In partnership with Pulse Charge

We’ve all told ourselves at some point to get a portable charger or power bank to keep in our bag, and then likely done nothing about it. It sounds great in theory, but it ends up being something you have to remember to charge and remember to pack in your already full bag. Good intention, average follow-through. Then your phone dies at the most inconvenient moment, and you’re back to thinking that you should have bought that power bank. Because when you’re juggling work, family and everything in between, your phone is basically your lifeline. And somehow it always seems to run out at the worst possible moment.

That’s what makes the Pulse Charge HydroPower such a smart idea. It’s your water bottle, but the base is a detachable power bank. You’re already carrying a water bottle, so now you’re carrying a charger without extra effort. Unscrew the base and rest your phone on top to charge wirelessly or plug in via the included cable if your device doesn’t support wireless charging. It works with iPhones, Androids, AirPods, and almost anything in your bag that needs charging. The cable stores neatly inside the base, so it’s always there when you need it. The same cable charges the power bank itself too, so everything stays together and nothing gets lost at the bottom of your bag.

Does this scenario feel familiar? You finally make it to the gym — the one hour in the day that’s actually yours. Your phone is on 15% because the kids have been using it at some point during the day, so you disconnect the power bank from your water bottle and place your phone on the base of HydroPower and let it do its thing while you work out. Done. Back up by the time you’re finished. AirPods dead on the way out? Straight on charge while you drive home. You leave the gym without any added stress.

There’s something bigger going on here, too. A dead phone hits differently when you’re the one who gets the call if a kid is sick at school. You’re organising after-school pickups, tracking what everyone needs and where they need to be. The phone holds all of that together. When it goes flat, everything that depends on it goes with it.

The battery stress shows up in smaller ways as well. You’re in the car, the kids want YouTube, you’re already running Maps, and something has to give. Or you want to take photos at a birthday party or a day out, but you’ve already been handing your phone around since breakfast and you’re not sure you have the battery to spare.

It’s worth mentioning that the water bottle side of things is genuinely good too.

It keeps liquids hot or cold for 12 hours, which means if your bottle has been sitting in a hot car all day, the insulated walls mean you’re still drinking cold water by the time you get to the gym or head out for a walk. Or that extra-large coffee on the school run or the hot chocolate at weekend sport actually stays warm. It also comes in some really nice colours as well, so it doesn’t look like a piece of tech you grabbed out of necessity. Pink, Turquoise or Purple for a bit of colour, or Matte Black, Titanium or Olive Green if you prefer to keep it simple.

The power bank charges overnight via USB-C, and that’s about as complicated as it gets. The cable stores right in the base of the bottle, so it’s always on hand. No app to set up, no pairing required — nothing to figure out. Cleaning is simple too, just unscrew the power bank base and wash the bottle with warm, soapy water as you normally would.

It also sits in that brilliant gift category. Practical enough that someone will actually use it every day, but enough of a treat that most people wouldn’t think to buy it for themselves. Pulse Charge is Australian-owned, which is always a nice bonus. There’s even a Duo Pack.

Mums carry a lot, and anything that earns its place in the bag by doing more than one job is worth knowing about. This replaces something you’re already carrying and just makes it work a whole lot harder.

Check out the full range at pulsecharge.com.au