Question in the title for any Linus fans. Been waiting for this to drop but upon realising how expensive shipping is, I am not too sure anymore. Anyone out there thinking of getting the backpack? Given tax, shipping and current exchange rate, the bag costs over $500. Higher than Peak Design, Aer, and other premium carry gear brands. Here's the link
Correction as others have mentioned: It’s about $470 to $500
inb4 it cops hate for being Linus. The backpack itself seems to have decent storage and little things like the Airtag slot but I think it's overpriced. I'm sure you can get something similar or better locally.
I picked up a good one recently in a Myer sale with the cashback increase.
I would be interested to see locally sourced options that are as well thought out as the LTT one.
A decade ago I got a small grant for being a student and I spent part of it on a $200 Crumpler backpack that I could use for uni. The thing has been amazing, I love it, still use it regularly, take it on hikes, on trips, as a day bag, etc.
However it definitely has some flaws that the LTT backpack specifically seems to address, which is super cool.
But yeah, by the time it's landed, almost $500AUD seems way too steep. Maybe it makes more sense in countries without $50+ USD shipping costs?
I do like the channel but damnnn $500 for this …
Yeah. I know it's good quality but way too high.
I was interested in the screwdriver but at $70 USD + shipping, not anymore
I would never support him or his show. He's whiny, terrible at accepting criticism and recently became annoyingly political.
He's a shill— pushing overpriced merchandise on gullible fanboys.
Citation needed. I've been watching for a couple years and I haven't noticed anything political. He's copped some criticism on the chin too.
Do agree that they push the merchandise but he's got a big team to support and expansion plans. No one is being forced to buy the stuff..
its not like he is dodgy with his segways either, i mean you are watching on youtube…
A lot of them are timestamped too.
Honestly think he’s a good force in the tech industry.
Promotes right to repair (Framework investment), calls out manufacturers for dodgy practices (Laptop RAM downgrades and SSD component swap) and just pro-consumer endeavours (LTT labs).
I am interested in any valid criticism and examples of bad behaviour. Don’t want to fall into the trap of fanboyim which can be just as bad as being a hater
I stopped watching him 1.5-2 years ago because of how political he was getting.
I just wanted the tech news.
So what political stuff?
@NevaBant: No, I don't remember him actively promoting it or repeatedly. Unless you mean actually have his family on the show? Are you suggesting that people should only have families with people of the same race? We are all homo sapiens.
@NevaBant: I am a fan of Linus but don’t agree with everything he says. It looks like a one off? I don’t know since I stay away from that cesspool known as twitter.
So I’d say a tweet once or twice hardly counts as “becoming political”. His regular uploads are always clean of politics.
I guess occasionally during his “WAN show” someone will bring up a political topic and he’ll discuss his point of view but that’s very rare. 99% of the time it’s tech related
I don't watch him as his voice grates on me, especially as it is a put-on. How was he getting political recently?
@Heaps for Cheaps: It's not for everyone. It's sort of like Top Gear for computers. If people don't like it, move on.
I'm a fan of his channel but I'd be embarrassed to wear LTT merch to be honest.
Hahah
That seems like a very well-designed bag, tbh. $AUD500 landed, though? Nuh uh. Unless you were the type of person to carry so much tech on the go. If I was carrying a notebook, camera, batteries at the same time I would consider it
paying money to advertise a YouTube channel
No.
Paying money to support a YouTube channel.
FTFY
Paying money to support a YouTube channel.
No.
Whatever floats your boat, mate.
I was going to buy one to show my support and appreciation but after reading the bag description all in CAPS I changed my mind.
Cannot unsee it now
I'll fund kickstarters because I want something.
But I'm not the sort to be a Patreon subscriber or buy content creator merch.
ozbargain not ozwaste
I watched the video and it looks like a great backpack which seems to be well designed and thoroughly tested but the price is crazy once you factor in conversion, taxes and delivery. $479.27!!! Linus and his team need to work out a way of getting shipping and tax costs down.
No. But i will buy tech jesus's merch .
i kid. i kid. I get free merch in events. i don't believe in paying for them.
I was going to buy the skeleton shirt but it's something like $40 even before shipping. That's a lot for a t-shirt to me
my fancy uniqlo ones is $9.99 for one.. so that's 4 T shirts for me.
500 bags prob sell 1,000
So 500,000 profit
Not even remotely close.
Ah yes because research, development, design, prototyping, materials, manufacturing, shipping and taxes are all free for them
The guy is a douche. I dont even give him air time in my space, so there is no (fropanity) way I would be handing this guy any money. Even if it were free, I still wouldnt indulge the guy.
Ok.
Curious what you don't like?
I find him very honest. He is very upfront when he is being sponsored, what is an ad and very clear when he is advertising merch.
Its nice but extremely bland. The Crumpler Mantra or the Northface Recon are pretty similar and half the price. $470 is not worth it at all! Good luck with any warranty issues buying overseas.
Your right, it does look really bland and warranty would be non exsistant
He should have organised group drops for non Americas regions.
Even at $200 AU delivered it would seem expensive.
Probably not worthwhile for number of customers here
Comparative bags go for more than $200.
I can't take this guy seriously especially with his click bait trash titles in his videos.
edit: $500 bag. lol.
sponsorblock bar on his vids looks like a hard drive defragging
This bag is ugly as hell, reminds me of bags that gradeschoolers wear to school. I can't speak for utility but definitely not for me.
I just watched the full unveiling video. It does like very well designed and made.
