Batteries are in everything these days: cameras, laptops, GPS, phones, drones, headphones. And they’re never big enough. I wish they were extremely small and power the devices for years. Alas, in the real world, there just isn’t enough juice to always have a full charge.
Fortunately Goal Zero know how to make a good battery pack.
They make batteries from tiny battery packs for you phone up to massive units that can power your house.
The Goal Zero Sherpa 100 AC is in between. At about 2 pounds, it’s not going to fit in your pocket but it easily fits in a backpack to charge all your electronics on the go. The 94 watt hours (wH) can charge a GoPro camera around 19 times, phone 7 times or a laptop 1.5 times. This all depends on the size of your batteries but that’s still a ton of charge for a tablet sized battery.
See all our other battery pack and power station reviews.
The 94 watt hours is just about the biggest battery you can fly with as well, which makes it a deadly travel partner if you need to stay powered up.
Let’s check out the specs and then get into what makes the 100AC so awesome.
Specs of the Sherpa 100AC
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$449.95 CAD ($299.95 USD)
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94.72Wh (25600 mAh)
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2 60W USB-C ports
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1 100W AC port
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2 2.4A USB ports
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Qi wireless charging pad
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4 USB cables (Lightning, Micro USB, USB-C and USB-C to USB-C)
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Recharge and charge at the same time
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8mm solar charging port
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2 lbs
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OLED display for charging info in and out
Pros to the Sherpa 100AC
What are the things that make the 100AC stand out?
All the Ports
With 2 USB and 2 60 watt USB-C ports, there’s plenty to plug in with here. The Qi charging pad on top, also can charge up a phone with wireless charging.
Either of the 2 USB-C ports can charge a device or charge the battery. The 8mm solar port can also charge the battery from many of the Goal Zero solar panels.
An 100 watt AC port rounds out the ports. Almost any regular electronics or charging cords can plug into this one.
Get your power data with the big screen
When you have limited power, it’s nice to know exactly how much you have left. The OLED display shows number of watts input and output for each of the ports. There’s a spot that shows time to empty as well based on how much energy you’re drawing.
Cons to the Sherpa 100AC
There are always things that could use improvement.
Weight
There are always trade-offs with features and durability. The 100AC is more durable than your average battery, meant to be travelled with and hauled around. All the ports, especially the AC port, are heavier than just USB ports.
All this included though are par for the course when it comes to batteries this big. Most batteries are smaller in weight but much smaller in capacity. It’s difficult to find any batteries that are this big with this much power, except for maybe the 100PD.
Compared to the Sherpa 100PD
The Sherpa 100PD is a similar battery pack to the 100AC reviewed above, also from Goal Zero, but a bit smaller with fewer ports. The 100PD has 1 60W USB-C port that can charge and take a charge, 2 regular USB ports and the Qi charging pad on top.
The 100PD 1.4 pounds is a bit lighter than the 100AC’s 2 pounds. It includes a smaller screen with only the percentage full. For battery capacity it still manages to match the 100AC with 94.7 Wh or 25600 mAh.
For me it all comes down to ports on these guys. Obviously the size and weight of the 100PD is much smaller and lighter but if you need the AC port and 8mm solar port then the 100AC is going to be a better unit for you.
Conclusion
Do I recommend the Sherpa 100AC battery pack from Goal Zero. Definitely. For the right person.
The 100 AC isn’t for the lightweight hiker looking to power their tiny phone and inReach Mini for a 2 week trip. The smaller Flip 30 or something similar would be better for that.
It’s for for travellers with laptops. For outdoor creatives and digital nomads with camera equipment. For the mobile office type who like to work anywhere and get through a full day, or more, with all their electronics.
Depending on what ports you need the smaller and lighter Sherpa 100PD might suit you better. Either way you decide to go, you’ll get quality build and good support from Goal Zero and many, many hours of extra charge on your trips.
