Any advice on 'on the move' phone chargers?

I would get a battery pack, they have become very inexpensive. You charge the battery using a USB cable from the wall or your computer. And you charge your phone from the battery with a USB cable, too.

They have little $5.00US batteries at my local computer store, they’re at the cash register for impulse purchases like candy at the grocery store. I bought one and I’m happy with it. It almost charges my phone once.

Solar is much more expensive, and I don’t think worth the trouble unless you are traveling in the wilderness without AC power. I don’t know about hand-cranked models.

It is very easy to judge the size of the backup and see what you get for your money.

Battery capacity is measured in milliampere hours (mAh). For example, the iPhone 5c has a 1,507 mAh battery.

So a 3,000 mAh backup would charge an iPhone 5c about twice. A 10,000 mAh battery would charge the phone six times.

If you are charging a larger device like a tablet, make sure the battery has a charging output of 2 amps (2,000 milliamps). Tablets and some bigger phones need 2 amps.

I’m with @Call_Me_Jay – a battery pack. The bigger the better, with weight being the only limiting factor.

But if you use them, be sure you keep them topped off. Nothing worse than a totally depleted battery charger when you need to charge something.

I have both solar and battery chargers. By far the most practical is the battery jump pack. I recharge it with the usb solar panel just for the hell of it sometimes.

I read on TripAdvisor, so many people talking about solar chargers that hang on your backpack. Apparently they use them a lot in amusement parks (like Disney) so they can take pix all day without fear of the battery dying. I see them on Amazon for less than $25.

Thanks. I had thought the battery packs were expensive. Some are, of course, but I’ve seen an Anker one on amazon for cheap. Do you think it matters which brand I get?

Check Costco. You don’t need to be a member to order 99% of the items on their site.
http://www.costco.com/cell-phone-chargers-batteries.html

Anker makes great batteries and jump packs. I have several

Anker gets very good reviews.

Battery packs are very convenient, but you have to balance the size/weight vs what you really need. Solar is nice because the energy is free. The problem is that it is slow and you have to face it straight to the Sun (which when backpacking, is not easy). Also, solar does not work on cloudy days.

I’d personally go with a portable battery pack over solar or wind-up. I have the Anker Astro 6700mAh portable battery and absolutely love it. I use it for long backpacking trips and travel, and don’t do either without it. It’s around 5oz, very well made and can fully charge my iPhone 6 quickly, 2.5 times. They do take some time to recharge, but the speed at which it’ll recharge my phone makes it worth it. This model is currently $24 on Amazon, so the price won’t break the bank. I’m sure there are many others that would compare, so shop around.

Apple’s reserve battery case is the Apple of reserve battery cases.

As usual, every conceivable innovation has been applied to it.

Update: I got a little Anker one which I think is great. My phone is playing up – must get it fixed but that’s a palaver in itself – so having the charger on hand is a great convenience. I have bought a few for Christmas presents!

I have the little 3000 mAh Anker too. It is good enough for a few days’ backpacking or a long day of robotics competitions.