Reddit mentions of Anker [Upgraded to 6700mAh] Astro E1 Candy-Bar Sized Ultra Compact Portable Charger, External Battery Power Bank, with High-Speed Charging PowerIQ Technology

Edit: I'll keep adding things as I remember them. I'm not adding the usual stuff like laptops, ipads, gym gear, etc, because those seem...common sense?

Updated: 24 Nov 1252 hrs AST

• Cold meds with pseudoephedrine
  
• Magnets (for lockers if you get one)
  
• 3M command hooks of varying weight limits
  
• Strong plastic coat hangars
  
• 550 cord (I'd say no more than 30' of it)
  
• Headlamp with red and white light (find one that you don't have to go "through" the white to get to the red!)
  
• 2-3 good quality plastic clothes pins to hold curtains closed or some other task (the ones linked are identical to the ones at the Dollar Store for, I think, $4 for 12)
  
• Knife sharpener
  
• Pocket knife
  
• Suction cup hook for the shower (if you use a bath scrubby)
  
• Nail clippers and nail file
  
• Small FA kit (bandaids, etc)
  
• Small sewing kit with the right colours of thread
  
• GoToobs for stuff like shampoo and body wash (and aloe gel if you burn)
  
• Bose noise cancelling headphones (with a spare battery)
  
• Camera (don't be the guy that brings a DSLR with 5 lenses)
  
• Couple of power adapters if power is different
  
• Water bottle (and denture cleaning tablets to clean it if there's no bottle brush)
  
• Couple of locks (combo or keyed-alike, varying sizes)
  
• Travel blanket
  
• Inflatable neck pillow (the best one I've ever used)
  
• Anker USB battery bank (love Anker products!)
  
• Anker PowerPort
  
• Depending on living accommodations, I also have a "travel kitchen" that I take with me that has a good Santoku knife, cutting board, pepper grinder and garlic press.
  
• 2-3 tide pods because it could be a few days or a week before you get to the PX
  
• If you know your sleeping arrangements, buy a "bed in a bag" for that bed size. Nothing like having your own good sheets to slide into after a rough day. Make sure you wash everything before heading over, so they're soft and ready to go when you get there.
  
• A collapsable shoe organizer that you can use to store gitch, socks, t-shirts, etc, or even a collapsable sweater organizer (or two) if you want more horizontal space and less vertical.
  
• If you're coming home or going somewhere on HLTA, don't forget to pack a civvie-pattern backpack. Don't be the guy wandering around a foreign airport wearing your day pack and combat boots in jeans.
  
• Birthday/Anniversary/special event cards that you can mail from your location (shows you were thinking of them well in advance of your departure and before the event). Bonus points if it's a mushy anniversary card to a significant other, ensuring that your return is "extra special".

You sure these are lighter than just Anker's batteries?

Your setup: 9180mAh total/6.8oz = 1350mAh/oz

Anker PowerCore 10,000mAh: 10,000mAh/6.35oz = 1575mAh/oz

Anker Astro E1 6,700mAh: 6,700mAh/4.2oz = 1595mAh/oz

Anker PowerCore 3350mAh: 3,350mAh/2.56oz = 1308mAh/oz

It's neat but unless you really only need exactly 1 or 2 of those battery packs (and care about ~0.5oz savings), I'd say just stick with Anker due to convenience and safety.

EDIT: If you got a few of the exact same batteries, you could potentially build a small plastic attachment with a single circuit board and just swap out the batteries. That would be both cheaper and lighter. The extra USB ports are pretty unnecessary.

I just keep one of these in my car and toss it in my bag when I get to the course.

Leaving on 8/23 out of happy isles for my JMT trip

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I will be bringing an Anker 6700 and a UL solar panel. I tested the panel at home when I got it and it would fully charge the Anker in a day of just sitting facing up (not angled at the sun). This was in the winter as well, I would expect in the Sierra to get good coverage and sun intensity. It weighs less than 3 oz. Its super cheap but the build quality is not great, you really have to be careful with the USB connector or it will be damaged (most of the bad reviews are either people who damaged the USB connector or people that dont understand how much power a 10w solar panel is supposed to output). When you plug in or unplug a usb you have to hold the connector still.

