Peter Macfarlane recommends the Alpkit Juice Holder Power Bank, a reliable and operational – if a little heavy – power bank.
This shift in approach to powering adventures with devices makes power a high safety priority for me and I’ve been carrying the Alpkit Juice Holder, a large capacity power bank with 20,000mAh of stored power across its two internal batteries.
Peter Macfarlane recommends
A lighter model may suit you but the Juice Holder’s performance and reliability has been a source of confidence- long battery life
- simple operation
- heavy
| Quick specs |
|---|
| Price: £29.99 |
| Weight: 438g |
| Materials: aluminium case |
| Features: IP65 water resistant rating, various plug in ports, LED indicator lights |
| Sizes: smaller capacity and lighter sizes are available |
| alpkit.com |
The pros and cons could be debated long into the night on our next bothy trip but the fact is that these days our time in the hills is very much powered by electricity. I have shelves full of paper maps which I do still carry along with a compass and the skills to match them up but I can’t remember the last time I actively navigated on anything but my smartphone. It’s quick and accurate, it carries all the maps I could even need and I can see it easily in the dark, but it is power hungry. My headtorches too are rechargeable to avoid my previous high turnover of regular batteries. I also carry rechargeable hardwarmers; as a Reynauds sufferer such things can cross the line from luxury to safety equipment as well. You can add watches, cameras, stand-alone GPS devices, lights and more, all needing kept powered to keep you mobile, comfortable and safe.
Despite the additional weight I’d be carrying I chose the larger Alpkit Juice Holder size to cover all the potential needs I’d face over a number of days in the hills or with a group. With it, I’ve found myself charging two things simultaneously many times.
The Juice Holder holds several full recharges for my smartphone along with numerous top ups for other devices and even with several days of use without recharging it, I’ve never completely emptied its batteries.
Operation is simple with one off/on button, four small LED’s to indicate charge status, two input ports and two output ports. It’s water resistant but not waterproof and I carry it in a light stuff sack with two cables to cover all my devices. The body is insulated to maintain cold weather performance and is tough with a matt finish that’s reasonably grippy.
A lighter model might have been better but the Juice Holders performance and reliability has been a source of confidence.
Testing conditions
Peter carried and used items from the review on all of his hill trips throughout 2023 from one winter into the next. This ranged from Munro days to low level trails and he also used the gear multiple times on ranger duties in the Kilpatrick Hills. All weights are from the reviewer’s digital scales.
This comparative review was first published in the December 2024 issue of The Great Outdoors.
