I’m finally getting around to reviewing The Power Pot. I bought it from the PowerPot guys at a Nashville Prepper Expo last year or so. I could have knocked out a first impressions review. Instead, I decided to wait and really test it out. I don’t like to recommend things or bash them until I’m sure. After going with me on several outings as well as some at hoe testing I’m ready to review the Power Pot. As I type I’m using it to charge a cellphone. The starting charge was 41% and I’ll end with what it gets to.
What Is A Power Pot
A power pot is a small pot for hiking or camping that uses excess heat to produce thermoelectricity to charge most USB devices. Luckily most everything now runs off of USB 5w power. It works with any heat source from your home stove to a fire. It’s the versatility that sold me on this item over the other thermoelectric camping gear out there. I can use it on a pocket rocket, hobo stove or a home stove and I have.
The Stats
- Output: USB 5W (5V, 1A)
- Material: Hard Anodized Aluminum
- Capacity: 1 Qt
- Weight: Power Pot with cord 14 0z
Usage
First of all, it is a pot and has to perform well in that function or I’d bash it. It comes with a bowl that doubles as a lid as well. I’ve boiled lot’s of water in this pot. It holds just over a liter of water with measuring lines inside to boil the right amount for backpacker meals. The handle on it is insulated to prevent you burning yourself when removing from the heat. On some pots, the insulation seems to be for show more than use. I’ve not burned myself on this pot in all the times I’ve used it. Every time I use it I, of course, hook up the cord and charge my phone.
Charge
With the pocket rocket, boil time is usually about 4~6 minutes which usually equals maybe two percent battery increase. While this does not sound impressive it is energy that would have been wasted otherwise. Also, 2% battery could be the difference of getting help in an emergency or not. To get a full charge on a phone I would not recommend using a gas stove. Where this shines is really in combination with a wood burning hobo or rocket stove. Using small twigs to burn and running it for hours while sitting around the camp site. Also, do make sure your phone is powered off for the faster charge. To help with charge times I got in on the Kickstarter they had on fast charge cables and power monitor. It displays how strong the power source is You can use the monitor to check a variety of cables and power sources. My range top right now is showing 1 to 2 bars on a 5 bar scale from the Power Pot. I’ve tried many other methods to charge phones in the field before, such as the Solio, and prefer the Power Pot now. Solar charges have the benefit of being fairly passive. As long as you point them directly at the sun, if the sun is shining.The power pot is too versatile with the sources of possible fuel.
Final Thoughts
I tried really hard to think of a drawback of the Power Pot. I at first thought the speed at which it charges devices. The time thought is close to plugging it straight into the wall, though. You notice the time though when you are having to feed a firewood for the power. So the only issue I have at all with the Power Pot is just one of my eccentricities. It is a non-stick coated pot. I would prefer it to not have that coating on it. I want it to be plain aluminum on the inside. Function wise though I can’t fault this and highly recommend it. I use it instead of the solo pot with my solo stove. The weights close enough that I would rather have power over weight. So after writing for an hour what’s the charge at now on the test phone? 52% from 41 at the beginning, so an 11% in one hour with the phone powered on. Not too bad.
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