Funchico.com - Funky, Chic & Cool Laptop Bag News

Recharge with an Eco-Chic Tablet-Sized Bag: The Jen Powered Crossbody from Urban Junket

Urban Junket's new bag for tablets (in indigo)

I haven't had an Urban Junket bag in my hands since I reviewed the Urban Junket Laptop T.O.T.E. three years ago. I LOVED the T.O.T.E. - love the materials it was made from, loved the bold magenta colour and I loved how many organizational options it offered. After my glowing review, I wanted to keep it - but I get a lot of laptop bags and I reluctantly ended up gifting it to a friend. "As least she lives close by," I thought "so maybe the T.O.T.E. and I will still get to visit!" And then she moved to Newfoundland. HA ha! I was bereft.

So when Tracy from Urban Junket asked if I'd like to review the new Jen Powered Crossbody Rechargeable Bag, I jumped at the chance to get another one of these sporty chic bags. This time, I got it in violet. So pretty!

The Jen Powered Crossbody is part of Urban Junket's new PowerTrips Rechargeable Bags line. It's a tablet-sized bag, perfect for your iPad or…whatever other tablets there are. The interior lining of the bag is made from Urban Junket's signature "bottles to bags" material - each Jen bag is made with 36 reclaimed plastic bottles, which makes the bags chic AND eco-friendly. Like the T.O.T.E., the exterior fabric (coated 100% cotton canvas) is water resistant, which makes it less stressful to travel with here in rainy Vancouver.

For smaller bags like this, I prefer the messenger style and the adjustable crossbody strap on the Jen fit my larger frame nicely. The front of the bag has a separate zippered pocket, for things you might need to access quickly - bus pass, smartphone, etc. - and it also has a handy slot for pens or my ever-present lip gloss.

Next is the second exterior zippered pocket which runs the width of the bag. This pocket contains a pouch for your smartphone and also a slit that allows you sneak a cord through and charge whatever's in that front pocket. Plenty of space up front here - enough room for your wallet, e-Reader or paperback for that morning commute.

While we're chatting exterior pockets, there's also a small pocket at the back, which could offer quick access to keys, etc. This back pocket is open, however, so if your bag gets turned upside down (or is stored in an overhead bin), you might lose whatever's in there.



The main compartment of the Jen has another two smartphone sized pouches (one open, one velcroed) and a large removable clutch with a business card holder in front. You can use the clutch as a bag for your gear or, if you don't have a lot of gear, for snacks! Yay snacks! The main compartment always has the velcroed pouch that holds the battery pack.

And now for the main event of this bag - the battery pack that allows you to recharge your devices on the go. I like the idea of having a way to recharge my phone, iPad or e-Reader while I'm out and about - it would be great for travel, or for keeping your phone charged during a power outages (like the ones we've been seeing lately in these crazy fall storms). Apparently, the battery pack is also TSA friendly and doesn't need to be removed from the bag when you're going through security.

The battery pack is actually really easy to use. It comes with an accompanying micro USB to USB cord, which is a must for those of us whose devices don't use a micro USB to charge (like my iPhone). You plug the micro USB in to the battery pack to charge it - it was very quick to get fully charged. You don't have to take the battery pack out of the bag to charge if you don't want to.



Once the battery pack was charged, I had a dilemma - what to charge first? I could have charged my iPhone (the "out" on the battery pack is a standard USB) but I decided to try recharging my e-Reader instead, to see how long it would take. My e-Reader was fully out of battery and generally takes a very long time to recharge. I plugged it in to the battery pack at 10:00 a.m. and an hour and forty five minutes later, it was fully charged. Not bad for the Kobo! The battery also full recharged my half-charge iPhone very quickly and looks to still have some juice left. Pretty cool.

As with all Urban Junket bags, the Jen also features super sturdy construction and great hardware. It's pretty lightweight, even with the battery pack - and the battery pack can be removed if you prefer. Fantastic, functional design, eco-friendly materials, rich, bright colours and a great way to keep your electronics charged on the go - the Jen Powered Crossbody is pretty rad.

I learned my lesson with the first Urban Junket bag - this one will not be leaving my house unless it's with me. You can get your own Urban Junket PowerTrip bag at urbanjunket.com - the Jen retails for $228 USD.

A bag for your laptop AND your shoes

Ibnia knows that a modern lady loves her laptop AND her shoes. And they created a fun bag that takes care of both. Presenting, the Joyheel Laptop Backpack from Ibnia.

From my review ...

I admit it.  I judge. For example, I'm on the morning train into downtown, and I see women in their twenties clinging to the railings, teetering in ridiculously high heels.  Why on Earth do they commute in those shoes?  Teetering is not sexy. But then I think, why do a lot of us wear the same shoes all day?  Whatever happened to bringing a change of footwear?

The designers at Ibnia have answered this question. Their Joyheel backpack is specially designed to stow a change of shoes and securely carry your laptop. Huzzah!

Designed in the Netherlands and produced in Korea, the Joyheel's international fusion can be seen in the modular and minimalist design aesthetic.  The soft-shell backpack maintains its cool, curvy shape, and I love the candy apple red. I feel compelled to get a matching Dutch cruiser!  Riding around town, I'll stow my espadrilles in the Joyheel backpack's unique shoe compartment.

