A neat backpack with chameleon abilities
For most of us, we’d get a little bored wearing the same clothes everyday. Yet when it comes to carry, we’ll often sport the same bag or wallet for years. Ethnotek launched recently with a backpack that lets you change it up simply and quickly. But more than that, it provides a great canvas to showcase fair trade ethnic textiles, so you can change continents as easily as patterns. And lucky for us, our contributor James knows the founder…
James: While working for Crumpler in Vietnam, I had the pleasure of working with a Minnesotan called Jake. We were both located in Ho Chi Minh City for a couple of years. We both took a great deal of stitch and sew experience from the country, but also a love of the people culture and real faces, names and people who are involved with ‘far east’ production.
Jake has taken this experience and immersion into foreign cultures one step further. He has created a new start up brand, Ethnotek. Ethnotek takes an established and proven construction method (lets just call it ballistic nylon) and combines it with traditionally produced and independently sourced fabrics from various cultures, encountered through travel and exploration worldwide.
So how well do these two contrasts combine into a pack?
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The Backpack
I was handed a pre-production pack to test out and take some London based location photos. I have had the bag for a couple of months and it has been in my regular rotation for that time. Its a roll-top backpack with a separated laptop pouch which sits back (closer to the wearers back) from the main compartment. For the size, the bag is surprisingly light and for the volume it fits a lot, despite not being too tall.
The main feature of the pack is the interchangeable front panels, called Threads. They can be purchased as a separate element to the main pack, and are the locally sourced components of the bag. While the main bag is made in Vietnam, the patterned fabrics of the front panes are sourced from, India, Africa and Asia. These fabrics give life to the bag and because they can be purchased separately to the main pack, I have more than one and change the flaps depending on mood.
The pack is deep, really deep. So you can cram it with loads of stuff. If you are like me and a light packer, then you will find that the best is to pull the side adjusters in a tight as they will go.
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Features
Feature wise, the main internal volume is a large clear space and there are two external slip pockets (one either side), a zip front pocket on the interchangeable panel and a zippered side pocket. The whole bag is padded and solid with the nylex lined laptop sleeve being extra padded and quite tough.
Shoulder straps have an adjustable sternum strap and are comfortable and well padded.
Hardware is all clean and generic, simple black clips always go a long way. The branding is great, with well located woven labels reinforced with the main ballistic nylon.
So the volume is large, external pockets are appropriate and the branding is subtle, judging by some of the sourced fabrics, subtle branding is perfect, as the main hero is the custom woven fabric.
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Style
Style wise, the bag is pretty well suited for most, as at its base it is a solid and clean backpack. There are few elements that are offensive or out of place. Also you get to choose the more flamboyant element to suit your taste, and as I have been using a couple of different ‘glamour’ Threads, I have found it handy to swap based on my mood.
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Issues
I am a taller than average guy. I have found that the shoulder straps start too low on the bag for me. The main issue is that with a laptop and some heavier items packed in, the bag feels like it is pulling me backward.
By having the shoulder straps start higher I think that this feeling could have been reduced. The best way to get around it is to do the side straps up tight, but when you fully pack the bag there is no way to avoid it. However if you’re small to average, they’ll fit great in length.
Also, there is no specific organiser. As an ‘Inception packer‘ I am not someone who uses this, but some may feel it could be an issue.
Best suited to?
It’s a pack that fits well with uni or work duties (if work is a little less formal). I have not had a chance to ride with it, but its shoulder straps are solid and the sternum strap is fully adjustable. For the tube, its great. Pull those straps in tight and the bag can compress to such a slight size that pushing past grandmas for the last seat is no longer an issue.
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Conclusions
A solid pack with tidy construction and enough karma flare to make you feel warm inside, it really its a great combo. The fabrics are sourced directly from the weavers and printers and I know the owner, who is a stand up guy, so what’s not to love : )
There is a small issue with really large loads pulling on your back weirdly, but that’s just incentive to not overload it.
