Just slightly larger than the typical human thumb, the all-new APO5C pocket pump is the first internally powered pump we’ve seen dip below the 1-oz (28-g) mark. Thanks to its carbon fiber construction, it’s nearly half an ounce (14 g) lighter than the last “lighter than light” miniature battery-powered pump we looked at. And this one comes from a brand with which we’re quite familiar: Nitecore.
It’s been a while since the crazy days of mid/late 2023 when it seemed like a new “lightest of its kind” pump was flying out of the gate (or at least appearing briefly on Kickstarter) every few weeks. At first, we thought maybe that was just us – after that quick succession, did we simply become numb to the gram-cutting of subsequent tiny ultralight pumps and stop paying them heed?
As it turns out, not so much. Googling up “world’s lightest sleeping pad pump” (and “electric inflator,” to get more technical) still lands us an awful lot of hits for the 1.2-oz (34-g) keychainable Flextail Zero we covered right in the middle of that 2023 run. And, not including today’s subject, we’re not seeing any inflator with its own battery that weighs in lighter.
Perhaps more telling than raw search results, the Zero is the battery-installed pump of choice for the absolutely ultralight obsessed minds behind brands like Zpacks, creator of some of the world’s lightest backpacking tents and shelters, and Garage Grown Gear, an online retailer of ultralight backpacking gear curated from both established brands and small boutique brands we’ve never seen outside of its website.
In the case of each brand, it’s one of only two ultralight pumps on offer and the only one powered by an internal battery. The 8.5-g (0.3-oz) Alpenglow Alpenblow that both companies also sell is even tinier, but it requires external power to run, as does the new 9-g (0.32-oz) V5 iteration of the Rex Creations Pad Pal.
Nitecore
Of course, the Flextail Zero and all those other noble competitors are not what we’re here to talk about. But the Zero’s two-year run at the top of the “world’s lightest” charts does make Nitecore’s APO5C all the more impressive. Because it weighs a full 11 grams (0.4 oz) less than the Zero at a mere 23 g (0.8 oz) – light enough that we’ve decided to abandon our preference for starting with US Customary measurements since we’re no longer dealing in whole ounces.
Both pumps’ weights are before installing the battery. Nitecore’s unit tacks on a few extra grams in comparison to the Flextail after installing the recommended 950-mAh RCR123 battery, upping the needle to 43 g (1.5 oz) versus the Flextail’s 52 g (1.8 oz) with battery. To spell out that easy math for all, that’s still 9 grams (0.3 oz) lighter. And the Nitecore has a larger capacity battery than the 650-mAh RCR123A battery used in Flextail’s total weight, resulting in 20 extra minutes of estimated runtime.
Nitecore
The AP05C measures just a hair larger than the Zero at a highly precise 3.03 x 1.02 in (77 x 26 mm) but relies on a carbon fiber shell to cut those extra grams.
As for actually getting to work, the APO5C relies on an adapter and a series of nozzles to fit a wide variety of inflatable sleeping pads, pillows and flotation gear. It fills at a rate of 200 L/min, slightly quicker than the Zero’s 180 L/min, with a pressure of 2.7 kPa. It also works as a deflator, sucking air out of inflated wares or packing cubes to shrink them down to “go” size.
Nitecore
Nitecore says its new pump will fill up an inflatable camping pillow or inner tube in about 22 seconds, a sleeping pad in roughly 75 seconds. The rechargeable RCR123 battery offers an estimated 45 minutes – or 109 pillows – of runtime.
The APO5C launched in June and is available now for $42.95 from Nitecore’s online shop and other retailers.
Source: Nitecore
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