Your car isn’t just a way to get from place A to B: it’s a mobile office, your space to work, lunch and relax between meetings. We’ve put together a list of 6 new gadgets from 2021 that every road warrior could check out. These are products, we at MileCatcher, have tested and use but several of them come recommended elsewhere as well.
Portable Jump Start charger
Road flare recommended by MileCatcher
Having a dead battery is a horrible experience. Having a set of jumper cables in the car is a low cost safe guard and can possibly save you time and money versus waiting for the tow truck or AAA. But with new battery technology, you might not even need the friendly neighbor to assist! You can now buy a portable chargers that can jump-start your car.
Consider a the portable jump start chargers. Many models under $80, The ones we use are the WEEGO models. Make sure you pick a size that fit your vehicle. Thankfully, you can now buy portable Just charge it once every three months and throw it in your trunk in case of emergencies. I’ve actually used this one to jump-start cars and it works well and is safe and simple to use. As an added bonus, this portable jump starter can charge most of your gadgets, too.
Portable Solar Battery
Stay connected with a Portable Solar Battery
Ever read about the driver who got stuck in a snow storm or slept in their car due to a flooding. For these extreme circumstances a portable Solar battery is now an affordable solution. The best portable solar charger for people who want to power a phone or small device off the grid or in an emergency. In addition to being easy to pack and water-resistant, its unique four-panel, three-port design helped it deliver more power to more devices than any other model we have used.
At MileCatcher our current pick is BigBlue 3 USB Ports 28W Solar Charger which you can get for under $60 on Amazon.
Car phone mount.
Get a new car and you can charge your phone with a USB cable and the build-in USB charger. But try place phone on the dash and you will still struggle. Funny how car manufactures still solve for their own in-display systems, not our needs. If you, like us, want to have your phone on display while driving, then there are many ways to mount it on the dash. We recently discovered these magnetic mounts to avoid dashboard vacuum cups and air vent mounts. We really like this magnetic car mount or this CD slot mount for older car models.
Road Flares
Road flares is a cheap safeguard.
If you are ever left alone on a dark road with engine problems or a flat tire, then these road flares will help bring assistance and avoid collisions. Get peace of mind afor just $25. Get a minimum of three road flares flashing warning lights. Just remember to place the first at least 100 yards behind your vehicle. We have used these water resistant Stonepoint models with the Magnetic Base for Car and recommend them.
Papago GOSAFE 780 DUAL Dash Camera
We all know that you’re a good driver … it’s everybody else you have to worry about. That’s why you should consider a dash camera. Some good reasons to get a dash camera are:
Most dash cameras are relatively affordable and easy to install. We really like the Papago! GoSafe 80 Dash Camera. It’s easy to mount, doesn’t cost too much and has a wide enough viewing angle to capture everything you’d want it to.
It comes with a companion app that is useful. Pre-installed with driver assist features including: Stop Sign Recognition, Stop and Go, Driver Fatigue Alarm, and Light Reminder And we’re not alone liking Papago! GoSafe camera.
The Best USB Car Charger
Less than $10 makes this USB Charger a winner.
If you drive an older car without build in CAR chargers or have multiple devices with large batteries, this is the simplest and most amazing car upgrade. This tiny device can simultaneously charge two smartphones—or even full-size tablets—at 2.4 amps each, which is more than twice the speed of the built-in USB ports found in most cars. It’s also able to differentiate between devices to deliver the proper charging current to each, something not every charger can do. So our winner is Anker PowerDrive 2 for less than $10. We love Anker products for their reliability and price. Here are other good alternatives.
