Hurray! A year after my friend Jack’s order, we’ve finally shipped him his solar ‘pasiking’ backpack. I am super grateful for Jack’s patience and trust– to make and finally get Jack his backpack is a triumph in logistics! To make this bags means connecting with the weavers in a remote jungle village in the already remote Cordilleras region of the Northern Philippines. From there we get the bag to Joan, a mother of a year old baby and solar coke bottle innovator expert! Joan is my partner in putting the electronics together, weaving in the coke bottle switch, lights and solar panels. And to finish the bag, we then have to transport it to a my friend Gao’ongen, one of the last weavers in Sagada to weave on the solar panel and lights and coke bottle. A big thanks Banague who helped with logistics miracle in getting the system of making these bags in place.
Yes… that Coke cap lid is the switch to control the bags light system! Turn it a little tight and a red safety LED illuminates. You can now feel safe biking or walking down a dark road. Turn it tighter and you have a bright flash light. Believe me, if you live in Mt. Province or do any hiking a light on your backpack is super handy.
Unscrew the cap and access the bag’s powerbank. The 5000mah battery is charged both by solar panel and micro USB. If your cell phone is low, well, just unscrew the cap and plug it into the USB charger, and leave your cell phone in the bag while hiking!
Best of all is that the bag is woven in the ancestral tradition of the Natonin, Igorots. So not only is the bag biodegradeable, it is so sturdy that it will last decades. I’ve seen similar century old bags in museum! The electronics are all hand assembled, so if anything breaks you can take it to a repairman and he can most likely figure out how to easily fix it.
Sorry, we’re still behind orders so until we fulfil the next two pending deliveries, I can’t quite take more. Heck, I don’t even have one yet. The panels and parts are on their way to Joan now, so hopefully this year we can reduce our 1 year turnaround on orders! Thanks again Jack for your patience!
