Review: Uncharted Zeus Air
Click, click, click—the dreaded noise when you turn the truck key, but nothing happens. Click, click, click. Damn. Best-case scenario, you’re in a parking lot and a helpful passerby can jump your vehicle. Worst-case scenario, you’re on a BLM two-track in central Montana, about 50 miles from the nearest town, and who knows how far from the nearest help. It’s scenarios like these, when the Zeus Air Jump Starter & Inflator from Uncharted Supply Co. has you covered.
This compact package does double-duty as a 15,000mAh battery pack—capable of jumping all standard vehicles—and an air compressor. It’s pretty dang easy to use, too. Recently, during hunting season, I left my headlights on during an afternoon hunt. I returned to my truck that evening, shivering and wet, only to find a dead battery. With the sun having set, and the temperature dropping, I grabbed the Zeus Air from under a seat, connected the jumper leads to the unit—all with thick gloves on—and clipped them to the battery. Boom—truck started first try.
In addition, the 150psi air inflator is simple and efficient, with a 40-liter-per-minute capacity that makes quick work of filling tires. A few days after my dead-battery experience, I topped off my snow tires—which had lost a significant amount of air, sitting in the garage all summer—all on the same battery charge. The hose adaptor screws onto standard tire-valve threads, and the package comes with a handful of other nozzles for inflating things like sleeping pads and river floaties. There’s no doubt this unit could inflate a truck tire from flat, too, although it would probably take about 10 minutes. Still, it’s comforting to know that with a couple of tire plugs and the Zeus Air at hand, I can be self-sufficient on whatever godforsaken road I end up on in central Montana.
Other nice features on the device include a super-bright LED light (with a strobe setting), and both USB-C and USB-A outputs. It’s got enough juice to charge a phone about four times, and a laptop two times. Best of all, everything fits into a compact carrying case, so it can be easily stowed under a seat, or even in the center console of a larger vehicle. My only gripe is that the power button isn’t recessed into the device, so it can accidentally trigger while sitting in the case. I discovered this when pulling the unit out to jump my truck, and it was already down to three-quarters charge. With careful placement, however, the problem can be avoided—just keep a routine eye on the charge.
In addition to the Zeus Air, Uncharted Supply makes a tow strap: The Extractor. This 12-foot-long strap is rated to 17,600 pounds of pulling force, and the multi-layer polyester and nylon weave offers a little bit of stretch with reinforced eyes—exactly what you’ll need when pulling someone out of a ditch this winter (or getting your truck pulled out). The strap rolls up tight, so it can be stowed away next to the jump starter. Keep ’em both in the back seat, and you’ll be self-sufficient out there in the great wide open.
Both products are available at unchartedsupplyco.com; $220 for the Zeus Air, $49 for the tow strap.
