Bikepacking Powerbank Battery Guide

Looking for the best powerbank for bikepacking or the best powerbank for gravel riding? We have standardized on six power bank models that together represent the best performance and value for bikepacking and gravel racing. Since we get a lot of questions about the models and their attributes, here are all five of them in a comparison table, and a bit of discussion below. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at jefe@jefe.bike

 Comparison table--bikepacking battery features:

The Voltaic V-25 and V-50 are batteries designed for Internet-of-Things (ioT) use and as such, have a number of scientific-grade applications like redundant inputs and outputs, always-on mode, low-current charging, and pass-through charging.  Outside of bikepacking, they're used in off-the-grid applications with solar panels, so the substitution of a dynamo input is absolutely logical for this battery type. They're the OG bikepacking powerbank go-to and there are 1000s of them in use in the bikepacking community. Their Achilles' heel is exposure to water - you'll want to keep your V-25 and V-50 in dry conditions. They also have relatively low power to weight ratios compared with battery packs from Nitecore.

We learned about Nitecore powerbanks from the thru-hiker community. There is a fair amount of equipment crossover between bikepacking and thru-hiking; both groups need powerbanks to keep their devices topped off. While Voltaic focuses on uptime for scientific use, Nitecore focuses on outdoor utility. The Nitecore Carbon 6K and NB Plus 10k are  submersible and lightweight, making for supremely-useful and resilient bikepacking batteries. The Nitecore Carbon 10k and Carbo 20k offer greater utility (low current charging, pass through charging) and are IPX5 - splashproof, but they're not submersible. The difference in these distinctions is simple - the 6K can be mounted on the handlebars and operate during a rainstorm, and the NB Plus can be in your top tube bag, swamped with water during a downpour, and both can still work just fine. The Nitecore Carbon 10k and 20k must be tucked into a waterproof bag but will be still operable if they get a little wet. The Carbo 20k offers industry leading weight per mAh stored and the most mAh per dollar spent, so it offers the best value on the list.

Here at jefe.bike, we are big fans of system redundancy in the back country, especially if you're reliant on electronic navigation. If you can afford the cost, it's better to have two smaller power banks than one big one--simply because surprising things happen in the wilderness and its better to be redundant. On recent tours, we've been riding with a Nitecore 6k mounted to the handlebars for immediate use with our kLite dynamo charging system and a Nitecore Carbo 10k or NB Plus 10k tucked deep into our frame bag for emergency use.