For camera and tech enthusiasts, they are used to spending a lot to protect their gear. That said, $500 is a bit too much.
I just had a look at the Peak Design site, looks like they've jacked up some prices and they're in the same range now. Looks wise the PD bag is nicer imo.
at least you get a warranty with PD
I saw that! Yeah, I'd definitely steer clear. It would have been a pain anyway having to send the backpack overseas.
You should the latest tweets from Linus about his stance on warranties. He’s basically providing a unwritten guarantee that he will “look after” people with issues. He doesn’t believe in written warranties, although he is probably aware many countries like ours have de facto warranties by law.
@melbourne guy: I recall reddit comments mentioning the issues with statutory warranty in Europe. That would explain the markup in Australia considering the bag goes for $250 USD.
Pretty disappointing when he bashes companies for shitty activity.
@Caped Baldy: don't forget that the exchange rate is pretty crap at the moment. i was looking for a tech toy for that same price and it worked out to be around AUD400 delivered (around USD40 shipping)
as of writing, USD 250 is AUD358.12 today
personally, if a bag cost me that much, it at least need to have anti-slash mesh embedded in the entire bag made with waterproof fabric.
nope. there are plenty of bags that you can buy for cheaper from trusted manufacturers.
at this price point, i would rather go with a tom bihn brain bag (made in USA) who have decades of trust and reliability, as well as 11 L more capacity.
if you want to spend a bit more, goruck are built extremely well, i think also in the USA, but i think they are also a fair bit more expensive, though this pack would probably outlast your grandchildren
from what i can tell, LTT bags are made in China, which means he is getting ripped off by the manufacturer, or he is making a huge profit on each bag.
i don't really like linus, but i don't dislike him too much either, i do find him annoying and a bit of a sellout, but even if i liked him, 500 for his bag is a bit silly. i assume it doesn't come with the same kind of warranty / after purchase service that other bags in this price range do, like goruck and tom bihn (and many others)
No, too expensive for an OEM backpack.
If you want a nice backpack, check the brands this site offers: https://rushfaster.com.au/
He wants it because he likes Linus though.
Yeah Rushfaster is my go to, they offer great gear at reasonable prices
No. His script-writer writes for all the team as though they are a single character. Everyone just seems like Linus is another body.
Oh, and as for the bag, still no but if you are in love with it then go for it.
What really gets my goat with linus and that long-haired dude is that earlier on they would buy products, use them and return them to do reviews, which raises the costs to the normal folk because they want to do a review and never have any intention of keeping the stuff.
I lost count of all the writers listed but I'm sure they're all cyborgs on a neural network programmed to make you think everyone is a Linus clone.
Consider the impact that LTT returning a product would have on a company's bottom line compared to the routine returns and warranty process that any product with a failure rate would entail. You aren't paying more for a product because of Linus.
Lol no, surely you can get something pretty much the same for hundred or less….
Be a linus fan by watching his videos, not by shelling out $500 for a $100 backpack.
Yeah, though his videos are 10% Linus Merchandise these days. He should be renamed 'Linus Tech Rips'
Lol oof, I love it.
Each to their own though. It’s sometimes enjoyable content. His walkthroughs and updates on his big weird testing facility is fun enough!
Nup
Absolutely not, and I wouldn't buy a CPU cooler from him either. He'd be spouting about how good it was because it was a 'gaming' one.
That's like…antithetical to his entire schtick though? He's all about function over form, and states almost constantly that RGB and other "gamer" branded features are often just there to bump up the price.
Just like this backpack?
I'm pretty sure he'd say it was a blend of the two, but there's no doubting a lot of thought has gone into its design.
I think the issue is more one of price relative to comparable alternatives; he's not a high-end bag making company, just a tech dude with specific requirements for what they want in a bag. I definitely think it has a limited audience with that price but if it suits someone who can afford it and wants to support a YouTube Channel they enjoy, why not?
Merch is always about money for the Content Creator, under the implied agreement that it helps the channel to create more content to enjoy. Some (most) abuse this and just provide cheap tees or plastic crap etc, so I appreciate at least the effort (if not the resulting cost) Linus has seemingly put into the design and utility of his merch.
Charles White/penguinz0 sells an actually decent white tee (his outfit for videos almost without fail) for pretty much zero profit (legitimately) just because he wanted to make the Merch both good quality and fairly priced.
I guess Linus also wants the money.
here's my 3 min take on what is happening… his brand and company probably grew to a point where he realised it's not sustainable to just rely on youtube and reviews and in order to feed more 'mouths' (production crew, staff etc), he has to start merchandising. It does skew his reviews and viewer's perception since it looks like a conflict of interests.
But that's how it goes, it's not like he can keep coming up with content free like that without more reliable stream of revenue. and looking at his recent responses to the warranty for his bags, it kind of blew up in his face. Dude finding out first hand how hard it is.
i dont consider myself a fan of his, but i watch a fair bit of his (and tech jesus) videos to get up to speed on tech… the reality is, it takes a hell lot of time and effort (and money) to create these content.. but people out there are just foaming at the mouth criticising like they could do better. well, cool, then start up your own channel that is better than LTT and i'll watch it for free? or maybe i'll hit that subscribe button.
If you wouldn’t buy his backpack, would you buy his upcoming screw driver ??
Need to see the price. I think it'll be well over $100
Linustechtips reddit is blowing up with people talking about how there is no official warranty
He supports your right to repair the backpack yourself
For that price… no f'n way! lol