"Battery booster" for daughter's vehicle. Never had one.

hawkman

Eight Pointer
My daughter will be living off-campus this semester and onward and I was thinking of getting her a battery booster to keep in the car - for safety and independence' sake. I've never had one. I assume you've got to charge them regularly? But surely you aren't carrying it in and out of the vehicle every day. Is there a maintenance charge-type of thing you can do with it?

Any brand recommendations? I see NOCO makes some.

The vehicle is a 4-cyl Ford Escape.
 

JJWise

Twelve Pointer
I haven’t looked at ones for a car but I know they do make chargers for boats that will maintain your battery. Some stay mounted on the boat and the others are “portable” so you can use it when you need.

If I were you I’d be looking at a jumper starter since car batteries usually don’t sit around and deplete themselves as much as a boat battery will. I have a cheap off brand one that someone gave me as a wedding gift, it takes about 3 days to charge but seems to hold its charge well. Keep it under the backseat and plug it in every few months to make sure it’s still good. They have models that also have an air compressor, and can charge your phone as well.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I bought 2 NOCO GB40's on Black Friday sales back in November for 2 females in the family. Haven't really been able to test them out, but the biggest downside I've heard is you are supposed to charge the battery at least every 6 months. A side benefit is you can use it as a USB battery pack, which could be helpful for an emergency or just off-grid use.

I was making a vehicle emergency kit for my MIL. I was going to buy her jumper cables, and then I realized she would never flag down a stranger to jump her off, so that would be useless.
 

hawkman

Eight Pointer
I bought 2 NOCO GB40's....

...I was making a vehicle emergency kit for my MIL...

I have a GB40 in my Amazon cart...

...I'm thinking of an emergency kit, too.

In high school/college, my girls might go somewhere in pants with a shirt, even though it was quite cold outside, saying "I don't need a coat. It's a short walk to the building..." It drove me nuts. I'd say "Be prepared for anything - so that you don't have to depend on the first (or any) person that stops to help." I don't mean to teach them to distrust people, but if you are stranded, I'd like them to have a choice to wait for help that was called for.

That being said, what else should she have in an emergency car kit? I've made sure there's an ice/snow scraper/brush, flashlight (for her purse), and gloves. A blanket would be good. She doesn't have far to travel but does like to go off with friends for rides in the Blue Ridge, plus the trip home is 4-5 hours.
 

turkeyfoot

Old Mossy Horns
I bought this one several years ago and my take is it has performed well I've jumped off bunch vehicles with it have used air compressor numerous times to inflate 4wheeler or lawn mower tires and the plug ins and phone charger ports have been real handy when power out or camping. I will say this next one I get will be one small hand held ones this one I have is on heavy and big side so might not be what your daughter would want. I'd read several reviews including watch some YouTube ones lot on there can I've had couple buddies buy some duds one was from harbor freight don't remember brand though.
 

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HotSoup

Old Mossy Horns
Cash and a small visa gift card are good to have stashed for emergencies in your car. If her purse/wallet is lost or stolen at least she's able to buy gas and food until she can get her id's and other vital stuff replaced.

Trusting a woman with "emergency" cash and a prepaid card is akin to putting filet mignon in a dog's bowl and expecting him not to eat it. Sure, put it in there....but somewhere like under the spare tire and don't tell her.
 

hawkman

Eight Pointer
Trusting a woman with "emergency" cash and a prepaid card is akin to putting filet mignon in a dog's bowl and expecting him not to eat it. Sure, put it in there....but somewhere like under the spare tire and don't tell her.

I hear ya but fortunately, my wife is frugal and beyond trustworthy, and fortunately, my daughters exhibit the same characteristics! It's quite surreal. :)
 

bshobbs

Old Mossy Horns
I have several on hand. My best was a pro grade I have had for years..it finally went belly up. I now have a Cobra portable pack., fits in your hand. That little thing does not look like much but it packs a heck of a punch. I have jump started several cars while out and about. Just like everything else, it needs recharging monthly to be at peak performance.

