Bluetti’s Handsfree 1 is a solar generator for truly remote work

Can you love and hate something equally? That’s the relationship I have with Bluetti’s Handsfree 1 Backpack. For $349 you get a large 42L backpack and a skinny 268.8Wh solar generator built around long-lasting LFP battery cells that can be recharged by up to 200W of connected solar panels. It features two USB-A and two 100W USB-C ports with a single 300W AC jack to power modest devices like a Starlink terminal for a full work day.

I’ve been traveling around Europe with it in my van for several weeks. On one hand, I love that I can store all my gear inside a single giant bag, including my DSLR, lenses, Starlink Mini, a drone and controller, action camera and accessories, laptop, a 45W EcoFlow solar panel AND that relatively giant power station capable of recharging my MacBook Pro about three times. 

On the other hand, it’s an ugly, overwrought backpack that looks like it was designed by an electrical engineer who dabbles in plumbing. Its brutal construction lacks even an ounce of finesse, despite weighing a very heavy 5kg / 11 pounds before adding any of my gear.

But there’s something to be said about being able to power and carry an entire remote office setup on my back …

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