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Drive By :: Lexdray Boulder Pack

ando — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:34:49 +0000

Froth turns to… not froth

While still kinda new to the carry scene, Lexdray has found fast favour amongst the online blog community. Lots of tech and details, some great shapes, and some really slick branding make for some pretty catchy blog candy.

So when our friends at Huckberry offered us a Boulder pack, we started to froth a little. With a shape inspired by the super photogenic Visvim 20L pack, the Boulder takes a big EDC brush to this silhouette, adding a tonne of pockets and parts. The pack arrives in a nice fleece lined bag, and almost all the parts and components are a pretty high spec (hence the slightly scary price tag of $460 – but man, do you feel a million bucks walking around with it on your back).

So how did it fair in a week long Drive By? Hmmm, not great. Read on and we’ll explain.

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Highlights

Overall Look

Yep, it’s sexy, in a bit of a grown up boyscout way. A great silhouette is kept a touch on the small side (perfect size for office life), adding to it’s visual tightness. If you pull out the waist band and the top grab handle cover, it really slims it right down. Lot’s of texture changes keep the black thing interesting, and many of those pockets are hidden inside so as not to distract overly from the shape.

The whole kitchen sink

It’s rare that you get a pack with very few cost compromises. The Boulder has a rain cover, a trillion million pockets, expensive zips and components, expensive fabrics, and a lot of options for almost any small bits you need to carry. Heck, even the bag it comes in is fully lined in a deluxe fleece (which we flipped inside out to use as a pillow for office naps). It’s built well, and looks like it will last well.

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A few small touches

While nothing new, neoprene gussets can help fit that last little bit into your pack by stretching to help you get the zip closed. Not many makers use them on backpacks, but we like.

There’s also a keeper for the sternum strap when not in use, some elastic side webbing for wrapping a sweater or jacket around the pack, and a very nice laptop section (max 15″ laptop fit). The size and padding on the straps makes for a comfortable ride, even when full.

Lowlights

OK, here’s where we start to shatter some of the fantasy. We REALLY wanted to love this pack, but there are some fundamental flaws that mean it needs another generation of refinement before it will get there.

The simplest way to explain the issue is to quote the late great Steve Jobs:

“When you start looking at a problem and it seems really simple, you don’t really understand the complexity of the problem. Then you get into the problem, and you see that it’s really complicated, and you come up with all these convoluted solutions. That’s sort of the middle, and that’s where most people stop….

But the really great person will keep on going and find the key, the underlying principle of the problem—and come up with an elegant, really beautiful solution that works. That’s what we wanted to do with Mac.” Steve Jobs, from Insanely Great.

Yep, the Lexdray stopped in that middle complicated bit. But let us get more specific…

Zippers

Grid zips work great on wetsuits. They look tough and are tough. But the second you ask them to go around corners, or get pulled on a less than perfect angle, they get notchy and catch. When you add some locking zip heads to the equation, this gets even worse. For most of the zippers on the Boulder, you really have to concentrate to use them. So while they look great, some of them can drive you crazy – the back panel in particular…

Weight

When you add every feature to a bag, weight becomes a factor. We measured almost 5lbs on our dodgy travel scales, which might be a touch too much for a small daypack. Pardon the poorly put-together pun, but that sort of weight can weigh on you.

Pockets

There’s a lot of pockets in this pack, and most of them are neoprene. Neoprene can work well for shock protection and stretch, but these are mostly internal pockets that are already protected from shock, and they are then often mounted low in a section, which is a squash point for packs, so you’d never put anything delicate down there anyways. Hmmm, for us (even though we’re neoprene wearing surf freaks) it was a bit of neo OD.

The press button closures are mounted on webbing which stops the stretch, and the pocket covers often have non-stretch nylon backing. So you get the extra weight and bulk, without much of the expansion benefit. They are also grouped into many different zones, which makes it tricky to work out what you put where.

Some niggles

The lash tab is a fake hypalon, so can’t hold a lash without tearing. There’s a few areas of the TPE fabric already showing wear, there’s airmesh (which scratches on bare skin), the waist belt is OTT for the pack’s non-load bearing fixed height design, and the whole back panel section and twin zip access is really hard to operate.

