DJI has become a world leader in drones and mobile camera technology. They have pushed the limits of size and weight of drones, gimbals, and microphones.

A major factor in the success of the all DJI products are the batteries. Without strong batteries the gimbals, drones and microphones are tough to use.

Out camping, on road trips, and making content, all these batteries need to be charged. With the Power 1000 and Power 500, DJI are now making the power station, an electrical home base if you will, to reset and charge everything back up.

Building on the success and technology of the Power 500 and 1000 launched in 2024, DJI just released the Power 1000 Mini. Same total 1008 wH capacity as the Power 1000 but in half the size.

DJI says the Power 1000 Mini ‘builds on more than 15 years of dedicated research and development in battery innovation.’

‘With more than 700 battery patents and more than 10 million users globally, DJI batteries have been validated through tens of billions of charging and discharging cycles for drones, cameras, gimbals, microphones, portable power stations, and beyond.’ I never think of DJI has a battery company as well but they have made more than a few.

The Power 1000 Mini is focused is on efficiently charging smaller items like drones, laptops, cameras, and phones. Those aren’t the only things it can power. Anything with AC, USB, or SDC cords or adapters up to the 1000 watt max will charge.

Let’s have a look at the rest of the specs and our testing results.

What’s in the box?

• POWER 1000 Mini power station
• Quick start guide
• Safety guidelines
• AC charge cable
• SDC car port cable
• SDC MC4 solar panel cable

Power 1000 Mini Specs

The Power 1000 Mini is a compact rectangle with a handle on one end and all the ports on the other. All the ports, screen, and light are on one end so you don’t have to go digging around the back to plug anything in.

The top is flat and the handle is flush with the top so it’s easy to pack around. The handle has a grippy material on it. It’s well-placed so it’s easy to pick up one-handed.

Ports and Output

The Power 1000 Mini has a good selection of ports.

• 2 USB-A
• 1 USB-C
• 1 retractable cable USB-C cable (3 feet)
• 4 AC (1 grounded)
• 1 SDC
• 1 AC input

The retractable 100 watt USB-C cord is super convenient for charging everything these days and I can’t lose it. A magnet keeps the end flush with the front panel. I love having the built in cable. Most of what I charge now is USB-C.

90% of my charging is for USB devices. Between phones, tablets, headlamps, camp lights, drone batteries, camera batteries, speakers, laptops, and headphones, theres a lot to charge. The 2 USB-A ports and 2 USB-C ports are always full when we’re getting ready for a trip and at the campsite. I would gladly take more USB ports if they could add them.

The 2 USB-C ports share 150 watts between them. Each can go up to 100 watts if the other isn’t used.

The SDC port stands for Software Defined Charger and can be used with a bunch of other DJI cables. For input to charge the station, cables for the car accessory port or MC4 connectors for solar panels. For output, it has a DC car accessory port and fast charge adapters for many of the DJI drone batteries. If you need multiple SDC ports, the Power 1000 might be better with an SDC and SDC lite port.

The 4 AC ports are good for bigger devices. There’s only 1 with 3 prongs that’s grounded so keep that in mind. I’m rarely on AC so the USB is heavily used. We’ll run a projector or hair dryer on the AC on occasion. If you can run DC through the USB ports it’s more efficient but sometimes it’s not possible.

Charging

There’s 5 ways to charge the Power 1000 Mini.

• AC – Fast charge
• AC – Regular charge
• Solar (through SDC port)
• Car (through SDC port)
• 100 W built-in retractable USB-C cable

The easiest and fastest is the fast charge through the AC port. 800 watts is the max speed on fast charge charging 80% in 58 minutes and 100% in 75 minutes.

Regular charge works well too. Fast charging usually reduces the life of batteries a little quicker so if you want max lifespan, I’d go with regular charging.

There is a car port to SDC adapter available that can charge up to 400 watts as well. DJI says about 160 minutes to charge. I didn’t have one of these adapters to test.

The MPPT module can take up to 400 watts from solar so that would take a couple hours. I will be testing this more when we get some decent sun. Our Pacific Northwest sun isn’t doing much right now.

Screen

The screen is clear and doesn’t take up much space on the main panel. It’s bright and easy to see.

