does anyone keep a jump starter in their vehicle(s)?

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long story short... had to take a family member to the emergency room (over 6+ hours inside) a few months ago and came out to dead battery. i have AAA but when i called (10pm on a saturday) they said it would be over an hour + for someone to come by and help, and that's after spending hours inside the ER already. you can only imagine how we felt...

luckily, the security guards had jumper cables but they do no good (at any given time) unless you have them on you, as well as having another car (if one is around) to use them with. I don't want to be stuck in that position again so i did a lot of research and came across this jump starter below (NOCO GB40). it's one of the best/top rated (the brand in general) on the market..

it has 1000 amps and is around $100. in a few years i may opt for the GB70 (2000 amps) which is overkill (and double the price at $200), but we'll see how this one does. for those who carry one (or family member), which one(s) do you have?

also, i went to harbor freight and bought a tool bag and keep both the jump starter (no more jumper cables) and (slime) air compressor (has saved me a few times already) in there together. better safe than sorry...​

NOCO-GB40-Boost-Plus-Portable-Lithium-Battery-Car-Jump-Starter-Booster-Pack-For-Jump-Starting-Gas-Diesel-Main_8.jpg


1,000 Amp UltraSafe Lithium Jump Starter
The GB40 is a portable lithium-ion battery jump starter pack that delivers 1,000-amps for jump starting a dead battery in seconds. It features a patented safety technology that provides spark-proof connections and reverse polarity protection making safe and easy for anyone to use. It's a powerful battery booster that doubles as a portable power source for recharging USB devices, like a smartphone, tablet and more. Designed for a car, boat, RV, truck and more with gas engines up to 6 liters, and diesel engines up to 3 liters. All Boost models can hold 70% of its rated capacity for up to one year. For optimal performance, we recommend charging the device at least every 4-6 months, after initial charge.​
 
I have the GB40, I was in a similar situation as you a few years back and felt totally helpless. I keep it under the back seat in my truck, it’s very compact. I also will throw it in my bass boat when I go out. I’ve used it twice this past winter to help a stranded driver and worked great, I charge it every 3 months in the winter ( probably overkill) and once in July
 
vobro said:
I have the GB40, I was in a similar situation as you a few years back and felt totally helpless. I keep it under the back seat in my truck, it’s very compact. I also will throw it in my bass boat when I go out. I’ve used it twice this past winter to help a stranded driver and worked great, I charge it every 3 months in the winter ( probably overkill) and once in July
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awesome, thanks for the purchase reassurance! i didn't realize NOCO has been around since 1914. i was looking at DBpower, Battery Tender, and Schumacher as well (so many brands/specs to choose from).. i'm going to have a set-up like mine (or similar) for each vehicle in the family (nephew/parents)...
 
Lol with this sight,fishing sites,gun sites etc I’ve learned to limit my search. One thing I may suggest is to get an extra set of cables, when not plugged in they are pretty small and can get “misplaced”
 
vobro said:
Lol with this sight,fishing sites,gun sites etc I’ve learned to limit my search. One thing I may suggest is to get an extra set of cables, when not plugged in they are pretty small and can get “misplaced”
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i also have the hard case too, instead of using the cloth bag it came in. thanks for the suggestion!

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I don't... But I should.

In the past I always had jumper cables available but that was many years ago. I live dangerously these days LOL.
 
Yes, I carry one. I even used it to jump the mailman’s Jeep when it stalled one day. He was amazed when the little thing started it.
 
Yes sir! Just got done charging this one.

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Absolutely invaluable. Mine is the size of a deck of cards. Also can charge phones and other devices. $50 has bailed me out 3-4 times, if you include boats.
 
I picked one up last year, just made sense to have one around considering there are a few cars in the garage. Unsurprisingly, the Jaguar was the first to need it. :laughing:

 
I have jumper cables but have considered a charger like those. Project Farm has a nice comparison video on YT where he put several of them against each other.
 
FYI, Another reason to consider one. I left my lights on overnight in the garage and killed the battery. When I tried to shift it into neutral to push it out to pull the battery..... the transmission would not shift without power. I hooked up my "box", bingo the car shifted into neutral.
 
I just have jumper cables and a slime air compressor. I also keep one of those battery terminal brushes in my car. I had a dead battery on my previous car and had trouble getting it jumped until the battery terminals were cleaned.

Good to see some positive reviews on one of these. I may put that on my Christmas wish list.
 
Yep and jumper cables too. Also compressor, tools, towels, and other assorted crapola.
 
I keep the following on my bike at all times:
  • jump starter
  • first aid kit
  • assorted tools
  • tire repair kit with CO2 cartridges
  • bottle of water
  • quart of oil

View attachment 73412
 
I've got an (Antigravity Batteries) Microstart XP-1 in my wife's car. Her car also came with a plug-in air compressor since it has a collapsible spare tire.

My car I keep jumper cables and a little $20 Microstart tire inflator in my car.

In the winter, I also throw in a "survival bag" with a heavy winter coat, hat, gloves, and snow pants. I only travel in populated areas, and my car's totally reliable, but I got a reality check a couple years ago when I got rear-ended on the way to work when it was like 30 degrees out.
Since I never worry about my car, I didn't have any really warm gear with me. When I got hit, my left muffler got folded out to meet my rear tire, kinking the pipe shut. Knowing I was keeping the car no matter what, I didn't want to run my car while waiting for the tow truck. Thankfully the parents of the rear-ending offender hung out and let me wait in their truck until the flatbed arrived.

If you keep one of the lithium jump packs in your car, don't forget to bring it in and charge it from time to time! Nothing worse than if you actually need to use it and find out it's dead. :doh: I've heard there are capacitor jump packs out there that actually don't use a battery at all. Through some manner of witchcraft they collect voltage from what's left in your battery and then provide enough oomph to start your car.
Haven't had a chance to try one yet but I'm really curious. Nice part would be never having to worry about the battery in the jump pack you carry in case your battery goes flat. :laughing:
 
I just purchased the GB20 a few weeks ago at Advanced Auto because of the rave reviews online as I was having battery issues with my truck. It started right away with the jump starter versus jumping cables with another car which did nothing. Even came in clutch when I was running an errand and my battery died again in the parking lot.

I'm really impressed with this module and am glad I got it!
 
I work on Big Rigs/Tractors as my day job and these are the same units we use to jump trucks that need a jump. Very strong and incredibly durable.
 
fly07sti said:
I work on Big Rigs/Tractors as my day job and these are the same units we use to jump trucks that need a jump. Very strong and incredibly durable.
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1st off - Oh man, that's a lotta big heavy parts... (my day job = regular car repair)

2nd - You use the NOCO jump boxes? That's quite the accreditation. I'll have to keep them in mind if I get another one in the future.
 
I always think if I had one, I'll just get out somewhere and need it and it won't be charged up and ready when I go to grab it. How often do you have to check/recharge devices like these? Also, would you have to cycle the battery, meaning run it down and charge it to full?
 
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