The neoprene cover for the top of this back section also has a nylon backing which stops any stretch ability, but will smell lots as the neo’s nylon fronting jersey absorbs your back sweat. Then if you fill the pockets in this rear section, you can’t close it, and either way there’s some unusable dead zones created by the internal pocketing. The rain cover section zip is on a high wear area, and it’s a bit odd making a lovely top handle to then hide it under a removable neoprene wrap.

Similar bags to consider

If you’re digging the look, you can check out the Visvim 20L (more expensive and probably not as high quality) or KILLSPENCER Special Ops (cleaner aesthetic but not as much organizing). If you’re digging the organizability (new word, we’re keeping it) check out the Arc’teryx Blade 24 or the very full-on Acronym 3A-7TS. If you like versatility and ability to blend, check out the Goruck GR1 (and maybe add a couple of internal modules to it).

Overall

This is a great looking pack that everyone in the office wanted to try out. It’s a neat size if you’re an office guy or want something a touch smaller, it’s well put together, and the materials are (mostly) of a high standard.

Sorry Lexdray, we really wanted to like this pack, but we almost all retreated back to other bags after just a few days. If you carry lots of small things, it should provide you with all those pockets you’ve always wanted. But for us at least, we are looking forward to the next generation with some of those issues refined out.

Oh, and a big thanks to Huckberry for providing the pack. You should check them out, as they offer some of the best carry brands around.

Carry Wishlists :: Ando

ando — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 04:37:52 +0000

Carry Wishlists :: Ando

Recently, a few of us here at Carryology were throwing around some lists of bags we’d buy if money wasn’t an issue (especially with Xmas here) Rather than keeping the lists to ourselves, we figured it would be rad to ask our main contributors to write their list up, and share it with you guys. So here is the first of our top 3 backpacks and messengers lists, from one of the Carryology founders, Ando.

Ando’s carry wishlist:

“Here’s a truth about me and carry… for all the time I’ve spent in the world of carry, I carry too much. I always have. When I used to hit the high country for weeks at a time, I’d do it with a monster pack and every fun thing I could think to bring. When I go backcountry, I have the group first aid kit and every bit of avy gear you can imagine.

It means that my carry is usually on the large side, and so you’ll see that my dream list is also that way. I tell myself that at least it makes me demanding, as I’ll really notice when a waist belt is not right or a strap too narrow.

So here are some bags I love. Some I’ve already stretched for. Some I might one day. Each has a personality, a high level of refinement, and is just a little bit expensive.”

Backpacks

Goruck GR2

When you travel, you want a versatile carry that will blend into any environment. The GR2 fits that bill perfectly. It will let you fill it to one bag your trip, but also slim it down to take only the essentials to a work meeting. The quality is top notch, and the pocketing and features are clever and precise. This is a cracking pack. Keen to buy?

image via Context Clothing

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Visvim 20L

Visvim is cooler than your grandma. Everything they produce has a personality that cuts through. The 20L is reminiscent of many bag forms before it, and it has inspired many since. But each time you see it, it still stands out. The fabrics are better, that bottom bevel is better, those grid zips add uncertainty and imperfection that only make it better. I could own 4 of these and still see ones I wanted. Keen to buy?

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Mystery Ranch 3 Day Assault

Dana Gleason is one of the world’s great Carryologists. After founding and selling Dana Designs, he moved on to found Mystery Ranch, where he makes incredible packs for military, hunters and adventurers. While I don’t dig the guns and deer heads, I do think that he understands odd loads and comfortable carriage better than most. I’ve been using the Camelbak version of this pack, and hope one day to go the whole way with the Mystery Ranch version. Keen to buy?

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Wildcard >> Mission Workshop Vandal Mk II VX

This bag does not exist. Yet. But knowing how Mission Workshop keep improving things, and knowing the awesome direction they are taking their Advanced Projects series of bags, I’m sure it soon will exist. The Vandal breaks lots of awesome new ground, but it just needs a little refining (read our thoughts on it here) and some beautiful VX style fabrics. When they do that, I’ll be first in line.

