A Rugged Battery Bank for Field-Built Workstations: Dark Energy Poseidon XL Review

Battery power is no doubt a necessity today, especially for folks like hunters, who are well separated from wall outlets while in the field. Smaller charging banks like the Dark Energy Poseidon Pro are great for keeping our phones up and running throughout a trip. But what about things like a laptop? Or even a fully functional workstation, for that matter?

That’s where the new Dark Energy Poseidon XL comes into play. If you need to work from the field or on the road, this is for you.

In short: Hunters looking to power up a mobile workstation while in the field or on the road between hunts will love the Poseidon XL. Just be ready to also purchase one of the Dark Energy solar panels, too.

Dark Energy Poseidon XL Review

Overview

If you’re familiar with Dark Energy, you can think of the Poseidon XL as the well-built big brother of the Poseidon Pro. If you’re not familiar with Dark Energy, the company is basically the leader in power banks in the field. From small chargers like the Nano all the way up to Solar Panels, the brand has got you covered if you need battery life where outlets are nonexistent.

Made with rugged polycarbonate housing and diamond-texture grip, the Poseidon XL is a 2.5-pound drop-proof, crush-proof, and dust-proof battery bank made to withstand the toughest conditions. It’s even waterproof, with an IP68 rating, and fully submersible up to 6 feet for 45 minutes. In other words, the Poseidon XL can handle anything you throw at it, and then some, and charge your electronics without skipping a beat.

This is a 27,000 mAh lithium-ion battery. To compare, the smaller Poseidon Pro battery is 10,000 mAh. On the front of each unit, you’ll find five ports. One XT60 (Solar) input, two USB-A 18W outputs, one USB-C 20W output, and one USB-C 100W in and output.

You’ll also find an LED charge indicator on the right side of all of the ports. Lastly, there are four buttons. An on/battery indicator button, system reset, small device, and charging timer button.

In each box, you’ll find a 3-foot 100W USB-C to USB-C charging cable. No matter what you need to power for, be it camera equipment, satellite internet, etc., the ruggedly built Poseidon XL is more than capable.

Features

Charging Timer

One cool feature of this power bank is that it has a charging timer button located on the front of the unit. This is to ensure you conserve energy and don’t accidentally drain your battery altogether — a great feature for when charging things overnight. There is both a 1-hour and a 2-hour timer to choose from.

Charges Laptop

You heard that right! What would a mobile workstation be without a laptop? The Poseidon XL is rated to fully charge a 13-inch laptop 1.5 times. So, whether you’re catching up on emails or tapping away at a blog post after a long day of hunting, the Poseidon XL will keep you up and running so you don’t fall behind on pressing tasks from the field.

Solar Charging

Another key feature of the Poseidon XL is that you can pair it with the Dark Energy 56W Spectre Solar Panel via the XT60 input on the front of the XL. By doing this, you can almost indefinitely keep the XL powered up and running your devices, like satellite internet and your laptop. This combo is hard to beat and really makes the Poseidon XL shine.

My Experience

My experience with Dark Energy products is far from limited. I’ve been using Dark Energy gadgets for quite some time now, and they are a regular piece of my hunting kit.

Mainly, I’ve always run the Poseidon and Poseidon Pro. As a full-time outdoor writer/content creator, though, this new XL had my attention. Having the ability to work a bit during downtime on a hunt or while traveling is something I see great value in.

First impressions of the Poseidon XL pretty much reflected the name in all honesty. The Poseidon XL felt pretty identical to my familiar Poseidon Pro, but just bigger, obviously. I loved the rubberized corners and how durable everything felt. This is something Dark Energy is very well known for, and it shines in the Poseidon XL.

I actually didn’t even charge the Poseidon XL before trying to use it. I wanted to see if it came with a pre-charge, and I’m happy to announce that mine came with three out of four bars of a charge. So, immediately, right out of the box, I was able to charge up my phone, which the XL did with flying colors, of course. The real test would be my elk hunt, where multiple people would need a charging/workstation.

I spent 10 days on an Arizona archery elk hunt, and the Poseidon XL held its weight the entire time. Both my brother and I were shacked up in my camper. We used this power bank to charge everything from phones, smaller charging banks, and camera equipment to even my laptop.

With smaller devices, the charge was barely dented. It wasn’t until we plugged in more substantial devices like camera equipment that a bar would disappear after a bit. Temperatures ranged from the high 30s to the low 60s, and it was very wet on this trip.

What’s Wrong?

The biggest con I see with the Poseidon XL is the fact that once the charge is gone, it’s gone. At that point, the device is a very heavy paperweight at best. That is, unless you have a means to charge the XL, say with the 56W Spectre Solar Panel, which sounds like the ultimate combo.

At the end of my hunt, I indeed ran out of battery, and the XL just sat there taking up space. It did its job well, but ended up literally being dead weight at the end of everything.

Final Thoughts

As someone who appreciates being able to work on the go from truck-based hunting camps, the Poseidon XL is a welcome addition. I’m able to work on articles just like these right from my cozy camper or the tailgate of my truck, even.

Being able to do this, in fact, affords me more days in the field, because I don’t have to be at home to get certain things done, and I know I’m not alone there. Heck, I even use the XL at home.

All that to say, I don’t regret having one, one bit, and know I’m going to get much more use out of mine. I just need to get my hands on that 56W Spectre Solar Panel to round things out.