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The battery pack will charge my phone twice on its own. I dont plan on using it that much and I likely will only need another 1-2 charges to get me through the whole thing with airplane mode on, so if in non ideal testing conditions I got a full battery in a day, I think expecting a full battery over the course of the entire trip with it strapped to the top of my pack is reasonable. The only other piece of gear I need it for is my headlamp. I chose the 6700 because it is lighter than the Anker Powercore 5000. It does this by lacking quick charging, the input is less for charging the device from the wall, but the output to your device is the same. So if you plan to charge by outlet it is a terrible choice, but by charging via solar its perfect.

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y655DJD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XS9RMWS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've never actually used a power bank but have used lots of other products from Anker and was very happy with the quality. I think the RAVpower units are good as well but personally to consider Aukey a step below Anker in terms of quality.

I'd recommend this if you just want a cute lil wee one that you can carry around with you and will still charge your phone a couple times: https://www.amazon.ca/Upgraded-Anker-Candy-Bar-High-Speed-Technology/dp/B06XS9RMWS/

But you can get ones with much higher capacity and faster charging speeds if you spend $10-20 more - depends how portable you need it to be. Just search "Anker power bank"

https://www.amazon.ca/Anker-PowerCore-13000-Portable-Charger/dp/B00Z9QVE4Q/ if you don't mind spending another $10

https://www.amazon.ca/Anker-20100mAh-Portable-Charger-PowerCore/dp/B00X5RV14Y/ if you want to go all out

After going through the research, this is what I ended up buying from Anker. It seemed to have the best form factor and power to weight ratio:

Anker [Upgraded to 6700mAh] Astro... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XS9RMWS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

If I had to go on a longer trip I’d probably snag 2 of these.

This is also handy; super short iPhone cable:

AmazonBasics Double Nylon Braided... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F9T4KYJ?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I've had good luck with this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Upgraded-Candy-Bar-High-Speed-Technology/dp/B06XS9RMWS

Portable, but still enough capacity. Can't really go wrong with anything Anker

as others have mentioned she's probably using LED's. it's an easily attainable effect without flashes. i use LED usb lights with external battery packs for all my low-lighting needs. here's an example of a scene i illuminated with that setup. i've also got this usb powered strip of full RGB LED's that i intend to use for various lighting situations.

This one

Take your pick. Here's a very small one: https://smile.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Lipstick-Sized-Generation-Batteries/dp/B005X1Y7I2/. It probably has enough power to last your entire commute and then some. I have a 6500mAh battery pack similar to this: https://smile.amazon.com/Upgraded-Anker-Candy-Bar-High-Speed-Technology/dp/B06XS9RMWS/. I'd say it would power the light for an hour or two. I stick it in a jacket pocket and the cable just hangs across to the light on the handlebars. You could also use a velcro strap or small bag to attach the battery to the bike, if you want.

And the nice thing is that the battery pack can also be used to charge your phone when you're away from home. I chose the light after I already had the battery pack.

For overnight and maybe even 2 night trips, I can push a 3000 mAh battery with single recharge. Will look into the 6700 version. Is it this one?

One of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Anker-Candy-Bar-High-Speed-Technology/dp/B06XS9RMWS/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1505012361&sr=8-8&keywords=anker+portable+charger

and some backup batteries for your headlamp

That more than meets the needs of the Quest. I am not personally familar with that brand. If I don't know the brand, I usually stick with items with the Amazon's Choice marker as that means that Amazon had not had a lot of returns on the item.

If you can afford it, I would go a little more money for the same size in a name brand:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DDF8CNK/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_8GhZCb0FMGFVE

If price is an issue, I would go smaller to get a name brand:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XS9RMWS/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_wFhZCb6D7B87F

Also note that, as far as we can tell, the Quest will not take advantage of the power of a Quick Charge pack, so any 2.1A pack should be fine.

I have this one, no complaints

Anker [Upgraded to 6700mAh] Astro E1 Candy-Bar Sized Ultra Compact Portable Charger, External Battery Power Bank, with High-Speed Charging PowerIQ Technology https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XS9RMWS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_up8mDbT94YZB9

Straps nicely to side of headset where strap attaches.

