This Carbon Neutral Backpack is built with recycled plastic and captured CO2, and is 100% storm-proof

The 38L Hybrid Duffle Pack isn’t your average backpack. For starters, it’s designed to be entirely carbon neutral, with materials and processes that take waste out of the system rather than putting waste into the system. The bag’s fabric uses 123 recycled plastic bottles in its construction and is strengthened by atmospheric-captured CO2, using a proprietary procedure. In fact, the 38L Hybrid Duffle Pack is so strong that it’s rated to be 100% storm-proof, and comes with a seal of approval from Ed Stafford, a renowned English explorer and survivalist who holds the Guinness World Record for being the first human ever to walk the length of the Amazon River, and who also played a sizeable role in designing the 38L Hybrid Duffle Pack… and why is it called Hybrid? Well, because it can seamlessly alternate between backpack, side-strap, and duffle modes, preparing you for all scenarios… and for all weathers.

Designer: GROUNDTRUTH

Click Here to Buy Now: $249 $400 ($151 off). Hurry, only 4/65 left!

Coming from the mind of GROUNDTRUTH and Ed Stafford, the 38L Hybrid Duffle Pack was just built to dominate in the outdoors. However, at the same time, it’s functional and urban-friendly enough to be your everyday carry too. The bag’s design upcycles plastic waste in a way that blurs the lines between sustainability, fashion, and function, giving you a backpack strong and hyper-functional enough to be the last one you’ll ever buy.

Backpack – Robust semi-detachable shoulder straps with stabilizers for extra comfort.

Hand Carry – Three exterior robust grab handles for hand carry.

Duffle – Detachable waist belt transforms into comfy shoulder strap for shoulder and cross-body carry.

The hyper-functionality starts with the bag’s hybrid design, which alternates between handheld, side duffle, and backpack styles in a matter of seconds. The bag comes with a detachable duffle-style shoulder strap, a semi-detachable backpack harness with stabilizers, and 2 side handles to facilitate the three carrying styles. With all the straps tucked away, it can be carried like a handheld briefcase. Pop the duffle-style shoulder strap on and you have a side-sling duffle bag… attach the two backpack harness straps and you’ve got a backpack. The backpack mode can further be reinforced with the extra strap (from the duffle configuration) transforming into a secure waist belt letting you carry heavy items with ease as the bag hugs your back to prevent the straps from cutting into your skin and causing you fatigue.

Made to easily withstand the extreme outdoors, the bag boasts a 100% storm-proof design that’s further backed by GROUNDTRUTH’s 10-year warranty. The 38L Hybrid Duffle Pack’s exterior uses the company’s proprietary fabric, made from recycled PET bottles. The bottles are collected, cleaned, and then shredded into thin fibers before being woven into a strong yarn. The yarn is then transformed into a high-performance fabric with a 600D ballistic property and a tristop weave. The resulting fabric is absolutely water-proof, and the bag’s panels are joined together with the triangular ripstop stitch pattern that prevents them from fraying, splitting, or tearing. Waterproof YKK lockable zippers help keep your bag’s contents dry and safe no matter how inclement the weather.

The backpack is spacious enough to accommodate 38 liters, as its name suggests, and is wide enough to fit a 16″ laptop in the main fleece-lined laptop compartment. The bag features two main compartments that open in a 180° clamshell fashion for full accessibility, alongside four outer front pockets. Additionally, a top-access pocket with a dedicated keychain holder lets you store your EDC. Additionally, bottle holders on either side of the bag let you store up to two 1L bottles.

The bag’s eco-friendly approach is truly one-of-a-kind. Not only is the exterior fabric crafted from recycled plastic bottles, but the interior lining is also made entirely from recycled fishing nets using zero-added dyes. What’s more, GROUNDTRUTH’s innovative process involves infusing captured CO2 into the recycled plastic hardware, resulting in a material that is up to 40% more durable than virgin plastics. To top it off, the textiles are also coated with an advanced water-based film that contains zero VOCs. GROUNDTRUTH is also committed to working with Bluesign®-certified partners to ensure fair and ethical treatment of workers throughout the entire supply chain.

The bag truly shows a remarkable balance between sustainability and functionality. Purposefully designed to help mitigate the effects of humanity’s wasteful decisions, the bag comes with a carbon-neutral design that’s further reinforced by the fact that it’s ridiculously durable, and is backed by a 10-year warranty. Made for travel, the 38L Hybrid Duffle Pack is cabin-friendly, and is available globally in two colors – ECO-X Black, and Ice Sheet Blue, for a discounted price of $249.

The 38L Hybrid Duffle Pack is part of GROUNDTRUTH’s award-winning RIKR range collection.

Click Here to Buy Now: $249 $400 ($151 off). Hurry, only 4/65 left!

The post This Carbon Neutral Backpack is built with recycled plastic and captured CO2, and is 100% storm-proof first appeared on Yanko Design.

Google updates Maps for 10 European countries and regions, claims 27.9 million miles of road under its belt

Google updates Maps for 10 European countries and regions, claims 27.9 million miles of road under its belt

Google's just flipped the switch on updates for its maps of ten European countries and regions: Andorra, Bulgaria, Estonia, Gibraltar, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. As part of Page And Co.'s Ground Truth project, the refresh increases the accuracy and detail of maps by combining human input with a wide array of data, such as satellite and Street View imagery. With the refresh, Google's cartography has been spruced up with building outlines, walking paths, ferry lines, park boundaries, new highways and more. The update brings the number of countries mapped as part of the search titan's Ground Truth initiative to 40, and pushes the total number of miles of road cataloged in Google Maps to 27.9 million.

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Source: Official Google Blog

Google Maps creation put under the microscope, reveals a human touch

Google Maps creation put under the microscope, reveals a human touch

They say you should never learn how the sausage gets made, but we're willing to make an exception for Google Maps. Talking to The Atlantic, Google has revealed just how much the human element figures into all that collected satellite imagery and road data. Many pieces of terrain information are tested and modified against what Google calls Ground Truth: actual driving, alternate sources and sign photos automatically extracted from Street View runs. Google isn't just making the occasional correction, either. Mapping a country can take hundreds of staff plugging away at the company's Atlas tool, even before we get a crack with Google Map Maker. The combination of man and machine helps explain why Google Maps is one of the most accurate sources of location information on Earth -- although the firm does have some catching up to do in space.

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Google Maps creation put under the microscope, reveals a human touch originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Sep 2012 05:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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