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Messengers

Nike ACG Messenger

After seeing the Hardgraft 2Unfold a few years ago, I’d really wanted to take those principles to a more bike inspired messenger. Then in a gallery-like Nike store, down a lane in Tokyo, I saw the ACG. It had loads of the ideas I’d wanted, and added some more. It has since been evolved into the welded NSW range, however in my mind the original is still the pick of them. Keen to buy?

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Porter Protect Messenger

For me, a messenger should really be for lighter loads. Rather than catering for long trips to far flung places, the Porter Protect lets you get easily to work and home again, with perhaps a small detour on the way. It is simple, clean, and really dialed. It works on bike, train or car, and looks good in almost any environment. Keen to buy?

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Mission Workshop VX

For most bag designers, roll-tops are a styling statement. For the MW guys, they are one part of a dialed access and protection arrangement. Just as Hardgraft are inspiring fashion bags around the world, MW are inspiring bike bags, pushing new formats and breaking new ideas. I’d still love them to better provide for digital toys, but all that will come in time. Keen to buy?

When your partner isn’t a carry freak

ando — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:12:18 +0000

So as you may have guessed, most of the Carryology contributors are either off on some crazy surfari, or boozed up under a tree somewhere. Our posts have been a little thin on the ground as a result.

But fear not, we’ve found someone else’s post that is a crack up, and for which I’m sure most of you will relate…

Her name is Mia Freedman, and it’s a post about one of her readers (who is most probably married to one of our readers).

The post is When Your Partner Is A Packing Freak. Click the link. Go read it. And then go and apologise to your partner for all the times you’ve done that to her.

Oh, and if you have similar stories, share away…

No related posts.

Head to Head | Backpack vs Messenger

ando — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:57:13 +0000

We team with Timbuk2 to battle backpack against messenger

One of our most popular old posts at Carryology is Backpack vs Messenger; a look at which bag format suits which needs. After a bit of jamming with the folks at Timbuk2, we thought it would be fun to bring that post to life via their custom bag program…

The starting point was a typical Carryology reader; think smart, sexy, intelligent… mixes work and play, cycles, carries a laptop, likes long walks and bathes in unicorn tears. With this user in mind, we spec’d a backpack and a messenger with as similar specifications as we could manage: Black (of course), waxed canvas, 15″ laptop, waterproof TPU lining, kinda understated.

Our orders were taken, santas workshop got busy (it’s in San Fran if you didn’t know), and we soon had ourselves 2 fancy new bags to make war with.

So how did they stack up? We’ll do more indepth reviews in coming weeks, but here’s a bit of a summary of our findings so far…

Look and Feel – Messenger 1, Backpack 0

This one is down to personal taste, but we loved being able to spec the whole outer of the messenger with waxed canvas. The backpack asks you to leave the body in ballistic nylon – customising the flap and construction details. For crew that live under mountains of bags on a daily basis, we’re loving a move back to (slightly more) natural fabrics.

Space & Volume – Messenger 0.5, Backpack 0.5

Wow, this one surprised us. We were sure the messenger was going to win this battle, but we were wrong. With our highly calibrated office-material-volume-off, it was a dead heat (we share an office with the amazing baby wear brand Oishi-M, hence the fabric). They fit the same volume exactly. However it is worth mentioning that the backpack took us about 6 times longer to get all that fabric in and out, where the messenger was super quick.

Laptop Sleeve Access – Backpack 1, Messenger 0

Sweeet, we scored one for the backpack. The backpack sleeve is larger (that’s a 17″ and a 15″ in the above backpack image, vs a 15″ in the messenger shot). It’s faster to slip a laptop straight in to the backpack, and there’s even a side access zip for getting to it on the go.

