Gear Review: The Powerful and Useful Zeus Portable Jump Starter & USB Charger

The Zeus charges practically every electronic device you own.

As much as we want to get away from it all in the outdoors, we must admit, we're reliant on having enough power on hand these days. Because being stuck in a remote area with a dead vehicle battery and no one around to jump start is a nightmare scenario for many outdoorsmen and women. So is having your cell phone run out of juice deep in the back country during an emergency.

So, what's the solution? How about a portable power supply that can charge your mobile devices, cameras, power tools, and other gear AND give your vehicle a jump start in a pinch?

The good folks at Uncharted Supply Co. have done just that with the Zeus Portable Jump Starter & USB Charger. We recently got the chance to check this useful device out and found it an incredibly useful product for charging all your outdoor gadgets.

The Zeus Portable Jump Starter

The Zeus doesn't look like much at first glance. It's roughly the same size as a brick, about seven inches long by three inches wide and two inches thick. However, the device boasts 20,000 mAhs of power, which Uncharted Supply Co. says is enough to jump start a dead battery in even the largest trucks. More than once. While I didn't get the chance to do a jump start on a car battery with the Zeus, I saw enough of its power capabilities to trust this power bank in an emergency.

The top of one side of the device has an EC5 dock protected by a rubber dust cover. This is where you attach the end of the jumper cables that are included. Just hook up the clamps, wait for the green indicator safety light, connect to the battery, and start the vehicle. Having this device alone is a nice peace of mind, especially if you're off-roading somewhere remote, but Uncharted has made the Zeus infinitely useful by adding two USB ports, and two DC output ports. As if that wasn't enough, they also added a built-in LED light that has three different light modes.

The first mode works as a standard flashlight while the other two flash, helping you signal for help in an emergency. The top of one side of the device has an EC5 dock protected by a rubber dust cover. This is where you attach the end of the jumper cables that are included. Just hook up the clamps, wait for the green indicator safety light and start the vehicle. Having this device alone is a nice peace of mind, especially if you're off-roading somewhere remote, but Uncharted has made the Zeus infinitely useful by adding two USB ports, and two DC output ports. As if that wasn't enough, they also added a built-in LED light that has three different light modes.

The first mode works as a standard flashlight while the other two flash. The second mode signals SOS, helpful for an emergency. I should mention everything here feels high-quality and built to last. There's nothing cheap about the Zeus or any of the components. It feels like it was built to last, and we dig it. Durability is one of our big sticking points when it comes to any piece of gear.

In addition to the jumper cables, Uncharted packages a combo USB charging cable with three different port ends to fit everything from the most expensive iPhone to my cheap Motorola smart phone.

The Zeus charges everything.

We mean it. To my surprise, The Zeus arrived at my house fully charged and ready to go straight out of the box. My first test was simply to charge my cell phone, which it did quickly. After that, I decided to see what the Zeus could really do. For a full week, the Zeus was the only thing I used to charge my phone. It wasn't until about eight days later that the battery life indicator on the side indicated that the Zeus was due for a charge itself. The unit has a DC input device and two charging cables. One is a cigarette lighter power adapter and the other is a standard wall plug.

The Zeus is a heavy-duty device. It took about six or seven hours for it to fully charge again, but based on the output you get, it's more than worth it. We can see this device as being great for backcountry backpackers or even trail through hikers to keep their phones in working order, giving peace of mind to family members back home. I could easily see a hiker getting two weeks of charges out of the Zeus if they were to power down their phone for part of the day, saving even more battery.

However, the Zeus doesn't just charge phones. After my initial tests, I got curious to see what else I could power up. Fortunately, I have a bevy of electronic gadgets that fit the bill. The answer is that the Zeus charges everything. I powered up a drone, and a GoPro camera. I was also simultaneously testing a scent control hunting product called the Zerotrace. That product used rechargeable lithium batteries and I couldn't help but notice those batteries used USB. Sure enough, the Zeus charged them too without the use of the Zerotrace's battery charger. In one of the more unusual uses I found, I was even able to use the Zeus to charge a Playstation 4 video game controller!

This would be a great backup for anyone who uses power tools in the outdoors on a regular basis. I quickly found that the possibilities are nearly endless. If it has a compatible port, the Zeus will keep it powered. Talk about a useful device for hunting, fishing and camping purposes.

The bottom line.

The Zeus is one of the coolest outdoor products we have gotten the chance to test this year. The build quality is excellent, and it has a bevy of uses beyond just being a backup device to keep in your car next to the first aid kits in case of a dead battery. It wouldn't be a bad emergency power option for a bugout bag or disaster kit too. I can already see myself breaking this out in case of an extended power outage in the cold winter months. The Zeus retails for about $150. For more information, see the Uncharted Supply Co. website. It would make a great holiday gift for that outdoorsman or woman who is hard to shop for.

For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels. 

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