Anker Reserve: Camp Lamp + Power Bank

#1

We launched a new product, and I think it’s pretty innovative.

Meet the Anker 548 Power Bank Reserve.

The first thing you might notice is the pop-up, collapsible lantern. Saves space in your camping kit, but is a really nice device for the patio or deck, too.

And of course it charges. A solid choice for emergency power with light.

  • Capacity: 60,000mAh. Charge an iPhone 14 over 10 times, a MacBook Air up to 2.9 times, or power a 3W LED lamp for 42.3 hours.

  • Simultaneous charging: 60W and 27W USB-C ports. Charge your phone and your laptop at the same time.

  • The lamp collapses, making it easier to stow. It also has three light settings and an SOS button (randomized flashing)

  • Recharge the Reserve with solar panels when you’re out in the field or at camp with a 12-24 volt panel.

What do you think? How would you use it?

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#2

I could definitely see this being a great item for camping, or maybe in a storm shelter. I wouldn’t really use it on the back porch as much, but if it had a speaker to play music, that would be great for backyard parties in the evening.

Overall, very great design, size, and weight. I could see this being a big seller over the next year.

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#3

If I didn’t need the AC plugs of the 521 (and didn’t already own one) I would have likely went with this. I’m also curious about the UPS-like functionality of it turning on the light when the power goes out. Looks like a neat product.

#4

I had a different powerhouse in that past that I took camping but it had a plug in that son used for Nintendo 3dslx. So, I would use it. I think it is good for camping if you need only to charge phones.

I do like you can charge with a solar panel which is cool

SOS button, I could take or leave since everyone has phones now a days. I do think it has benefits as well. If you get stranded on a road, you may can use the flashing SOS to warn drivers that you are on the side of the road.

I do like the high as it does take up less space width wise and can be hung…

#5

Did they say it automatically turned the light on when it loses power? I could see that getting annoying if you were charging it up before packing and the light turning on as soon as you unplug it.

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#6

But these style of power are so physically large you’d only use for car-camping, and your car generates far more electricity.

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#7

If I were the engineer responsible I’d make it so light came on when power cut only when the lid was up so when charging it you’d have lid down. Perhaps it’s like that?

#8

Ahhhh, I see what you’re saying and I like that idea. Based on what I could tell while examining it, there are no sensors to tell whether the lid is up or down. You manually lift up on it to “inflate” it and push it back down when you are done. The light would only turn on/off when pushing the button, and wasn’t affected when “inflating/deflating” the top lid. But I think it would be great for power outages if it did have that feature built in to future designs!

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#9

That’s exactly the example where they should place these in hands of real people before releasing…

I’m a fan of “testing club” as it’s a win-win, better products released, fewer disatisfied returning. Hoping they read this and bring back “we love testing” program. I know not many units can go out at the higher end but something like this giving say 3 to selected community members a couple of months earlier under NDA (I was testing the Soundcore X10 and kept quiet for 3 months til released) would really help Anker.

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#10

If you watch the video on Amazon starting around the 40 second mark it shows a “demo”. I can’t find a pdf of the manual to get more information.

EDIT: Found this in the questions section on the Amazon posting:

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#11

When we did boy scout camping years ago, I had a different thing that was a powerhouse like device. Battery, car jump starter, air pressure, 2 plugs, and a light… We were no where near the car but were in tents. So it was just good to keep phones and stuff charged as you may take video or pics of the kids doing activities.

The SOS thing was more if you had a wreck at night and you do not have the ability to use your cars power or I have even had a few situations where my car battery has went dead. Was just using that an alternate reason to maybe having the SOS. With kids, I have had a few times where they have turned on the inside car light and either ran the battery down or I have caught it before it got ran down.

Yes for the most part a lot of folks would not keep it in their vehicle due to heat but I could see my brother having this and taking it with him when he went fishing which would be a lot during the summer…

#12

I keep such a thing in my car’s boot , got 2 of them for less cost than this 1 new product.

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Thinks: why didn’t this product have a jump-starter function? The size of the thing means it suits car-camping so a use for car starting could punch the product to the next level.

Also a flashlight is more useful as you can narrow a beam to do some detailed looking or if to illuminate a space place behind a water bottle or to the roof.

I also like items to be either waterproof or small enough to go in a dry bag.

FYI those 2 starters never started the vehicles of those I gifted to but they loaned to others who vehicles weren’t starting (and they worked too).

#13

And now I just read your responses in your voice :rofl:

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#14

Was it incredibly southern? Did you add extra syllables in some of the words?! Ha ha ha!!

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#15

com-gif-maker

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#16

That’s good!! I actually laughed out loud!! :rofl::rofl::rofl:

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#17

Confirming this. You can turn on the lamp and it’s lit before you pull it up. IOW, the lamp works whether it’s popped up or not and it works if it’s pulled up partially, too. I don’t see any consumer advantage to that exactly, but maybe you’re in your tent, you think you hear something (and let’s be honest it’s always a bear), so you tap the light while it’s collapsed. A small amount of light is emitted, which is probably good, human eyes being how they are.

#18

@professor I mean this with all due respect, but I wonder, are you aware of how often your comments here are read as criticism? As a company we are very open to feedback, and as a person, I am widely accepting of feedback. But sheesh, your comments are often a bummer to me.

Getting product into the hands of “real users” assumes that opportunity actually exists and that we aren’t testing product at all before releasing it. This isn’t an accurate reflection of how we work.

I saw this product in April.

We released it to our team in April.

We are wide open as a company culture to feedback from real users, and trust me when I say, it’s honest feedback. Why? Because we’re all in this together and continued improvement only happens with a team. No product is perfect at release. It just isn’t. That’s exactly what makes this work so appealing – we iterate.

Testing club will be addressed but my focus right now is on creating a program that incentives members of the forum to share their knowledge of products. I’ve come to realize, respect and appreciate how deep that well actually is.

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#19

I agree. Its size and weight mean it’s suited for home and camp use. I drive a lot of mountain passes in winter in the Rockies, so having safety equipment is important. Chains, an avalanche shovel, flares … or this lamp that also charges my devices should I become stranded. I wouldn’t leave it in my car, but I’d remember to toss it in my emergency kit before taking off for a backcountry trip in winter.

#20

The unit uses LiFePO4 batteries; there are very few jump start type of devices (and none by major brands) out there using that battery chemistry. I’ve tried looking for them in the past and it just isn’t in the market yet.

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