With the power to charge all your portable devices, did the utility-belt Voltaic backpack leave us feeling like Batman, or plain-old Bruce Wayne?
Review summary of the Voltaic Backpack:
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 We love the idea of a "green" backpack, but we're not sure this is it. The solar panels and the battery pack are certainly effective, but it takes quite a while for both the devices and the battery pack to fully charge. For our mostly-subway commute, the few minutes we spent outside each day during daylight hours were not enough to significantly charge the battery pack. That being said, the battery pack and adaptors are not dependent upon the solar power, so we still found it extremely useful for charging our peripherals. Release: September 2007. Price: $250.
Pros: Subtle solar panels, effective battery pack, durable, comfortable fabric
Cons: Long charge times, high cost
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Full Voltaic Backpack Review:
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Design - Very Good
The backpack has a triangular profile, meaning that the bottom is much wider than the top. The panel side of the pack acts as the hypotenuse of a right triangle, angling the panels to directly face the sun while the bag is on your back. This is good, because in order to get a full charge, the panels must be angled towards the sun. We found the backpack to be extremely comfortable, molding to our back perfectly, which was nice, but also gave us a perpetual sweaty back in hot weather. We also liked the sternum strap and the waist buckle, which can be folded and placed out of the way when not in use.
The bag itself, crafted from regular and recycled PET, 420D nylon and UV resistant polyurethane, weighs 3.5 lbs, including the battery and solar panels. It did feel a little heavy, especially when we packed it with a laptop and other gadgets. The main pouch has a padded laptop sleeve (don't get your hopes up, it won't charge in there) and mesh pouches for additional accessories. A battery pack is stored in the front pouch, behind the battery panels. There is no functional "bottom" to this section, so items generally must be secured in a loop or pouch, otherwise they will be on the floor when the bag is opened. We liked the idea of a shoulder pouch a lot, especially since it was wired for power, but we found the implementation awkward and cumbersome. The snap button that kept it held down on the strap was constantly coming loose, and we struggled to find a convenient way to keep our phone (a Sprint Motorola Q) both plugged in and secure in the pouch.
The solar panels are waterproof, scratch resistant, and UV resistant, and the nylon used to construct the bag is also waterproof. The three panels operate independently to generate up to 4 watts of power, and the substrate is an aluminum/plastic composite designed to be strong and lightweight. Were the panels to break (which Voltaic claims can only be done with a concerted effort), they can be replaced for a $35 fee. We didn't have the heart to see if destruction was in fact possible, but we did toss the bag around a bit and saw no damage or noticeable change in effectiveness.
Features - Good
The exterior of the bag is focused around the solar panels; the interior is centered around the battery pack. Cords snake throughout various compartments and openings in the bag, but all lead to and drawing juice from the battery. The battery pack can be recharged in three ways: the solar panels on the backpack, through a car power outlet with the included car charger or with the included AC travel charger. A charge indicator indicates how much charge is left in the battery, and also notifies the user that it is receiving a charge. An LED "torch," is located on the face of the battery, which illuminates the inside of the bag in low-light conditions, and lasts approximately 55 hours per charge. A voltage converter switch on top of the battery pack allows you to adjust the power output to suit the device being charged from 3.5V to 5V or to 7.2 Volts. Most phones, PDAs and USB devices are 5V, while iPods and most cameras require 7.2V. For devices requiring more than 7.2V (some large digital cameras), Voltaic recommends using the car charger to plug directly into the battery. Some manufacturers (read: Nokia) design their devices to only work with proprietary chargers, making it necessary to purchase a proprietary car charger and plug it into the car charger socket inside the bag.
While it would not be a stretch to imagine owning a device that was not compatible with the backpack, Voltaic's car charger solves almost any compatibility issue, as you can simply buy your device's car charger and plug it into the backpack, just as you would plug it into your car. The battery holds its charge well; we fully charged our phone twice over the period of a week without recharging it through the wall, even with limited time outside for the panels to charge the pack. To recharge however, it did take 8 hours of direct sunlight. Not surprisingly, we experienced much better results with the AC adaptor. Our phone was fully charged in under 4 hours, less than the estimated time given by Voltaic.
Accessories - Excellent
The Voltaic Backpack is not short on accessories. Because of the vast number of connectors used by today's electronic devices, Voltaic had a challenge in making them all compatible, and for the most part, they succeeded. The battery pack clips inside the back pocket of the bag, but can also be removed for use without the backpack, and comes with a pack of standard adaptors and chargers. These include a strip of 5V adaptors (USB, mini USB, and proprietary plugs from Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia and Samsung), a strip of five generic plugs, a car charger and an AC adaptor, which will charge the battery or your device when sunlight is not an option. The battery pack is also sold separately with the standard adaptors and chargers for $75.
This pack of standard adaptors and chargers includes a car charger socket, which means you can plug in a standard car charger to charge most small consumer electronics, including phones, PDAs, cameras and MP3 players. This allows you to use virtually any device with the backpack.
Price and availability
The Voltaic Backpack will start selling for $250 () in September 2007.
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