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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.

Tweed Arm Sling

OK, so not only bags are "funchico" - here is this awesome, handmade arm sling - refashioned from the a tweed jacket. There is even a little pocket in front for business cards!

Read more about how to fashion your own arm sling over at the ReadyMade blog.

Stylish Bags, er, Beds for Your Pet

While I love a new bag as much as the next gal, I'm also THRILLED when a bag is reused or upcycled into something delightful and funchico.

Via the stylish blog Shopaholic, I discovered this snazzy pet bed made from an upcycled vintage suitcase.  How awesome is that?

The Shopaholic blog post lists several accessories for pets that I could definitely see purchasing for our Sharpei EmmyLou - though she might be a tad big for these suitcase beds :) I wonder if she could get behind the linen treat bags.

Photo: VintageRenaissance's Etsy Shop

 

Get eco-chic with the laptop T.O.T.E. from Urban Junket

I just posted a review of the fun and fresh Laptop T.O.T.E. bags from Urban Junket (T.O.T.E. = "to observe the earth"). There are two great things about these bags: the amazing colour palette and the very smart functional design - Tracey Dyer, the designer, has fashioned one bag with three ways to carry it: over the shoulder (tote-style), across the body (messenger-style) and on the back (backpack-style).

You can read the full review of the T.O.T.E. from Urban Junket over on my lens; here's an excerpt:

Maybe I'm just feeling a little nostalgic for John Hughes this days - but I have to say that my journey with my review copy of the Urban Junket T.O.T.E. reminded me of the teen romance films of my youth.

You know the ones I mean. Those teen movies where the female protaganist is a bit of a tomboy who maybe wears glasses and she's desperately in love with the male protaganist, but he doesn't even see her! But then at the end of the film, he suddenly realizes that the perfect woman was right in front of him the whole time! Well...that's kind of how it was with me and the Urban Junket T.O.T.E.

I confess that when I first received the Urban Junket T.O.T.E., it was summer and I thought it was nice. It wasn't until the days started to get a little darker and the leaves turned that I really started to notice it - arrestingly colourful, slick and chic. How had I not seen it before? And how soon could I come up with an excuse to take it out somewhere??

The Urban Junket T.O.T.E. ("Tote" stands for "To Observe the Earth") comes in two sizes, the 15.4" and the 17", which is the one I have. Its glossy exterior is eco-friendly coated canvas made from non-toxic dyes - a definite plus in my book.

The glossy material is also water resistant - another plus in rainy Vancouver - although there is a little gap between the zipper and the edge of the bag, so you know - don't toss it in the pool or anything.

Plus, there is a great video from Tracey showing how to configure the bag in each of its three styles.  You can also skip the review and go straight to the Urban Junket T.O.T.E. over at CareerBags.com.

Cool Bags from Recycled Mosquito Nets, Plastic Bags or Milk Cartons

Saw this on CoolHunting - Smateria is a Cambodian business that makes wallets, totes and even a laptop bag from recycled materials ...

When not providing protection from balaria, dengue fever and other insect-born illnesses, mosquito nets often end up refuse. Smateria uses a clever recycling method to make functional, attractive bags. The Drink Carton Wallets (below right) also come almost entirely from trash. Companies using the omnipresent Tetra Pak cartons give secondhand containers directly to Smateria, where they thatch them into durable money-holders. The Plastic Bags are have the most directly re-purposed source material. They take a spectrum of used shopping bags and weave them into far more resilient totes.

Smateria employs a workforce of local residents and give equal opportunity to the disadvantaged. Members are fully trained before being given access to equipment and are encouraged to organize and share their own work independently of the aforementioned items. That way everybody wins.

I really love the look of the wallets!  There are no interior shots of the laptop bag, so you might need a sleeve.  But I love it when a company can give back to a local economy as well as do something good for the planet!

Eco-Chic Gets Taken to a New Level with the Leaf Laptop Bag from HER Design (Review)

A new designer laptop bag to come my way was the delightful and eco-friendly Leaf Laptop Bag from HER Design.  From the review ...

Let me start by saying that the overall PRESENCE of the Leaf is extraordinary. Not just the appearance of it (which is beautiful) but the entire design aura of the bag. The organic form, inspired by its eponymous "leaf", seems to self-generate positive chi. The refreshing green colour calms my mind and lightens my spirit. The texture delights my fingertips and warms my heart. And the vertical orientation of the bag is super-chic.

Read the full review of the Leaf Laptop Bag from HER Design.