I have one rule I live by when traveling: ABC, otherwise known as Always Be Charging. For whatever reason beyond my intellectual powers to comprehend, let alone begin to explain, it seems your batteries tend to die a lot faster while traveling.  Whether it’s from the electronic power vacuum located two miles below every airport, or from staring at your phone while going 80 MPH down the road, batteries drain faster. Luckily, companies like myCharge make it easy to stay charged on the go, and with the new product lineup (first revealed at CES 2013) that includes Lightning adapter support for the latest Apple devices, everyone can ABC on the go. I received a sample of three new devices recently added to the myCharge line (from left to right): the Jolt, the Freedom, and the Hub . I’m going to take a brief look at each one individually below, starting with the Jolt. The Jolt packs a 2,000mAh battery, with a micro-USB and Lightning adapter on each side. To charge up the Jolt you’ll need a standard micro-USB cable, included in the packaging.

The entire line includes a convenient power button that lights up to show you the current amount of battery power available. As you can see, the Jolt comes with a carabiner clip built in, making it easy to quickly attach it to a backpack or bag during your travels. With a 2,000mAh, the Jolt has enough juice to charge most devices from completely dead to full one time. After that, the Jolt itself will need to be recharged. The Hub is the biggest, in terms of capacity, of the chargers offered by myCharge. Containing a 9,000mAh battery, the Hub can charge and recharge your mobile device 3 to 4 times, depending on a long list of variables. The Hub has a micro-USB adapter, a Lightning adapter and a full USB port to attach any cable and device of your choosing for a quick top-up. What makes the Hub one of my favorite products by myCharge is the built in wall prongs to directly plug the unit in and charge it without cables. My only complaint about the Hub is how hard the cables are to move and position.

Each cable goes up the long side of the Hub, makes a 90-degree turn, then nestles into the unit. When pulling one of the adapters out, there’s really no issue with how the device is required to be positioned to charge. When the issue starts is when you connect two devices using the built in adapters. Both adapters follow the same curve, therefore want to lay in the exact same location, it’s difficult to adjust the Hub and avoid having to lay one device on top of another. Which, as we all know, can lead to scratches; and scratches are bad. The Freedom is an iPhone 5 case first, and a portable battery pack second. Meaning, you can use the Freedom at all times, without having to connect the Lightning adapter to your device, and not worry about draining the 2,000mAh battery or accidentally turning it on in your pocket. When you’re ready to charge your phone, you simply move the Lightning adapter from the case, plug it into your device, and power it on. There’s enough power to charge an iPhone 5 from completely drained to full.

myCharge opted to not make the case longer, using the Lightning adapter at all times. backpack trumpet gig bagThe end result isn’t a longer overall device, with the case included, but simply a thicker device. canon g12 backpackThe change is a crucial one when comparing other similar battery cases for the iPhone 5. backpack kunmingTo charge the Freedom you’ll need a micro-USB cable, which again, is included with the battery pack.gopro wifi bacpac password In the past, I experienced issues with the myCharge line not providing the number of charges expected based simply on comparing mAh of the battery pack to that of the device(s) being charged. powerslide usd backpack

I didn’t experience it with the new lineup of devices.laptop backpacks gautengThe products range in price from $129 for the Hub, $69 for the Jolt and $79 for the Freedom. oma backpack coloursOr you can find them at a discounted price on Amazon, depending on the seller. Amazon links to the Hub, Freedom and Jolt. myCharge Hub 6000 mAh Power Bank myCharge Jolt 2000D Power Bank myCharge Freedom 2000 Power Case for iPhone 5 *Review samples provided by myChargeThere are two ideal times to have the security of a portable battery charger on your person: 1.) when you are traveling, especially in or around areas with no accessible outlets, and 2.) during a blackout. Thusly, I took the opportunity to compare the effectiveness of a Mophie Juicepack Powerstation and the MyCharge Portable Power Bank 3000 when Hurricane Sandy, nature’s great Mayan eclipse, made landfall on my humble state of New Jersey this week.

I was fortunate enough to have power throughout the entire ordeal, but I was able to “juice up” my phone prior to Sandy’s touchdown and the chargers made the rounds to various friends and family members in need. What makes finding the best battery charger so critical for a traveler (or a hurricane victim with no electricity)? First of all, at $50 and up, external battery packs are no cheap investment. Secondly, should an emergency situation arise, the wise man gets more bang for his buck. For travelers, inconsistent environmental factors – such as changes in temperature, your phone’s constant search for a signal in new places, and the drain from geolocation apps – siphon more energy from devices than when more stationary. That being said, which of the two chargers offer more to portable energy-suckers? Mophie, a brand renowned for Apple devices, trumps MyCharge, a comparatively unknown company that specializes in charging devices of all types (including the previously-reviewed PowerBag) in terms of popularity, but which device actually deals the higher hand when it comes to functionality?

