Portable Power: 6 Solar-Powered Backpacks

These 6 backpacks are a bit different than you average backpack; they all contain solar panels!

I have tons on electronic gadgets I like to carry around, but keeping them all charged is a pain. Not only will these bags give you plenty of room for you gadgets, but the sun will charge them. They also all have internal batteries to store unused power, so you can even charge at night.

They range quite a bit in features and in price, and I recommend going for a cheaper one unless you want enough power for something like a laptop. If you do want to compute everywhere though, some of the higher-end bags can be a lifesaver!

Our roundup of the best 6 solar backpacks available after the jump.

.

CSE Solar Backpack

This solar backpack from CSE Power Technologies has one a waterproof solar panel on the back.

The solar panel will generate up to 2.7 watts of portable power.The on-board Ni-MH battery will charge in 6-8 hours using solar, or you can plug it in using the included wall-socket or car chargers and charge it in 2-2.5 hours.

It’s maximum output is 400mAh at 5.8v DC, and the battery has a capaticty of 1200mAh, which is about half of a durcell rechargeable. Of course, you can be recharging it all day for free!

Neither of these CSE backpacks have a list of supported devices, but state that they will power “most small electronic devices including: cell phones, cameras, PDA’s, GPS, etc”.

This CSE solar backpack is $69.95 from amazon.

You can also get the pink model, which contains all the same features, for $69.95 from amazon as well.

.

OC Power “Robby Gordon” Solar Fanny Pack

This fanny pack has 4 pockets, and a nice big solar panel on the front. It has a slightly bigger battery than the CSE backpacks above, at 1500mAh .

It also comes with a whole bunch of adapters for charging your gadgets. Adapters include: Sony-Ericsson, Samsung, Siemens, Sanyo, LG, Kyocera, Canon, Olympus, Sony PSP, Nintendo Gameboy, Nokia, Motorola, BlackBerry, Nextel, iPods, and even a standard USB mini connector for a whole bunch of other devices.

You can buy this one for $79.95.

.

CSE Solar Backpack 2

This is another solar backpack from CSE and provides a lot more power. It contains a waterproof solar panel, and produces 2.7 watts, even in room light! It provides a 600mAh current and can store up to 2200mAh in it’s on-board battery.

This one also charges a lot faster than the previous CSE models, charging in 5-6 hours using the solar panel, or 3-3.5 hours using the included wall-socket and car chargers.

This one is a bit more expensive at $109.95 from amazon.

.

Helius Solar-Power Backpack

The Helius solar power backpack is a great rugged backpack with many inside and outside pockets.

It has space for all you gadgets, including a 15.4″ laptop pouch, although it doesn’t have quite enough power to charge your laptop. It will charge a whole bunch of your smaller electronics however. Included are adapters for iPods, Motorola Razr V3/BlackBerry, Samsung, LG, Nokia, Motorol, and a mini USB jack for a whole bunch of other gadgets.

Charging is pretty fast too, at 4-6 hours for most iPods and cell phones. As a bonus, it also includes a headphone jack so you can listen to your iPod while it’s charging. Pretty slick.

You can get this one from amazon for $129.95.

.

CSE Laptop-Charging Backpack

This CSE backpack is the best of CSE backpacks. It features 3 solar panels which produce 4 watts of power, enough to charge your laptop!

The backpack  also has an on-board battery with a capacity of 1500mAh,and will charge in about 8 hours using solar, or 4 hours using the included wall-socket and car chargers. While the battery capacity and charge times aren’t quite as good as the backpack above, it can charge your laptop! Incredibly useful for mobile computing addicts.

This solar backpack is available for $159.95 from amazon.

.

Voltaic Solar Backpack

The voltaic solar backpack is the ultimate in currently available solar backpacks.

With 3 huge solar panels on the front, it generates enough power to charge all your gadgets. It also features integrated wire channels, a huge 2200mAh  battery and 1850 cubic inches of storage space!

The ultimate in portable power!

Read our full review of the voltaic solar backpack.

Buy the Voltaic Solar Backpack from amazon for $245.

.

So there you have it. 6 Easily available solar-powered backpacks which will allow you to charge your gadgets on the run, and for free!

Since you can charge as long as there’s sun, there’s no worrying about running out of power for your all-important gadgets. If you get one that can charge a laptop, you’ll be computing anywhere!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Win a 16GB iPod Touch from Hippyshopper!
• The World’s Smallest Solar Powered Car
• Earthtech Portable Power Kit
• Solar-Powered Digital Pocket Scale
• EcoHistory: 1956’s Solar Powered Radio
• Merry Eco-Christmas Lights
• Eco-Powered Pleasure
• Solar Energy Powers the Longest Unmanned Flight
• INDEX Awards: Solar Powered Streetlights
• Solar Powered Vending Machines