travel gadgets
Don’t get caught short. These eco travel gadgets won’t only help you out of a tricky situation, but they also use all sorts of sustainable technologies to power them.
Solio
This little contraption is a solar-powered charger to keep your small gadgets going. It opens up rather like a fan to reveal its panels that should be placed in direct sunlight to charge. When it's fully charged it'll keep your I-pod going for an extra 9 hours - not bad for those long bus or train journeys. It's a cool £57.99 but comes with lots of handy adapters for all sorts of devices including mobile phone and game boy.
View Solio at Nigel's Ecostore
USBCell
It's not everyday you get to meet an inventor. But I was lucky enough to meet the guys behind this unnasuming object. I stood back as everyone around them worshipped the ground they walked on. So it could only mean that they must have made something good. On close inspection, yes, it is a clever little device. Basically you plug the USBCell into your USB port to charge and it turns into a regular AA battery. Genius. And it's only £11.49 for a pack of two batteries.
View USBCell at Nigel's Ecostore
Freeloader Globetrotter
This is another solar charger for all your mobile devices. It has both a solar panel and USB charger with all the little adapters for your phone and I-pod.
Rhino Wind-up Radio
Just 60 seconds of winding will give you an hour's playing time on this handy little wind-up radio. We're told it's pretty quiet to wind up and has a high quality tuner and speaker. The rugged design means that it'll withstand your travels and is highly portable. It costs £24.99.
Trevor Baylis Eco-Pro Torch
Trevor Baylis invented the wind-up torch that led him to being awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1997. This is the latest incarnation his invention which also includes a mobile phone charger. The five super bright LED bulbs can give 8 hours of light. The eco torch costs £21.95 from Ethical Superstore.
