Everyone knows backpackers need a sleeping bag, flashlight, and canteen. But what about a 500 watt generator? Well according to Wired.com, a company called Bourne Energy has developed a hydroelectric backpack power plant weighing only 30 pounds, which it claims is capable of producing clean, quiet power from gently rolling streams of at least four feet deep. At $3,000 apiece, it’s unlikely many backpackers will be strapping one on anytime soon, but the company believes its portable power plant could also provide other useful services – such as generating reliable power to remote villages in developing countries, or for use in military operations. Time will tell whether this novel backpack idea is heading down the right trail.