Product test - Roman Portable Power Pack 44Ah

Words and photos Dean Mellor

The Roman Portable Power Pack 44Ah (previously Primus) is a handy power back-up for those who don’t have a dual-battery system installed in their vehicle, as well as for four-wheel drivers simply after an extra back-up to power and charge electrical devices away from their vehicles.

Although I have a dual-battery system in my own vehicle, I often use my Engel fridge in test vehicles that have no such power back up, and so I run the risk of a flat starting battery if I leave the fridge on overnight. To overcome this, I run the fridge off the vehicle’s 12V power supply while driving and then plug it into the Portable Power Pack at night.

The Portable Power Pack weighs in at 16kg and it has a tough ABS housing with a big carry handle and a selection of power outlets including a 12V/15A cigarette lighter socket, a 12V/15A heavy-duty merit socket and a 5V/2A USB port, the latter handy for charging phones and other mobile devices. Power storage comes courtesy of two 22Ah AGM batteries, and the pack is supplied with 240V AC and 12V DC charging cables.

Charging via 240V only takes a couple of hours or so and there’s also an Anderson socket connection for charging via a solar panel. The 12V DC input only allows for trickle charging which is not sufficient to completely top-up the batteries throughout the day.

The pack has a digital voltage/amperage display, a low battery warning light and alarm, and overload protection with a resettable circuit breaker.

I charge the power pack every three months (as recommended) when not in use to maintain peak performance. The product is covered by a 12-month warranty; I’ve had mine for a couple of years now and it still works as expected. My only gripe is the fact it doesn’t charge quickly using the supplied 12V DC power cable.

Details

What: Roman Portable Power Pack 44Ah

Price: $429

Where: outdoor.companionbrands.com.au