How To Make A Solar Backpack (Step-By-Step DIY Guide)

Why Create A Solar Backpack? (Benefits Explained)

With a few simple tools, you can turn your favorite backpack into a practically limitless power source. Solar backpacks aren't expensive, but if you make your own, then any future repairs will be much easier. Your money will go further with a DIY solar backpack. 

Who might benefit from a DIY solar backpack? 

How To Make A Solar Backpack? (Step By Step DIY Guide)

What You’ll Need 

To complete your solar panel backpack DIY project, you’ll need the following items: 

And, of course, you need your favorite backpack. 

How To Do It (Step by Step Guide) 

2. Connect Them 

You can measure the output of your panels with the voltage meter - for this guide, all wires always go negative to positive. 5V is the standard power max for most USBs, although USB-C can go as high as 20. 

Pair your solar panels together from negative to positive until you get the proper voltage output from all of them together. Don't put all the wires in place on the back of the panels just yet. Only connect the wires for now. 

To do this, you need to cut the wires and then strip the ends of each one. Go ahead and do the same thing for the USB cable that matches your devices. 

3. Glue Your Panels Together 

If you bought or found a single-piece solar panel, you can skip this step. Otherwise, you need to use epoxy and glue the panels together by placing them face down and making sure the edges are all flush with one another. Also, ensure you have enough panels to cover your specific backpack. 

Cover the edges with glue or epoxy. You may also create twin horizontal lines at key points instead of placing glue along every break. Let the whole thing sit and dry for a few hours. 

4. Put The Wires In Place 

All those connections need to be glued in place on the back of the panels in a way that will minimize the space they take up and keep everything orderly in case you need to make adjustments later.  

The best way to do this is to create parallel pathways. You should map this out without glue first to make sure the USB charging connection is in the right place. Once everything is where it should be, put the glue down. Let it all dry like you did in the last step. 

5. Create A Backing & Protect Your Panels 

Some DIYers glue the whole thing to cardboard to give it a stronger structure, others cover it in plastic, and still others use waterproof sleeves. You can do any number of these things depending on your purpose.  

The cheaper way is simply to do cardboard and find plastic sleeves to slide around the panels. Close them off, and if you need to do maintenance later, then you can cut away the plastic.  

If you spent a fair amount on the panels and plan to take them into the elements, you could invest in ready-made waterproof sleeves that still let light through.  

6. Attach It To Your Backpack 

Some people leave it on their backpack permanently, and others attach it with a cord that allows them to flip it onto the back of their pack and put it in an interior pocket when they don't need it.  

If you have a blade handy, you could cut a hole in the bag and run the cable through it so you can charge your phone inside the bag while the panels gather sunlight on the outside. You may want to invest in a waterproof backpack to keep your electronics and new solar panels dry when not in use.

Either way, make sure you can still take the panels off if they stop working or one takes damage. Backpacks go through some tough situations, as we all know. 

7. Go Out & Enjoy Your Limitless Power 

Alright, you could still run out of juice if you don’t time things right. But you’re better prepared to keep a charge in your devices than you were before, and at a fraction of the cost. 

What Materials Are Best For Solar Backpacks? 

People Also Ask (FAQs)

How much will it cost if you make your own solar backpack? 

If you buy the cheapest materials, you can make a solar backpack for around $40. You can invest slightly more and still be well beneath the price tag found on most manufacturer models. 

Are solar backpacks safe? 

You have to know how to make a solar-powered backpack safe if you want to avoid shorts and other problems. If you want it to keep working and avoid shorts and shocks, then you’ll need to understand basic electronics before getting your solar panel backpack DIY project off the ground.

How much power do I need for a solar backpack? 

1-5V is enough for charging most phones, Bluetooth speakers, and other small devices, but you'll want to aim closer to 10V+ if you want to fully charge electronics like computers or GPS trackers. 

How long does the charge on solar backpacks work for? 

Depending on sun exposure and weather conditions, your charge could last you through the night. Charging power banks will enable you to store electricity while your panels continue to gather more. 

How much does a solar backpack cost to buy? 

The average solar backpack costs about $200, although you can find less expensive barebones models and more sophisticated models with much larger price tags. 

Conclusion

A solar panel backpack DIY project is a fun way to occupy your free time, and it will create a one-of-a-kind product that will keep your gear charged up through long days of hiking, studying, or working.  

Now that you know how to make a solar backpack, you can start your first prototype and slowly improve your design over time. Solar backpacks are much less expensive and just as helpful at campsites, job sites, and in the classroom.