I love to get out and about and enjoy all the things the great outdoors has to offer. But I also like my tech, and will almost always have an array of gadgets with me whenever I go off on an adventure. Which means I will always also have a battery pack with me.
OUTXE stands for Outdoor (e)Xtreme Energy, and their rugged power bank is taglined “a must have for outdoors trips”. Unlike my other chargers, which are very well made but I do have to be reasonably careful with, this one has a solid rubberized construction that is also water resistant, dustproof and shockproof, so that it can withstand the abuse “of the wild”.
The benefit of a 20,000mAh capacity battery pack is, of course, that it will charge your phone, camera and whatever else you want it to charge, several times. These days I never go away – or in fact leave the house at all – without one. I tested this out over the course of a week, using this instead of my normal mains charger, and got seven full charges of my iPhone 8 from one charge of the power bank, which makes it ideal for a week off the grid (bring on our NC500 camping trip!). Once almost empty, I charged the OUTXE rugged power bank overnight – so it took less than 7 hours to be full.
But at the same time, the problem with a 20,000 mAh capacity battery pack is that it is really rather bulky and very heavy. I’m not so bothered about the size, it is a bit of a brick but I can make room for it in my bag. But, at 488 grams, it weighs more than my Jetboil Flash, which is significant. I’m yet to decide whether that weight in one brick-like power bank is better than two smaller ones (or just managing with less power when away), is the better option, but it does make me wonder if this particular power bank is just too big and heavy.
As with other power banks I’ve tried, it comes with a built in single LED torch, which is actually quite useful on occasion. It has two USB outputs for charging two devices at the same time – excellent for a phone and GoPro or two motorcycle intercom units. It strangely also came with two wrist straps and two carabiners – not sure why I’d need two of each, but they will come in handy for things other than the power bank. It also comes with the required charging cables – there are dual inputs (type-c and micro USB) so you can choose the most suitable for you; I charge from the mains using the micro USB cable and my iPhone USB-to-mains plug).
Overall I’d say that the OUTXE rugged power bank, with its super solid rugged construction, is a very welcome addition to my outdoors kit. I have lost one power bank to water damage in the past, and so something that is water-resistant and dust (and therefore mud) proof can only be a good thing. While it is massive and heavy, it will be incredibly useful when camping by car or motorbike (when weight isn’t so much of an issue), and I know I will continue to get a lot of use out of this.
Naturally, the real proof of how good the OUTXE rugged power bank is in practice will be seen over time, as I’ve found that other such products have not always lasted very long (battery fatigue. I’m on a month’s use so far and all is well, but I’ll let you know in a year if I’m still using this product – and how many trips I choose to take it on.
Find out more about the OUTXE Rugged Power Bank over on Amazon.
I received the OUTXE Rugged Power Bank in return for a review here on Splodz Blogz. As always, my reviews only contain honest words based on my own experience of trying out the product in question.
ELEVEN USEFUL CAMPING BITS AND BOBS > SPLODZ BLOGZ
[…] These two battery bricks – the left one is the OUTXE rugged pack I reviewed recently (read it here) and the right one my trusty Tecknet – are both good for six charges of my iPhone 8, which is […]