Nitecore Carbo 10000 Gen 2 ZDNET's key takeaways Rugged, reliable, IPX8 rated power bank built for adventure
30W power output makes it a good choice for tablets and even smaller laptops
Beware, only one of the two USB-C ports support charging. View now at Amazon
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If there's a "secret" that power bank manufacturers don't want customers to know, it's that most power banks are built for a gentle life. When I talk about durability, several companies have told me that power banks are primarily used at in warm, dry air-conditioned homes and offices, on sofas and beds and carpeted floors, not in cold, damp woodlands or icy mountains.
Well, I want power banks that can survive damp woodlands, icy mountains, and more. Wet and damp and drops are a fact of life when outdoors, and the truth is that most consumer power banks just aren't built for that kind of abuse.
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Fortunately there are companies that will fill that need. One of those is Nitecore, and when I hiked part of the Camino Frances in northern Span earlier this month, I took a couple with me to test. One of those was the Nitecore Carbo 10000 Gen 2, and this thing is built for a hard life.
Like many other Nitecore power banks I've tested, this is a minimalist high-energy-density power bank. What I mean by that is that it's a battery clad in a minimal shell so as not to add unnecessary weight or bulk. This means that the shell needs to be durable, and as such, Nitecore has turned to smooth, sleek, durable space-age carbon fibre, creating a minimalist candy bar-shaped power bank that packs 10,000mAh into as small a space as possible.
The unit weighs 6 ounces, measures a compact 4.98 x 1.89 x 0.62 inches, and slips unobtrusively into a pocket.
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