Jump Packs

[jeepnik]

Mine's getting old. Doesn't hold a charge. So any recommendations. Not looking for one with inflaters, lights, etc. Just a good hi amp unit.

[FLINT]

This guy has some really good product testing videos

https://youtu.be/AXXuWL3l5qo?si=vcVHR8tPcCtn9n5b

https://youtu.be/jlK7UWHD3sY?si=rpTqAIYYF7NfYzMn

Here are a couple recent ones he did on jump starters.

I bought 8 gooloo jump starters at work and we've used them a ton and have started 12 passenger vans many times with them.

I have a noco boost at home and have used it and it works.

Those seem to both be popular brands on Amazon

[JimT]

OH! I thought you were getting ready to jump out of an airplane.

[samsi]

OH! I thought you were getting ready to jump out of an airplane.

I did too! That or some kind of bug out bag type thing.

I had a jump start pack around 2005-07, never used it, went bad and I never replaced it. With all the advances in battery technology I imagine there are some great units out there now.

[AmBraCol]

Like Jim, I thought "airplane", followed by "bug out bag" maybe?

I've been looking at those for a while, but have never picked one up. We only run one vehicle and if it needs a battery we replace it. I've thought of getting one as a means of helping others, but again, haven't had much call for that either. All that being said, I'm curious as to what others have come up with and their experiences with them.

We DO use "power banks", especially when traveling. Much safer to plug a power bank in to get a charge at an airport or other place and to use it to charge your phone instead of plugging your phone into some unknown, possibly hostile, port at a random place in a random city. Some of those jump packs come with a power bank function which would make them even more useful.

[Steve in MO]

I've got a CAT battery pack that I've been using for the last three years or so. It's got the tire inflator, USB ports, A/C port, jumper cables, all the things. The tire inflator has been a lifesaver more than once, and the USB ports have kept all the grandkids electronics charged up on long trips. I liked it so much I got one for each of our cars and one for my oldest son and his wife. I consider it just as essential as the water, emergency blankets and MREs that I keep in each vehicle.

[Malamute]

I have a Noco 1000 amp jump pack. Its quite compact, the unit itself is about the size of an old VCR tape. I never would have believed it was capable of making multiple jumps between charges, but it has. The first guy that jumped me, I asked how many jumps it will do before needing to be charged, he said he didt know, hed had it 6 months or so, used it several times and hadnt recharged it yet. I tend to recharge mine after each use, either on the cig lighter in the vehicle while driving or on 110 house current.

https://no.co/gb40

On 2 occasions I needed a jump and people had one of these. I looked into them and bought one at auto zone I think, for about $100. walmart and tons of other places have them.

Im done calling around or asking strangers for a jump, or being stuck without help. They make more powerful ones, but this does everything Ive needed. The auto zone guy said this was the most popular size, and very little returns or problems with them. Online info of users seemed to support that conclusion.

Forgot to mention, it has a USB out port also, so can charge or power a phone or computer if need be.

[jeepnik]

OH! I thought you were getting ready to jump out of an airplane.

I don't do airplanes. I do un-retarded drops from HH-43 Husky helos. Of course mine resulted in a stint in the base hospital.

[jeepnik]

I have to confess, the reason I need a new jump pack is all my fault. I don't drive my '78 Ford that much, and I usually keep a battery maintainer on it. But, I took it off to use on my Jeep. So battery went low and I went to use the pack. It was flat and wouldn't charge. Then again, if I hadn't needed it at home, I wouldn't have known it was bad. So there's my silver lining. And yes, I have already bought a second maintainer.

I do learn. Often very, very slowly, but I do learn.

[piller]

OH! I thought you were getting ready to jump out of an airplane.

I don't do airplanes. I do un-retarded drops from HH-43 Husky helos. Of course mine resulted in a stint in the base hospital.

Why do you think we called that "Dope on a rope!"? Glad you are OK.