It shows:

• current charge in percent and bar chart
• how many hours power left for what’s plugged in
• input in watts
• output in watts
• Wifi
• Ports that are currently drawing power

A single press on the power button turns the screen off. It is fairly bright so it’s nice to turn off when sleeping. It doesn’t say anywhere the power draw of the screen but obviously it’s something so turning the screen off would save a bit.

Light

The light at the bottom turns on with one click, and then dims or brightens by holding it. It flashes at the brightest and dimmest. A double press turns on the SOS mode.

UPS

If you’re working during a storm and need equipment to keep running, you can use the Mini as a UPS or uninterruptible power supply. In 0.01 seconds it can switch over from AC power to battery power. That’s enough to keep most electronics from turning off and your computer running.

App

The app can control most of the functions on the Power 1000 Mini. After connecting it with Bluetooth and then wifi, it can turn any of the ports on or off individually.

The light can be turned on and off in the app as well.

It’s easy to see how much ower is left and how many watts are going in or out.

For settings, you can set or see a few things

• see internal temperature
• set discharge or recharge limits
• enable a low battery alarm.
• auto-enable AC output when it turns on
• set to recharge fast or slow
• set screen timeout
• set device timeout
• set ac timeout
• set temp units

DJI regularly updates the firmware to fix any bugs or issues they may have found. I had an update pending on mine when I started it up. I connected it to wifi and 10 minutes later it was all updated and had restarted.

Compared to the Power 500 and Power 1000

The Power 100 Mini sits between the Power 1000 and the Power 500 in terms of number of ports, total capacity, and max output.

Video Review

Final Thoughts

DJI know batteries. They’ve only made millions of them for all their drones, gimbals, cameras, and vacuums. Making a home base, a power station, to recharge them all seems like the logical next step. DJI’s more efficient power usage and SDC connections give them an advantage over other power stations, especially if you own any other DJI products.

I find the port selection in a sweet spot of compact size but useful ports. I could always go for more USB ports but that would be at the cost of AC ports I’m sure.

The compact size, flat top, and big handle on the back make it easy to move around. Power stations can get very heavy very quickly. I don’t want to be hauling more than I need to at the end of a long day exploring and packing.

The max output is a bit lower than other power stations but you take a big hit on size to get it. There will be some that need the higher max output for tools or applies but for those that need a lot of juice for lower power devices like phones, cameras and drones, it’s perfect.

Highly recommended

$649 CAD – $479 USD

Discount Codes

$40 USD off at the DJI Store: DJIPOWERCA02 (unit and combos)

$10 CAD off Amazon.ca: DJIPOWER6 (unit only)

More photos from testing

I received a free product sample from DJI to test for this review. This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I believe in. All opinions are my own.

The post Portable Power: DJI Power 1000 Mini Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

My next adventure vehicle build is a Chevy Colorado LT RST that I picked up last year. It’s a good platform for day trips and longer but it needs accessories. Over the coming year, I’ll be kitting it out for short overland trips to camp, bike, fish and kayak. So what does that mean for the racks?

It will need to hold a Thule roof top tent and be able to store a bunch of gear underneath. I have a tri-fold tonneau on the back to keep the gear dry and out of sight. It will need to also mount other things like a gear basket, boat or ski racks in different locations and I don’t want to drill into the bed.

With all those requirements, there only a few products out there that fit. Billie Bars kept coming up as a good option.

This is a review of the Low Profile Bed Bars from BillieBars on a 2020 Colorado LT RST.

The BillieBars Bed Bars

Bed bars are just like a roof rack you’d put on top of your vehicle but across the bed of the truck. They are smaller and lighter than a full rack that would go up the same height as the cab. There are pros and cons to this approach so it depends on how you want to mount everything. For my purposes, they fit perfect.

Billie Bars have a bracket that sits along the side of the bed and clamps under the top rail. Because the vertical part of the bracket is toward the outside, many types of tonneau covers can still fit between the brackets under the bars. My tri-fold tonneau can’t open fully but it’s easy to mount under the bars to keep all my stuff dry.

I like the clamp style bracket for a couple reasons. I can mount the brackets anywhere I want. The rooftop tent, gear basket, boat, bike and ski racks all fit best in different spots. Also, I don’t have to drill holes in the truck.

Tech Specs of the BillieBars Bed Racks

There is 3.5″ clearance under the bars with the 5″ brackets (6.5″ under the 8″ brackets). I got the 5″ brackets. All sides of the bars have t-slots (2 on the top and bottom) if you have any accessories that work with that mount. The 8″ mount gives enough space to roll up some rolling tonneau’s.