But you know what? We’re now at the crux of our Head 2 Head, where the messenger lays down it’s trump card…

The Timbuk2 Custom Laptop Messenger does what very few messengers do, but all should. It puts the laptop sleeve on a ‘floating wall’, which lets you cram more or less stuff on either side of it. Other than being more versatile in load ability (push it back for a helmet or split it for work and play separation), it lets you put soft stuff between the laptop and your bent back.

All of a sudden…

…the messenger can fit your back!

Laptop Transport – Messenger 1, Backpack 0

We’ve moaned about ‘if backs bend, then why are packs flat‘, but few bag companies understand this fundamental issue. The Timbuk2 Swig backpack is guilty like most laptop bags, but the Timbuk2 Custom Laptop Messenger fixes this admirably, getting a big thumbs up (and a point) from us.

Accessibility – Messenger 1, Backpack 0

Whether on the go, or on your bed, the messenger just let’s you get at stuff better. The landscape format gives you a massive wide opening for large volume stuff, and the single strap is easier to swing the bag around to your front. The downside is that the pocketing is maybe not as good for lots of small things, where backpacks almost always win at this.

Comfort on the go – Backpack 1, Messenger 0

Even with the laptop issue, backpacks just end up more comfortable when carrying heavy loads or loads for long periods. Spreading weight between two straps just works better for demanding carrying. Now if only they fixed the laptop carry…

Price & Value – Backpack 1, Messenger 0

The price as we spec’d it for the Swig Backpack with waxed canvas was $155, and for the upspec’d medium Laptop Messenger it was $195. That gives a win to the backpack, as it feels like less than $40 difference.

Overall – Messenger 4.5, Backpack 3.5

So when you bring it all together, how did we go?

Yep, the messenger just pipped the backpack. For those of you that are pretty good at adding, you’ll realise that a mystery point appeared on the Messenger’s tally. That point was for the fact that despite normally being backpack people, we’re using the Messenger more. The floating laptop section is awesome, the access is better, and it just looks better in a workplace setting.

Both bags have some great points, and some things that need a little work (we’ll get to those in later reviews), but for now, we’re giving this one to the Timbuk2 Custom Laptop Messenger. Oh, and a big thanks to Timbuk2 for providing the bags and working through it all with us.

Cult Bag :: Gravis Metro

ando — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 01:50:04 +0000

We give the low-down on an awesome value classic

You can get change from a $50 bill. That’s how much the Gravis Metro often costs. You see, it’s been around awhile, in countless colorways, of which there are always some on sale. But guess what? It’s still a better backpack than 98% of the bags out there, so we figured it was time to give it a good ‘ol Road Test and share some of the key points…

The Gravis Metro backpack has been around for years, almost unchanged. It’s a full featured laptop backpack suitable for study, work and/or play. It’s well worth the money around the $100 mark, and it becomes epic value as the sale reductions increase.

One of the rad things about the Metro is that it works well with very little in it, and also works well as you cram it full for some travel. There’s no compression straps to synch, or zip sections to expand, just a nice pattern that compresses well and keeps the contents close to your back.

The base has a significant angle that helps it achieve this. The downside is that you typically need to prop this bag against a wall or chair leg if you’re putting it beside you on the ground.

One of the secrets to the Metro’s longevity is the subtle folds and sophistication in the pattern work. That overhanging belly on the top pocket lets it sit flat when empty, but gain significant depth when needed. You can’t get this sort of fold if you’re filling your panels with foam like many brands do these days. There’s an old school zip flap (which has made a big comeback of late), subtle form patterning, and usually some pretty sweat zip-pulls to finish off the story.

The top pocket is not the only impressive bit of organizing. Those long front pockets work a treat for stationary, tech or umbrellas, and have loads of internal bits to help keep it all sorted.

The main section also gets the org treatment, with flat pocketing that only comes out when needed. Low pockets in main sections generally aren’t much use (contents get crushed), but these don’t get in the way and there’s plenty of other options if you have delicates.

The main section also opens right up for horizontal access, which is great when packing more clothes for a longer trip.

There’s a designated laptop section against your back, accessed through a 3/4 zip opening.

The laptop section has a suspended neoprene floor, utilising the only real structure in the pack to keep your laptop safe.

