freecia

Aukey 2.4A (12W) Dual-USB Ultra-Portable USB Wall Charger with folding plug for 6.49 + tax using code P29QKQHL

http://slickdeals.net/f/8034809-auke...ime-amazon-com

It is close to the iPhone charger size (small one, vs the larger iPad) and has two ports instead of one. It doesn't offer Quick Charge 2.0. Good for light packers at 1.15 oz.

pseudoswede

For an extra $3.50, you might as well get the 20W version. At least charge one device at 2.4A.


There are some 24W versions for an extra dollar or two above that.

Side note rant: I wish more manufacturers made chargers with ports that pointed perpendicular to the plug. Sometimes it can be cramped behind the hotel nightstand.

freecia

Side side note rant: Why is there lame power strip spacing where it runs vertically like this http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...jL._SX522_.jpg The aukey 2 port fits where most wall warts won't. I guess kind of useful if you just have one outlet left behind the tv and want to power a chromecast/fire tv stick.

It does charge one port via 2.4 total if that's all you have plugged into it. I know, kind of a cop out.

dtsm

http://www.iclarified.com/50840/anke...on-sale-63-off.

I just ordered the anker mini, first generation for $9.99 prime shipment

lwildernorva

Not the latest and greatest anymore by far (no QC 2.0), but the is now $13 at Amazon, without coupon codes.

Marathon Man

I am in the same boat with the ammt of junk I find I must carry, with family in tow or even alone.

I also started this thread and in my second post there's a link to a picture of the kludge I set up to plug stuff in. It works alright, but it is a lot of stuff and also doesn't always answer my main concern in my thread...

gfunkdave

You seem to be looking for the most kludgey solution. Just get a multi port charger like the Anker 5 port 40 watt mentioned in this thread's wiki, and a single outlet adapter. The Anker charger has a standard cord, whose plug is quite light. Or you could buy a separate figure 8 power cord with a European plug already on it. Then you'd only need to bring one thing.

Marathon Man

Also, for those in the market for portable bat pack chargers, a friend turned me onto this one and while it is heavier than some, that also means it works better.


Downside I have found so far is that it doesn't appear to want to charge iPad Minis or my Samsung Galaxy 4 tablet--alone or with something else plugged into the second USB port.

I was a fan of the Pebble too and we have two of them, but those seem to wear out quickly and keep turning themselves off if the chord wiggles enough to unplug. That may be a good feature to save its battery life, but if the wiggle was only momentary, you will find out later you were waiting for nothing.

I also never liked that these battery packs come with the Micro B connector only. You now have to get a real iPhone cable or one of their mini connector converters (both costly) to make it useful for Apple products, which makes for more crap to carry around in the end.

Guess what industry: I would gladly pay more for one device and method that works well for everything everywhere than pay for all these cumbersome and space sucking cables and connectors!

Marathon Man

Well not really, I just need it to work. One thing about traveling with family is you are already bringing more stuff with you anyway and the kiddoes suitcases (even carry on rolling ones) you have space for it. So yeah I want compact and less, but I can live with having more stuff as long as it works. I have found that many of the USB port thingies you buy online dont work with this or that or they eventually fail anyway. I did just buy the Anker 5 port and picked the one with the chord. The reason i went with that one was because you can control how and where a Chord plugs in more than prongs on the end of a unit due to its bulk.

My main issue in my other thread, however, was not the devices and teh connectors and the bulk of it all, rather, it was how to securely connect to old and worn out airline seat plugs or hotel plugs. While some are newer and well built and can even take USB without the charge heads being needed, many are outdated and loose.

A Holiday Inn in Bar Harbor, Maine - old wall units. And not very many and not well positioned in the room.

The Westin in Rome, Room 516 was a 2 room suite we got even as SPG Gold that appeared decorated in the 1900s... sadly the loose and all but hanging out from the wall outlets were too.

The Diamond Properties in Sedona, Arizona had great wall outlets with tight new 3 pronged working outlets on the walls and table lamps.

