For those of us on the shore, we could see that we were in for a storm and that is was coming fast. Our immediate concern was the folks swimming from an island back towards the shore. There was something coming and it was coming FAST. With in minutes, we had those that were swimming safely on shore and the few boaters had beached their canoes and then it It was a scary moment, the adrenaline was definitely flowing and there was damage close by but we were lucky because we had just lost power and had minor clean up to perform. Of course, when you lose power during the day it really does not impact you too much unless you are using electricity to power your water pump or as in the case here, use electricity to force waste water up a hill to the septic system away from the lake. Usually power outages don’t last too long so you just wait and are careful with the necessities of life. However, the power did not return quickly and as dark approached, we started to make sure we had our kerosene lamps ready and started to prepare supper using our grill…it was like a picnic. As we sat at the table to eat, I heard a beep and all of a sudden my wife said she had left the cell on the porch and forgot to plug it in. So for several days, it was just eating up its power and now was saying…feed me, I need power. For most folks, that would mean that they had NO more cell coverage until their power was restored but not for us. Sometime back, after the Katrina disaster, I started to think about emergency preparedness. How would I charge a cell phone or my PDA in case I was without power for days and days? Yes, I do have a generator but the amount of gas one stores is limited and I want to save that for when I need to generate electricity for the refrigerator, water pump and waste water disposal. The solution was easy; I have an Emergency Preparedness Kit by innergy Power. When my Power Pack arrived, I was amazed at its weight (12 pounds) and was equally impressed with how well the nylon carrying case balanced the weight for easy movement. It came fully charged so I immediately tried it out. I plugged the DC plug into the outlet and tried a variety of items I had that used DC power…all worked. But I really wanted to see just how far I could go with items that consumed more power. I had an inverter that I attached to the DC plug and ran my Motion Tablet (battery removed) for 3.5 hours. Even though it was still running, I decided to power it off since it had exceeded my expectations and did not want it to just power off my tablet because of a lack of power. What I did then was to reinsert my battery and it showed a level of 55% so I decided to charge the battery. There was enough power remaining to charge the battery back to 98% before the inverter indicated that there was not enough power to continue to charge. I was impressed. The only complaint I have is that you do not have the ability to see if the power pack has a complete charge nor can you determine the remaining power unless you have some sort of a meter that you can attach. I hope that in the next iteration, consideration is given to using an LED light on the AC/DC power supplies that will change color when the power pack is fully charged. In addition, it would be nice to have a series of LEDs as part of the power pack that could be turned on to determine the amount of charge that the battery has. A series of four or five LEDs that would indicate the percent of available power would be helpful when using the sun for recharging. Certainly knowing the power that is available would provide a little more comfort in determining how long you can use the device. In addition, having LEDs on the side that could be turned on/off with a switch would provide immediate light for attaching devices if needed. The construction of the power pack made me smile because it was so well made. This is NOT a cheap plastic case holding a solar panel but rather a ruggedized aluminum case encapsulating a thin fiberglass reinforced solar module that clearly was designed with quality and durability in mind. The battery is a thin, flat, lightweight sealed-lead battery that has a rated performance comparable to NiCd and NiMH batteries. It is very impressive! Conclusion: Pros: Well made Durable Easy, multiple means of charging Excellent battery life Cons: No means of determining the current charge No LED on AC/DC power supplies for determining full charge MSRP ($350.00) A little search on the net will bring amazing results for price Rating: 4.5 out of 5 You can visit innergy Power here: http://www.innergypower.com/ Kit Includes: IP1208PP 12V, 8Ah Power Pack Specifications Typical Electrical Characteristics Mechanical Characteristics Who is inergy? Innergy Power Corporation is a leader in the design and manufacture of thin sealed lead batteries and high-quality flat-panel multicrystalline PV solar modules. The only North American manufacturer of both renewable energy solar modules and rechargeable batteries, their product line includes thin sealed-lead batteries, thin solar modules and a combination power solution with a thin 12V, 8Ah battery built inside a 20W solar module. This combined sealed-lead/solar module is only .75 inches thin and can provide 24/7 power to a wide range of applications. 
A short time ago, I was spending some quiet time relaxing at my lake house enjoying the quiet peacefulness afforded by the wonders of nature. It was a glorious day, sun shinning, light breeze, kids swimming, and a few canoes on the lake…and then, all of a sudden a dark cloud appeared, the wind increased dramatically bringing “white caps” on a normally tranquil lake. On the horizon, there were a few flashes of thunder and the wind was increasing. 
hit…BAM…a microburst that was beyond anything I had experienced. Trees were bending like feathers with a few breaking from the force of the Mother Nature. Swells on the lake were as high as two feet…something I had not experienced before and then within a few minutes (although it seemed like an eternity) it was over. The quiet returned, the lake mirrored and the sun reappeared as if it had never gone. We started the process of picking up debris and were all remarking how lucky we were as we heard in the distance the sounds of sirens as emergency personnel were dispatched to areas that were hit hard. 
A short while after the Katrina disaster, I saw a press release from innergy about their new Emergency Preparedness Kit that was a compact, portable, renewable energy source that could be recharged from the sun when power is out. It looked very intriguing because it was designed to meet your basic communication and lighting needs when you lose your power especially if you have lost power for several days or even weeks. What is the Emergency Preparedness Kit by innergy Power? The kit consists of a very efficient solar rechargeable battery pack that provides you with three options for maintaining the power level and recharging. Besides having the ability to charge the battery by the sun, it comes with a 12V, 8Ah power pack that can recharge and maintain the battery at full charge from the wall or from the cigarette lighter (DC outlet) receptacle of a car or truck. Having the wall charger enables you to keep the power pack almost always fully charged (Innergy recommends overnight charging once per quarter), meaning it will be ready to use immediately during a power outage. The power pack only loses 1% of its charge per month when sitting on shelf. 
