Guide
Backpacking and Bikepacking Power Setups: The Ultralight Gear Guide
TL;DR
Every ounce matters when you're carrying gear on your back or bike. Here's how to build a complete power system — phone, GPS, lights, headlamp, camera — that weighs under two pounds total and runs for a week.
The first time I tried to backpack with a portable power station, I learned the hard way: even a 5-pound unit becomes brutal after 10 miles on uneven terrain. Power stations are excellent for car camping, RV use, and home backup — but they’re not backpacking gear.
For genuinely lightweight outdoor power, you need a different approach. After three years of full-time outdoor life, including bikepacking trips, fastpacking missions, and several thru-hike sections, here’s the gear and strategy I’ve refined down to the essentials.
The Power Budget for Backpacking
Before picking gear, figure out what you actually use. Here’s my typical week-long trip energy budget:
| Device | Daily Wh | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phone (GPS, photos, occasional check-in) | 4-6 Wh | Airplane mode + low brightness |
| Headlamp (LED, rechargeable) | 1-2 Wh | 1-2 hours per night use |
| Garmin inReach Mini (satellite) | 0.5 Wh | Background tracking on |
| Camera (mirrorless, USB-C charging) | 0-15 Wh | Trip-dependent |
| Backup battery for headlamp | 0 Wh | Charged once at home |
| Daily total | 6-25 Wh | |
| Weekly total | 40-175 Wh |
For most multi-day backpackers, the realistic budget lands at 50-90 Wh for a week. Serious photographers and trail journal-keepers push toward 150+ Wh.
The Three Tiers of Backpacking Power
Tier 1: Single-night to weekend trips
You don’t need to bring power. A modern smartphone in airplane mode with a fully charged battery lasts 2-4 days. A quality rechargeable headlamp (Black Diamond Storm, Petzl Actik Core) lasts a week on a single charge in normal use. Charge everything before leaving, leave the chargers home.
Total power weight: 0 oz
Tier 2: 3-7 day trips
A single high-quality USB-C PD power bank covers most users for a week.
Recommended: Anker 737 PowerCore 24K — 24,000mAh / 86Wh / 1.4 lbs / 140W output
This handles 4-5 phone charges, charges a USB-C laptop in a pinch, and is TSA-friendly for the airline portion of your trip.
Lighter alternative: Baseus Blade 2 — 20,000mAh / 74Wh / 1.1 lbs / 100W output
Slightly less capacity but 5 oz lighter. For ounce-counters, this is the ultralight pick.
Even lighter for short trips: Anker Nano 10,000mAh — 10,000mAh / 37Wh / 7.2 oz / 30W output
Enough for 2 phone charges. Half the weight of the Anker 737. For a 3-night trip with light usage, perfect.
Tier 3: Week-plus trips and bikepacking
Add solar to your power bank setup for indefinite range.
Recommended addition: A 10-15W foldable solar panel — typically 7-12 oz
Set up at lunch breaks or while making camp. On a sunny day, generates 30-60Wh — enough to fully recharge a 27,000mAh power bank over 1-2 days of opportunistic charging.
Total weight (Tier 3): power bank + solar = ~1.5-2 lbs
Specific Gear I Carry
My current backpacking power kit (week-long trips):
- Power bank: Anker 737 PowerCore 24K (1.4 lbs, 86Wh)
- Cable: 1x USB-C to USB-C (3 ft, 100W rated) — Anker PowerLine III (~0.5 oz)
- Cable: 1x USB-C to Lightning (for older iPhone if traveling with one) — 0.4 oz
- Wall charger: Anker 30W GaN charger (left in the car or skipped if I have alternatives at trailheads) — ~3 oz when carried
Total: ~24 oz
For trips over 7 days I add a Goal Zero Nomad 10 panel (10W folding panel, 11.4 oz). This expands capability from “one week” to “indefinite.”
My bikepacking power kit:
Bikepacking is more permissive on weight than backpacking, since the bike carries the load. I bring:
- Power bank: Anker Prime 27,650mAh (1.5 lbs, 99.5Wh)
- Solar: Goal Zero Nomad 20 (20W panel, 1.1 lbs) — strap to the rear rack for charging while riding (slow but free)
- USB-C cables: 3-4 in various lengths
- Multi-port USB-C charger (when at hotels or coffee shops)
Total: ~3 lbs
This handles a phone, GPS computer (Garmin Edge), camera batteries, headlamp, and the occasional laptop charge for indefinite tours.
Weight-Saving Habits That Matter More Than Gear
Charge everything before leaving
Sounds obvious, but I see it ignored. A fully charged headlamp + phone + GPS + camera at trailhead represents 30-50Wh of “free” capacity you don’t have to carry separately. Plug everything in the night before.
Use airplane mode aggressively
A phone in airplane mode lasts 4-5x longer than the same phone with cell service constantly searching for signal in the wilderness. Set airplane mode at the trailhead. Only enable cell when you actually need to send/receive a message.
Download maps offline
Cell-based mapping apps drain batteries fast. Download maps to your phone before the trip (CalTopo, Gaia GPS, AllTrails, FarOut all support offline maps). Then run GPS without cell service, which uses dramatically less power.
