight high up and centered, not far back and low. Doing so throws off your balance off and makes you hike less efficiently.

Most portable chargers are susceptible to water-damage, which is why you should store them in a dry bag. One system that works well is storing it with your sleeping bag (which should already be in a dry bag), thus completely wrapping it in cushion and preventing it from ever becoming wet or damaged. You shouldn’t need your charger while hiking if you make sure to manage all of your charging needs at camp.

If your power bank comes with a cushy, spacer mesh bag, it’s not a bad idea to use that as extra protection. You can also house a few extra charging cables in there. On highly wet and rainy trips, you may want to store it in a dedicated, freezer-grade Ziploc inside a dry bag, inside your pack. Only use it in the tent.

Another scenario that comes up is cold-storage. On trips where temperature drop to near-freezing or below, we recommend sleeping with your backpacking battery pack at the foot of your sleeping bag. Cold leeches power, and you don’t want to wake up to a completely drained battery.