By Brittany Johnson
The Ivation Solar Panel Backpack comes with a removable 3.5 watt solar panel in addition to a waterproof 2200 mAh power bank. The solar panel is attached to the backpack by velcro and the power bank is tucked away in the front pocket on the backpack. The solar panel and the power bank are both removable for easy portability. The backpack itself is a sturdy, weather resistant daypack with a waist strap and light back padding. This multi-pocketed daypack has a small front zippered pocket with the power bank stored inside, a second zippered compartment which consists of 2 big pockets, 3 pen pockets, 3 small pockets, a mesh zippered pouch with 1 big pocket, 1 small mesh zippered pocket, plus 1 small mesh pocket, and a third compartment which has 1 laptop pocket and 1 large storage area. The backpack straps have 1 small mesh pocket on the left strap and 1 plastic loop on the right strap. There are also 2 mesh side pockets and 3 fabric loops sewn into the backpack for carabiner clips if needed. The backpack, the solar panel and the power bank combined weighs a total of 2.8 lbs.
I use this daypack for camping, hiking, day trips and the like. I recommend pre-charging the power bank from a wall outlet or electronic device before longer trips as you never know what the weather will be like and this product works best in direct sunlight. I also recommend bringing a second power bank or solar charger for your longer trips. The power bank can be fully charged in 2 hours from a wall outlet or electronic device but the time to fully charge the device using only sunlight can vary. A phone can be fully charged in 4-6 hours from the fully charged power bank. You will be able to tell when the power bank is charging by the blue light and you will be able to tell when it is dying by the red light located on the power bank (which you can see in a photo below). The power bank has a USB port to charge your electronic devices and a micro USB port for charging the power bank from the solar panel. If you plan on charging your phone or electronic device directly from the panel itself, I suggest getting an adapter for the male micro USB. Personally, I have found that it is best to charge electronics from the power bank itself rather than directly from the solar panel. I recommend this product for day hikes and car camping trips no longer than a few days but I would carry a higher watt solar panel and larger mAh power bank for trips any longer than that.
