I first heard of solar backpacks when I was reading this stuff the crew from “Living With Ed” was writing about. They were saying they used them to charge their electronics. SOLAR BACKPACKS…what? I want a million of them.

You can charge your mobile phones, mp3 players, some even have enough power to charge a laptop. They have the same type of power source as in your car. It is attached to a flexible solar panel that is placed in any of the pluthera of bags out there.

I will give it up right away and start with my favorite site, Reware.com. Understand I’ve tried none of these bags…my judgement is just based on what I have seen on their sites and instinct. :D

Solar Shirt

They created a fresh solar bag line called Juice. They have the widest variety of bags, they are cool and I love the whole idea. I am going to save up some loot and get one . :) Maybe the beach tote and use it as a grocery bag!

Here is a little blurb about them, by them,

NEXT GENERATION SOLAR

Turn free sunlight into clean electricity without moving parts, heat or sound. The Juice Bag’s incredible 7 Watt flexible solar panel is made up of 52 solar cells and represents the latest in flexible solar technology.Our power technology is military-tested and approved, and our stitching and fabrics undergo a triple-quality check before leaving our warehouse.

And, while no small solar power device of this size puts out enough power to charge a laptop directly, keep an eye on us – we have a solution brewing for use with laptops and other larger devices!

SIMPLE TO USE

Juice Bags come with a built-in Car Lighter Adapter (CLA) socket – the same plug as in a car. It’s universal. Just plug in the adapter you would normally use in the car that is approved for your phone, PDA, MP3 player or other 12volt device. The moment sunlight falls on the Juice Bags solar panel, the bag generates electricity. It is that easy!

With Juice Bags, you don’t need a battery to charge your 12 volt devices, but we offer an accessory line of SolarReady Batteries so that you can store the sun if you want. Just plug the SolarReady into your Juice Bag, store up sunlight, then plug the battery into your device later.

Juice Bags are used by travelers, students, relief workers and many others for whom the freedom of clean, everywhere free energy is important.

Imagine going anywhere…anywhere…in the world and being able to keep your satellite phone, GPS Unit or digital camera charged.

MADE IN THE USA.

We now make Juice Bags in the USA with great attention to detail, and use premium fabrics and materials for superior quality.”

——

Next solar bag site I really like is, Voltaic System bags. They were the first company to sell a solar bag powerful enough to charge a laptop.

Solar Laptop Bag

Another reason these guys rock is they use,

“fabrics made from recycled PET i.e. soda bottles. We worked extensively with suppliers to develop these fabrics, since they were not previously available. Recycled PET fabric is light weight, extremely durable, UV resistant and water resistant. It even looks better than the nylon it replaced. Most importantly, it uses significantly less energy to produce and creates demand for recycled materials.”

My favorite part about the laptop bag is the handle…

Bag Handle

An indicator light inside the handle shows when the panels are generating a charge. That is super fresh.

There are a few other sites that sell solar bags, but their stock consists mostly of leather and that isn’t my flavor. :P I hope these solar bags really are fresh. I’ll let you know when I know.

:)

-Cara

Update- Marine made this solar bag for me she liked this entry so much. :]