This Tentree Backpack Is Made of Recycled Plastic and Algae

In 2019 it’s not enough that our favorite products work well in multiple environments. It’s not enough that they look good doing it. These days, it seems our gear should be as active in fighting for environmental issues as we are.

The new Mobius backpack from Canadian active lifestyle brand tentree embodies this approach to sustainable product design—each bag contains the equivalent of 31 water bottles worth of recycled plastic, among other sustainably sourced elements, earning it the (self proclaimed) most eco-progressive backpack in the world.

Originally launched via Kickstarter this past fall—with a campaign that raised over $270k USD—the Mobius pack (designed to appeal to both men and women equally) is a simple rolltop backpack for daily use around town and for casual outdoor activities too. It’s certainly on the less-tech side of the gear spectrum, but considering most of us spend the majority of our lives in urban environments (even tho we wish we were out hiking daily), we’re backing it.

Key to the Mobius’ storyline is the use of 100% Repreve, a durable fiber made entirely of recycled plastic bottles along with the integration of Bloom foam, the world’s first plant-based, performance-focused foam derived from algae biomass. The innovative material is made by harvesting excess algae blooms caused by global temperature increases, transforming the algae into foam (via some unnamed proprietary process) and cleaning up various environments in the process. Pretty cool.

The clean, expandable design allows the pack to be configured from 16 up to 35 liters, with a four way zipper, clamshell and rolltop openings, 15” laptop sleeve, and discrete back opening for access to the interior when slung over one shoulder. As a daily driver, the minimalist black colorway gets our nod. The two landscape inspired printed colorways will certainly appeal to others too.

If you’re not in the market for a backpack, the same material and production process—which uses 45% less energy, 20% less water, and 30% less CO2 than a backpack made with virgin polyester—has been applied to a duffle, tote, and a few travel cubes too.

Oh, and btw, for each product sold, tentree plants 10 trees. Hence the name. Get it?

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