5 Anker Accessories That Are Backpacking Essentials

While backpacking is fun and all, it's also quite challenging. And the first challenge that usually comes up is figuring out what to pack in your bag. Of course, clothing, footwear, and a first aid kit are already a given. But what about technology? When you're backpacking in the wilderness for a week or so, you'd probably skip bulky tech gadgets to give way to your shelter, cookware, and toiletries.

If, however, you're only going off-grid for a couple of days or are urban backpacking instead, it's a good idea to include some tech items in your backpack. Just make sure you're picking products that won't crowd your bag and that you'll actually use throughout your trip. Thankfully, there are now plenty of travel-friendly tech items available on the market. Anker, for one, offers mini gadgets that won't eat up space in your backpack. If you're planning on backpacking soon, here are five Anker accessories you might want to add to your list of essentials.

Sleeping in hostels and shared accommodations can be uncomfortable with all the noise around you. For a more restful sleep, you can consider packing a pair of sleep earbuds like the $200 soundcore Sleep A30 Special from Anker. The Sleep A30 Special essentially works like regular earbuds that stream audio from your phone, but they're shaped like earplugs that sit flush in your ear. Yes, they don't have the usual stems, making them comfortable to wear even if you're sleeping on your side.

But beyond audio streaming and comfort, what the Sleep A30 Special actually offers is ambient noise reduction to help you sleep better. To achieve this, it features a combination of three sound-blocking technologies — passive isolation, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), and Adaptive Snore-Masking. The passive isolation comes from the secure in-ear seal design, while the ANC relies on the built-in microphones on the earbuds. Meanwhile, the Adaptive Snore-Masking Technology uses the charging case, which can detect snores in real time then mask them by playing audio through your earbuds.

The soundcore Sleep A30 Special also helps you wind down faster with white noise options and sleep stories from the popular wellness app Calm. You can access them from the soundcore app and listen all night long (the earbuds can last between eight and ten hours but extend up to five nights with the charging case). During the daytime, you can use the earbuds for normal everyday listening like tuning in to podcasts and answering calls.

Design-wise, the earbuds come with soft silicone tips for comfort. If you prefer better noise reduction over comfort, though, you can always swap out the silicone tips for the foam tips included in the box. Moreover, the ear wings are also available in different size options.

Travel backpacking across multiple countries means encountering all sorts of wall outlets. There's one with rectangular holes in the shape of a triangle and another that looks like two round holes. Since American electrical plugs are entirely different from European and even U.K. ones, you'd normally just bring a complete set of adapters. Unfortunately, this isn't always the most convenient solution, especially when your backpack is already full of other essentials. As an alternative, you can go with the $80 Anker Universal Charger instead.

It's built with U.S., U.K., and EU plugs and supports 100 to 275V inputs. This lets you safely use it in at least 200 countries. In terms of size, the charger is a bit chunkier than your regular chargers. But at 3.74 x 1.98 x 1.59 inches and 0.58 lb., it should still fit nicely in your backpack. Plus, the prongs are retractable to make the charger easier to pack away.

Other than the universal prongs and compact size, the Anker Universal Charger is worth adding to your backpack because of its ability to conveniently handle four devices at once. It includes three USB-C ports and one USB-A port, letting you charge your phone, action camera, wireless earbuds, and smartwatch simultaneously. If you're bringing a laptop and want to get the fastest charging speed, you can plug it into either the first or second USB-C port, which outputs a maximum of 100W (when no other devices are connected). This is enough to top up a 14" MacBook Pro M5 to 50% in 30 minutes. The third USB-C port can deliver up to 15W when it's the only port used, while the USB-A supports 12W.

While some power banks and chargers already offer built-in cables, you'd still want to have a backup cable in your backpack just in case. To be on the safer side, you can even carry two. But two separate cables can easily take up space in your backpack and make it more cluttered than you'd like. To avoid the hassle, there's a 2-in-1 USB-C to USB-C Cable you could get from Anker instead.

Priced at $18, it features a single USB-C connector on one end that splits into two USB-C connectors on the other. The main cable is three feet long, while each of the end connectors are a foot long, totaling four feet. If you need something longer, there's a six-foot variant available for purchase.

With the Anker 2-in-1 USB-C to USB-C Cable, you can charge two devices from a single charger simultaneously. The cable distributes power between the two devices as needed. If one is already fully charged, the other device can draw the full output from the charger as long as it supports it. When used on its own, though, a single connector is rated for up to 140W. That can get a 16" MacBook Pro M3 Pro to 50% in just 20 minutes, when paired with a compatible charger. This 2-in-1 USB-C to USB-C Cable also allows data transfers at a rate of up to 480 Mbps, handy when you want to transfer photos from your camera to your laptop during your journey.

Since you'll use this cable on the go, it's important to consider the durability too. This USB-C to USB-C cable is designed with a braided nylon exterior and is durable enough to withstand 10,000 bends.

If you're urban backpacking, you usually won't go a day without having access to a wall outlet to charge your devices. But if you're wilderness backpacking, you'd want to have power on the go. One of the best Anker power banks for the job is the $120 Laptop Power Bank 25,000mAh.

While high-capacity, this power bank is still small enough to easily fit in your backpack. In fact, it's about as big as a soda can, measuring 6.18 by 2.12 by 1.93 inches and weighing 21 ounces. Despite the handy size, though, it's pretty packed with features.

For one, it comes complete with a USB-C port with a maximum of 100W output and a USB-A port with up to 33W output. Other than the ports, there are also two cables built into the power bank, measuring 2.3 feet and 0.98 feet, respectively, and delivering 100W each. That means it only takes 25 minutes to charge an iPhone 16 to 50% and 33 minutes to charge a 16" MacBook Pro M3 to 50%. The power bank itself should last you about 4.5 full charges on the iPhone 16 before needing a recharge.

Conveniently, you'll also find a smart display on the front of the power bank. This tells you the remaining recharge time, battery left, and other relevant information like the battery health, temperature, and input and output wattage.

High-capacity power banks are undeniably useful when backpacking, but when you really want to pack light, there's another Anker power bank worth taking on your trip: the $30 Nano Power Bank 5,000mAh. Unlike other phone power banks, the pocket-friendly Nano 5,000 mAh isn't as big as your mobile device. It's significantly smaller, measuring only 3 by 1.4 by 1 inches and weighing 3.5 ounces. It also comes with a built-in USB-C connector that's foldable for easy storage. When it's time to use the power bank, just push out the connector and plug it directly to your phone. You won't need to hold a separate power bank or bother with wires.

The Nano Power Bank 5,000mAh supports fast charging at 22.5W, but keep in mind that it wouldn't match the charging speed of your 30W+ wall charger. For instance, an iPhone 15 will take about half an hour to reach 43% with this power bank. Another trade-off to consider is its small capacity. Since the power bank only has a 5,000mAh capacity, you generally won't be able to fully charge an empty phone. It can, however, still charge a Galaxy S23 Ultra to 60% and an iPhone 15 to 79%, which should be good enough to get you through the day.

To make up for these limitations, the power bank features pass-through charging. You can charge it while you're charging your phone. Just use the USB-C port on the side of the power bank to connect it to a charger.

Our first criterion when selecting these recommendations was the size. We ensured that our selections weren't too bulky for a backpack. These accessories also had to serve a travel-specific purpose. We only went through with gadgets that either replace a clunky tech item (e.g., a universal charger vs. multiple chargers with different connectors) or make your trip more convenient and comfortable (e.g., sleep earbuds that help with sleeping).