Whether you’re setting off for Bangladesh or headed for a weekend camping trip by the lake, you’re probably planning to rehydrate with bottled water because of questionable drinking water or convenience, but just as you’ve cut the plastic bottle-habit out of your daily life (we hope), there are better alternative than buying a bottle every time thirst strikes.

The hand-held SteriPEN Adventurer is small enough to fit inside even the most overstuffed luggage and enables you to purify the water wherever you’re headed with UV light instead of chemicals, so you can skip the bottled water without picking up any funky digestive problems.

Ideal for use on water from clear running streams and questionable municipal facilities, the SteriPEN will rid your water of lurking bacteria and other bad news (although it won’t remove debris or improve taste, so avoid sediment-containing water). All you have to do is hold the SteriPEN in the water you want to purify, press the button and wait while the pen agitates and purifies the water with its UV light. Click here to read more

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With a futuristic and innovative design, carrying one of Voltaic’s Solar Bags is sure to get you praised for your forward thinking. And with it’s unique aesthetic , you’ll never lack a conversation starter.

The messenger bag, seen left, actually works as a mobile power generator that you can use while you travel. This innovative little device can actually charge your cell phone, camera, two-way radio (in case you feel the need to carry one,) PDA and MP3 player.

Just use a standard car charger plug with one of the many adaptors it comes with. There are three lightweight and waterproff solar panels which generate up to 4 watts of power. And the Li Ion battery pack stores surplus power, so you can use it even after the sun’s gone down.

The downside? It doesn’t charge laptops.

The price is $229. Check them out at voltaicsystems.com for more information.

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