Hi Ozbargain et al,
Me and my friend have been working on an awesome messenger bag called the ALPAKA 7ven bag for nearly 2.5 years now, and we are nearly ready to launch the product at end of January 2016. Before we launch the product, i just want to get some feedbacks from the public in regards to design and feature, and we thought there is no better place to get feedbacks than from the discerning Ozbargainer.
Background on myself and how the bag concept came about:
I have been a really crazy bag collector over 15 years now, and i currently own around 50 different high quality backpack and messenger bags. As i have around 80 ThinkPad laptops, and i needed different bags for the different situation and clothes i wear. I really loved owning all these bags, however, i would also like to have a bag that i can use everyday of the week if i need to go overseas. I don't really want to bring three different bags with i go travelling.
I was a big Tumi and Crumpler fan before i decided to design the ALPAKA 7ven bag. I loved the Tumi bag for their durability and quality, but the problem was that they were just too formal and not really suited for anything but work. While Crumpler was a breath of fresh air in terms of messenger bag design back in the early 2000s, they combined design and quality, most people in Melbourne knows this brand really well. However, outside of Australia this brand and design is less known, when i was attending important meetings, i was told to have something more appropriate to carry laptop and files, which meant i had to take my Tumi briefcase with me. But i also sometimes like to dabble in bit of photography, and this meant i had to carry a third bag around for the camera/lens and tripod.
So long story short, i thought to myself why not design a bag that is appropriate for work and leisure, but at the same time built of high quality material like Tumi, and it is a bonus if it can also work as a camera bag when needed. A bag that works just as well for messenger style or for carry style. Bascially, a bag that you can use for all 7 days of the week,
- After nearly 2.5 years and countless travelling between Australia and China finding manufacturing partner that can design the bag, i finally found a bag manufacturer that was willing to do the prototyping with me, and use the type of materials that i want.
Basics of the bag:
It is done in minimalist black style with special ballistic nylon fabric blend. We used this fabric as it gives a high class feel, allows the bag to be seen as work appropriate, also the fabric is very wear resistant.
We designed the bag to be used messenger style or carry style. So we designed the bag cross sectional shape to be triangular with the handle on the top, this allows the bag to be used as a carry bag even when it is loaded up, not something that most messenger bag on the market are good for. Crumpler removed the carry handle from their messenger bag entirely. The triangular shape means the internal storage volume can vary, and when you are storing much stuffs, the bag front shape is very small and compact. But if you need to store more stuffs it can expand by changing shape.
The corners of the bag and the bag handle is wrapped in high quality italian leather to give a premium feel.
We used high quality German magnetic Fidlock parts on the bag to make using the bag easier, regardless of weather condition or whether you are wearing a glove or not. Fidlock can be easily operated even with gloves on and when it is extremely cold.
There are lot of easy to access pockets on the bag.
I was also thinking of offering a bluetooth beacon to be fitted in the bag that reminds you when you leave your bag behind. Something like Tile.
What i want from the Ozbargain community is feedback on design of this bag, and what bag you use during your week and weekend? What you look for when you buy bags?
Also, we are nearly finalising the final prototypes, and was wondering if anyone may want to test drive the bag before i launch the product. (only have one or two samples that i may able to give out in mid January 2016, contact me on [email protected] if you are interested).
Here are some pictures of the bag:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alpakagear/albums/721576613866…
and here is our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/alpakagear/
Summary: We designed a bag that you can use 7 days of the week, want community feedback on the design and what you look for when purchasing a bag.
As a photographer/film maker, your bag looks better than the backpack and sling camera bag combo i've been using