Transforming Suitcase is Cool, I guess, But Not Practical

by Justin Glow on

This suitcase has been making the rounds on all the blogs out there, but I figured it was still worth a late mention on Gadling if not for the fact that it’s the most useless travel-related “product” ever. It’s not even a product (thankfully) in that you can’t actually purchase it — but this is probably a good thing.

Essentially it’s your garden-variety suitcase with a twist: it transforms into a chair. This would be really, really cool if you were able to convert to chair form without dumping out the contents of your suitcase onto the ground. It just isn’t practical. But this is “art,” I guess, which is what they start calling creative products that fall short of mass appeal due to a severe case of inefficaciousness.

If you’re stuck on travel-related things that transforms from one thing into another, check out this luggage cart that doubles as a laptop table. Now that’s handy. [via]

Keep Your Gadgets Charged on the Beach

by Justin Glow on

Reware is selling what they call the “world’s first heavy-duty solar beach tote” called the Juice Bag. The tote has an ultra-thin solar panel built into the side which harnesses the power of the sun and converts it into juice for your cellphone, digital camera, sombrero, or other gadgets you may bring to the beach to ruin with sand. Unfortunately it will not charge your laptop, as the solar panel’s power ratings are too low to feed the juice a laptop requires. As a bonus, you can remove the solar panel from the side and use it independently from the bag.

$249 from Reware. [via]

Cool Outdoor Gear Made From Recycled Materials

by Willy Volk on

If you think enjoying Mother Nature also means being kind to Mother Nature, then you’re probably the kind of person who be into sustainable outdoor gear.

Outside has a great round-up of recycled, salvaged, and renewable gear that doesn’t sacrifice on performance. Made from things like beech trees, coconut husks, hemp, and recycled plastic, the gear includes shirts, shorts, shoes, and bags. Happily, the gear is all priced similarly to “traditional” gear.

Considering in excess of 44 trillion beverage cans and bottles have been littered, landfilled, or incinerated this year alone, every bottle that we remove from the earth is a good thing. Why trash it… when you can wear it?

Crank Brothers' Pump

by Erik Olsen on

I’ve been stuck just a couple of times in my lifetime with flat tires on the trail, but each time, I was
grateful that I packed along a pump. Or that the guy I was riding with did. Still, the pump I have, while serving its
purpose nicely, is not that great.  I think I bought it way back when in Seattle for, like, $30 or something. And
to be honest, I kind of dread using it because it’s a pain and makes me feel like I’m doing a workout just
to get my tires firmed up.

So with that said, let me introduce you to the Crank Brothers’ new Power
Pump Ultra. Just 5 and a half inches long, this compact pump is an impressive leap ahead in pump technology. An
innovative dial setting at the base lets you switch among high-volume and high-pressure systems, and so the easier
setting will help reduce arm weariness.

Sadly, it seems the pump comes sans frame mount, but it’s small and light enough to fit into a pocket or your
pack. And the price is right. The Crank Bros pump runs just $30. Nice gift for that very very last minute need.