4×4 Magazine Australia — November 2017

1588 http://www.4X4australia.com.au

M

Y PORTABLE fridge spends much of

its time sitting in the back of my 4x4,

but I occasionally drag it out and

throw it in the back of a test vehicle,

which means I have to power it from said

vehicle’s starting battery. Of course, the

issue here is that I run the risk of draining

the starting battery, especially if I leave

the fridge on overnight.

I recently bought a 44Ah Primus

Portable Power Pack to overcome this

dilemma. I now run the fridge off the

starting battery during the day (when the

vehicle is running) and swap over to the

power pack at night.

Inside the Primus Portable Power Pack’s

tough ABS housing are two 22Ah AGM

batteries. There are several power outlet

options including a 12V/15A cigarette

lighter socket, a 12V/15A heavy-duty merit

socket and a 5V/2A USB port.

The power pack comes with 240V

AC and 12V DC charging cables, and it

has an Anderson socket connection for

charging via a solar panel (not supplied).

It should be noted that the 12V DC input

is only enough to trickle-charge the power

pack, so you’ll need to find a 240V AC

power source or use the Anderson socket

connection to give it a proper top-up

during the day.

Features include a digital voltage/

amperage display, a low battery warning

(light and alarm), overload protection with

resettable circuit breaker, and supplied

240V AC and 12V DC charging cables.

Weighing in at 16kg, you’d hardly describe

the Primus pack as light, but it’s relatively

compact (330x310x290mm) and easy to

manoeuvre thanks to a sturdy fold-away

carry handle.

If you don’t have a dual-battery set-up in

your vehicle, the Primus Portable Power

Pack could be the ideal power solution.

However, the fact it doesn’t fully charge

via its supplied 12V DC cable is a bit of an

inconvenience and something to keep in

mind. The Power Pack should be charged

every three months when not in use to

maintain peak performance, and it’s

covered by a 12-month warranty.

gear

PRODUCT TEST – PRIMUS PORTABLE POWER PACK 44AH

WORDS AND PHOTOS

DEAN MELLOR

AVAILABLE FROM:

outdoor.companionbrands.

com.au

RRP: $429

WE SAY: Reliable power

back-up

RATED

PORTABLE POWER

THE PRIMUS PORTABLE POWER PACK IS ALMOST THE IDEAL SOLUTION FOR

THOSE WITHOUT A DUAL-BATTERY SET-UP.