Whether you're a few miles away from home or hundreds of miles away from civilization, it's amazing how many people find themselves completely unprepared for any number of unfortunate scenarios one might encounter on a road trip.
Now I don't suggest for a second that the contents of anyone's 'go bag' should always be the same. Every scenario you might plan for most likely has its own set of specific items that would best serve you in that particular moment of need. Mechanical failure, collisions, natural disasters, theft or robbery... the zombie apocalypse. For the former I might pack some tools. For the latter, I would probably just pack a shotgun and a thousand 12-guage rounds. For the purposes of this post, I'm writing with a cross-country road trip in mind that the average car enthusiast might take alone or with a group of friends. Several days of open roads, twists and turns and some beautiful scenery.
Portable Jump-Starters
Having owned several 20-year-old sports cars over recent years, I've come to learn that batteries have a habit of dying at the most inconvenient times. The battery in my 2002 996 was flat the morning I was due to depart on a week-long road trip. Even the battery in my 5 year old Porsche 911 decided to die while it was parked at an airport for a week, while I was out of town on business. If you have ever been stuck with a dead battery, it just sucks, plain old big fat sucks.
Where in the past you might have had to find another vehicle to pull up alongside you, connect them up with jumper cables to give your car a jolt, or worse you may have even had to get a tow to a mechanic's shop and buy a new battery... Recently there have been some incredible advances in battery technology, with the advancement of electric cars and the continuing proliferation of smart devices - all hungry for longer last, more powerful batteries.
Portable jump-starter units are life savers. Whether it's your car battery that needs a jolt, or simply your cell phone or laptop needing a little juice - if you're on the road, you need one of these in your back seat. They hold a full charge for WEEKS and you can recharge them in a matter of hours with simply a USB cord. Here are several the Garage Nerds highly recommend:
NEXPOW Battery Jump Starter 2500A / 22000mAh
From the manufacturer:
POWERFUL LIFESAVER FOR ROAD TRIPS: This NEXPOW car jump starter has enough power (2500A peak current) to jump-start most 12 volt vehicles on the road! (up to 8.0L gas or 8L diesel engines) This NEXPOW car jump starter works with cars, motorcycles, watercraft, ATVs, UTVs, SUVs, lawnmowers, yachts, boats, pickup, snowmobiles, etc.
SAFETY PROTECTION & LOW MAINTENANCE: The jump starter comes with UL2743 standard certification and the intelligent clamp of safety protection technologies, namely high temperature, reverse connection, low temperature, overload, low voltage, over charge, over discharge, short circuit. Also, the jump starter gets fully charged in about 6 hours.When not in use, just turn off the main switch and the device can hold the charge for more than 3 months.
4 LED MODES: Not just a car battery jump starter, the NEXPOW jump starter comes equipped with a super bright LED functioning as an emergency flashlight. The blue-red alternate light can function as a traffic hazard warning signal in the event of an accident. 4 modes (Spotlight/Strobe/SOS) & Red Blue Warning.
EMERGENCY CHARGING 3.0: With the new generation dual USB 5V/3A, 9V/2A, 15V/1.5A output, which is compatible with almost all USB charging devices, including phones and tablets, can quickly charge with our quick charge port, which is 1.8X faster than the standard port.
UPGRADED TECHNOLOGY: With the same battery capacity, especially in extremely cold weather, our new Quick Discharge Start Power Jump Starter has 3-5 times enhanced current compare to the old 2nd generation.
WHAT’S INCLUDED: NEXPOW Q9B car battery starter, smart-jumper cables, USB Type-C cable, cigarette lighter socket adapter, user manual, carrying case.
Imazing Portable Car Jump Starter - 4000A Peak 26800mAH
From the manufacturer:
POWERFUL CAR JUMP STARTER: With 4000A peak current, it can jump start (Up to ALL Gas or 10.0L Diesel) 12V cars, motorcycles, ATVs, UTVs, lawn mowers, snowmobiles and etc. up to 30 times on a full charge.
SAFETY PROTECTION: With UL2743 standard certification and the indicators clamp of 8 advanced safety protection technologies(Reverse polarity, reverse connection, over-current, overload, over-voltage, over-charge, over-discharge, short circuit), Imazing jump starter provides ultimate protection for your safety.
FAST CHARGING: Designed with dual USB output ports and one Type-C in(out) port, the quick-charge 3.0 USB port provides the fastest charging speed and is compatible with almost all USB charging devices, including phones, tablets, cameras, kindles and etc.
LED FLASHLIGHT: Imazing jump starter has a built-in LED flashlight with 3 modes: Flashlight, SOS, Strobe. It's an life saver for camping, outdoors, emergencies, travel, etc.
WHAT YOU GET: 1 x Jump Starter, 1 x Carry Case, 1 x Indicator Clamp, 1 x Type C cable/Charge for jump starter, 1 x Cigarette Lighter Adapter, 1 x User Manual and 2 years warranty. Imazing offers working days live chat on FB page, search “Imazing” on FB if you have any problems for shopping.
NOCO Boost X GBX45 1250A 12V UltraSafe Portable Lithium Jump Starter
From the manufacturer:
X for Extreme - An all-new design with extreme jump starting power for powerful engines starts. Rated at 1250-amps, this portable lithium car battery jump starter releases maximum energy at every start. This isn't an upgrade. It's a whole new series - the Extreme Series.
Turbo Chargeable - Boost X is equipped with USB-C technology that, combined with power delivery, gives you lightning-fast recharges. Completely recharges in just 48-minutes, or go from 0% to jump starting in just 5-minutes of charge.
Charge Everything - With USB-C Power Delivery, you have the power to charge almost everything. Its internal power bank provides 60-watts of power - both in and out - to effortlessly power your favorite USB-C devices, like phones, tablets, laptops, wearables, and more.
UltraSafe 2.0 - We took our UltraSafe technology and made it better. It's still our simple, mistake-free design featuring spark-proof technology and reverse polarity protection, but with enhanced thermal efficiency and power management to provide better performance and longer battery life.
Maximum Versatility - Boost X is one of the most versatile lithium jump starters ever. Jump start all vehicle types, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, ATVs, boats, RVs, vans, SUVs, tractors, and more for up to 6.5-liter gasoline and 4.0-liter diesel engines.
Here's What You Get With Boost X - GBX45 UltraSafe Portable Lithium Car Battery Booster Jump Starter Pack and Power Bank with 60W USB-C Power Delivery, Heavy-Duty Jumper Cable Clamps, USB-C Charging Cable, Microfiber Storage Bag, 1-Year Warranty, and Designed in the USA.
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