Installation

Once the bolts are through the bracket and clamps, installation is fairly quick. I can put put them on in about 20 minutes now. They have good installation instructions to walk you through it all. I found them helpful in seeing what all the parts were.

Steps to install:

• Add all clamps to the brackets with the included bolts
• Place brackets and tighten with 14mm deep socket
• (Optional) Install tonneau
• Place bars in brackets
• Screw Torx screws into bars with included Torx wrench

Tips for installation

I just keep the loosened bolts on the brackets and slide the clamps up and down.

A 14mm deep socket and T40 Torx bit for a screwdriver is faster than the hand tools.

My tri-fold tonneau has clamps at the front and the back. Its easier to put the brackets on, then the tonneau, then the bars. But if I’m putting the tent on by myself, I slide the tonneau in last so I don’t break the tonneau with the tent.

When mounting, make sure the brackets aren’t sitting where the tonneau clamps sit.

Mounting

So what can you put on these bars? Anything. They’ll hold up to 400 pounds moving, 800 not moving, so they can hold quite a bit.

I usually have a roof top tent or gear basket on mine. The Colorado doesn’t have any rails or racks on the roof (still need to get some) so the bed bars are the only place I can mount anything. The bars are 1.57 inches thick so I had to get longer bolts for the Thule roof top tent.

Roof boxes or gear boxes fit well back here too.

(These photos are from the BillieBars website)

Many bike, ski, fishing rod, boat racks fit on the bars. With the thick bars some attachments might not go all the way around and need longer bolts.

Kuat ski rack

With the racks sitting low behind the cab, there’s a riser mount for kayaks and sups if you need to clear the cab.

Kayak and SUP mount

If you just need the front tipped up, there’s a LowPro Kayak Mount Kit.

Mounting awnings is a bit awkward on the bed bars because they’re lower than a roof rack. BilleBars has adjustable awning brackets so you can mount the awning up to 19.75″ higher than the bed rack.

Awning Mount Kit

There are also the Molle Panels that you can mount just about anything to.

Mid-height Molle Panel

Pros

There a lot of things I like about bed bars and BillieBars in particular.

Easy to install

With a few bolts and screws to tighten, the bars are easy to install by yourself in 20 to 30 min.

Strong

800 pounds static load limit is enough for a roof top tent and a couple people.

Won’t rust

Anodized aluminum won’t rust even if they get scratched.

Tonneau compatible

The shape of the bracket means many tonneau types can fit under the bars.

Lots of mounting options

Between BillieBars accessories and third party racks that would fit, roof top tents, gear boxes, bikes and baskets are easy to mount.

Lower than a full roof rack

With the bars sitting at bed level, rather than roof level, they’re easier to access and mount gear. The height keeps boxes and tents out of the wind as well.

Easy to store

With only 2 bars and 4 small brackets, these fit in the garage much easier than a full canopy or bed rack.

Torx screws

The Torx screws are harder to undo than some roberts or philips so they’re harder to pop off and run away with.

Cons

There’s not really anything bad about the BillieBars, just different. There are benefits to mounting things on the roof or higher on a bed rack.

Tonneau hard to open

Some tonneau’s can roll up under the BillieBars. My tri-fold can be installed under them but won’t open fully with them. If the bars are over the second panel, I can still open the first panel. Most of the time I’m just opening the tailgate to get my gear.

Big bars

The big cross bars are super strong and enable more mounting with the t-slots but they are thicker than most regular roof racks. I had to get longer bolts for my roof top tent. Not a big deal though.

Blocks visibility

The bars themselves don’t block much visbility through the back window but mounting anything to them does. Putting tents and boxes on the roof or tall bed rack lets you still see out the back. If you’re packing the box full of gear then that might block it anyways.

Less space underneath

Having a full height rack lets you fit more underneath it. The bed bars are just above the sides of the box, while a full rack will be roof height or more. If you want to fit tall gear or stacking gear under it, then the full height might be worth it.

Closer to the ground

Sometimes the point of having a tent on the top of a rack or canopy is to get it higher off the ground. BillieBars sit just above the bed rails.