One significant note on these 3/4 laptop sections is that you have to remember to zip them up. If you don’t, you might well see your laptop go into frisbee mode as you swing your pack onto your shoulder (true story).

The back panel and straps are solid without being remarkable. They fall into the same airmesh trap as pretty much every backpack in the world, but we can’t hate on that too much.

And then there’s the variety. This pack is like Nike SB Dunks, available in countless colors and fabrics.

We have a few Metros between us, of which we’ve photographed the Black Shine and the Artillery colorways. Our advice on selection is to go for thicker backed fabrics like the Ultra Violet or Burnt Orange Tarpaulin, which have PVC or TPR backings. The bag was originally designed with thicker backings in mind, so many of the more recent versions with PU backing can feel a little too lightweight and unstructured.

You can see which is which from the way the fabric wrinkles (the black one pictured is lightweight PU, the green one is heavier weight PVC/TPU backing).

Summary

Finding bags that fit in for work or play is hard. Finding them for not much coin is even harder. The Gravis Metro is an awesome backpack that we continue to return to. It works for girls or guys, and teens or adults, depending on the colorway you chose. The frisbee laptop and airmesh are the only downsides we can see to a true classic. Thanks Gravis, for many happy trips/days/adventures.

Insights | Two Wallet Carry

ando — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 23:11:05 +0000

Strategies for splitting your pocket carry

As a general rule with wallets, less is more. A small and well organised pocket piece will beat a bulging Costanza every time.

But as we’ve pushed that thinking further, we’ve realised that sometimes two wallets can be better than one. For certain people, splitting your wallet in two can let you optimize what you keep where, and reduce a bulging wallet filled with cards you only use once a year…

So we’ve started rounding up some great examples of Two Wallet Carrying. These are all examples we’ve seen used well, however they are by no means exhaustive. If you’ve seen a great Two Wallet system, we’d love to hear about it in the comments.

The Shop Card carry

Every shop wants your loyalty these days, and the way they seek it is by weighing you down with plastic cards that they expect you to carry everywhere. While many of these are just a customer number that you can enter in your phone or Evernote, many others want you carrying that little magnetic strip.

The solution? A second small wallet, filled with all your shop cards that you keep in your bag. Your daily wallet can then be slimmed and optimized, and these mountains of loyalty cards then stay out of the way.

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Tradies Cert Card carry

Not only do trades-people have to deal with hardware & supplier loyalty cards, they also have to haul a bunch of certification cards around with them in case the inspectors ever inspect.

The Solution? Again, it’s a small wallet with all these bundled together which you keep in your vehicle. That leaves your pockets slim, so you won’t keep catching your pocket bulge in your circular saw.

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The Traveler

This one is pretty common. When you travel, you don’t need most of your cards, so they can hang together in your suitcase. The tricky bit is that you often need your passport on you, so a slim passport sleeve or passport wallet becomes your friend instead.

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Mugger Decoy

Yep, this one’s for real. We have readers who live in some pretty heavy cities, where mugging is more common than using that library card. So while your valuable money and cards are kept in a slim card wallet, some decoys and a small note or two go into another wallet, which can be handed over without stress. Does this sound a bit movie-like? Yeah, it did to us as well, but we have readers that can get mugged multiple times in a year, and it saves them some serious hassle.

image via Lifehacker’s recent article about Mugging & Wallets.

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Business card carry

Another common one, especially for sales crew or guys that live by their business cards. The trick with this one is to keep your business cards looking good, without looking like you’re a professional business-card-hander-out-erer. Go for something that looks like a slim card sleeve (so they could think it’s your regular wallet), rather than one of those naff cigarette tin looking things.

Bum Equalizer

No, seriously. We have a Carryologist that lives in Indonesia who got sick of sitting sideways. The solution was to split his wallet into two, and pop one in each back pocket. Kinda ingenious really…

What have we missed? Go on, start sharing your ideas in the comments. It becomes addictive you know…

Note: It’s worth mentioning that Carryology gets lots of support from a wallet company called Bellroy (which is partly how we are so aware of all these 2 wallet strategies). This post was not a blatant attempt to suck up to them, but rather a bit of fun where we stole some of their images to help communicate. If you are choosing to start a 2 wallet strategy, we’re just as happy if you do it with a duct tape and unicorn horn wallet.

