Ethically Made Laptop, Camera & Travel Bags

Ethno- Tech: Ethnology & Technology

I love a good bag. I have a little bit of a bag obsession. I love looking at what bag others are using, love all the bags and suitcases in airports, and get way too excited when I find a great one for myself. Your bag will follow you in all your travels, all your adventures, and all your pictures. It will represent and remind you of all the places you have gone and your adventurous wanderlust. For me, a great bag includes 3 aspects: looks, function, and the company that makes it. The ethnotek bag has all three!

Ethnotek’s mission is to keep culture alive, one bag at a time. Artisans from Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia and Vietnam use traditional techniques that are otherwise being replaced by machines. Ethnotek provides a new demand for these culturally important textiles, while sharing the heritage of the villages in which they come from.

The front panel of the Ethnotek bags, or Threads, are interchangeable. The Threads are purchased directly from the artisan or craft village. Ethnotek has traveled the world finding textiles that embody the vibrant culture from which they are cultivated. These Threads can be changed with your excursion or mood.

Keep culture alive by investing in a great travel bag. The purchase of your bag sustains employment for those artisans using traditional methods of printing, weaving and embroidering. Purchasing an Ethnotek bag keeps cultures alive and provides a demand for an environmentally friendly craft.

Ethnotek has bags for any type of travel. Day packs, backpacks for long distance journeys, camera bags, laptop bags, fanny packs, slings, cross body bags, shoulder bags… all in many sizes and colors.

I have the Raja (“King” in Hindi) 46 Liter carry on travel backpack in the Vietnam 6 design. This pack has a roll top compartment which can also be accessed via a side zip. The back panel is heat venting as well as padded for a separate laptop compartment. Two side pockets and a netting that can hold a water bottle. A front zip compartment holds smaller items that need to be easily accessed.

The hand woven design on the front panel is made in Guatemala. Who made this design?

Hola, we are Lidia, Blanca and Alida and we are the creators of the extra weft woven Mayan Star textile featured in this Ethnotek bag. Our weaving workshop is in Comalapa, Guatemala and we create a maximum amount of 20 meters of fabric per month because these designs are so complicated and time-consuming. We are one of the only communities in Guatemala still weaving this motif and are thankful for your support in helping us keep it alive and teach our to younger weavers to carry it on.

The Raja backpack is perfect as your personal carry-on flight bag. It fits a lot of items as well as fits under the seat in front of you. This was my main bag in my recent trip to Florida. I used it for hikes, kayaking, for trips to town, beach days, and travel days. The rolled top makes it easy to adjust the size according to how stuff you bring along with you, the easily accessed compartments make it so you don’t have to take everything out to find something. The water resistant main compartment contains a pocket for books or magazines. The padding on the back makes it super comfortable, even on the longer journeys. The waist belt is helpful when the load is heavy. The mesh compartment on the side is great for easy access water bottles.

Another great aspect of this bag is that it was comfortable for me, an average sized woman, as well as comfortable for a larger man. We both took turns carrying this pack. It was easily adjustable and the padded back felt great for both of us.

I highly recommend Ethnotek’s bags in your everyday life and in your adventures. The Raja bag fits a weeks worth of gear for your longer journeys or works great for some snacks and towels for the beach. An all around versatile, environmentally friendly, culturally responsible, awesome looking bag.