The chargers being compared have different charging capacities: the regular Mophie Juicepack stores up to 4000mAh of energy, while the MyCharge 3000 appropriately stores up to 3000mAh. For the purposes of this review, I thought it would be useful for readers to know just how much of a difference 1000mAh makes. Those readers interested solely in high-performance models can check out the 6000mAh Mophie Powerstation PRO which, aside from the characteristics of the regular Powerstation described below, also features a rugged, IP65 (dust and water-proof) exterior. Also of note is that, well, MyCharge no longer sells this specific Power Bank 3000 model, even though I received it only a few weeks ago. Its heir is called the Summit 3000, which has comparable specs but a much more innovative design. So for the thrifty gadgeteer, does it really pay to invest in a 4000mAh high-capacity charger? Price-wise, it does: both the Juicepack and Power Bank 3000 retail for $79.99, even though the latter technically offers less power.

But when it came down to the nitty-gritty – that is, the actual charging time – the MyCharge emerged as the victor in terms of both the speed of the charge and the amount of power remaining in the pack as per the indicator lights. All Mophie chargers have only four indicator lights, making it more difficult to decipher how much power you have left, while the MyCharge has six. The MyCharge also has a hold button while the Mophie does not, and the Mophie power button is sensitive enough that it could be charging in your bag without your permission for hours on end. While the difference it time it took to charge the actual phone was negligible (about an hour to go from 50-100% on an iPhone4S for each, a few more minutes for the Mophie), the MyCharge wasn’t even phased by the task, losing 1/6 lights, while the Mophie dropped an entire indicator light (out of 4) after the charge. The most significant difference was in how long it took each adapter to recharge itself: from dead to full, 4.5 hours for the MyCharge and a whopping 6.5 for the Mophie.

It would take nearly an entire night’s sleep, or shift at work (minus the lunch break), or what have you, for the Mophie to recharge itself after charging your smartphone twice, whereas you could get the MyCharge back in business over the course of a moderate layover. For a real-life comparison, the Mophie has not lasted much more than one day on the road charging just one smartphone, while the MyCharge charged several (a smartphone and 3 dumbphones, to be exact) during this week’s blackout over the course of 24 hours. Of course, exact charging capacity will vary drastically depending on how many devices you charge and how much energy each requires. The design of each charger is what really sets them apart – and completely sets the MyCharge on a pedestal above the rest. Both chargers will work with any device – USB, MicroUSB, iParaphernalia – but the MyCharge also comes with built-in cables. In other words, you can charge anything your heart desires with the Mophie, but only provided that you remember to bring your cable with you.

The MyCharge frees you of pesky cables and is lighter than the Mophie to boot. The MyCharge iPhone cable is not compatible with iPhone5, but you can still charge an iPhone5 if you bring the cable (one of the many reasons I stick to Android phones, but I’ll leave that squabbling for another review). The Mophie is sleek, sure, but if style is really all you’re looking for in a battery charger, you should definitely re-evaluate your need for one. Mophie also offers a both chic and ergonomic array of battery cases that seamlessly snap onto your iPhone, which is a worthy $80+ investment…until you upgrade your iPhone and it no longer fits the case. That is not to say that the MyCharge is an eyesore, however – in fact, many of the 2000mAh Power Banks flagrantly mimic the look of the Mophie Powerstations. Yet the 3000, due to its exposed cables and pin connectors, is perhaps not as road-ready as the blocky Juice Pack. Also of note is that the updated Summit version has a built-in wall charger so that a cable is not even required to recharge the pack itself.

Mophie, like the Apple devices it is specialized for, is minimalistic, but in the case of hardware, its minimalism only detracts from its efficacy. Considering that most travelers will be charging on the go, an adapter that stores well while charging would be most convenient. Unfortunately, most external battery packs – the Juice Pack and Power Bank included – hook up with some awkwardness. If using the Mophie, or the MyCharge with a cable, the best you can do is wind the phone around the charger and store in a bag or backpack pocket. If using the MyCharge without an extended cable, devices requiring MicroUSB can’t even be folded up beside the charger but instead end up sticking out cumbrously alongside of it. (The Summit’s design does not fare much better.) iDevices would fold with screens facing the charger, which could lead to scratching if your device does not have a screen protector. As aforementioned, although Mophie’s market is primarily the Apple crowd, both chargers are compatible with practically any device excepting laptops.

Since both chargers also charge themselves via USB, you can even charger your charger in your car if you have a car adapter. This also makes charging more convenient internationally, wherein the USB cable can be plugged in to an international wall charger. Think about it: you buy a portable battery charger because you need energy stat, right? Therefore, a charger that will keep you constantly in search of an outlet – even though you just dropped as much money on a charger as you did on your phone – is going to be the prescription for deadphone-induced headaches. It also pays to invest in a charger that will withstand the test of time (and new product upgrades), is convenient and light enough for travel, and is guaranteed to hold your energy in when not in use. Although the competition was steep, the MyCharge gets my vote for overall functionality and power. What really sets it a notch up from the regular Juice Pack is the fact that you can, technically, charge up to five devices at once.