I feel like most of us have a power bank laying around somewhere these days. Whether it’s in the office drawer or in your daily bag, you have some backup power supply options when you know you’ll be away from a power outlet for extended periods. But what about for multiple devices while, say, on a camping trip?
Anker has you covered there as well with the new PowerHouse II 400 power station. Whether you need it as just an emergency power option or extended trips to nature, I think Anker has a real winner to make sure you have all the charging needs that might come up.
Design
The Anker PowerHouse II reminds me of a matte-black personal cooler in size and form. And instead of cool beverages, you get a bevy of ports to charge up and power devices!
At the top of the bank is a very sturdy handle to conveniently tote around all this power.
Anker has provided you with eight total ports for various charging needs. Flanking each side of the front of the PowerHouse II is a DC and Car outlet combo on the left with an AC outlet plug on the right. The DC female adapters look to be the standard 5.5mm variety that is common to power many small light fixtures, etc that you’ll find in RV and boat cabins.
In the middle, you have all your mobile-friendly charging methods and the DC power in for when you need to recharge the PowerHouse II. The top three USB-As and the USB-C ports all support Anker’s PowerIQ for a quick charge — up to 30W on A ports and 60Watts on the single C port.
Above each charging method is a silver power button. This activates each of the three clusters of ports for that power up you need. Atop these buttons is an LED display for keeping you up to date on the status of the PowerHouse II with info such as output wattage and estimated percentage until the battery pack is empty with the current charging.
Power…more power
The PowerHouse II is aptly named. This giant battery pack from Anker has an amazing 27,000mAh internal pack with a full output of up to 400Watt hours. When it comes to portable device charging, I’ve yet to find a device that supports quick charge to take longer than an hour to get me back to full power.
This includes my Dell laptop. Using the AC to USB-C charger at 65Watts gets me a full top off in around 50 minutes and barely makes a dent in the PowerHouse. Honestly, I’ve had a hard time depleting this machine.
The hardest I’ve pulled it is a device charging on every USB-A and C ports with a lamp illuminated by the AC power plug. This recharged my laptop via the USB-C, a tablet, two phones via the USB-As, and the lamp was still able to run for around nine hours.
You should have no issues with almost any charging you need on a long weekend camping trip. You can even run LED light strips with the AC or 5.5mm DC output. One thing that is worth noting is high amperage devices like hot plates, curling irons, or toasters will not work to avoid overload.
Niche device with tons of power
I believe Anker has a great power bank on steroids with the PowerHouse II. It’s obviously not for everyone, and a $400 price tag makes it far from an impulse purchase. However, for families in the modern world who love to be one with nature and still have mobile gadgets, the PowerHouse II is super compelling.
It’s also a device that can easily feel the void between standard power packs and a full dedicated uninterruptible power supply. Whether it’s doomsday preppers or you live in a tornado alley, the PowerHouse II can help make sure you are prepared for the unprepared.
The PowerHouse II is $400 on Amazon and Anker’s website. The Amazon page is currently offering $60 off at checkout.
