Week In Review ~ 10 November

This Week In Review has a pretty diverse offering, from what R2D2 would probably look like in suitcase form to a pack for your pooch. In between there’s a smart-looking pack for cyclists and a highlight of some crafty carry projects on the go. Not to mention finding out how many chickens you can get on a motorbike. So without further ado, check out the below for details…

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Kickstarter is a pretty awesome platform for those carry-minded individuals who are big on ideas and short on the cash required to make them a reality. There’s bound to be more than a few innovative carry projects you’d like to help fund but as delightful as the thought of spending hours on Kickstarter searching for such projects sounds, you probably just don’t have the time to spare. So why not let somebody do it for you? The Bag Collector has put together a new series, Kickstarter Watch, which aims to provide a list of great carry projects for your perusing pleasure. You save search time and the projects get free advertising, a win-win situation.

The Hop! may sound like a crazy new fad dance but you can breathe a sigh of relief for it is in fact a form of carry. A carry-on suitcase to be precise. Okay there’s no shortage of carry-on luggage, so what makes this one special? It follows you (in the loyal dog sense of the word, not the creepy stalker sense). The Hop! tracks a Bluetooth signal from your smartphone and uses an onboard microprocessor to control the suitcase’s movement with caterpillar tracks. The video above demonstrates the prototype. It’s not without its flaws. For instance, there’s no self-righting mechanism if it gets knocked over – and let’s face it, if it isn’t knocked over by accident, some people would love to kick it for…well…kicks. However, despite its flaws, there’s no denying it’s an interesting project and who knows, hands-free luggage could well be the future of travel carry.

Carry isn’t just reserved for humans – our four-legged friends love getting in on the action and REI has their back in this department – quite literally – with the Ultra Dog Pack. The pack is great for carrying the likes of water and a bowl, treats, poop packets – pretty much all the things your dog needs if it’s heading out for adventure (plus the more your dog carries, the less you have to carry). Dogs can comfortably carry about a third of their body weight, so you don’t need to feel bad about making your pooch carry items. The chances are that your dog isn’t going to end up carrying a third of its weight whilst wearing the pack but loading your pet up is a good way to exercise it, particularly if you have a working dog that needs the exercise or it goes bonkers.

One for the cyclists, the Rapha backpack offers sleek style combined with ergonomic functionality. The pack is constructed out of a water-resistant Cordura fabric but comes with a waterproof high-visibility rain cover. There are ergonomic padded panels on the back and a padded laptop pocket that can hold a 15-inch laptop. In addition to the main compartment, there is an assortment of interior and exterior pockets to hold smaller items such as sunglasses and keys.

Sticking with the bike theme, we thought some shots of epic bike carry were long overdue – though in this case, of the motorbike variety. Flaunting probably every carry travel-related health and safety guideline known to man (and inspiring some new ones), this is EDC in its most raw, awe-inspiring form.