Limit camera/photo bursts
A 30-second video uses far more battery than 30 still photos. If your camera has a low-power photo mode, use it. Mirrorless cameras with electronic viewfinders can be configured for power saving — disable image stabilization when not needed, dim the rear screen, set aggressive auto-off timers.
Cold weather = double battery drain
Lithium battery capacity drops 20-40% in below-freezing temperatures. Sleep with electronics in your sleeping bag — body heat keeps them functional and prevents the apparent “dead battery” that’s really just cold-induced low voltage.
What Doesn’t Work for Backpacking
Portable power stations
Even the lightest 245Wh power stations weigh 5+ lbs. Carrying that for any distance is silly when a 1-pound power bank delivers similar useful capacity for typical trips. Save the power stations for car camping. See our best portable power stations for camping for car-camping recommendations.
Hand-crank chargers
Theoretical: free power forever! Real-world: cranking for 10 minutes generates enough to barely top off a phone battery from 40% to 45%. The arm fatigue isn’t worth it. Skip.
Big solar panels
Anything over 20W is overkill for backpacking — you can’t use the energy fast enough to justify the weight. The lighter 10-15W panels are more efficient on a Wh-per-pound basis for actual hiker use cases.
Cheap power banks
A “20,000mAh” bank that actually delivers 12,000mAh at the USB port (because it’s measuring capacity at 3.7V instead of accounting for conversion losses) wastes weight. Stick with reputable brands and check the Wh rating, not just the mAh number.
TSA and Airline Considerations
Most backpackers fly to trailheads at some point. Power bank rules:
- Up to 100Wh: allowed in carry-on, no airline approval needed
- 100-160Wh: allowed in carry-on with airline approval (most major airlines say yes)
- Over 160Wh: prohibited on passenger aircraft
For a 27,000mAh / 99.9Wh bank: just under the limit, fly without issue. For a 30,000mAh+ bank: typically over the limit, need approval or skip airline travel with that unit.
Always carry power banks in carry-on luggage — checked luggage prohibits lithium batteries due to fire risk.
Real-World Examples
3-Day Weekend (35-mile loop):
- Charge phone (full), headlamp, inReach at home
- Bring nothing else
- Power weight: 0 oz
- Result: phone at 60% returning home, headlamp at 80%, no need to recharge anything
7-Day Section Hike (90 miles, JMT-style):
- Anker 737 PowerCore 24K (1.4 lbs)
- 1x USB-C cable (0.5 oz)
- Power weight: 23 oz
- Result: ended trip with 30% remaining on power bank — ample margin
14-Day Bikepacking Tour (Great Divide Mountain Bike Route style):
- Anker Prime 27,650mAh (1.5 lbs)
- Goal Zero Nomad 20 panel strapped to rear rack (1.1 lbs)
- 3 USB-C cables (1.5 oz)
- Power weight: 43 oz / 2.7 lbs
- Result: indefinitely powered. Solar covered daily use; power bank handled cloudy days.
Related Reading
- Best Power Banks for Travel — TSA-compliant picks
- Best Power Banks for Laptops 2026 — higher-output options
- Best Power Banks for iPhone Air — phone-focused picks
- Best Solar Panels for Power Stations — bigger panels for camping
- Family Camping Power Setup — car-camping comparison
Recommended Power Stations
EcoFlow
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus
EcoFlow's newest mid-range flagship. The DELTA 3 Plus improves on the Delta 2 with faster charging, LiFePO4 chemistry, and UPS functionality — all at a lower price.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much battery capacity do I need for a week of backpacking?
For modest electronics use (phone in airplane mode for GPS, headlamp, occasional camera) plan on 60-100Wh of capacity for a week. That's a 20,000-27,000mAh USB-C PD power bank — typically 1-1.5 lbs of weight. For heavier use (regular phone use, satellite messenger, GPS unit) bump to 100-160Wh. For multi-week trips, add a small solar charger to extend indefinitely.
Are solar panels worth bringing backpacking?
For trips longer than 5-7 days, yes. A 10-15W foldable solar panel weighs 6-12 oz and generates 30-60Wh of useful charge per sunny day — enough to keep a phone and headlamp alive indefinitely. For shorter trips, a quality power bank is lighter and more reliable. The cutoff is roughly: under a week, just bring a power bank; over a week, add solar.
How can I make my phone last longer in airplane mode?
A modern smartphone in airplane mode with reduced screen brightness and most background services disabled uses 1-2% battery per hour while idle, with brief usage spikes. That means a fully charged phone can last 2-4 days of light use without recharging. To extend further: download maps offline, disable GPS unless actively navigating, lock screen brightness to minimum usable level, and turn off Bluetooth/WiFi scanning.
Can I take a 27,000mAh power bank on a flight?
27,000mAh at 3.7V is 99.9Wh — just under the TSA carry-on limit of 100Wh. You can take it on board, but it must be in carry-on luggage, not checked. Power banks of any capacity are prohibited in checked luggage. Larger power banks (100-160Wh) require airline approval. Above 160Wh, banned on passenger aircraft entirely.
Ready to Buy? Here's What We Recommend
Based on our testing and this guide, these are the best options for most people: