Chase the Sun

Noon Solar's Logan Satchel

We all see the handwriting on the wall. Sooner or later our society will have to reach for the elusive goal of energy independence. While many of the strides toward that objective will result from sweeping changes in the way government and industry conduct business, the individual consumer will also be called upon to make a few adjustments. Well, now is your chance to get ahead of the curve.

Noon Solar offers a sleek alternative to those mundane canvas totes that die-hard tree huggers swear will save the world. And this Chicago-based company founded by two art students relies on the most inexhaustible of resources to solve one of the most haunting challenges of the digital age: How to keep all of those hand held gizmos charged? Look to the sky, my child, because Noon Solar has managed to harvest the power of the sun. That’s right—Noon Solar has finally integrated thin and flexible solar panels into a gorgeous line of leather bags. The Logan Satchel, Noon Solar’s men’s alternative, not only sets standards for rugged aesthetic sophistication—it relies on the sun’s rays to store enough energy to charge the small electronic gizmos which these days we just can’t do without—cell phones, iPods and pdas.

I know what you’re thinking: another so called eco-friendly intervention that is just too good to be true. But for once this is a product that lives up to its billing. And even without the solar panel, its design and craftsmanship alone make it well worth Noon Solar’s asking price. So chasing the sun is no longer confined to the legions of dreamers and dilettantes. The Logan Satchel makes it a sure-fire way to stay in charge.