Conclusion

BillieBars offer a strong, durable method to mount more on your truck without taking up a lot of space. They are a bit more expensive than a cheap set of roof racks but far cheaper than many canopy and full bed rack options. I like they take up hardly any space in the garage.

Mounting gear is easier since it’s down lower, shoulder height instead of above your head. It didn’t take long to mount the bars and a 130 pound roof top tent by myself. Trying to do that before with an SUV was a 2 person job and left your shoulders burning.

I’ve been impressed with the quality and beefiness of the brackets and bars. I’m going to be sad when they start to get scratched but it won’t affect the performance at all or start to rust. The metal brackets on the roof top tent barely made a mark.

Functional requirements aside, they look amazing on the Colorado and just make it easier to haul more to the trail.

See more on the BillieBars bed bars.

Other Photos

The post BillieBars Truck Bed Bar Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.

The AC70 is a 22 pound power station that’s small enough to carry around but big enough to power your devices for a day or more.

We tested one recently to see how reliable, powerful, and easy to use it is. Can it output up to 2000 watts? Can it charge at 950 watts? Is the app any good?

Here are the results.

(If you are looking for other power stations, check our Power Station Buying Guide.)

Bluetti AC70 Specs

Inputs and Charging

The AC70 has 3 different methods of charging.

Turbo charging

First, the AC from the wall can pull up to 950 watts on Turbo mode and charge to 80% in 45 min and full in about 1.5 hours.

I get about 930 watts testing in turbo mode, a little bit less than the advertised 950 but close. The fan is on steady with this mode and it sounds a bit like a computer doing something intensive.

The fan is never on long when charging at 950 watts as it fills up the 768 Wh so quick.

Standard charging

From the factory, the AC70 is set to standard charging mode which should get about 440 watts in.

In testing it was getting 438 or 439 watts in, nearly the specified 440.

The fan was on but very quiet. It sounded a bit like the fridge when the compressor is running.

Silent/eco charging

Silent charging states about 270 watts which is close to what it gets in reality. I was getting about 267 or 268 watts most of the time.

The fan does run on silent mode but it’s extremely quiet. I couldn’t hear it unless I had my ear right next to the battery.

Charging Cord

The AC70 doesn’t have a big power brick like a lot of the other charging cords. Some other brands have moved to this kind of cord as well but not all. For storage, packing and replacement cost, it’s really nice to not have a huge power brick on the cord.

Solar charging

Solar charging always depends on what sun you’re getting. If you can get 500 watts in from your panels you can charge in about 3 hours.

DC charging

There’s also a DC port that can charge from a DC port in your car (cigarette lighter). It can take up to 500W at 12/24V from car port.

UPS Mode

The AC70 can be charged and charge at the same time. This is handy with it’s uninterruptible power supply (UPS) mode as well.

In 20ms it can switch over from AC power to it’s own battery power. This is handy if it’s looking like the power is going to go out and you need to have a modem and computer running or heaters and pumps on fish tanks.

Outputs

There are 7 outlets total:

• 2 AC 12V/8.33A (1000W. 2000W “lifting power”)
• 2 USB-C 2x100W
• 2 USB-A 5 VDC/2.5A 12W total
• 1 12V/10A car outlet

How long will it charge a Macbook Pro?

Exactly how long things will charge on any battery will depends on how much power it’s using, if you are using it and if it’s AC or USB plugs. Converting the power to AC will take more energy and run the fan on the battery more so it will be less efficient.

Charging a Macbook Pro pulls between 60 and 90 watts using the AC plug. Batteries never get 100% efficiency but the AC70 gets around 90% (691 Wh) which is pretty good. With that a Macbook pro can charge for 10-12 hours.

How long will it charge an iPhone?

iPhones draw a lot less power than an Macbook Pro, only about 10 watts. That gives you about 70 hours charging an iPhone.

2000 watt lifting power

1 thing to note with the 2000 watt lifting power is the voltage drops when it goes that high. This is fine for hair dryers and heaters but shouldn’t be used for devices like computers or compressors.

The lifting option defaults to off but you can turn it on in the app any time.

Size and Shape

The AC70 is a boxy rectangle with vertical sides and a flat top. Measuring 12.4 across x 8.2 deep x 10.1 inches tall.

At 22.5 pounds it’s got some weight to it but it’s not too heavy to carry around or lift onto shelves. It weighs about the same amount as a large watermelon or kitchen mixer.

