Super my Capacitor
I’m stuck in the internal workings of Pristina Airport, Kosovo. The guy is smiling at me, but he won’t let me leave. My flight is due to take off in 45 minutes. I’m stressed watching checked bags being thrown onto conveyor belts by bearded men, without much care, yet my own bags ain’t going nowhere!
It’s all down to my avalanche air-bag, which is powered by an inert gas canister. I’ve waved the dangerous-goods print-off I take everywhere under his nose, that says it’s ok. I’ve shown him the email conversation I’ve had with the airline which clearly states that it’s ok for me to travel with my avi bag, so long as I disconnect the canister and take that as hand-luggage - though of course the letter is in English, rather than Albanian or Serbian, for this guy. But once again I’m held up and stressed, trying to persuade a security dude that it’s all cool and I’m not up to no good!
Admittedly, it’s improved at most European airports since I got my first airbag (around 10 years ago), but even now I’m still stopped every other flight, and made to take the canister out and wait while the hapless guard find their manager for an ok… I’ve never actually had a canister taken off me, not even in Kyrgyzstan or Istanbul, but sometimes I’d just like to clear security without all this fuss and get a bloody coffee!
Ditch the cannister and get a battery backpack, I hear you say, and yes I was going to, but replacing an airbag is an expensive business, and even then problems with lithium battery packs aren’t totally unheard of - sometimes there’s contradictory advice from airlines saying it has to go into the hold (which is a pain in the arse if you’re using it as your only travel backpack), only to be told at the check-in that it can’t be checked and must be taken onto the plane.
So, when I was told about the Alpride SuperCap33 E2 backpack - not cannister, not battery, instead a supercapacitor that eliminates hassle at airports, I asked myself. “What is a supercapacitor and can I please have one now, I mean like ten years ago now!”
The E2 system, designed by the Swiss company Alpride, is their latest avalanche air-bag system that fits within many compatible airbags, including their own SuperCap backpacks, Scott, Deuter and Osprey also offer compatible backpacks.
The bag is inflated by a powerful fan, which is powered by a supercapacitor, this is charged at home by a usb-c cable. The E2 also has two AA batteries, this is to keep the supercapacitor fully charged while on, and to recharge it quickly after its been deployed (a massive advantage over the one hit canister powdered systems). The two AA batteries can recharge the E2 system up to twice after deployment. But let’s face it, if you have to deploy you bag three times on one trip it’s probably time to go home anyway.
So what actually is a supercapacitor? Well in Alpride’s own words - ‘SuperCapacitors provide energy without chemical reaction (unlike batteries) and are therefore almost insensitive to temperature, so they perform much better at very low temperatures than batteries, which makes them the ideal energy source for an avalanche airbag. In addition, their lifespan is much longer than a battery because SuperCapacitors do not wear out with charge and discharge cycles.’
Alpride claim that there are no flight restrictions with the E2 system, I’ve dug deep-ish into airline rules and can’t see any mention of any. A friend of mine has been travelling stress free with the original E1 system for a couple of years now without issue.
But the Alpride SuperCap 33 E2 bag, which I now own, isn’t just a great stress free travel option, it’s a very well thought out and designed avalanche backpack too, and I’m looking forward to taking it on my next adventures, with an in-depth review in our Kit Junkies section coming soon.
The other option is of course not to fly at all - driving in a full car, or taking the train are significantly greener options.
Ride, Connect, Stay Safe!