With a price range between $99 USD and $199 USD it’s easy to effectively choose what you want to pay for the pack and work from there.
Check out the website and brand vids at www.ethnotekbags.com
-By James Jeffrey
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Specifications summary
Here is the brand info from the website for us lazy web people (taken from our woven Guatemala backpack page):
The laptop compatible ETK-PACK is made from 840-denier ballistic nylon and can handle anything from your home to office commute, a weekend camping trip, or an all out adventure abroad. Includes a hand-loomed Mayan THREAD from the highlands of Guatemala.
Features:
- Right-side slip pocket good for small accessories.
- Left-side mesh pocket for water bottle.
- Right-side zipper pocket to a secure a passport, iPhone or MP3 player.
- Compression snap-buckle straps attach the THREAD to the bag and can be used to secure taller items to the bag like a yoga mat, skateboard, mailing tube, tent poles etc.
- Laptop compartment zips open to accomodate 15-17″ MacBook Pro and most 15-17″ PC laptops.
- Padded back-panel provides ergonomic comfort while wearing and the airmesh helps vent heat to reduce the sweaty back syndrome.
- Padded shoulder straps have sternum strap-buckles fixed in to help stabilize heavy loads and can adjust to different heights depending on the size of it’s wearer.
- Main compartment is accessed via the giant waterproof roll-top. The roll-top can be snapped shut, rolled down and buckled down with a heavy-duty 38mm snap-buckle for maximum security. Roll-top functionality also allows for height adjustability accommodating a minimally packed inner volume all the way to fully loaded maximized volume.
- Remove and replace the main front panel THREAD for customization and style updates.
Dimensions:
Main bag: 11.5″ x 19″ x 7″
Laptop compartment: 11″ x 17″ x 1.5″
Weight: 2.6lbs
Laptop Fitting: 15-17″MacBook Pro & Most 15-17″ PC laptops
JamesJeffrey
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Hey do you guys know if the entire backpack is lined with a water proof lining or is it only the roll top part of the bag?
Hey,
I would call the bag water resistant. The fabrics are not waterproof, although they do have water repellence coatings.
The bag is fully lined and structured so it would take a lot of water to get through.
James
The thread part is waterproof?
Great concept by Ethnotek. Good, honest review as well.
The bag reminds me of the Vans Fortnight. Has anyone checked this bag out in person? I like the aesthetics but wondering how functional it would be as a cycle commuter bag.
Ando, any experience with this bag?
I haven’t got to have a go yet. James (the reviewer) is based in the UK, so I haven’t been able to do the usual ‘steal a week or two’ that we usually try for
And yeah, I hear you on the Vans call. This is becoming a much more common format (just without the fun feature fabrics).
@Bleek
Hey, I just loked up the Van’s Fortnight.
From just looking at it online, I would say that the Van’s bag looks more functional. More pockets etc.
The Ethnotek is a bit more of a standout though, as far as the coloured flaps, I have a couple and the woven versions are really nice. As a commuter, I have not ridden with it, it does have a sternum strap and some pretty solid shoulder pads. Only issue with the bag is that its height to depth ratio is not working for me. I am 6″2, so if you are my height or taller, I would probably have to go with the Vans.
Your honest oppinion, would you use it daily when you are tall? been looking at ethnotek bags for some months now, but i am close to 6foot5 and i was worried about what you wrote in complications. Any comment on that ?
Hey Frederik,
The backpacks are being updated, I have some inside knowledge! The shoulder straps now attach from above the laptop sleeve, which will make a huge difference on the comfort. Check out the site and see when this update releases, as far as I know it should be in the next couple of week.
Cheers,
James
Woot ! That sounds great ! pretty damn random i figured this out now lol, was about to buy one ^^ ill mail them and check up when its live !
I was considering this for backpacking across Europe for 30 days. Do you think it would be comfortable without waist straps and an internal rigid frame?