Actually might buy this instead, thanks for the input :
https://www.amazon.ca/Upgraded-Anker-Candy-Bar-High-Speed-Technology/dp/B06XS9RMWS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1511814093&sr=8-4&keywords=anker+portable+charger

Anker offers one that seems to be a better deal.

I typically stick with Anker, I have 3-4 of their banks and they're all fantastic.

Huge and expensive compared to lighter options.

A lot of USB-C chargers are clearly designed for laptops. In my opinion.

I use a small charger for power in case of emergency. Something with A to C charger has been fast enough for me. I usually leave it plugged in and in my pocket and my phone is charged quite a bit the next time I notice.


[Upgraded to 6700mAh] Anker Astro E1 Candy-Bar Sized Ultra Compact Portable Charger, External Battery Power Bank, with High-Speed Charging PowerIQ Technology (Black)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XS9RMWS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_6tpcAbNXVJWHS

I've done this. It's not trivial, but it's also not all that difficult, either. I'm going to assume that you want a live view of the device (meaning you'd be able to view where the car currently is located, and track it in near-real-time), not a data logged view (meaning you'd drive around, offload the data later, then view it).

This is going to be a very high-level overview; you will likely require some kind of coding and database experience, along with familiarity with the Google Maps JavaScript API. It would simply be beyond the scope of this sub (and my willingness) to post every line of code and every step of setting things up.

First, the equipment you'll need for the Pi:

• A working pi, obviously, with OS installed and configured
  
• A USB GPS receiver (like this one)
  
• A USB 2G/3G/4G dongle (like this one, with associated SIM card (if applicable) and airtime
  
  First, you need to get the Pi communicating on the mobile network with the 2G/3G/4G aircard. You can follow the instructions here, but realize that tutorial references a specific 3G breakout board for the Pi. You're welcome to use that instead of the 3G one I linked above.
  
  Once you have the Pi communicating on the mobile network, you need to get the GPS receiver working. You can follow a tutorial for that here, realizing again that this tutorial references a Pi-specific GPS receiver, but should work with the USB one I linked above.
  
  Once you have those two things, you'll need to set up some kind of server somewhere to receive the data from the Pi (I used a standard LAMP setup: Linux, Apache, mySQL, php). A simple home-based server accessible over the internet, or perhaps an Azure or Google Cloud VM would work. In my solution, I simply did this:
  
  
• On the Pi, write a script that, on a timed interval (30 secs or so, adjust to your liking), requested GPS data from the USB GPS device, parsed it, then sent that info over the 3G network to the server. The server would then take that data, parse it out again, and insert it into a database (mySQL for simplicity).
  
  
• Then, I created a web page on the server that overlaid this GPS data from the mySQL database on top of a Google Map. I wrote it such that it would automatically update the GPS data on the map on a timed interval, so I could load the page and watch the slowest game of reverse-Pac-Man ever, so to speak.
  
  
• Then, I configured the Pi to execute any scripts, GPS daemons, and 3G connectivity processes on boot, so that I could simply power up the Pi headless (using a USB battery pack, like this, for portability) and start tracking immediately.
  
  Like I said, it's a straightforward list of steps to take, but requires some coding and database knowledge in order to completely pull together all the pieces. There might be "plug-and-play" solutions available (I did this back with the original Pi B, so some years ago), but I did it all custom just as a proof-of-concept.
  
  I work closely with telemetrics and GPS tracking as my profession, and honestly, unless you're looking to hone your skills or have a hobby/pet project, there are off-the-shelf solutions that would get you up and running with vehicle/personnel tracking much, much quicker and easier.

On my PCT thru this year I'm taking this combo:

[Anker Astro E1 6700 mAh] (https://www.amazon.com/Upgraded-Anker-Candy-Bar-High-Speed-Technology/dp/B06XS9RMWS/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519172880&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=Anker+Astro+E1+6600) : 4.4 ounces

This 2 Port Charger : 1.3 ounces

Also, the micro usb that comes with the Anker is right at .4 ounces on my scale and the iphone lightning cable is .7 ounces.