An item that every emergency kit should have, but a small percentage actually do, is a power bank.  A power bank can charge a depleted cell phone when a conventional outlet isn’t available.  My husband is a Boy Scout leader and he took a power bank for the first time when he went camping last weekend.  While camping he used his smart phone to take lots of photos, listened to music using MP3 app, used the Kindle app to read before falling asleep, and set an alarm to wake himself up in the morning.  His phone died the first day, he plugged his phone into the power bank each night and was able to continue to take pictures and use his phone apps for the remaining four day trip.

Battery banks are great for more than just camping.  I have one in my emergency car kit, one in my 72 hour kit, and a small one in my purse.  They can charge cell phones, tablets (iPad & Kindle, etc.), cameras, rechargeable walkie talkies, Fitbits, and more when your on the go.

OLALA G3 Power Bank Review

What I like about the OLALA G3 Power Bank is that it’s small in size but has a large charge capacity.  It fits in my back pocket or purse easily.  It’s large capacity allows for charging a tablet or a phone several times.  It’s also very convenient to have dual port charging capabilities so I can charge 2 devices at once.   It’s helpful when traveling with a large family to charge multiple phones and other devices on trips.  The fast charge Port 2.1A seemed to charge at a rate of 1% per 2 minutes.  Port 1A seemed to charge at a rate of 1% per 3 minutes.  After charging two Android smart phones there was 50% battery left in the OLALA G3 bank so I plugged in my Kindle Fire that was at 48% power. The LED power indicator is helpful in determining how much power is left in the battery bank after charging devices.

Another great feature is the exterior of the battery bank is coated with a abrasive-resistant and scratch-resistant material which is rare in the electronic world. My phones and Kindles get scratched up unless I buy special protection for each device so its nice that the battery bank won’t have that problem.

Capacity:

The OLALA G3 has a 10400mAh high capacity.

Using the OLALA G3 I charged:
VS985 4G LTE Phone 3000mAh
HTC EVO Phone 2000mAh
7″ Kindle Fire Tablet 4400mAh (started charging at 49%)

Total from all three 3000 + 2000 + ~2200 = ~7200mAH.  There was still some power left in the OLALA G3 Battery Bank with the LED light showing at 25% .  The white HTC EVO phone started at 18% power and was plugged into the 2.1A port which charges faster.  As soon as I unplugged the white phone it dropped to 99%.  The black VS985 4G LTE phone started at 0% power and was plugged into the 1A port.

Battery:

Type: Lithium-ion,  4 Led Indicators for Battery Life, Cycle Life: more than 500 times, Fully Charged by 1A Adapter: 10hr

Function:

Dual USB ports, Input 5V 1A & Output 5V 2.1A

Exterior:

Dimension: 3.42 x 3.26 x 0.9 inch, Weight: 7.76 oz, coated with abrasive-resistant and scratch-resistant material.

Standard/Warranty:

Original OLALA manufactured product according to strict safety and quality standard, guarantees against over-charge,over-discharge,over current, over voltage, short circuit, and provides temperature protection at all times.

Compatibility:

It uses a micro USB port so it will work with virtually any new Android device.  It is also compatible with any handheld Apple device if you have a lightning cable (not provided).  The list provided by Olala includes:  iPhone 6 Plus, 6, 5S, 5C, 5, 4S, 4, iPad Air, iPad Mini 1, iPad Mini 2, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, S6, S5, S4, S3, I9600, I9500, I9190, I9300, Note 4 3 2, Tab 4 3 2 Pro, HTC One, One M8, One M9, Nexus 10 9 7 5 6 4, MOTO X G Droid, PS Vita, Nokia Lumia N9, 520 1020, Motorola Razr, Sony Xperia E4, LG G4 G3 Optimus, PSP, MP3, MP4 and more Smartphones & Tablets.