People say my iPhone is my best friend. Yes, I am on it or typing on it hours upon hours a day. That puts a lot of strain on the battery and when I travel, finding an outlet isn’t always convenient.

I recently received a VIP box from the good folks at Goal Zero with a Switch 8 Recharger in it. About the size of a roll of Mentos (the fresh maker), I took this little battery pack on a recent trip to Las Vegas. When my phone started getting low I plugged it into the Switch 8 and my phone was about 80% charged in little over an hour. The nice thing was that I put my phone and the charger in my pocket and didn’t miss a call.

I have not tried to recharge it with the Nomad 7 Solar Panels it came with, but I am looking forward to doing so on my next camping trip.

For $39.99, this is a lifesaver for the frequent traveler. www.goalzero.com.