KarunaNews Story

Zac Clark moved out of his dorm and into the Tenderloin, a low-income neighborhood in the San Francisco Bay Area. From his apartment, he began observing people living in homeless encampments, and later, talking to them. “I began starting conversations with the very people who lived outside of my building,” he said. He had plans to launch a transitional housing program, but when he heard the lived experiences of the unhoused people in his community, a different seed was planted. That’s when the Makeshift Traveler backpack was born. The Makeshift Traveler is a hard-shell backpack made of recycled water bottles with a 4-watt solar panel installed on top. This connects to an internal rechargeable power bank inside of the backpack, which can charge a phone. The backpack also includes a nylon pillow that can be puffed out by stuffing a T-shirt inside. A tent, sleeping bag, rain poncho, radio, flashlight, hygiene kit, socks, and water bottle are also packed inside. A lockbox and ID card are included, along with a brochure with information about 15 local services supporting unhoused community members. “The Makeshift Traveler was designed to be the last backpack someone experiencing unsheltered homelessness will ever need,” Clark told New Atlas. His organization has given away more than 1,000 and has plans to distribute 2,000 more with partners in other states.