is a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget.
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Last month, my colleague Liz Lopatto explained how a gummy bear battery bank was taking over the ultralight backpacking world. I’m talking full-grown, outdoorsy adults nerding out about gummy bear merch beating the battery pros at their own game!
Liz and I quickly agreed: We should put it to the test. Could the gummy bear company truly have the best ultralight battery, and could I bring some hard data to prove it?
I soon found out the gummy bear isn’t the one clear winner. If you’re looking for the ultralight champ… it’s complicated.
The test
I readied the pair of pricy Mitutoyo calipers I’ve felt guilty about buying for months, an accurate kitchen scale, and the Power-Z KM003C that lets me log loads of USB-C power data directly to my computer. There would be no place for a lying gummy bear to hide.
Good thing, too, because I quickly spotted some misleading specifications.
Damned lies and specifications
It’s not earth-shattering — every one of these batteries is just slightly heavier, thicker, wider, or lower capacity than the marketing claims. Admittedly, I only tested one of each, not dozens or hundreds, but some of these differences are beyond my margin of error.
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