The top is flat with a handle on the back. The flat top makes it easy to pack around other things.

Bluetti App

There are 2 ways to use the Bluetti app, logged in and not. Logged in requires wifi or cell connection to the internet. Clearly these batteries are used outside of cell reception sometimes so they provide a direct mode to update settings without logging in.

Both ways to log in need the battery to be turned on and in within about 15-20 feet.

Logged in

The main screen shows the devices you have added and a bunch of other functions.

• Current weather
• adding a new device
• listing all devices
• Scanning for devices with bluetooth
• scan a qr code on a device to add it
• Calculator (show list of Bluetti products based on your power needs)
• LAAF battery donations in Africa
• How to videos
• Contact and Service information
• Bluetti Forum
• Bluetti Store (website)
• Account info

Clicking into the AC70 after adding it shows total power left, watts in and watts out.

The whole battery or just the AC and DC ports can be turned on and off.

At the bottom shows money saved if the power is using is from solar. It still shows money saved when power was just charged from your house which doesn’t actually save any money.

Under settings for the device are:

• user manuals
• a qr code to share the connection with other people
• carbon emission factor
• Homepage display to add one device the app homepage
• charging mode
• power lifting on/off
• Eco on/off and settings (setting AC and DC output and timeout)
• auto sleep
• firmware upgrade
• advanced settings (AC output frequency and grid self-adaptation)

What does the AC70 come with?

The AC70 comes with a few cables to get you started. You may want more depending on what you’re going to charge. I have too many USB cables laying around to count.

In the box:

• AC70 battery
• AC cable
• car charging cable
• XT60 solar panel cable

Cost

The AC70 is curently on sale for $499 CAD ($429 USD) on BluettiPower.com. It’s normally $999 CAD ($699 USD).

The sale price makes it $.65 CAD per Wh (or $.56/Wh USD)

A couple other places have it for sale and the prices seem to vary quite a bit so have a look around for sales:

• $799 CAD on Amazon
• $279 CAD on Newegg.ca
• $599 CAD on Bluetti

How to store the AC70?

Bluetti recommend charging to 80% every 3-6 months for the longest life. This is in line with all the other lithium batteries to make sure they have a bit of charge for storage.

They also say to fully cycle the battery every 3 months which means discharging and fulling charging.

Other batteries from Bluetti

AC60

The AC60 is very similar to the AC70 but with 403 Wh of storage and 600 watt max output.

It’s expandable to 2,015 Wh with expansion batteries.

More about the AC60 battery

AC180

The AC180 is a step up from the AC70 with 1,152 Wh of storage and 1,800 watts max output.

It has 4 AC and 5 USB outlets.

More about the AC180 battery

B80 Expansion Batteries

The AC70 is compatible with the B80 expansion battery to give you another 806 Wh.

More about the B80 Expansion battery.

Suggestions

I’ll cover everything I like from the AC70 (which is a lot) but there are a couple improvements I’d like to see.

USB-C input

With so many devices coming with the USC-C these days, we all have USB-C cords around. We’ll only be getting more of them. It’d be nice to be able to charge with it as well.

More USB ports

Again, everything charges with USB these days, when I pack up for camping, I’m charging 10 or more devices to get ready. Lights, tablets, cameras, drones and phones are all USB. I could easily use 8 or more USB ports at a time.

Power on with the app

This will probably take power to keep the bluetooth receiver on but it’d be nice to be access the battery with the app when it’s off. It would mean you could power it on without going to find it in the other room or back of the truck.

Conclusion

I don’t leave for adventures without at least one camera these days. Now with GPS, drones, phones, tablets and fridges to charge I have to have reliable power. Bluetti is a well-known name in an industry that’s being flooded with all kinds of batteries and cheap tech equipment.

While it could use a few more USB ports, the AC70 is durable, reliable, and easy to pack. It’s in the truck on every adventure lately. Turbo charging means you can be on your way faster.

With the winter storms in full swing in the pacific northwest, the AC70 and my other batteries are always charged. My power seems more stable than my friends and family so I’ve been constantly loaning out batteries so everyone can keep in touch. With fewer landlines, cell phones have become required emergency communication. Keeping Christmas trees lit isn’t required but it’s yet another use for these super handy power stations.

The post Bluetti AC70 Portable Power Station Review first appeared on Pack & Trail.