I plan to travel very light so most bags that do have those features (REI, Osprey, etc) are just too big for my purposes. Also, I haven’t found any pictures online of this bag being worn, so cannot tell the relative size. Are you aware of any?
Hey Jeremy, thanks for reaching out via email.
Based on your mentioned packing requirements I can confidently say that our bag can hack it! And the up-shot, you get to have a slick, highly-functional everyday laptop bag when you get home.
Feature breakdown:
(You’ll definitely want to start with a TEK-THREAD for this journey)
http://www.ethnotekbags.com/collections/backpacks/products/ballistic-black-laptop-backpack-tek-thread
Top zipper pocket of TEK-THREAD or back-panel laptop compartment:
iPad
Front flap gussett pocket on TEK-THREAD:
Small Flashlight, Sunscreen, Lip Balm, Nail Clippers, Tweezers, Pain/Allergy Meds
Main compartment:
Small First Aid Kit
Sewing Kit
Travel Duct Tape
Small bag of toiletries (Toothbrush/Paste/Floss, Razor, Shaving Gel, Shampoo, Body Soap, Shower Shoes)
Laundry Items (Clothes Line, Small Amount of Detergent, Sink Stopper)
4 Ounce Microfiber Towel
3 Pair Skivvies
3 Pair Socks
2 Pants
4 Shirts
1 Pair (Top and Bottom) Lightweight Thermal Underwear
1 Swimsuit
Light Fleece for layering on cool days
Lightweight Water Proof Windbreaker
Power mesh zipper pocket on inside back wall of main bag:
Chargers for your iPad, iPhone, Camera and other gadgety/ cable mess.
Right side zipper pocket inside:
Quilted tricot lining and stretch mesh top pocket for your iPhone or Camera.
Right side external slip pocket:
Sunglasses Case
Side compression straps that attached the THREAD to the bag:
Great place to keep your fleece or windbreaker if you want to take it on and off without having to fumble about in the main compartment.
And it looks like we have room to spare! Another bonus I want to point out is that the laptop compartment and side pockets of the bag were designed so that you can access the most important items and the main volume of the bag without having to take the bag off. The S-Bahn station floors can get pretty nasty sometimes
You can peep tons of photos with people wearing the bags on our Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ethnotekbags/
I’ve been all over the world with our pack and have to say, it travels well. Due to the inner foam chassis construction the frame is semi-rigid enough to control the volume and load of the bag as to keep it uniform and centered (not oblong or lumpy) to put less strain on the body. The 1.5″ HD foam and air-mesh back-panel is really cush and the sternum straps help reduce strain on the neck and shoulders. We’ll also be launching a rain-fly this summer in case you get caught in a downpour.
All that said, it is definitely more of an urban commuter/ weekender. If you don’t go with our bag, I suggest getting a pack without a laptop compartment in the back. This feature restricts the back panel to being straight, the best on-back ergonomics is a curved internal frame with a suspension mesh for maximum breathability and conformity to the natural contour of the back. I think waist belts on the size of bag we’re talking about isn’t necessary, it’s more for the big 65-85 liter boys, but maybe that’s just a personal preference thing.
Hi, im interested to get a backpack for travelling. So would like to check will this bag be too heavy for petite size frame person and have enough space for a girl (cosmetics, clothes, etc, for a 9days trip?)
Thanks
Hi!
I would really love to use an Ethnotek backpack for my ‘big journey’. Though I am not sure if the bag is suitable for me. In order to know if it the backpack is suitable or not, let me just explain a bit about myself and the purpose for the backpack. In January 2013 I am going to backpack in Europe and Africa. This journey will take at least six months. I am thinking about taking approximately 20 kg of bagage with me. So the backpack should be able for such a weight. Also, I am a tiny person (1.68 meter), so the backpack should be suited for my height.
Would you say that the backpack is suitable for my journey?
Charmaine