You know that feeling of dread you get when you are away from your phone charger and your battery is slowly dying? For many of us it’s our lifeline dying along with the phone. It always seems to happen at the most inopportune times too, when we are away from a wall or car charger.

One of the easiest fixes for this problem is to invest in a portable battery charger and replacement charging cables. These types of battery chargers have been on the market for awhile, but are not widely utilized. They are inexpensive and compact; small enough to throw in your bag on your way out the door.

Now that summer is right around the corner, these little chargers can really come in handy at our favorite summer hot spots. Phones often get drained outdoors – particularly at outdoor festivals. Most venues will offer a few wall outlets that allow you to catch a charge, but the downside is that you are stuck to the wall for about thirty minutes while everyone else is having fun without you. There are even some events that offer to charge your phone for you, but you have to surrender your phone to strangers for a few hours, which is enough to make anyone nervous.

Another spot where phones go to die is the campground. Your cell phone is an essential camping tool. It provides music, doubles as a flashlight and keeps you connected to the outside world while you are checked out. Wall outlets are usually scarce and reception can be dicey, which can cause your phone to use all of its power just struggling to find a signal.

There are a million other scenarios where a portable battery charger can really save the day. Pick one up and have one less worry this summer. The days of dead cell phones and low battery signals are behind us.