Techcitement Review: Voltaic Converter Solar Backpack

As users of any 4G phone are well aware, battery life is a huge concern with any modern mobile device. Many people spend their days with one eye out for a power source to plug into for a few minutes. What can we do to stay connected when that wall outlet is nowhere to be found?

Voltaic Systems provides an eco-friendly answer with the Converter Solar Backpack. A pair of 2 watt solar panels let you keep your mobile devices juiced up all day long, wherever you go. Voltaic includes five interchangeable tips for the charger, including mini- and micro-USB, as well as a full-sized USB port for charging devices that don’t match one of the tips. They also offer a wide variety of optional tips for $5–6 a piece, so you can find the perfect match for whatever it is you need charged. The solar panels themselves are waterproof and sit below a single LED to let you know when you’re charging.

One of the more interesting additions to this bag is the included battery. At 3000 mAh, it stores almost enough juice to recharge your average smartphone twice without connecting to the solar cells. The battery can be removed, so you can charge devices out of the backpack (useful if you want to hear your phone ring), and the battery also has its own dedicated charging cable, so you can recharge it and another device off of the sun simultaneously. Most importantly, the battery option means you’re not losing the utility of this backpack just because the sun has set.

All these electronics are a surprisingly lightweight addition to a truly excellent bag. The construction feels solid, and the interior has a decent amount of room. I was able to toss in a couple of textbooks, a notebook, and a netbook into the two main pockets with plenty of room to spare. An organizer pocket right behind the solar panels conceals the battery and plenty of space for whatever you want to charge. The Converter has a well-padded back and broad shoulder straps, which make for a comfortable fit even when carrying a heavy load. My one complaint about the bag itself is the lack of a true laptop pocket. One of the main pockets is well-padded enough that I didn’t worry much about using it for one, but on such a tech-oriented backpack, I’d expect something shaped to hold a laptop a bit more securely.

One word of caution, the bag’s interior gets surprisingly hot if you leave it in the sun charging your devices too long. The bag comes full of warning labels telling you to leave it open when charging, so your electronics don’t overheat. I never ran into any serious problems, but it’s something to watch for in your day-to-day use.

I was also a bit surprised to learn that the Converter provides no method for charging a laptop. Granted, the solar panels are not up to the job, but given the bag’s battery pack, it seemed like a perfect fit for emergency power. Unfortunately, not even the optional tips for the charger provide a standard wall outlet for charging non-mobile devices.

At $200, the Converter is not something your average college freshman is going to run out and grab on an impulse buy. If you’re looking for a way to get your phone through those long days in class, you can swing by AC Gears and check it out. You won’t be disappointed with what you see.