When it comes time to look for a backpack, messenger bag or a simple sleeve for you iPad (or other tablet), the choices that are out on the market can be mind boggling. The options seem endless, but there is hope around the corner. While walking the show floor at SIA, we noticed a booth of bags with a look that was different from any others that we had seen before – simple, elegant and functional. Just about every pocket, closure and strap had a purpose. Once we learned that the bags were Italian designed and manufactured, it made even more sense. The company, O-range, has a product line worth looking at when the time comes to purchase that next bag or sleeve. Continue reading SIA: O-range ‘Welded’ Bags Charge Us Up!
Tag: backpack
SIA: Kulkea Debuts the Ski Trekker Backpack in Denver
A typical day of resort skiing along the Front Range in Colorado usually starts off with an early morning start, two hour drive, parking anywhere from a few feet from the base of the mountain to over a mile away and sometimes dressing in the car. The rush of getting to the slope sometimes means that your gear is strewed all over the car, which inevitably means that something will be left behind. At the 2012 SIA show in Denver, the Massachusetts company, Kulkea, is debuting a new backpack to help transport your all of your Alpine gear from the car to the slope in one backpack. The new Ski Trekker is designed to not only hold your boots, helmet and gloves, but also your skis.
The unique feature of the Ski Trekker is how balanced the pack is when loaded. The boots each fit in separate pockets, one on each side; while the skis slide down through the center of the pack. The skis are held in place by straps and a ski ‘boot’ similar to those seen in some automobiles. This ‘boot’ or sleeve keeps the skis from slamming the back of the legs while walking with a loaded pack. If the weather turns damps, a sleeve fits over the skis covering the top opening of the backpack.
It may seem that the ski sleeve design would make the loading of this pack difficult, but that is not the case. Stand the Ski Trekker on the ground, place the skis in the opening of the pack, lift the pack up around the skis and secure them in place. As easy as it sounds, the loading procedure is best demonstrated in the video. Video after the jump
Outdoor Gear Goes Space Age with Quasar Series
The new Quasar backpack line from Terra Nova Equipment is sturdy and light. The series includes three packs: 30, 40, and 55 liters that weigh in at about 14 ounces. Terra Nova Equipment uses an “Ultra Fabric” made from a crinkly polyethylene material used in yacht sails.
High-wear reinforcement panels are constructed with a cordura fabric and bar-tack points are stitched with Dyneema thread, which is a thermoplastic polyethylene strand with a strength ratio stronger than steel.
Terra Nova Equipment Official Website
[via Gear Junkie: ‘Space Age’ Look for Super-Light Pack]
A Pack Fit for a King or Queen
A backpack that is can carry everything usually weighs a bit itself, but ironically Granite Gear’s upcoming Crown 60 doesn’t feel like a ton of granite on the back. In fact the soon-to-be-released pack weighs just 2.2 pounds and yet can hold up to 60 liters of gear instead.
The Crown 60 is made of water-resistant sil-nylon Cordura, while straps and buckles are scaled down to further save on the weight, but still features a contoured back panel for added comfort. This panel also can do double duty as a camp pad, thus making for one less thing to bring along. The Bard may have written “heavy hangs the head that wears the crown,” but in this case the Crown 60 doesn’t hang heavy on the back.
Granite Gear Official Website
[Via Gear Junkie: Large and Light: Granite Gear ‘Crown’ Pack]
Fieldline Lines Up Women’s Backpack
Hunting gear isn’t typically made with a woman in mind, but Fieldline has addressed this issue with a new line of backpacks that feature durability, comfort and convenience and are tailor made with the female hunter in mind. The new Fieldline Women’s Black Canyon Backpack can take just about everything in stride, from foul weather to blazing hot sun, and for the sometimes brutal use and abuse of women who depend on their gear to keep them comfortable, safe and well-equipped.
The new Fieldline Women’s Black Canyon Backpack is roomy enough to accommodate essential items, but scaled down for a female wearer’s size and shape. The padded back and yoked shoulders further ensure stability and comfort, while a three-pouch organizer, three-quarter-inch-opening main compartment and one-side water bottle pocket offer versatility in stashing everything from extra layers to GPS units to snacks. The pack also features a nifty Gear-Lock Modular Locking System, which offers customization for the user, allowing the pack to transform into multiple configurations, before a trip or even on the fly.
The pack is available in Mossy Oak Break-Up or Realtree AP to make users inconspicuous in virtually any environment, but with just a dash of pink to show some personality too!
Timbuk2 Rolls Out Bags with Bike-Friendly Features
Whether you bike your commute to work, are out for fun or extensive exercise, you may have some gear to tote along. A shoulder bag gets in the way, and sometimes even your standard backpack feels inappropriate while riding.
Timbuk2 has a few new bag designs that address the specific needs of cyclists. Those are streamlined, well-balanced and with the right pockets to store laptops and tablets, every day items and even bike-specific gear such as helmets and locks.
While the bag company showed its upcoming products for the year at CES earlier this month, some of its bike-friendly bags won’t be available until about September’s Interbike. The new line of backpacks, includes the Amnesia, Hemlock and Q. The former is something we’ll be sure to remember as we wait for it to arrive.
The Amnesia features a ventilated back panel to help ensure that you don’t get too hot under the collar, while custom-fit straps give a truer, more comfortable fit. The refined weave 840 ballistic nylon pack offers a “swing around” side access compartment that can fit a laptop or tablet up to 15-inches. Separate front organizer pockets are available for accessories. This bag features an bottle opener on one of the straps. Once you’re off your bike you can use the paired Velcro loops on the bag’s face to secure your helmet or headphones – we recommend you keep the helmet on your head while on the bike. Continue reading Timbuk2 Rolls Out Bags with Bike-Friendly Features