Being off the grid for more than a week means that you will need back up power for your electronics! Being in the new technological age almost everything we do requires power. We aren’t saying eliminate the traditional methods of navigation but most of us have smart phones and GPS capable devices that can provide us with up to date maps and trails. The Digi power is the missing link between you and your wall charger. Equipped with two USB inputs, an adapter, a built in flash light and a fold-away wall charger, it is perfect for charging hand held devices on the go. So we will see how it stands up to the Tough Gear Challenge!
DEPENDABILITY: This product charged my IPod once and my cell phone twice with-out being recharged itself. I could depend on it when I had a low battery and had to check in or just listen to some tunes. However it is not water proof or crush proof and should be protected in a small case. It held up to the Canadian Backcountry and receives a Tough Gear Dependability Grade of a B.
VERSATILITY: This product is a wall charger, flashlight, portable backcountry battery, and has time to charge two items (VIA USB) at once and is equipped with adapters. It also works as a universal charger that means it is not necessary to pack a wall charger for each one of your hand held devices. I found out fast that it was nice to have because if you miss place your headlamp at night you can whip out this gizmo and have light in no time. Therefore it receives a Tough Gear Versatility Grade of an A+.
AFFORDABILITY: This product is about midscale on today’s market. The price range should be around $25.00-$35.00 dollars. This is a reasonable price to pay if you are going on a trip where you will be out of reach of an outlet. Many of the other portable batteries that I looked at did not come with the adapters and also did not have a wall charger. Also it was really expensive if I was going to buy another camera battery and it really helped me there. This is why it received a Tough Gear Affordability Grade of a B.
PACKABILITY: This Item is about 3”X 5”inches and can fit almost anywhere. The product is very durable but not completely waterproof so it needs to be packed in a safe spot protected from the elements. It is also recommended that you protect your investment with a small waterproof container. As stated above having this item eliminates the need for bringing a wall charger for each of your hand held items. This is going to mean that you will save a nice bit of cargo room. Therefore the Digi power receives a Tough Gear Packability Grade of a B.
Overall this product performed very well for me and I had no issues using it. However because it was so small and somewhat dense I found that if I didn’t put it into a specific pouch or container it would drop to the bottom of my pack. This is not a good thing for two reasons. One you won’t be able to find it when you need it and most important if any moisture gets into the bottom of your pack it could ruin your battery. This Item helped me a lot and even though I dropped it many times it kept chugging along. Therefore it receives a final Tough Gear Grade of a B+.
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