Carry Retailers | Roztayger

ando — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 06:51:40 +0000

A new carry retailer comes online

One of the issues with all the rad bags we find, is that many of them are hard to buy outside of Japan/Europe/Tuana Tuva. So when a new carry retailer comes online with a sweeet selection of step-up brands, we get a little bit excited…

Say hello to Roztayger, a US based online retailer selling a bunch of sexy and sophisticated carry. There’s Porter and Property Of…, there’s Bill Amberg and there’s even Ro (probably a first for the US).

This isn’t techie or outdoor carry, it’s not EDC or streetwear. This is classic girls and guys product that ain’t cheap, but nor is it the silly excess of luxury brands.

Elizabeth Jeffer is the brains trust behind the site, where she is trying to curate a beautiful selection for work, travel and life.

Go check it out at http://roztayger.com/

Late Addition: In an awesome move, Roztayger have said that Carryology readers can have a 15% discount storewide (just for being as rad as you all are). To knock a bit off these bags, enter ROZ15 at checkout.

Road Test | Rip Curl Search Backpack

ando — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:00:36 +0000

A wet & dry backpack for exploring

Ahhhh surfing. Such a radical pursuit. It takes you to the far reaches of this globe, chasing waves you’ve spent your life dreaming about. It gets you malaria. Or Dengue fever. Or just parasites that riddle your system for years. You get cut up on reef, bounced off rock, partly drowned and burnt or frozen. And then you want more, and Rip Curl want to help immerse you in all this…

More than any other surf company, Rip Curl stand for ‘the search’. So it makes sense that Rip Curl create carry gear to get you out there and back again. And this latest Ultimate Search backpack, soon to be released, aims to do just that. We were loaned the pack for the last month or so to put it through it’s paces.

At the heart of the pack is a big roll-top section, much like most trendy new packs out there today. However rather than going the velcro hold down, the Search Pack borrows from one of the roll-top pioneers with an Arc’teryx-like side cinch set-up (say that 6 times fast).

There are two big front organizing pockets. The top one deals with your tech and delicates, and the lower one with any fins or surf bits. There are then side and top pockets so every bit will have a home.

There’s a hydration section that can be coerced into a laptop section (what pro doesn’t haul a macbook around for Facebook stalking), and a pretty bomber harness that even avoids dastardly air-mesh (there is a god).

So after Rip Curl loaned it to us for a month or so of play and travel, how did we go? Pretty good really. But that’s never enough of an answer for this sort of thing…

The Good

The Wet & Dry

Lots of cycling roll-tops are using heavy duty tarp for the sealed section. This stuff weighs a tonne, and is overkill when it’s already inside a layer of outer fabric. The Rip Curl has found a much lighter, but still totally solid lining fabric that works a peach, without weighing you down.

Pocketing

There’s lots of it, and it generally works really well. There’s bits for tech and toiletries and surf stuff and whatever other stuff you like to haul.

All the tech

There’s a solid (and removable) waist belt, there’s gear loops, there’s compression, and there’s most of the other bits you never thought to ask for.

The Bad

There’s not really anything too bad with this. Of course we can find some minor things…

Which way is up?

Haha, this one is a touch silly, but I must admit to double taking a few times to work out which way was up. The front two pockets can be a little fiddly with orientation, but it’s really not much of an issue.

The roll

This is relevant to most roll-tops, where they can be a bit of work when you’re just trying to office hop. If you want to grab and go, it can be a pretty significant flap you have to deal with. It all cinches up really well, it just takes a little time to do that.

The fragiles

If the tech pocket had better water-proofing, and the pack was a little more capable at dealing with a laptop, I’d be happier. I just think most surfers now travel with cameras and tech, and while this deals well enough with them, it’s not amazing with them.

