Made of repurposed rice-paper shopping bags and recycled rubber from old tires, the Keen Cornell messenger bag saves you money while doing the environment a big favor, too. Keen is known primarily for its footwear--laptop bags are a new venture. But though the Cornell may appeal most to a somewhat niche audience, it hits the right markers in this category.

Individualistic laptop owners will embrace the bag's uniqueness. While all Cornell bags share a common design and layout, each laptop bag includes unique components: No two bags look exactly alike. The Cornell is reborn from used materials collected from within China, with sections of reusable shopping bags bearing Chinese writing. The inside flap of my Cornell bag, for example, includes a step-by-step recipe for cooking rice, with illustrations and instructions in Chinese.

The messenger bag is comfortable, though the rough recycled material feels a bit stiff and awkward at first. Since its made from the same material, the Cornell tends to make the same crinkly sound as reusable shopping bags.

As a laptop bag, however, the Cornell gets high marks. It offers pockets in all the right places and a padded laptop compartment. When I tried it out with a 15.4-inch MacBook Pro inside, the snug fit kept the notebook secure, even though it extended slightly beyond the top of the compartment. Pouches and zippered compartments can hold everything from calculators to pens to laptop cables. There's also plenty of storage in the main compartment for textbooks and other papers, in addition to your laptop.

The bag's no-frills design may appeal to a younger crowd--I can't imagine anyone carrying the Cornell to work or around town while wearing a business suit. But for college students, teens, and green fashionistas, the messenger bag is an inexpensive, environment-conscious alternative to more traditional laptop bags. The Keen Cornell is listed on eBags.com for $56, though only available in brown/white/black at the moment (my review sample is a bit more colorful).