backpacks

Timbuk2, maker of messenger bags, backpacks, Kindle Paperwhite dinner jackets, and laptops sleeves, now hopes to attract even more attention from the tech set with two new bags that can recharge your devices. And if you've ever wondered how the company's famous bags get made, we scored a tour of the San Francisco factory floor to show you how that gets done, too. … Read more

Congrats to Michael M. of Nottingham, Md., for winning a $500 gift certificate from KlearGear.com in last week's giveaway. Are you a frequent traveler? On the heels of the E3 games expo, this week's giveaway sponsor, Dell, is offering up a nice, sturdy TSA-friendly backpack that's great for gamers and others.

The Dell Alienware Orion M17x Tactical Backpack keeps your gear secure and protected on the go with its heavily padded back panels. The subdivided main compartment easily holds a laptop up to 17.3 inches, while a secondary compartment has 10 additional pockets for holding anything from pens to plane tickets to MP3 players to any random tchotchkes you like to carry around during your daily wanderings. Also, the camo design sets it apart from its basic-black-leather cousins.

Normally, the Dell Alienware Orion M17x Tactical Backpack would cost you $119.99, but you have a chance to get it gratis. How? There are a few rules, so please read carefully; there will be a test. … Read more

Ralph Lauren's recently released Solar Panel Backpack is a black or bright orange water-resistant bag that provides a useful 3.45 watts of power. According to the luxury label, this would enable iPhone users to achieve a full charge in less than three hours--on a sunny day of course. Our own rough calculations for an iPhone 4 seem to verify that figure, but your own mileage may vary.

The official Ralph Lauren site also vaguely mentions compatibility with the iPod Classic and "mobile phone devices," so users of non-Apple products might want to check if their device is supported.

While solar-powered accessories may appeal only to outdoorsy types and probably work best if you live in the tropics, any product that helps save fossil-fuel while charging our gadgets is definitely a step in the right direction.

The Solar Panel Backpack is available online for $795.

(Source: Crave Asia via CrunchGear) … Read more

While electronic gadgets have become part and parcel of the modern vacationer's must-have gear, the issue of power always comes up, especially for backpackers. Though there are outlets available in airports, restaurants, and hotels, leaving expensive toys in the open is obviously a big no-no.

But if you had the Trek Support backpack from design collaborative Quirky, charging your devices would be a snap. It has a built-in charging system and removeable, rechargeable battery that lasts up to seven hours, depending on the devices being charged; you simply plug the rip-stop nylon backpack into an outlet and let your … Read more

We're not going to lie. The backpack is a tough look to pull off, especially if you're a both-straps-on type. Anytime we see an adult wandering the streets or coffee shops of Manhattan looking like a harried high schooler, we cringe a little bit. That said, the one place you can get away with it is when you're actually in school--hence our perfectly timed collection of back-to-school laptop backpacks.

We may mock the backpack a bit, but despite years of bag evolution, they're still the best way to carry a laptop, books, and other assorted gear … Read more

The best moment of the "Star Wars" trilogy was when C-3PO was nearly destroyed. Now you can commemorate that moment with the pleather C-3PO Bespin Backpack.

Just like in the film, the robot isn't all that useful--he comes with a mesh bag that's basically only good for carrying himself along with any of his loose appendages.

However, you can stuff his cavity with small objects--the iPad appears to be about the max payload--in a manner I like to imagine to be quite painful. When you're done with the backpack, C-3PO can be reassembled in full … Read more

Bourne Energy's Backpack Power Plant puts a sub-25-pound, 500-watt-generating hydroelectric plant on your back. That's like being able to walk around with 60 solar panels. And when civilization finally collapses, I'll be dragging mine to an as-yet-undisclosed location.

You can use the BPP-2 in any stream deeper than 4 feet. It also operates silently, with no heat or exhaust emissions, and can be "bottom mounted" for total invisibility: all good things for hiding from the roving hordes of the post-apocalyptic dystopia. The BPP-2 is aimed for the military and can operate in a variety of … Read more

Konarka Technologies announced this week its Power Plastic flexible solar panels are going to be being used in carrier bags and possibly shade structures in the Middle East and Africa.

The company made a deal to supply its solar panels to German-based carrier manufacturer Neuber for bags that can double as chargers for small electronics like cell phones, digital cameras, and media players. Neuber is currently selling the so-called Energy Sun Bags at around 118 euros ($175) on the Neuber Web site.

Konarka's flexible solar panels in Neuber's range of mailbags are not the first instance of backpacks … Read more

G24 Innovations has shipped its first flexible solar panels, which are destined for the outside of backpacks and other bags, the company said Wednesday.

The U.K. company's dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are thin-film photovoltaics that can be manufactured in flexible rolls relatively cheaply. It is a material the U.S. Air Force has been looking into for use in its unmanned aerial vehicles for longer endurance.

G24's DSSC cells, which are designed to create electricity from indoor light as well as outdoor sunlight, will be put into commercial use by the manufacturer Mascotte Industrial Associates.

The Hong … Read more