Thursday Focus- Power Sources On The Bank

This entry was posted on 10th September, 2019

With a multitude of items in your tackle armoury now requiring power, such as your bait boat and feature finder, along with your personal belongings, like your phone, tablet, or portable TV, its increasingly important to be able to charge these items whilst out on the bank.

Coinciding with this, the time anglers spend on the bank is increasing, week-long trips to the continent are increasingly popular. As such, the market for power banks is growing, with more and more options available on the market, as several reputable brands look for a slice of the action.

This is good news for the angler, as competition increases the quality of power banks and the features they utilise increases too, giving you more choices to make when purchasing a power unit. As a result, the following paragraphs look at the front runners in the power bank market, aiding you in choosing the right unit to power your fishing.

Powapacs Atom Powapacs range of innovative products aims to bring your bivvy into the 21st century. The Powapacs Atom 60 offers a high 60,000 mAh 240Wh capacity from a 18650 lithium battery and can be charged in three ways; via mains electric, using a 12-24V car adapter and a revolutionary new solar panel (sold separately).

The Atom 60 performs at a constant 150W output, peaking at a 200W power rating and with a high efficiency pure sine wave inverter the Atom 60 operates quietly. Featuring; 1 x 230v 50Hz AC output, 1 x DC 12V/10A output and 4 x 5v 3.1 amp USB outputs, the Atom is compatible with a whole range of devices, from a mobile phone to a games console. The Powapacs Atom 78 operates at an even higher capacity of 78,000 mAh 312Wh and will fuel your excursion for longer than the Atom 60, perfect for a week of carp fishing on the continent.



The Powapacs atom 60 and 78 were designed with portability in mind, a stylish ergonomic handle ensures easy transportation to the bank and with a built in LED torch this is even the case during the hours of dark. The Atom is equipped with a user-friendly information display, which clearly indicates battery level and current power consumption.

Weighing in at just 2kg and with dimensions of 240 x 165 x 65mm the Atom is highly portable and even comes complete with a handy carry case.

The high capacity of both Powapacs models means that they’re ideal for longer trips, when having the most power available to you is your best bet of seeing out the week whilst remaining connected.

RidgeMonkey Vault C-Smart



the first question that gets asked at RidgeMonkey is ‘why?’ Where other brands look into profitability, RidgeMonkey looks into practicality. If the product is just a rebranded version of something else on the market, the company doesn’t bother with it. The brand is only concerned with innovative products that really do change the face of angling.

The same is true of the Vault C-Smart Powerpack. After the success of the award-winning RidgeMonkey Vault Dual Voltage Powerpack, the Vault C-Smart sets the bar for portable power sources even higher.

Designed to fulfil the needs of both modern and legacy devices alike, the Vault C-Smart allows simultaneous use of all four output ports and is one of the first portable power sources to feature USB-C with Power Delivery technology.

With major manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, Google and Microsoft widely adopting the USB-C connector, it is no longer a new development: its the new standard.

Alongside this, USB Power Delivery (USB PD) is a charging protocol exclusive to USB-C that allows safe fast charging of smartphones, tablets and laptops that are USB PD enabled: with up to 45W of charging power on tap, the RidgeMonkey Vault C-Smart can charge your USB PD enabled device up to NINE times faster than a standard 5W USB charger.

Futhermore, the included high-powered USB-C PD mains adaptor will fully charge the RidgeMonkey Vault C-Smart in just a few hours, perfect for those spontaneous trips to the bank. Combine the USB-C PD port with twin 5V 3A USB-A ports and a 12V DC cigar type output and you have the most versatile handheld power source on the market: compact enough to fit into a coat pocket, dense enough to charge a high-powered smartphone many times over and powerful enough to charge a full-sized laptop from flat to full in just two hours.

The Vault C-Smart is available in two colours - Gunmetal Green and Gunmetal Grey – with two different power outputs, 42,150mAh and 77,850mAh. The larger of the two rivals the Powapacs 78 in terms of capacity but this power output is housed in a considerably smaller unit. If space comes at a premium in your fishing armoury, then perhaps the RidgeMonkey Vault is the power bank for you.

Lighting Power Systems

There are also several units that primarily function as a light for your bivvy, whilst also providing power when needed, via a USB or USB-C port. These systems do not provide as much power as a power bank but are ideal for short sessions or emergencies.

RidgeMonkey Bivvy Lite Elite



There are several of these systems available on the market, the first of which is the RidgeMonkey Bivvy Lite Elite IR. The light itself utilises brightness control, three light colours, a quad LED power indicator and a micro USB charging port from which you can charge your phone or tablet, comfortably providing enough power to charge your phone overnight.

Not only will the power provided keep you connected on a shorter session but the Bivvy Lite Elite will also keep your bivvy illuminated when a screaming alarm requires your attention half way through the night.

Carp Porter Barrow Light



If you arrive late to a session, navigating your chosen complex whilst losing light can be an arduous task. Carp Porter have obviously been there themselves following the introduction of the Carp Porter Barrow Light, which mounts onto your barrows handle bar and acts as a headlight, making pushing your barrow easier, but also if you need to get something from your barrow during the night, this process is now easier too.

The Barrow Light also gives you the ability to charge via a USB port, meaning you can charge your phone or tablet from your bedside. Ideal for shorter sessions or emergencies.

Fox Halo Power Light



As well as providing an impressively bright light, the Fox Halo Power Light also offers charging via a USB port. The 9900mAh battery will comfortably charge electronic devices overnight and with a LED

display highlighting how much charge the Halo has left and with the whole unit weighing in at just 315g, the Halo is a great piece of kit for the price.

Buy the Powapacs Range here