Top-Rated Portable NOAA Weather Radio for Travel and Safety
A top-rated portable NOAA weather alert radio. One that’s lightweight, battery-powered, top-rated, small, and currently in production. One that’s easy to bring along while traveling, on a camping trip, during a road trip, while hiking, fishing, hunting, boating, or participating in any other outdoor activity. A weather radio built by a reputable company. A weather alert radio that can save your life.
My suggestion: Be prepared on-the-go:
Midland ER50 Emergency Weather Alert Radio
It’s one of the smallest, yet well-reviewed and popular portable NOAA weather alert radios on the market, made by Midland. The ER50 replaces the nearly identical ER40, which has been discontinued.
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Midland ER50
>>Direct from Midland via Amazon
Midland ER50 Product Dimensions: 6″ x 3″ x 1.8″
This portable weather radio fits easily in a backpack:
I own several Midland weather radios, including the Midland WR300, WR400, and WR120EZ. These radios are meant to be plugged in and used at home (or wherever).
Additional Recommendation for home use:
WR120B (My current favorite for home)
While the existing NOAA weather alert radios do have battery backup power and can be used as a portable unit, I was in search of a smaller, more portable radio that would make my travels easier. None of the Midland weather radios are overly large, but the Midland ER50 is purpose-built for portability, offering a stress-free and convenient travel companion.
Power Source: Rechargeable 3.7 volt 2600 mAh Li-Ion Battery (18650) (solar charge, hand crank charge, micro-USB charge with wall adapter)
USB Charging – Use the provided cable and a USB power source to charge your radio. Insert the USB charge cable into a USB power source and plug the micro USB connector into the micro-USB port.
Hand Crank Charging – Charge your ER50 by rotating the hand crank. The speed of cranking and the length of time cranked will determine the charge of the Li-Ion battery.
Solar Panel Charging – Charge your ER50 by placing the solar panel in direct sunlight.
The Midland ER50 will run up to 32 hours on a full charge.
WEATHER ALERTS
To activate the weather alert function: Press to activate weather alerts. When weather alerts are activated the WX icon on the LCD will flash.
Receiving weather alerts: When an alert is received, the radio will sound an audible siren, and the flashlight will flash. The radio will then switch to the current tuned weather radio station to provide you with information on the alert. Press any button to cancel the alert.
As I mentioned, you can hand-crank charge the battery and solar-charge it while away from household electricity. Even though this weather radio will run up to 32 hours on a charge, what if you’re on a trip longer than a full day and night, and lets say it’s cloudy (poor solar charging) and your wrist hurts (you’ve been fishing all day) and you don’t want to crank charge the radio?
You could bring along a small pocket-sized portable battery bank to charge it. I do like the Anker brand (I have several of these), which is likely the most popular and well-reviewed in this category. Here are a few that you might consider:
Anker – direct from Amazn:
10,000mAh
20,000mAh
I am writing this article shortly after the tragic flooding that occurred in Texas, where many lost their lives. Whenever something like this happens, I think about weather alert radios and wonder if any lives might have been saved. Sometimes there isn’t enough time. But other times, maybe there is…
This particular weather radio is small enough to be considered portable, and there should be no excuse not to have one during an outdoor adventure when severe weather may become an issue.