Week In Review ~ 27 October

by Catherine Baecker-Khoury, October 29, 2012

Week in Review

This Week In Review involves a Komodo Dragon, insights into when a button isn’t just a button, a pack for people who regularly take to the air, testing our diagnosis skills by examining an X-Ray and contemplating the reincarnation of vintage luggage…

–

Mystery Ranch’s new pack to sink your teeth into: The Komodo Dragon

–

If you’re a fan of Mystery Ranch’s 3 Day Assault backpack but want a bit more space, the Komodo Dragon is the pack for you. The pack has a 38-liter volume and can be adjusted to accommodate your torso length. The pack incorporates Mystery Ranch’s Bolster Ventilation and Stability (BVS) system as well as three hydration pockets, plus the tri-zip design offers quick and easy access to the pack contents.

–

Eagle Creek’s companion for frequent flyers

–

In an ideal world we’d like to always try out packs before we commit to buying them. Of course, until such a time arrives, rather than pressing the ‘Buy’ button over the Internet and hoping for the best, you can check out reviews of bags that have caught your fancy. If Eagle Creek’s Heritage Checkpoint backpack is such a bag, head on over to the Wirecutter where you’ll find a write-up on it that may help you to make up your mind.

–

Examining the X-Ray

–

Speaking of reviews, we have a (may we be so bold as to say) kickass road test of the Kifaru X-Ray for your reading pleasure. Tied in with the road test, you may also be keen to check out our interview with Mel Terkla (a designer for Kifaru’s Tactical line) for further insight into the brand.

–

A novel approach to earbud carry

–

Though we do tend to focus on bags and wallets we’re interested in all sorts of carry-related products and this carry item caught our eye. What better way to keep an unruly earbud cord in check than by carrying it in a button? The button functions as a normal shirt button but has a groove in the side that can hold cords with a diameter of 2 mm. Drawbacks? Okay, so it’s not suitable for every piece of clothing but it’s a simple and clever piece of design.

–

Vintage luggage gets a make-over

–

There’s recycling, and then there’s recycling in style. When the glory days of travelling the world are behind a piece of luggage, that doesn’t mean it can’t continue to serve as a means of storage. Creative design duo JAMESPLUMB (Hannah Plumb and James Russell) have breathed new life into vintage luggage by transforming it into pieces of furniture and there’s no denying this reincarnation looks much more attractive than decaying contributions to a scrap heap pile.