Is a Solar Juice Bag Worth It?
June 10th, 2008 (7:00am) Imran Ali 4 CommentsTweet This
I love my bags. In 1999 I swapped a $400 leather overcoat for the perfect recordbag/backpack/laptop bag…in 2002 I found a Levis faux-denim convertible messenger+backpack that I hung onto for years, until I replaced it with a Timbuk2 Detour, and this March a Commute 2008…purchased whilst on a pilgrimage to the Timbuk2 store!).
In short – my bag matters and it needs to…
- secure a laptop, its charger, dongles & cables
- room for a few papers, business cards and a notebook.
- not slap me in the ass when running for planes and trains
- room for a change of clothes and some toiletries when staying overnight for an early meeting.
Now I never considered that solar charging should be a part of my calculations until the launch of Reware’s Juice Bag Profolio a few days ago. Reware’s range of Juice Bags line all include an outer skin of fifty-two solar cells that can generate up to seven watts of power at twelve volts; enough, it’s claimed, to charge cellphones and handhelds, but probably not devices such as laptops.
The Profolio is presented as a ‘business bag’ as well as opportunity to ‘go green,’ though looking through the rest of the range, Reware aren’t in the same class as Timbuk2 or Crumpler when it comes to urban design or drop-dead desirability. Reware’s Juice Bags may be immensely useful and sustainable, but they lack style and with the Profolio currently on offer ar $399, I expect to be paying for great design and fashion as much as technology. Now if Reware were to partner with the Messengers of God, I’d be interested!
Incidentally, MIT today revealed the plans of researcher Sheila Kennedy, to focus on the development of flexible photovoltaic materials…that’s solar textiles – can’t wait to see what she comes up with!
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The idea is intriguing, but the bag is ugly. Also, my laptop bag tends to end up under desks, airplane seats, etc. If I had to figure out how to keep the solar panels exposed to light, it’d be more pain than it’s worth, especially if it can’t even charge the laptop battery!
I recently switched to a solar cell phone charger, which also has connectors for iPods, various handhelds, etc. It’s about the size of a deck of cards. You leave it in the light and it charges an internal battery. A sunny window sill in a hotel room or a car dashboard is a fine place to charge up the charger. The battery then charges your device when you get back to the hotel at night.
Hey Cathy – can you point us to a link for that solar cell phone charger? Thanks!