MagSafe Monday: Pelican’s MagSafe Battery Pack is the battery built to go anywhere

A few weeks ago, I wrote about why the Pelican MagSafe Wallet is my favorite wallet for the fall, and the short version was that it’s built for being out and about. The Pelican MagSafe Battery Pack is the exact same idea applied to a power bank: a 5,000mAh MagSafe battery wrapped in a hardshell that’s meant to tossed around,

MagSafe Monday: Every Monday, Bradley Chambers looks at the latest and greatest in the MagSafe and wireless charging industry to help you get the most out of your Apple devices that support wireless charging.

Most MagSafe batteries are built for knowledge worker travel. Smooth plastic, a glossy finishe, and a body that picks up scratches the first time it shares a pocket with your keys, AirPods, etc. Pelican has been making cases for cameras and gear that survive the back of a truck for a long time, and their MagSafe pack carries that over. The hardshell exterior is designed to handle bumps and scratches, and the battery inside is protected rather than the thing doing the protecting.

For hiking, a day at the park, a camping trip, or a weekend of yard work with an audiobook going, this is the right trade-off.

Pelican MagSafe Battery Pack charging and capacity

The Pelican MagSafe Battery Pack is 5,000mAh, which is about one full charge for a standard iPhone and a solid top-up for a Pro Max. It charges via MagSafe at up to 15 watts, and the magnets are strong enough to stay put while the phone is in a jacket pocket or clipped to a backpack strap. It also works with any Qi device, so AirPods or a Samsung phone with a magnetic case will charge on it.

There’s a USB-C port for anything without MagSafe, with USB output and a short cable in the box. Four LEDs on the side show its remaining charge, which is still the simplest way to know whether to grab the battery or the wall charger before you walk out the door.

Two things to know going in. This is a 15-watt battery, not a Qi2.2 25-watt model, so it won’t match the fast-charging speeds you’ll see on the newer MagSafe batteries. For an outdoor MagSafe battery that spends most of its time topping up an iPhone in a pocket, I don’t think that matters much. The bigger one is the recharge speed. It recharges fairly slowly, so plug it in when you get home, and it’ll be ready by morning, but don’t expect to charge it in the car, though

Wrap up on Pelican MagSafe Battery Pack

The best MagSafe battery for outdoor life is one designed for the outdoors. The Pelican MagSafe Battery Pack sacrifices some charging speed for a shell that can take a beating without getting damaged.

The Pelican MagSafe Battery Pack is available on Amazon.