The Summary

For a surf adventure, this is a great pack. It’s light, versatile, and really comfortable (so long as you’re a pretty average height). It has an innovative format, loads of features, and is valid for most water sport adventurers.

The Ultimate Search Series Backpack will be getting released over the next month or so (Oct/Nov ’11), and should find a very warm welcome from surf adventurers around the globe. Check your favorite surf shop or www.ripcurl.com around November to have a play.

Oregon Manifest | Utility Bikes

ando — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:42:38 +0000

Bikes rock. They are just a bit hard to carry things on. If you have a car, you chuck anything in without thought. Whereas on a bike, you have to consider weather, weight, wind-bulk and all sorts of variables that might make life tricky.

So when the Oregon Manifest started a competition to improve the ‘utility bike’, we got a bit excited. They tee’d up all sorts of awesome bike builders, designers, thinkers and tinkerers to rethink the way a bike can carry you and your bits. And the results have just landed…

We’ve tried to pick out a few of the highlights, but this stuff is good enough that you should head over to the main website, or even follow some of the project thinking at the awesome Core77 updates that happened throughout. The talent pool was pretty all-time, and the results show that.

Tony Pereira took out the Best of Show award, for an electric assist bike that tries to ease the transition from a car to pedals. An enclosed carry pod, with expansion racks and lots of features, all contribute to an easier commuting transition.

University of Oregon team scored the win amongst student teams, with a modern feeling bike that incorporates a pretty epic fold-flat basket and integrated lock, light and belt drive (as well as a tonne of other tricks). As an example of the help involved, the UOO students were guided by industry guns from Ziba design and Nike’s Innovation Kitchen.

Rob Tsunehiro and Silas Beebe scored second overall, with a pedal creation borrowing the sort of features normally found on a giant motor scooter/cruiser. There’s a pillion seat, saddle bags and even a front platform, which would let you dink a whole football team and their gear back from the pub on a Saturday night.

Creative Collaborations

The Oregon Manifest didn’t stop at a simple competition. Not only did they help partner creatives with mentors, they also set up 3 major collaborations between amazing bike builders and international design consultants (dang Oregon has some talent!).

Ziba × Signal Cycles

Taking a leaf out of some side-car action, the Ziba and Signal Cycles collaboration created a fold out side-cart with a pretty trick bag set-up, integrated cable lock, belt drive, and lots more.

Fuseproject X SyCip Design

This collaboration created a cargo trike with some pretty amazing woodwork, that will carry loads (sorry). Fuseproject have done stuff like that Puma reusable shoe bag, and Jeremy SyCip knows a thing or two about customized rigs, so the result has lots of fun and features.

IDEO X Rock Lobster Cycles

Design firms don’t come any bigger than IDEO, having had a part in super-many-many seminal products over the years. Rock Lobster are nowhere near the size, but brought some hands on building nouse to the team. The bike has a bit of old school Euro utility to it, but adds crazy discreet modern features. The carry rack shines, as does the integrated battery between the double top tube frame. Battery? Yeah, this one is electric assist, and runs all sorts of computer brains to better respond to the user.

It’s been a pretty amazing project, and the results are well worth pouring over. Well done to Levi’s and all the supporters. Let’s hope we see some of these concepts redefining bike carrying over the coming years.

11 Impossibly Loaded Bikes

Hardgraft | Campfires and Driftwood

ando — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:30:13 +0000

Just a short post to say Hardgraft have added some new styles. This Austrian duo create some of the most innovative and well crafted carry available, and so it’s always neat to see where their new styles are heading.

We’ve grabbed a few images, but it’s probably easier to head over to their website and fill your screen with their’s…

There’s a Holdall/Weekender/Fancy Duffel called the Square1 that has a few ways to carry it:

There’s a Personal Pouch that blends a waist bag with a slinga:

And there’s a toiletries bag called the Dopp Kit with a big wide opening and a nice flat base:

All are available in the 2 colorways shown above (called Driftwood and Campfire), so you can suede it up in a return to the seventies.

Now go and check the glossy full-screen images at Hardgraft.

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