Week In Review ~ 8 December

Suffer from jet lag? We’ve got some tips for you. Think you can’t have an Hermès Birkin? Think again. Want to find out about our awesome new contributor? How about managing to get the perfect outdoor shot without giving yourself whiplash as you struggle to access your camera gear? Maybe you’re keen to check out progress in the age-old struggle of developing a backpack that doesn’t jar every bone and cause every muscle to spasm in your back every time you walk or run. Find out more in this Week In Review…

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Ah, the dreaded jet lag. Either you’re going to look like a dim-witted goldfish when people are trying to talk to you or you’re going to miss out on fully appreciating your surroundings for potentially a few days. However, help is at hand. Eagle Creek have put together a few suggestions that can assist you in avoiding jet lag. They’re bound to be more effective than counting sheep or guzzling liters of energy drinks over a 48-hour period in the hope that eventually you’ll just pass out (hopefully somewhere relatively comfy).

A Kickstarter project aimed at outdoor photographers, MindShift Gear are offering the Rotation180° backpack. The pack has a rotating waist pack that allows photographers to access camera gear without having to take their pack off first. The pack can support a hydration bladder and there are optional accessories such as a modular lens case and a waterproof ground sheet. The project surpassed its funding goal and will go ahead but there’s still the chance to pledge so if this sounds like your sort of pack, you can find out more about it here.

As much as backpacks are incredibly convenient and often easy enough to carry, at times they can be downright annoying through excessive movement whilst walking and running. Trying to combat this design problem has been a hard task but inventors Lawrence C. Rome and Andy L. Ruina came up with a suspended-load ergonomic backpack design. Not only could the design reduce impact to the wearer’s body but the movement could also be converted into electrical or mechanical energy. Essentially the load is suspended from a frame that moves up and down as the wearer moves, thereby reducing the forces on the body. Flawed or the future of pack design? Make up your own mind by checking out the design patent here.

Luxury handbags are interesting creatures. So many women crave them but instead have to resign themselves to the fact that they just can’t afford them. The Hermès Birkin (which featured in one of our posts) is such a bag. We’re talking several thousand dollars for one Birkin and depending on what it’s made of, you could buy a new car for the same price. Designer Agnieszka Biernacka decided to make this bag more accessible to ladies not swimming in cash and created a tribute to the Hermés Birkin – constructed out of Lego. The bag is fully functional and has PVC fabric sides and PVC tubing incorporating Lego bricks for the handles. Will this design become as iconic as the original? Only history will tell. One thing is for sure though – at $400 you’ll have a much greater chance of owning one before you become history.

In case you haven’t had a chance to read the first post from our new contributor the Brown Buffalo (Douglas Davidson), we highly recommend you do so. We’re super-excited to have him on board and eager for everyone to enjoy his shared knowledge and insights gained through working in the carry industry – after all, serving as Design Director for The North Face and all the Burton Snowboard brands are some serious credentials.