Read the full review of Ibnia's Joyheel Laptop Backpack over at Squidoo.

Keep Your Knitting Needles Organized

Nothing is cooler than being organized. Really. Especially for crafty-types - I know what a drag it is to what to dive right in to a project and not being able to find the tools you need.

Well, knitters rejoice, there is a great new case for you to keep your knitting needles organized: the Crafter's Tool Butler from Jordana Paige. 

I wrote a little review of these over on my Funky, Chic and Cool Knitting Bag page. From the review ...

The Tool Butler features two zippered compartments. The one at the front opens to reveal six different sized slots for your double-pointed needles, crochet hooks and scissors. It also features a little mesh pocket for notions - your darning needles, cable needles, etc.

I particularly love the knitting needle inventory chart in the front compartment - what a great idea! It's happened a couple of times now that I've accidentally purchased the same size needles just because I couldn't remember if I had them already (or worse, couldn't find them among my huge piles of yarn).

Check out the full review of the Jordana Paige Crafter's Tool Butler - there are some more detailed pics and more info.

Lexie Barnes' New Candy Collection of Bags

Lexie Barnes, one of my favourite bag designers, has released her new collection of bags - the Candy Collection!  Three bright patterened fabrics are the hallmark of this collection.

She didn't do any laptop bags this time :( but she does have a new clutch - the Libby - which is perfect for an iPad, Kindle, Kobo or other tablet.

I really love that blue fabric - great colours all of them, perfect for spring.

 

Keep Your Kid's Lunch Cool and Chic with These Great Lunch Boxes and Bags

When I was in grade school, you know what was cool to bring your lunch in?  That's right - your metal "Laugh In" lunch box. And when I got to high school, I toted my trusty Tupperware lunchbox - except mine was brown. Ugh - I was such a nerd.

Luckily, your kids don't have to be.  Our four fabulous kid bag recommenders from Tuesday chime in with their picks for great lunch boxes for kids!

Judy from Mountain Baby starts us off with her pick - the Go Green

In terms of lunchboxes the Go Green is definitely our favourite. The Go Green is very very well designed to reduce lunch waste and is easy and convenient to use. It eliminates the need for plastic bags, extra containers, a separate water bottle, etc. Our customers absolutely love them and find that they pay for themselves very quickly.  For young kids it is designed to be carried on its own. It fit in a bigger kids backpack - not in the Alpine Junior. But they are attractive and easy to carry.

Stefanie from Dandelion Kids - I was so mean to her.  She gave me four recommendations and I pushed and hassled and tried to get her to choose just one.  She gave me great write ups on two (one of them is from the same line as her backpack pick) - so I thought I would go ahead and share them both :)

 Well....I think I do love the ORE bags. The patterns and colours are so bright and friendly and I think that definitely makes lunchtime more fun - especially for the primary grades who still love all things cute. They have a velcro closure up top and have insulation. They are designed more specifically as a 'lunch-bag'. I think the size is also great and it fits easily into any backpack. 

My daughter has the Dabbawalla Ladybug Lunchbag so I have more personal experience with those. One of the things I love best is that they are so soft but waterproof so if something leaks, the backpack and its contents don't get soaked too. Plus they wash beautifully - nothing is ever stuck in the corners! The ladies who own the company are also super nice and easy to work with.

If I were picking a lunch box to take to school now, I would likely choose Sue from Raspberry Kids pick.  I love this pink giraffe!

A very good customer of ours originally showed us the So Young Mother cooler bags and lunchboxes she had ordered and I immediately fell in love.  The designs are simple, elegant and very natural looking.  Mothers, fathers and kids can carry these with ease and they have an air of sophistication to them.  As a parent, you are inundated with commercialized cartoon characters but my preference has always been to seek out independent designers and unique products and Catherine from So Young Mother fits that bill.  It is also great to work with and support a fellow mompreneur.

OK, maybe I would pick this PlanetBox - how can you resist anything that has to do with rocketships?  Annemarie from Yoyomama says ...

I wish my daughter's school didn't have a hot lunch program - well actually I don't, I love not packing lunch each day - but if they didn't I'd invest in a PlanetBox for non-toxic, litterless lunches. 

So there you have it … five great pics for lunch boxes for your kids.  Hmmm .. I wonder if any of them will take my Laugh In box as a trade in?

Keep Your Cables Organized with Skooba's Cable Stable

I've become an avid fan of little accessory bags as a compliment to my laptop bag.  They help keep my usb keys, security tokens, video dongles, pens, business cards and other assorted tech miscellany neat and tidy.  The pouches from Tom Bihn with the clear plastic front are probably my favourite, but I've also used the minis from Lexie Barnes and the cachets from Coakley.

But I don't really have anything for my cords. The power brick on the MacBook power cord is so unweildy - I just kind of bunch up the cord and wrap a rubber band around it. Not particularly classy. However, I just found out about the Cable Stable from Skooba and this might be a good solution.

You can even stash your netbook in one side and still use the other side for cords and other accessories. Sweet.

You can get more pics and details on the Cable Stable at Skooba's site. The Cable Stable retails for $39.95 US.