There are still purists out there who eschew all forms of modernity while in the bosom of Mother Nature. They navigate with map and compass and run through the woods at night by starlight like so many elves. If you are one of those people, prepare to feel incredibly self righteous.
When I’m out in the woods I enjoy an accurate GPS position, a bright light to check for porcupines before I do my business, and a phone if I somehow run out of cherry poptarts. Figuring out how to charge all these devices away from home is right at the top of my first world problems.
The PowerPot V
The PowerPot performed flawlessly on a bikepacking trip with a friend in New Mexico this summer. Between us we had two phones, two bikelights and one GPS. Over a liquid fuel stove, the pot quickly started charging a phone, but only brought it up a few percent before our water was ready. So after dinner we eased it over coals at the edge of the fire and forgot about it while it fed the phone and our GPS.
As we found out, the PowerPot is most practical if you have time and wood for a fire. It charges at the same rate as a normal USB charger, so fully juicing up a phone or other device can take one to five hours, too long to run a fuel stove.
Having this at home during an extended power outage could also allow you to trade your neighbors phone charging for their whiskey and steak. It’s an elegant solution for plenty of situations, a nifty little piece of tech that kills two birds with one stone.
