5 Anker accessories that are hiking essentials

While hiking is fun and all, it’s also a real challenge. And the first challenge that usually presents itself is knowing what to carry in your bag. Of course, clothes, shoes and a first aid kit are already a given. But what about technology? When you’re hiking in the wilderness for a week or so, you’ll likely eschew bulky tech gadgets in favor of your shelter, cooking utensils, and toiletries.

However, if you’re only going off-grid for a few days or are more of an urban backpacker, it’s a good idea to include a few tech items in your backpack. Just make sure you choose products that won’t take up too much space in your bag and that you’ll actually use throughout your trip. Fortunately, there are now many travel-friendly tech items on the market. Anker, for example, offers mini gadgets that won’t take up space in your backpack. If you’re planning to go backpacking soon, here are five Anker accessories you might want to add to your essentials list.

Sleeping in hostels and shared accommodation can be uncomfortable with all the noise around you. For a more restful sleep, you might consider packing a pair of sleep headphones like Anker’s $200 Soundcore Sleep A30 Special. The Sleep A30 Special basically works like regular headphones that play audio from your phone, but they’re shaped like earplugs that sit flush with your ear. Yes, they don’t have the usual uppers, making them comfortable to wear even if you sleep on your side.

But beyond audio streaming and comfort, what the Sleep A30 Special really offers is ambient noise reduction to help you sleep better. To achieve this, it incorporates a combination of three sound blocking technologies: passive isolation, active noise cancellation (ANC), and adaptive snore masking. Passive isolation comes from the secure in-ear seal design, while ANC relies on the earbuds’ built-in microphones. Meanwhile, the adaptive snore masking technology uses the charging case, which can detect snoring in real time and then mask it by playing sound through your headphones.

The soundcore Sleep A30 Special also helps you relax faster with white noise options and sleep stories from the popular wellness app Calm. You can access them from the soundcore app and listen to them all night (the earbuds can last between eight and ten hours but extend up to five nights with the charging case). During the day, you can use the earbuds for normal everyday listening, like listening to podcasts and answering calls.

Design-wise, the earphones feature soft silicone tips for added comfort. If you prefer better noise reduction over comfort, you can always replace the silicone tips with the foam tips included in the box. Additionally, the ear wings are also available in different sizes.

Backpacking through multiple countries means encountering all sorts of wall outlets. There is one with rectangular triangle-shaped holes and another that looks like two round holes. Since American electrical outlets are completely different from European and even British ones, you will normally only carry a full set of adapters. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the most practical solution, especially when your backpack is already filled with other essentials. As an alternative, you can opt for the $80 Anker Universal Charger.

It is built with US, UK and EU plugs and supports inputs from 100 to 275 V. This allows you to use it safely in at least 200 countries. In terms of size, the charger is a bit bigger than your usual chargers. But at 3.74 x 1.98 x 1.59 inches and 0.58 lbs, it should still fit nicely in your backpack. Additionally, the pins are retractable for easy storage of the charger.

Besides its universal prongs and compact size, the Anker Universal Charger is worth adding to your backpack because of its ability to easily handle four devices at once. It includes three USB-C ports and one USB-A port, allowing you to charge your phone, action camera, wireless earbuds, and smartwatch simultaneously. If you’re bringing a laptop and want the fastest charging speed, you can plug it into the first or second USB-C port, which outputs a maximum of 100W (when no other devices are connected). That’s enough to charge a 14″ MacBook Pro M5 to 50% in 30 minutes. The third USB-C port can deliver up to 15W when it’s the only port in use, while USB-A supports 12W.

Although some power banks and chargers already offer built-in cables, you’ll still want to have a backup cable in your backpack just in case. For added safety, you can even carry two. But two separate cables can easily take up space in your backpack and make it more cluttered than you’d like. To avoid the hassle, there is a 2-in-1 USB-C to USB-C cable that you can get from Anker.

Priced at $18, it features a single USB-C connector on one end that splits into two USB-C connectors on the other. The main cable is three feet long, while each of the end connectors is one foot long, for a total of four feet. If you need something longer, a six-foot variation is available for purchase.

With the Anker 2-in-1 USB-C to USB-C Cable, you can charge two devices simultaneously from a single charger. The cable distributes power between the two devices as needed. If one is already fully charged, the other device can draw full power from the charger as long as it supports it. However, when used alone, a single connector can reach 140W. This can take a 16″ MacBook Pro M3 Pro to 50% in just 20 minutes, when paired with a compatible charger. This 2-in-1 USB-C to USB-C cable also allows data transfers at speeds of up to 480 Mbps, handy when you want to transfer photos from your camera to your laptop while traveling.

Since you’ll be using this cable on the go, it’s also important to consider its durability. This USB-C to USB-C cable is designed with a nylon braided exterior and is durable enough to withstand 10,000 bends.

If you’re an urban hiker, you typically won’t go a day without access to a wall outlet to charge your devices. But if you’re hiking in the wilderness, you’ll want to have power on the go. One of the best Anker power banks for the job is the $120 25,000 mAh Laptop Power Bank.

Although large in capacity, this power bank is small enough to easily fit in your backpack. In fact, it’s about as big as a soda can, measuring 6.18 by 2.12 by 1.93 inches and weighing 21 ounces. Despite its handy size, it’s packed with features.

On the one hand, it comes with a USB-C port with a maximum output of 100W and a USB-A port with an output of up to 33W. Apart from the ports, the power bank also contains two cables measuring 2.3 feet and 0.98 feet respectively and delivering 100W each. This means it only takes 25 minutes to charge an iPhone 16 to 50% and 33 minutes to charge a 16″ MacBook Pro M3 to 50%. The power bank itself should last about 4.5 full charges on the iPhone 16 before needing to be recharged.

Conveniently, you’ll also find a smart display on the front of the power bank. This tells you the remaining charge time, remaining battery, and other relevant information such as battery status, temperature, and input and output power.

High-capacity power banks are undeniably useful when hiking, but when you really want to travel light, there’s another Anker power bank worth bringing on your trip: the $30 Nano Power Bank 5,000 mAh. Unlike other phone power banks, the pocket-sized Nano 5000mAh isn’t as big as your mobile device. It’s significantly smaller, measuring just 3 inches by 1.4 by 1 inch and weighing 3.5 ounces. It also comes with a foldable built-in USB-C connector for easy storage. When it’s time to use the power bank, simply remove the connector and plug it directly into your phone. You won’t need to carry a separate power bank or worry about cables.

The Nano Power Bank 5,000 mAh supports fast charging at 22.5W, but keep in mind that it wouldn’t match the charging speed of your 30W+ wall charger. For example, an iPhone 15 will take around half an hour to reach 43% with this power bank. Another trade-off to consider is its small capacity. Since the power bank only has a capacity of 5,000 mAh, you usually won’t be able to fully charge an empty phone. It can, however, still charge a Galaxy S23 Ultra to 60% and an iPhone to 15% to 79%, which should be enough to get you through the day.

To compensate for these limitations, the power bank offers direct charging. You can charge it while you charge your phone. Simply use the USB-C port on the side of the power bank to connect it to a charger.

Our first criterion when selecting these recommendations was size. We’ve made sure our selections aren’t too bulky for a backpack. These accessories also had to serve a specific purpose during travel. We only used gadgets that replace a bulky piece of technology (e.g. one universal charger versus multiple chargers with different connectors) or make your trip more convenient and comfortable (e.g. sleep headphones that help with sleep).