In this era of countless electronics, keeping devices alive on the road can be a constant struggle. So when I was asked if I was interested in reviewing the INIU Cougar P63 100W High Capacity Laptop Power Bank, you better believe that I jumped at the opportunity.
Keeping my laptop charged when we are travelling can be beyond frustrating. If I want to use the 12V plug in the car, I need to make sure that I pack an inverter and then make the space for it to charge while we’re driving. My larger solar generator is impractical if I’m confined to my teardrop trailer due to inclement weather.
Having a reliable, portable laptop charger means that I can stay caught up on work and editing that needs to be done on the go, instead of sifting through hundreds (who are we kidding: thousands) of images and videos when we get home.
While this power bank was given to me by INIU for testing purposes, all opinions are my own and no other consideration was offered in exchange.
This review contains affiliate links. That means if you decide to buy this power bank through my links, I’ll earn a small commission from Amazon at absolutely no extra cost to you. I only review gear I have actually used and abused!
But Is the INIU 100W Power Bank worth it for travel and camping? Check out the INIU website for more info.
INIU P63 Specs at a Glance
| 25,000 mAh / 100W | Current flight-approved maximum |
| Size | 4.3” L x 2.7” W x 1.” D (11 cm L x 7 cm W x 3.6 cm D) |
| Weight: | 14 oz. (~387 g) |
| Ports: | 1 x USB-C in/out (100 Watts) 1 x USB-C out (45 Watts) 1 x USB-A out (18 Watts) Note: if you’re using the 45W USB-C and the USB-A together, they share a combined 15W maximum |
What’s in the Box?
The first thing to notice is that INIU has a 3-year warranty which covers manufacturing defects for their products. That is not an insignificant amount of time for a power bank. Inside the box, you will find a small instruction pamphlet, a warranty card, and the power bank itself with the USB-C to USB-C cable in the lanyard clip. The packaging is minimal which I like.
Click here to check it out on Amazon!
Hands-On Testing: Putting the INIU Cougar P63-E1 100W Power Bank to the Test
As far as I’m concerned, the manufacturer numbers don’t mean a lot without some real-world context.
According to the INIU website, the P63 Cougar power bank can fast charge a MacBook Pro 14” M3 to 72% in 30 minutes from a 20% battery and add up over 17 hours wireless web on a MacBook Pro 13”.
These are great guidelines to keep in mind, however short of a proper lab-based INIU power bank test (which would mean I’d have to buy more gear and would that be such a bad thing?), the only thing I can do is put it through its paces with my devices.
Is this testing subjective? Highly.
Is this a way to see how well it handles real life conditions? It sure is.
My Results
I’m sure you want to know the answers to the big questions: how long to charge and how long to drain?
- Time to full charge from 0%: from just over 2 hours and up to 4 hours with compatible wall chargers. I had the best performance when I used the USB-C plug for my laptop to charge it.
- Time to drain: this was highly variable depending on the devices and how they are being used. It has plenty of juice to keep my power-hungry laptop going on an intensive editing session. I was able to charge my iPhone about four times. I also used it to charge my drone batteries, a Samsung tablet, and the batteries for my Sony camera. These were not all done at the same time but it was able to handle each of them separately.
What I like about the INIU Cougar P63-E1
I had an instant reaction to the feel of this power bank; it reminded me of a smooth river rock. While the power bank appears to be quite chunky, it felt a lot lighter than I expected. The included USB-C to USB-C cable has a lanyard storage feature that I really like and makes keeping track of that cable easy. The cable/lanyard can be used as a handle but is probably better suited to someone who is less clumsy than I am. Or someone who doesn’t have dogs that like to investigate everything. You can charge up to three devices at a time, which is great (depending on the power draw). I did not feel any appreciable heat coming from the power bank, even when I had it hooked up to my laptop.
What Could be Improved
The display screen is huge and takes up quite a bit of space but the readout shows the information on a small portion of the screen. As much as I like the cable/lanyard combination, if I’m going to be using this power bank for camping, I’ll likely add an elastic band or something around the clip to keep it more secure. The charging can be slow depending on the plug you use. I know that’s more of a function of the plug than the bank but if can be a surprise if you just grab the first one you find.
What’s the Verdict?
I think that this power bank is ideal for camping, particularly for outdoor enthusiasts and content creators that need to keep devices like laptops, cameras, drones, and phones powered up and ready to go. I can see this charger being perfect for those days when we’re stuck in the trailer and I have time to kill and it is small enough to tuck into the mesh pockets over top of the doors when we’re done. The INIU P63-E1 100W High Capacity Laptop Power Bank is definitely going to be a regular part of our camping gear.
