Solar umbrella, nesting titanium capsules, luggage you can ride and more – Notable crowdfunding campaigns

Here is this week’s list of 5 crowdfunding campaigns that have caught my eye in the last week for being unique, and worth checking out. Click through to see this week’s notable crowdfunding projects.

LEAF

What is it?
It’s collapsible umbrella for the beach that comes with a movable 16W high efficiency solar panel.

Why do I like it?
I love going to Florida once a year and sitting on the beach under an umbrella reading and relaxing. The problem is that we usually rent an umbrella for the week. Sometimes we get lucky and the rental company sets them up for us, but other times we have to lug the heavy umbrellas to the beach ourselves. The LEAF umbrella folds down into a light weight portable package that anyone can easily carry to the beach. It features a unique leaf shape and will be available in a version that includes a solar panel so you can enjoy your tunes, books, games and other gadgets without running out of juice.

Where can I find more info?
With only 9 days left in the campaign, the LEAF campaign has not reached their funding goal of $28,191 yet. You can pre-order a LEAF without the solar panel starting at $98 and the Sun LEAF with the solar panel starting at $175. If the LEAF campaign is a success, the rewards are estimated to ship in August 2016. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

BloomSky SKY2 and STORM Weather Devices

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/907431954/worlds-first-and-only-complete-weather-camera-syst

What is it?
The SKY2 is a 5-in-1 weather camera station that measures temperature, humidity, barometric pressure and precipitation. The Storm is an add-on accessory to the SKY2 that measures rain and wind speed.

Why do I like it?
I’m a weather nerd and like to keep an eye on local weather stats. I even draw a little weather icon with the high temperature reading in my journal every day. The Bloomsky devices are cool because it uses crowd-sourcing features to create a community that shares accurate, hyper-local weather information and images from places all over the world. You place the solar powered Sky2 and Storm in your yard and they will automatically collect weather data and images every 5 minutes.

Where can I find more info?
With 35 days left in the campaign, the Bloomsky campaign has already surpassed their funding goal of $80,000. You can pre-order a Sky2 for $159 and the Storm for $89. If the Bloomsky campaign is a success, the rewards are estimated to ship in August 2016. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Superbook

What is it?
It’s a relatively inexpensive “dumb” shell that turns your Android smartphone into a laptop.

Why do I like it?
Since the early days of the PDA, I’ve dreamed of having only one computer / device that would go from pocket to desk. Other products like the Motorola Atrix Laptop Dock for Android and Microsoft’s Display dock for their Lumia Windows phones have tried this concept, but the idea just didn’t catch on. The Superbook with its 11.6 inch 1366 x 768 resolution display, USB ports for OTG, a full-sized keyboard, touchpad and 8hr battery life might be the right combination of features to become popular with Android users.

Where can I find more info?
The Superbook campaign blew past their $50,000 their funding goal to over $815,000 with 25 days left in the campaign. You can pre-order a Superbook for $99 with an estimated delivery date of February 2017. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Turtle Ti Nest

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/395278350/turtletm-ti-nest-the-russian-dolls-of-extreme-surv

What is it?
The Turtle Ti Nest is a set of three waterproof titanium EDC storage capsules that fit together like Russian nesting dolls when they are not being used.

Why do I like it?
I love EDC (every day carry) gear and I like the Turtle Ti Nest because they are small, made of titanium and are simply designed. I like that you get a small, medium and large sized capsule and that their screw-on lids have a hole that can be used to attach a cord. They are large enough to hold practical items like medicine, cash, matches etc. But the coolest thing about them is that you can store them all together with their lids.

Where can I find more info?
The Turtle Ti Nest campaign has already passed their funding goal of $6615 with 22 days left in the campaign. You can pre-order a Turtle Ti Nest for $91 with an estimated delivery date of October 2016. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.

Modobag

What is it?
Modobag is carry-on luggage that you can ride.

Why do I like it?
I mainly included this campaign because it’s kooky. I am imagining an airport with 100’s of people buzzing around on their luggage and the resulting collisions, and other mayhem that would ensue. Instead of road rage incidents, there would be carry-on rage.

If you don’t find this product funny, and are actually considering buying one, the Modobag has all the features of a standard suitcase, but with extra geeky features like GPRS-GSM tracking, dual USB charging ports and the ability to travel 5-8MPH for a range of up to 6 miles on one charge.

Where can I find more info?
The Modobag campaign has already passed their funding goal of $50000 by over 300% with 25 days left in the campaign. You can pre-order a Modobag for $995 with an estimated delivery date of January 2017. Visit their Indiegogo page for all the details.