Skip to main content

Keep belongings safe, gadgets charged with Lifepack backpack, Solarbank

If you have trouble organizing your belongings and you worry about keeping your gadgets safe and juiced up while on the go, then the Lifepack is going to catch your eye. It’s a rugged, durable, weather-resistant backpack with a variety of different pockets and antitheft features. But that’s not all, because the Solarbank slots into a special pocket inside and offers 12,000mAh of battery power for your phone. It has a solar panel to charge it up on one side and a Bluetooth speaker on the other.

This unusual backpack was created in Denmark by Solgaard Design and proved to be a big hit on Indiegogo and Kickstarter. It’s a nice, multifunctional bag that’s designed to confound thieves. There’s a retractable 3-digit combination lock and a reinforced cable for attaching it to table legs, so it doesn’t got snatched while you’re on a bathroom break. There are various compartments, hidden pockets, and lockable zippers inside to help secure your gadgets and documents. The lock even doubles as a bottle opener. It’s a smart design that could serve you well around town or on a trip into the wilderness.

The Solarbank is a brick-sized battery pack that has a solar panel on one side. The slot for it in the Lifepack leaves the solar panel exposed, so it can charge up while you walk. There’s a power button with LEDs that light up to show remaining charge. Flip it over and you’ll see the black speaker grille, because the Solarbank also works as a fairly loud Bluetooth speaker. There are two USB ports at one end, which can charge devices at 2A and 1A, so one fast and one slow. There’s also a Micro USB port for charging it up on days when the sun isn’t shining, as well as a 3.5mm audio jack for plugging in headphones.

You can get up to six full charges for an iPhone 6S from this hefty power bank. The solar panel is pretty effective, too. An hour of decent sunshine is going to give you enough juice to fill about 25 percent of your iPhone’s battery and it will still charge up if it’s cloudy, as long as there’s some light. A fully charged Solarbank can also give you up to 96 hours of tunes streamed via Bluetooth from your phone.

You can pre-order the Lifepack on Indiegogo right now for $180, and it’s due to ship in October. It will hit retail in November, but the price is set to jump up to $280. If you just like the sound of the Solarbank, then you can buy it separately for $120 on Indiegogo . It’s set to jump to $150 when it goes on sale later in the year.

Simon Hill
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Simon Hill is an experienced technology journalist and editor who loves all things tech. He is currently the Associate Mobile…
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

Read more
Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today
Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally. 

Read more
The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024
A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad

Read more