WOW airlines, new Airbus planes - the multi port outlets that supported UK, EU and US plugs were located beneath and between seats and were so loose that any converter or charge head would get loose with the slightest bump or turbulence, not to mention one's leg when shifting in the seat.

Delta - some flights have USB ports up by the TV screen so these are good. Emirates 777 has em too.

and on and on.

lwildernorva

I think loose plugs are unfortunately a fact of life sometimes. And part of the problem in my mind is that there is probably no uniformity to the looseness from plug to plug, so a one-size-fits-all solution might be hard to find or implement.

Let me suggest a combination of some sort of five-port charger (for my current needs, the Anker I posted above is great, but if I start getting QC 2.0 devices, then I'll move on), region-specific figure-8 plugs (I got mine through http://www.cablewholesale.com) or a multi-region plug adapter, a decent USB battery pack (I have but lust for --"we need more power, Mr. Scott!"), USB connector cords of varying lengths, and a USB car charger ( ).

With tablets and a hybrid laptop I bought this spring, I can now travel with less stuff--on a 10-day trip to Ireland in April, I got away with a true single bag solution for clothing and electronics for the first time--while keeping my stuff powered up everywhere. As you've already noted, in many hotels, especially overseas, plugs are scarce and can be inconveniently located. Trying to use that plug with multiple chargers can be a hassle. At the worst with the Anker, my stuff is on the floor but out from under the bed where the sole plug in the room is located; at best, it sits conveniently on a nightstand by the bed or at a desk in the room. In either case, I only have to deal with the inconvenience of crawling under a bed or into a tight space to get to the charger twice--when I arrive and when I leave--rather than every morning and evening.

On a plane or otherwise on the go, the battery pack, which takes up no more room than some old laptop power bricks or replacement batteries, allows me to run any of my electronics, and except for my laptop, for multiple recharges. The battery pack does take a long time to recharge but strategically done, such as on a portion of a trip where you're spending more than one day in the same hotel, you can leave that plugged into the charger in the room while you're away for the day.

And, obviously, the car charger comes in really handy when you have a rental car. Never pass up a chance to recharge!

Maybe a more expensive solution than you were seeking, but I think ultimately a more likely and practical solution.

Marathon Man

Cost aint the issue
So long as it all really works

A bat pack that charges tablets? Hmmm do tell!

Dodge DeBoulet

I've been using for almost a year now. It charges everything I have except my laptop. It will handle my iPad Air and HTC One M8 simultaneously.

lwildernorva

The Anker I mentioned above that I already have will take care of my Nexus 7 and my Asus T100-TAF. Even this battery, , which is just a little larger than the small "lipstick" chargers, will charge either of them but not to a full charge. Not all chargers out there can do this (I have a couple of other small chargers that will only charge cell phones), but anything Anker makes with PowerIQ should work.

The big Anker I mentioned above should even recharge my Asus to one full charge and maybe most of a second. Given some of the newer hybrid laptop power requirements and current battery technology, it should be possible to approach going a full 24-hour day with nothing more than your computer and a battery pack, recharging both with something like the Anker five-port at the end of the day.

In other words, for less than the size and weight requirements of a laptop, its power cord, and power brick from several years ago, you should be able to carry a laptop, a tablet, and two cell phones. The only reason I ever carry an old, full-size computer case anymore is for the dinosaur 15-inch, 1.25-inch thick, and five-pound HP computer that work issues me--and that'll change later this year when those get replaced with thinner and much lighter laptops.

dtsm

Bump, great battery and very reasonably priced ^^^

Enthilza

How the hell was I unable to find this thread when I was looking for a new charger/adapter ?? Would have saved me days of browsing/reading/comparing....

I ended up buying this for 16Euros. I searched this thread and didn't find it mentioned (I apologize if I missed it in one of the many links I didn't click) so I decided to post.

I have only tested the euro plug (will test the brit one in the upcoming weeks and will report if there is anything wrong) but so far I really like it. I can't compare with any previous ones to see if it's faster or lighter but it's compact enought to fit in a small gizmo bag and its set of international plugs is a nice feature. And with over 6A, it charged everything I've thrown at it so far. Might not be the best of the block but its worth checking out.