Week In Review ~ 14 September

Welcome to our Week In Review where we’re checking out sleek laptop sleeves that wouldn’t look out of place in the boardroom, right the way to the other end of the scale with a backpack that will see you right if you’re heading into icy alpine territory…

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Chic laptop protection for the office or leisure use

Billingham is an English brand with quite a varied history. They initially started out creating fishing bags but then turned to camera bags when they discovered that the fishing bags were being used by photographers. They still make camera bags but amongst other things have branched into smart-looking laptop slips (sleeves). Constructed out of canvas and leather, the laptop slips accommodate 13-inch and 15-inch laptops and there is also a tablet-sized version as well.

Expanding on the messenger design

The lifetime warranty that Minnesota-based Battle Lake Outdoors offers on all their products is pretty awesome but the key attribute of their North Shore Shoulder Bag is the handy expansion capability. The bottom of the main compartment expands via a zipper, making it convenient for carrying bulkier items in a messenger format or when you just need that little bit of extra space. Additional features include the likes of a removable shoulder strap and a range of organizer pockets.

Organized outdoor carry for everyday use

Designed to make getting out and about straightforward and convenient, whether you’re heading to the gym or an urban or country run, Mountain Hardwear’s Hueco™ 34 backpack keeps things relatively lightweight at 1.11 kg, with a 34-liter volume and easy zip-top access. There’s an internal hydration sleeve, a range of pockets catering to the likes of water bottles and small valuable items and external carry options in the form of a daisy chain and ice axe loops if you’re considering venturing further than your local workout place.

Granite Gear heads for the hills

If you need something designed for day trips (or even multi-day trips) that offers more volume than the Mountain Hardwear pack above, Granite Gear’s Leopard AC 58 backpack offers 58 liters of volume with a roll-top closure and a removable lid if you want to shed some unnecessary weight. The pack offers adjustable torso length, side and top compression straps, a choice of pockets and exterior carrying options for ice axes and crampons and it can accommodate a hydration sleeve. You can view this video for further details.

Rolling down the highway with road tests

We’ve been putting two backpacks through their paces in our road tests this week. Chrome’s Welded Rucksack and Heimplanet’s Daypack both got taken for a spin and you can check them out to see how they handled…

Hot off the press

This is a bit of a ‘week in advance’ rather than ‘week in review’ highlight but we like to keep you guys informed of upcoming events in the carry world as soon as we can and EASTPAK has collaborated with French brand A.P.C. on a collection that will be launching 16 September. The collection includes the Classic Backpack available in gray or black which is a daypack that includes an anti-theft pocket and padded laptop section, as well as the Big Backpack which comes in camouflage and is designed for carrying larger loads than the Classic Backpack. The collection is available at Rushfaster