We have a couple of those rechargeable jump starters we keep in our cars. They work. Get at least 1000 amps of power. Anything less will not be enough for a totally dead battery or 6 cylinders and up.

[jeepnik]

OH! I thought you were getting ready to jump out of an airplane.

I don't do airplanes. I do un-retarded drops from HH-43 Husky helos. Of course mine resulted in a stint in the base hospital.

Why do you think we called that "Dope on a rope!"? Glad you are OK.


We have a couple of those rechargeable jump starters we keep in our cars. They work. Get at least 1000 amps of power. Anything less will not be enough for a totally dead battery or 6 cylinders and up.

No rope Doc, all freefall. My last one was 2000 amps, so I'm looking for that at least. The Ford has a great big V-8. It takes a bit to crank it. And of course, like are carbureted engines it takes a bit of cranking if it's been sitting. I'm just too lazy to pop the air cleaner cover and give a squirt of starter fluid.

[piller]

The Li Ion packs are more powerful than the NiCd, but keep them dry or they want to imitate a bomb.

[jkbrea]

I bought a Hulkman Alpha85 on Amazon. I used it for years. I lost it or it got ripped off. I got another one. I used it on a 1 ton diesel, an UTV and motorcycle. Never failed me. My UTV had a draw on the battery and would be dead in two days. I could jump it over a dozen times on one charge. First one was $80. Now they're about $100. I got it all to fit in an ammo can and stays in my truck.

[jeepnik]

The Li Ion packs are more powerful than the NiCd, but keep them dry or they want to imitate a bomb.

Lithium ion batteries can get wet. Heck, you can drowned the darned things. They only become a problem when you spray water on them "while" they are burning. In that case it actually uses the O part of H2O to increase the rate of combustion. Other metals like magnesium and beryllium react the same way.

[Molasses]

I'm a little bit late to the thread, but I have used a NOCO GB20 Boost Sport one a lot more than I ever wanted to or probably should have. I borrowed a similar one a few years ago for a jump, which encouraged me to get one of my own. Looked on Amazon and picked this particular one due to it being the same brand as the one I had experience with, price and the description making it sound sufficient for starting vehicles with engines the size of what we own.

Long story here:
Our 20-year old Ford is rusted away on the undercarriage to the point where the local garage mechanics invited me to look at it while it was on the lift as they explained that they don't want to work on it anymore, due to the likelihood of breaking bolts, etc. So I pretty much quit putting money into upkeep on it and have been planning on replacing it "soon" for about the last 18 months.. Last winter, the battery quit being able to turn it over on the colder days. Started using the little battery pack to jump it. Battery got to be bad enough to need help getting the thing started both before and after work any time it got into low single digits or colder. Fast forward to this winter, I am still driving the Freestyle the mile and a half to and from work and now it needed help starting even when it was in the 20s. We got a spell of below zero temps fairly early in December, so I was really using the daylights out of the pack. Since all of those jumps were to and from work, the battery pack was left in the car, sometimes all week, without getting a recharge and was sitting in the vehicle at the ambient temperature in between uses. Never failed to get the engine running. I finally caved because I was tired of going through the jumping procedure and replaced the battery about a week before Christmas.

This particular battery pack is small, measuring about 7" x 3.25" x 1.75", or in other words, about the size of a slightly large burrito. It charges via a USB port and has a USB out port that can be used for charging cell phones or other devices, in addition to the plug that the jumper cable-esque cord uses. It does have two small lights built into the outer shell on the jumping plug end, which I was thinking negative thoughts about until working on jumping the car in the dark, which changed my mind right on the spot.

Here, with a 4" K frame for size reference:

IMG_20260118_091131365.jpg

[fordwannabe]

I have the NoCo GB45, LOVE IT! It is rated for up to 6 liter diesel trucks and has performed well. My wifes King Ranch the alternator died and the battery went dead at work. I drove out and hooked the NoCo to the battery bungied it in place and drove 20 miles home on just the jump pack. I bought wife and son one for their vehicles.