I must admit I like the bigger ones with a 110 plug in. I used mine during a hurricane when the power went out. I have a CPAP machine and got about 6 or 7 hours of run time off it. The next day I just recharged the pack from the generator.

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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

bigdrumnc

Ten Pointer
I picked up two craftsman ones at Lowe’s for 36.00 or so on clearance from 89.99. A friend used the exact same model to jump stat the head boat at the inlet this summer. It holds a charge for a few months. It can also charge phone, iPads etc. it comes with a bag and jumper type cables. Check your Lowe’s where all the Black Friday/holiday deals on tool sets were. Hope this helps
 

Mack in N.C.

Old Mossy Horns
I bought 2 NOCO GB40's on Black Friday sales back in November for 2 females in the family. Haven't really been able to test them out, but the biggest downside I've heard is you are supposed to charge the battery at least every 6 months. A side benefit is you can use it as a USB battery pack, which could be helpful for an emergency or just off-grid use.

I was making a vehicle emergency kit for my MIL. I was going to buy her jumper cables, and then I realized she would never flag down a stranger to jump her off, so that would be useless.

We use this model at work and it has performed awesome. ....It really does well but we heve to charge it every few days because of how much we use it. Charging once every 6 mos is ok and should be done with all brands.........
 

Billy

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Viking lithium jump starter and battery pack from Harbor Freight. I have a couple of these and the NOCO. I prefer the Viking mainly due to the included accessories. I've used it quite a bit running an ATV mounted sprayer and it holds up amazingly well.
 

ncscrubmaster

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I bought this one several years ago and my take is it has performed well I've jumped off bunch vehicles with it have used air compressor numerous times to inflate 4wheeler or lawn mower tires and the plug ins and phone charger ports have been real handy when power out or camping. I will say this next one I get will be one small hand held ones this one I have is on heavy and big side so might not be what your daughter would want. I'd read several reviews including watch some YouTube ones lot on there can I've had couple buddies buy some duds one was from harbor freight don't remember brand though.
I bought this same one for my daughter. She loves it and will do about everything. I’m going to buy myself one.
 

drhunter1

Four Pointer
He tested several and you choose for yourself. I ended up getting the Gooloo I think, after the one I had failed to start my car recently. The guy has a great website with great comparisons.
 

Hunting Nut

Old Mossy Horns
I have a GB40 in my Amazon cart...

...I'm thinking of an emergency kit, too.

In high school/college, my girls might go somewhere in pants with a shirt, even though it was quite cold outside, saying "I don't need a coat. It's a short walk to the building..." It drove me nuts. I'd say "Be prepared for anything - so that you don't have to depend on the first (or any) person that stops to help." I don't mean to teach them to distrust people, but if you are stranded, I'd like them to have a choice to wait for help that was called for.

That being said, what else should she have in an emergency car kit? I've made sure there's an ice/snow scraper/brush, flashlight (for her purse), and gloves. A blanket would be good. She doesn't have far to travel but does like to go off with friends for rides in the Blue Ridge, plus the trip home is 4-5 hours.

A lighter.
 

sky hawk

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
That being said, what else should she have in an emergency car kit? I've made sure there's an ice/snow scraper/brush, flashlight (for her purse), and gloves. A blanket would be good.
Aside from a first aid kit, which I consider a separate item, here's a list of things I include: orange or red glow sticks/chem lights, contractor bags, emergency blanket, gloves, screwdriver with multiple bits, headlamp, Big Larry magnetic road light/emergency light, digital tire gauge, valve caps, emergency whistle, glass break/seatbelt cutter, pepper spray. Both of those last two need to be in arms reach of the driver seat.

In addition to that they at least need a couple of water bottles and some snacks of their choice. Spare cash. An emergency portable compressor is good. There are a lot of good ideas if you have the room, these are just a few.
 
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