After a major weather event – whether a tornado, a hurricane, or even just a strong thunderstorm – you may find yourself unexpectedly off the grid: power is often the first victim of bad weather. Of course, you’ll want to know what’s going on around you, and need power to access that information. If you’ve got a generator, you’re in good shape… until your fuel runs out. And if you’re relying on a solar-powered charger just to get your phone, tablet, or laptop running, you’re also OK… as long as there’s sunlight available when the battery runs out. The best battery charger in such situations would allow for charging regardless of fuel availability.
If you’re moving and healthy after the storm, however, you’ve got all the renewable energy you need for a Go Kin Pack. Like some other developments we’ve covered in the past, the Go Kin Pack harvests kinetic energy – literally, energy created by motion. Take a look at the company’s video overview of the product to see how just by walking, you can keep yourself connected after damaging weather:
Of course, if you can use this to keep your phones and computers powered up, than so can emergency personnel searching for people who may be trapped or injured. While the Go Kin Pack doesn’t require disaster conditions to operate, it can… regardless of those conditions. So whether you’re just out hiking and need to communicate, or just waited out a tornado in the basement and want to check out your property, you’ll be able to power up. This flexibility makes it an elegant solution for people in the developing world, or even soldiers on patrol. As long as you’ve got shoes to connect to the cables, you’re good to go.
Excited yet? You’ll have to temper that excitement just a bit: the Go KinPack is still undergoing testing in Canada. Bill Ostrom and team are working on Prototype 4 of the charger, and plant to roll out their product later this year. Want to help them out? Check out their current Kickstarter campaign, which offers the opportunity to pre-purchase your own Go Kin Pack.
What kind of charging device do you currently rely upon when away from a grid connection? How well does it work? Would you want to try out the Go Kin Pack once it’s available? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
This post was generously sponsored by Go Kin Packs
photo credit: Joe Shlabotnik via photopin cc
Ajzen
I have two external battery packs. The RAVPower element 10,400mAh and luster 3,000mAh. （http://www.ravpower.com/external-batteries.html)
The luster is for daily use, because it’s light-weight and small. The element is kind of bulky but powerful. I take it with me for extended trips/camping, etc.
The Go Pink Pack looks interesting. It’s cool that it creates power by just walking. But I should say it’s kind of less practical than external battery packs.
Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
Thanks for chiming in, Ajzen…!