Small size and portable vs. power for outages that last more than a few days may represent attributes that cannot be reconciled. I live in hurricane alley and have toyed with various options. By far the simplest, most dependable, and most robust for power delivery is an easily obtainable 12 volt 7.2ah SLA battery carried in something like this. It is a bit heavy, but it is very portable. Simply add the 12 volt cell phone vehicle charger of your choice and charge away -- for a long, long time. SLA batteries have low self-discharge, have a long useful life, and are relatively easy to charge. When the battery finally dies(a few years if cared for properly), just replace it with another one.

AFLM,
Thanks for the information on the New Trent iDual-Port Pack IMP50D. I'm going to have to pick one of those up!

I use the Energizer Energi To Go product. It optimally uses two AA Lithium Ultimates (E91), although reportedly AA alkalines will work. The model I purchased has mini and micro USB connectors.

Woot had them on sale about a month ago and I picked up six of them. To be clear, for me they are a emergency use item, not for regular phone charging. In this use, the lithiums are a good fit (cost/shelf life factors).

Yes, I already have a power converter with USB plug. In fact, I got it with this very purpose in mind. But I feel like some other power source would be useful, too. One of threats where I live is tornadoes, and cars can get destroyed.

Thanks for the suggestion, though. On a general note, the more I read our forum, the more impressed I am by the knowledge, civility, and the writing skills of our participants. This is a nice place.

Da Bing

Cellar, will the set-up you suggested also work as an emergency recharge unit for an IPad 2? Also, how do you recharge the battery? Can you do it from a car lighter type socket or do you need an inverter? Is a solar recharge reasonable frm a cost prospective?

I use a powerxtender by iGo. It uses 2 AA batteries and has changeable "tips" so I can use it with different phones/devices. It has worked pretty well for several different types of cell phones, including a razr, blackberry, samsung, and iPhone, and iPad.

-Eric

I don't have an Ipad, but I see no reason why a 7.2ah battery could not do the job with your cigarette lighter adapter.

I have a small 500ma manual charger that I salvaged from another setup that I use to charge the battery. However, I have been looking at one of these for simpler charging.

I have not experimented with solar. If necessary, I plan to recharge the battery during the day with a Honda 4kw generator.

2nd on that unit. I got one for my nephew's grad. You know kids and their electronics, they never anticipate so they are always away from an outlet without a full charge. It's on the smaller side and uses 2 AA ubiquitous batteries.

I have a 75 watt power inverter in the car so I can charge up any of my personal electronics.