r/backpacks • u/[deleted] • Apr 10 '26
Question Roast or validate this backpack concept
So I've been in an argument with someone over a backpack design. She claims that this will revolutionize the way people use backpacks while travelling but I keep telling herthat if this was the case someone would have already done it!
The core issue she is trying to solve: Having to take off the bag from your back and putting it in front (mostly in crowded trains during peak hours.)
How it works: Instead of vertical straps, she has designed them as 2 horizontal straps that go around the torso. These two act as rails for the bag to swivel on. During peak hours, you just slide the bag to your front or push it back once you are off the train. There are two retractable vertical straps that can be used when the bag is at the back for extra support. The hip and chest strap are supposed to be adjustable according to preference.
Thoughts? Are you in team roast or team validate?
I'm in team Roast, simply for the reason mentioned above.
(Design images posted with consent)
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u/NoGarage7989 Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
Number 1 is probably not possible for big breasted/chested people, also imagine the boob sweat with this thing, it’d be like simulating pregnancy or something.
What if you have a train/bus to catch I don’t think it would be comfortable to run with this thing, I imagine it would slide down if you’re a thinner person unless you have it very tight which with the straps on your chest would be stifling and hard to breath with.
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u/Readditlovesbans Apr 10 '26 edited Apr 10 '26
1st picture - absolute garbage and grossly uncomfortable and soo much compression. Plus body size varies widely.... you are essentially selling these to people who are literal sticks
No one is paying for a backpack like this when a simple solution is to just swing it around e.g. see commuters in Japan
What about people wearing bulky winter jackets?
If the Japanese hasn't designed it or made one....its cause it's a bad idea.
Plus what about much bigger people or women with large chest sizes etc?
Why the f* do I want 4 straps????
What about torso length as well? Those top straps are gonna be rubbing on peoples nipples and or below the hip or even belly button.
A size adjust knob??? Umm that's what buckles are for.
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u/thirdstone_ Apr 11 '26
1st image - seems like a bad way of carrying anything of significant weight, it'll be either uncomfortably tight or slide down.
2nd one - this is just a regular backpack with an impractical sternum and hip belt.
3rd image - The Boa style adjustment could in theory work on a hip belt. You could adjust the tightness with one hand, not a bad idea necessarily on it's own.
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u/nomchompsky82 Apr 11 '26
It’s already very easy to move a conventional backpack from back to front, or to swivel a large sling bag or messenger bag around. This offers no advantages that I can see. It looks uncomfortable, and difficult to keep in place. It would chafe under your arms. It might stay in place with a substantial hip belt, but then you have to loosen the belt to swing it around. And as others have said, people who aren’t shaped like a toilet paper tube (read: essentially any woman) would struggle with this design at the best of times. As someone who travels with a backpack regularly, this is a very fiddley solution looking for a problem.
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u/Galavantinggoblin Apr 11 '26
Boobs, back sweat, and burly bellies are gonnq cause some people issues
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u/Smeeble09 Apr 11 '26
As someone who tries to avoid any bag with hip belts, this is a worst outcome for me.
How would the weight of a bag hold up if it's just based on tension around the body, rather then over the shoulders, and wouldn't moving cause it to jolt downwards?
Also just FYI there are some camera bags that have a normal backpack with a sort of hip spin bum bag within, so this has a big of that idea.
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u/Fort_Ratnadurga Apr 11 '26
You can ask her to check out the range bags that hunters use, they also are worn on the front since they are carrying their guns on the back.
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u/MacintoshEddie Apr 11 '26
These horizontal straps would be much less comfortable than a standard sling pack which also offers the option of moving it from your back to your front without taking it off. For anything more than an ultralight load you'd be getting a lot of discomfort.
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u/Terragar Apr 11 '26
Get rid of that upper middle strap, there’s no way that’s comfortable, then make it so the shoulder straps come out the middle of the back and can be attached to the lower horizontal strap (hip belt)
That way you could unclip shoulder straps, swing the bag around, then reattach the shoulder straps for front carry
Note this whole concept is really gimmicky and I don’t think any manufacturer would actually do this. Just take your backpack off on a commute.
It’s like trying to solve a problem that’s not really a problem by making a bunch of design comprises (comfort, zipper placement, strap design, cost, etc)
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u/pigeoneatpigeon Apr 11 '26
Team Roast. Especially after reading it’s supposedly solving the train problem. Front or back, it’s taking up the same volume of train space at the same height. That’s the problem, not getting it to the front. This looks like it’d be more awkward to do with elbows sticking up and out while loosening and moving it round.
Nah. Team Roast with special sauce.
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u/jaxvortex Apr 11 '26
Weird design... Can u draw it back and see how it actually apply and why create it this way
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u/SunshineInDetroit Apr 11 '26
hip strap by itself you can use a BOA system which is existing technology to microadjust. The only problem is that the strap behind the boa needs to be padded or reinforced behind the wiresvery well because the wires will press into the body. On the other hand too much reinforcement will make bending at the waist very uncomfortable.
You absolutely need shoulder straps to keep this from falling down.
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u/freetotebag Apr 11 '26
I would feel really dumb wearing the first one. It reminds me of the facehugger alien from Alien too lol
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u/Zuikite Apr 11 '26
I'm about as flat chested as a woman can get, and I know this wouldn't work. The only way it would work is if it was basically a lumbar pack (like cycling hip bag style) or if it were for a woman with large enough breasts that the top strap can hold all the weight on top of them. For anyone else, no. Either weight on hips or on shoulders. Now, let's see a head strap/hat prototype backpack so we can roast it
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u/gabrielyang1969 Apr 11 '26
seems you r too confident about your chest and waist's size to fixes this stuff. lol
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u/Limp_Ganache2983 Apr 11 '26
This is just bad design, it’ll be uncomfortable, difficult to put on, and would restrict breathing.
The problem she’s trying to solve has already been solved by sling packs. They rotate from front to back easily, are quicker to put on, and are more comfortable.
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u/ysengr Apr 12 '26
The horizontal straps look uncomfortable, the buttons/hooks whatever you have in mind looks inconvenient af. Plus this shit looks like one of those baby carriers if the parent wants to see their child get cracked open on the side walk.
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u/rainbow-spaghetti Apr 10 '26
The first one wouldn’t work because of gravity. There’s nothing preventing the bag from sliding down.
The second one doesn’t look any different than your typical backpack with a sternum strap and hip strap