The emergency phone charger: how to keep talking, texting and tweeting when the battery runs out

You’ve just made a frantic rush to the airport to catch your flight. You’ve been running non-stop for two days, but you’ve made it. You’re in the departure lounge at your gate, looking at your watch and thinking, “Great, I only have a few minutes before I make that really important call. No problem.”

No problem. After all, you have your mobile phone. But did you have time to charge it before you left? AAAARRRGH! Your phone battery is nearly dead, just when you need it most and there’s no way out in sight.

This has happened to me once or twice, but not anymore. I now have an emergency phone charger in my airplane carry-on luggage and always have a backup power source for my mobile communication link when I need it.

My problems in the airport terminal were solved with a charger that runs on a single AA battery. Cheap, compact and lightweight, I put it away and forget it. When I need it, I just take it out, put the battery in, and plug the phone in. Now I have enough power to talk, tweet or text until I can find the next exit.

An emergency phone charger can come in shapes and sizes to suit any situation. Maybe you’re in the middle of a real emergency: your car has broken down in the middle of nowhere and you don’t have a car charger. If you had an AA-type charger in your bag or glove compartment, then you can be sure that you’ll be able to call when you need it. You could try a solar cell phone charger that stores energy from the sun in an onboard battery. Perhaps a hurricane is coming and you have been evacuated from your home. Then a rope charger that also has a weather band radio would be just the thing to have. Many models of this type come with additional features, such as a radio, a flashlight, or an AC outlet to power small appliances. These devices may not be the most portable, but they offer flexibility and can be a useful addition to life off the grid, or can be pulled out of a closet during an emergency.

So remember to get an emergency phone charger before you run out of power. There really is no reason to suffer with a dead cell phone battery again.