Recently I acquired a Sun-Plugged Max Solar Backpack. I have had solar powered devices before and never found them to be all that useful beyond anything novel. The Sun-Plugged backpack however has become a resource I use everyday now.

The battery is super light and with the tons of adapters, I can recharge my iphone, my android, or camera.  (Yea, I’m nothing if not armed with electrics.)

This  three compartment backpack features a waterproof, scratch resistant, high efficiency monocrystalline solar panel and acts as a mobile renewable energy power station designed to charge virtually all hand-held electronics. Surprisingly the removable solar cell’s weight is hardly noticeable. Given how fast my smart phone and iPod batteries die, the backpack is a life saver for this techie.

It comes with a variety of plug adapters, and any device that charges with a USB cable can plug directly into the super light-weight recyclable Lithium-ion solar battery.

With a nice look, padded back support, light-weight feel, and good solar battery, I easily give this backpack a 9 out of 10.

Sun-Plugged was founded in 2008 by a group in Monterey, California and has a variety of bags (tote, laptop, messenger) they offer that all have embedded rugged, lightweight, waterproof recyclable solar panels.

The specs on my Max Solar Backpack:

Price: $159.00

The solar panel produces 4.5 watts of power, so 1 hour in direct sun will power over 3 hours of iPod playtime or 1.5 hours of cell phone talk time.

Battery Specifications
Capacity: 5000mAh
Input: 5~10V/1A via Mini USB
Output Voltage/Current: 5.5V/500mA
Dimensions: 4″ x 2″ x 1/2″, 99 x 70 x 15mm
Weight: 5.64 oz, 160 g
Compatible Devices: most mobile phones, iPod/iPhone 2G/3G/3GS/4G, PSP, MP3/MP4, NDS, GPS, PDA, Etc.
Output: Standard USB
Indicator: On/OFF PWR LED Charge Light

Solar Panel Specifications
Power: 4.5 Watts
Type: Monocrystalline (9” x 5”, 23 x 13mm)
Weight: 10.5 g (3mm Alum/Plastic Substrate)
Cell Efficiency: 16%
Open Circuit Voltage (VoC): 8V
Peak Voltage (Vpm):7V
Peak Current (Ipm): 650mA

Bag Specifications
Dimensions: 19” x 14” x 6”, 48 x 36 x 17mm
Volume: 7.67 gallon / 29 liters
Materials: 600D Polyester, fully padded laptop sleeve (14”), high density foam padding on shoulders & back, 10 or 20 Gauge Zippers available

Charging Times
6-7 hrs direct sunlight for full battery pack charge
4-5 hrs direct sunlight for full cell phone charge
4-5 hrs direct sunlight for iPod & iPhone
4-7 hrs direct sunlight for low voltage digital camera