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Awesome Stuff: Getting Creative With Bags

from the searching-for-the-perfect-bag dept

Sat, Aug 9th 2014 9:00am — Mike Masnick

We're back with another awesome stuff post of interesting crowdfunding projects. This week, we're looking at some different approaches to bags. There are a ton of bag/backpack products on Kickstarter these days, but these three stood out as interesting in taking different approaches.

The Air Pakk The Air Pakk isn't just a backpack, but it's also an inflatable pillow/pad. Both the front and the back easily inflate to create a pillow on the go. Of course, some of the sample use cases seem somewhat impractical as you'd have to more or less empty out the bag itself to use, but if you don't carry around that much, it could be handy.
The Hoboroll The Hoboroll is a pretty straightforward stuff sack, but with the potentially useful addition of compartments within the stuff sack, making it easier to keep your stuff organized and accessible, than in a straight up stuff sack.
The Colfax Smart Pack I'm always on the lookout for interesting computer backpacks, but most of them don't seem to offer that much value and are too expensive. The Colfax design looks pretty nice and well thought out, though it's still pretty damn expensive. Not enough for me to move on from my trusty Swiss Gear bag that has served me well for years, but figured some folks might be interested.

As a bonus, we've got the "interesting branding choices" award going to the Douche Bag, which looks like a decent enough simple duffel bag/backpack combo, but not so sure about the naming strategy or the giant "Douche" printed on the side. Sure, sure, the guy claims it's a way of mocking how overpriced bags act as a "billboard" for their luxury brand name, but isn't the best way to fight back against that to make a bag without any brand name, rather than coming up with a juvenile new brand name to promote?

That's it for this week. Pack up your stuff and head out for the weekend.

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Filed Under: awesome stuff, bags

6 Comments

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G Thompson (profile), 9 Aug 2014 @ 11:22pm

In regards to the pillow pack..

Here's a Craaaazzzyyyy thought... why not have a backpack that includes as a value added system a semi-REMOVABLE (attached by cord/whatever and velcro) inflatable pillow.

Then you have both pack that can have the items in it and a pillow..

I know I know.. Craaazzzyyyy talk!
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Andyroo, 10 Aug 2014 @ 3:00am

LOL
The fact that you wrote a paragraph about the name of the "Douche" bag shows that even if you think it is a juvenile name it still attracted your attention and led to you writing about it, something that would not have happened if the name was something "normal".
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- Mike Masnick (profile), 10 Aug 2014 @ 7:12am
  
  Re: LOL
  The fact that you wrote a paragraph about the name of the "Douche" bag shows that even if you think it is a juvenile name it still attracted your attention and led to you writing about it, something that would not have happened if the name was something "normal".
  
  1. If it were named something normal, I probably would have promoted it and its campaign in the main section, highlighting why it was an interesting bag. It wasn't the name that attracted me to it. I checked out basically every proposal for a bag on Kickstarter.
  
  2. You seem to come from the (ridiculous and wrong) school of "any press is good press." That's just silly.
  
  3. Just because people are talking about your "choice" of branding doesn't mean anyone will buy it. Note that every other bag mentioned on this page has met its funding goal. The douche bag has not. In fact, all the other bags have raised much more money than the douche bag is even trying for.
  
  So, yeah. Whatever.
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- Leigh Beadon (profile), 10 Aug 2014 @ 11:45am
  
  Re: LOL
  In my case, if the name was something normal, I'd have bought one, because it's exactly the kind of bag I've been looking for, and it appears to be quite well-designed and made. But I've got no particular interest in making a simplistic and somewhat confusing statement about branding everywhere I go.
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G Thompson (profile), 10 Aug 2014 @ 9:50pm

Further in regards to the Douche bag. It's an Aussie product with an Aussie sense of humour.. ie: to us Freakin Hilarious and a great conversation starter.

Though in a message to the creator maybe for the international (sensitive) market I instead suggested the phrase of "Marketing - A tax on stupid" instead of douche.
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Sanz, 10 Aug 2014 @ 11:21pm

It's a catchy phrase to use for a brand name, but some may find it offensive to use.
Anyway, I find it interesting.
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