Finding a one stop solution for charging your devices on a trek is not easy. Not all devices are compatible when it comes to charging. Carrying extra batteries for each device can be frustrating. Spare Batteries are expensive. They also tend to discharge fast on treks.
Luckily Anker Astro Pro2 Power bank gives us hope. The second generation Powerbank may as well be what Outdoor enthusiasts are looking for. We give out 5 reasons why Anker Astro Pro2 is an expedition worthy power bank for Trekkers.
1. Anker Astro Pro 2 has all the power you need to last you on a long Himalayan Trek. It comes with a whopping 20,000 MAH battery. This means you can charge an Apple IPAD more than three times. Or a Smartphone over six to seven times.
2. Anker Astro Pro 2 has a smart three port charging system that can charge multiple devices faster. The smart port technology detects the connected device and decides the best charging option. The result is faster charging up to three devices. The high-speed charge achieved of 3 Amps DC output is impressive. Further, there are 9/12 Volt ports that have a charging speed of 4.5 amps. The LCD display unit shows the remaining power, output, input and voltage selection statistics.
3. Believe it or not, you can charge your expensive DSLR Cameras with this unit. This comes as a life saver for Photographers, Videographers. Anker Astro Pro 2 with its multi-voltage port gives the option to apply a smart hack. You will need a ‘Dummy Battery pack coupler’ as a medium. This battery pack assembly is available for Canon and Nikon DSLR models.
4. Anker Astro Pro 2 is well suited for the outdoors. A superior aluminum body construction ensures it can withstand occasional drops or bumps. It weighs around 830 gram which is decent for a power bank of this class.
5. Anker Astro Pro 2 smart battery management system works well at higher altitude. It has 10 to 20 percent less battery drain when compared with regular power banks. This is useful for trekkers as every unit counts.
Final Impressions
The power needs of devices used on treks is an important consideration. Devices like smartphones, GPS Handset, Camera’s, Portable action video cameras have different power needs. Luckily, Anker Astro Pro series comes as a viable option.
We appreciate its smart charging capabilities. Further, the option to charge DSLR Camera’s makes it a game changer. For those who are looking for Laptop charging capabilities can opt for a 19 Volt model.
We are willing to ignore its weight for its features. It comes out a true expedition worthy power bank.
The Power bank is 30 per cent cheaper in U.S. It is available on Amazon India at INR 7,995.
Lead & Second Picture: Androidpolice.com
WANDER THE HIMALAYAS 
Let me state off-the-cuff that I do not agree with your conclusions in this article. Now that the cat is out of the bag, lets evaluate your conclusions in a more empirical and logical manner.
1. It comes with a whopping 20,000 MAH battery. I agree, but so do 2 power banks at 10,000 MAh. With two power banks you have a redundancy factor built in. Not only do these two power banks weigh less than 2/3s of what the Anker does (Each weighs between 215-250 grams: source Amazon India) but they are substantially cheaper at under Rs 1500 each, again less than half of what Anker Pro 2 costs.
2. Anker Astro Pro 2 has a smart three port charging system that can charge multiple devices faster. Excellent but two power bank can do the same, albeit with less “smart” system. I do not see how having a exact “power remaining” counter helps a trekker. In the field, I need a guesstimate of power remaining and the LED light indicators on most cheap power banks do the job.
3. You can charge your expensive DSLR Cameras and You will need a ‘Dummy Battery pack coupler’ as a medium. A standard DSLR battery, lets take the Nikon D3300 as an example is rated at over 700 shots. 700 images in my opinion, would suffice for most treks. In case you do need more power simply buy a camera battery. Again using the Nikon D3300 as an example, a new genuine battery costs under 2300 on Amazon India. Therefore, with a new battery and 2 power banks we have only spent Rs 5300. Much less than the Anker Pro’s cost of Rs 7,500. While a Dummy Battery pack coupler sounds great, you fail to mention that these cost Rs. 9000 in India. see: [http://www.amazon.in/Lanparte-Portable-Battery-LP-E8-Adapter/dp/B00JWUDMQS/ref=sr\_1\_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1454483523&sr=1-1&keywords=+Lanparte+LP-E8] This is more than the cost of the power bank. Compare this to the cost of an extra camera battery (Rs 2300)
4. A superior aluminum body construction and It weighs around 830 gram. On our winter treks we have realised that aluminium body battery packs perform worse than plastic clad models. This is because aluminium is a better conductor of heat, and therefore cold. This conduction puts these battery packs at a lower core temperature resulting in them depleting faster than their plastic clad cousins. 830 grams is still more than the weight of two 2 battery packs (max 500 grams) and a camera battery (91 grams)
5. Anker Astro Pro 2 smart battery management system works well at higher altitude. This brings me to the the foremost criticism of this article. It is unclear from reading your post and seeing the images whether you have really used this device on actual high altitude treks or are you simply stating facts from its specification sheet? An explanation would be welcome.