So when my wife said the cell phone was needing a burst of power, I took the phone, attached the detachable DC outlet to the solar panel, plugged the cell phone car charger into the DC receptacle, then sat back and finished my dinner. By the time we were finished and everything was put away except for the dirty dishes, the phone was charged…it was very fast and efficient. I unplugged the charger and as I gave my wife the cell, the power went on…we laughed! That was the first time I had to use the charger on a “needed” basis and although it was not an emergency, it proved to me that it would work when I needed it and that it would work well. 
After deciding this was a solution I wanted to try, I called the folks at innergy and found them to be incredible. I ended up having quite a long conversation about emergency power and the need for folks to have it. It was because of the Katrina disaster that the idea for this Emergency Preparedness Kit came about. They saw the large numbers of folks that were without any sort of power for weeks on end and decided that they 
would devise an affordable solution that would provide basic lighting and charging abilities. The final product consisted of the Power Pack, an AC charger, a DC power cord and a detachable cigarette lighter receptacle (DC plug). The DC plug is what is used to provide the power to a wide range of devices (cell phones, laptops, two-way radios and low consumption lighting products) during a power outage caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, etc. and as soon as there is sun, recharging with the built-in solar module can begin. In addition, there was 12V halogen light that came with the kit. In the event of a loss of power, you can plug this light into the DC receptacle and can have up to 18 hours of continuous light. My testing had significantly longer times but knowing that you will get 18 hours of continuous light is a big comfort. Lastly, there was an excellent ballistic nylon carrying case that holds the Power Pack, the wall charger, the detachable DC plug, the halogen light and includes sufficient space for other essential emergency supplies that you might find a need to store. 
Often times, it is the little things that make a difference in determining how good a company and their products are. The ballistic nylon carrying case for storage of the device is first quality. I have no question that it will last a very long time providing excellent protection and ease of portability. I also really liked the supplied12V halogen light; it too was of great quality. It had an on/off switch and if needed, the bulb could easily be replaced. 
The next day was a sunny day so I placed the depleted Power Pack outside in the sun at 10 am. I readjusted its position so it was pointing directly towards the sun twice during the day and brought it back inside at 6:00 pm. After the charge, it was packed up and taken to Maine where it sat for three days before my next test. Again, using the inverter, I plugged in a three way light (30-70-100) and found that it lit the light when set at the lower and medium range but did not at the 100 watt level (nor did I expect it to). Leaving it on at the 30 watt level, the light remained on for slightly over 1.5 hours…impressive, especially because it was charged using solar energy for less than 8 hours. 
Looking at the Power Pack, you see an aluminum channel frame, neatly mitered with each corner locked with an angle bracket screwed on both edges. Care was taken to guarantee each corner was tight giving it a nice appearance as well as maintaining the integrity of a sturdy frame. The back has a thin aluminum sheet for support and the front sports the large solar panel. Measuring 22 3/4" x 15" x 7/8", one of the narrow ends has two receptacles where you plug the AC or DC input for charging and the other is the DC output for running devices. Surrounding the frame, there are 8 holes pre-drilled for fixing the power pack permanently in needed. For my use, I have preferred to have the flexibility to manually position it depending on the conditions. From the outside, it is a pretty simple device but the inside is what makes it all work and from my usage, it has worked well. 
Many reviews are written based upon a limited time frame for use of a device and as a result, you base your conclusions on first impressions rather than accumulated experiences. I have been using this device for six weeks charging my handhelds daily. I have never run out of power other than the long term testing I did to see how long it would last with continuous use. It should be noted that I did not leave the solar panel plugged in but placed it outside once a week for charging in direct light. However, during the week, it has been positioned in my porch where it gets strong light for several hours a day. It has served me well and clearly fills a void for emergency power. In the event of a major disaster, I am confident that I would have sufficient power to charge my devices over several days. Clearly, the length of time it will last is totally dependant on the usage but with normal use, it will have a long lifespan. That is a definite confidence builder in the event of no power and several days of little or no sun. 
I have a distinct love for my mobile devices. I use them everyday (probably to excess) and want to make sure that I always have the ability to use them. With recent weather anomalies that seem to becoming more and more of a rule, I want the reassurance that in the event of an emergency, I am able to maintain my connectivity. The Emergency Preparedness Kit by innergy Power provides me with that ability but more importantly, in the event of a long lasting emergency, I have the peace of mind that I can power my cell phone, laptop, two-way radio (I am a volunteer fireman in Maine) and have emergency lighting. 
Aluminum channel construction 
Cost:
Detachable DC outlet
12V wall charger
Auto (car/truck) charging cord
12V halogen light
Ballistic nylon carrying case
The IP1208PP features a 12V, 800mA battery (96 watt hours) and can be recharged with either the built-in solar module or the 12VDC, 800mA wall charger (provided).
Maximum voltage output: 13.20 DC volts
Average full charge voltage: 13.08 volts
Maximum battery pack power: 8Ah
Recharge time: 16 hrs for fully discharged battery
using wall charger
Recharge time with built-in solar module:
Depending upon depth of discharge it ranges
from several hours to at least two days
Dimensions 22 3/4" x 15" x 7/8"
Weight 12 lbs.
Click read more below to read the FULL review on the Emergency Preparedness Kit by innergy Power
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