Just our two cents. While the geek in me agrees that Anker Astro Pro 2 is a great device and I would love to own one. However, in my opinion it is far from being the best portable power charging device for trekkers. It is far cheaper, more reliable and less weight to go with multiple generic power banks and extra camera battery / batteries.
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Thanks Bharat for giving an exhaustive counter view. I will try to revert by going point-wise.
1. The standard power banks you are referring (10,000 MAH ) are prone to battery drain. I have encountered pathetic battery backup on 5,500 (SONY) and 10,000 MAH (PNY BE) batteries on long expeditions at an average altitude of 16,000 feet. This brought me in a quest for looking for a smart alternative. The tradeoff of a few grams of weight is inconsequential. The factor of product costing I will discuss later.
2. You should research more about the smart powering capabilities of Anker Astro Pro2 before putting this point. They are not built like traditional Power banks. Because of D.C option, it can smartly calculate the power charging requirements of different devices. This does not come with normal Power Banks. The gain is your device charges faster.
Again you are looking at the matter of economics (what is cheaper). Not everyone looks for devices with that consideration. Quality, Performance, reliability are important considerations for some.
3. I have heard many field photographers always complaining about how to charge their expensive Camera’s and video shooting equipment. The modern need for doing video shoots, astrophotography requires battery backup.People who go on expeditions for a long duration on field work need easy one stop solutions to powering their equipment. Are you aware Anker 1st Gen model can also charge a notebook/laptop (19 Volt). How many power banks you listed can do that? Maybe in a conservative, price conscious niche, Anker may look expensive. But you missed the point where we mentioned you can get it 30 percent cheaper if purchased from the USA. It will cost your approximately 5500 INR if bought from the USA. As for the additional cost of Dummy Pack Coupler, the links to the site are included. It has the costs mentioned. We do not see any reason for mentioning the cost of those add-ons. Readers are smart and those interested will spend an extra five minute accessing the links enclosed. Again my view on this is not to look at the product with a price consideration. In that respect, we will agree to disagree.
4 – 5. The Anker Battery was field tested by a family friend of mine who has been using it for past 9 months in Canada and Alaska. He has great things to say about its battery strength. With his recommendation came the blog. You are taking the article as a product review. This has been written as a product recommendation. Please don’t confuse this and have expectations of a full-fledged product review.
Final thoughts: To conclude having One device that can power all your devices better and faster trumps other considerations you mentioned. There always will be people who prefer to be price sensitive and look for hacks. Then there are other people for whom quality, reliability, convenience matter most. My premise is for the other lot. People who don;t mind paying for something better. I rest my case.
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@Bharat – Was just going through your comments. Allow me to put the cat back in the box and throw a lid at it. Pardon me for saying this but you appeal to me as both ignorant and arrogant individual. That said, having personally used the device, I can vouch for the fact that Anker Astr Pro 2 is a great power pick for travelers and trekkers and provides multi-utility power backup option.
Rather, out of curiosity and to further enhance my general awareness, I encourage you to share the details of those 1-2A plastic 10k mAh power banks which were able to charge a DSLR for you. Yes, the ones that cost less than INR 1500! Also to add, I do not comprehend your understanding of the “smart” functionality that this article mentioned. I hope you did not assume that a mere display screen makes the device smarter, because if you did – You should have searched for Anker Astro Pro 2 device on amazon before digging in and slapping links for Dummy packs here. About the images, they clearly state – smart ports, multi-voltage port. I’d leave you to do further research on this now that you have read this far. Besides, was wondering what did you mean by “our” two cents?
@Himalayan Wanderer – Thank you for writing an article about this. Great article as always. I believe we have may enthusiasts who have both the will and money to pursue such outdoor excursions but not enough time to research on such innovative things. This would really such folks! Right Bharat?
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