An eco-friendly everyday carry solution.
I’ve always really enjoyed high-quality laptop bags. Messenger bags have been more my style in recent years, but a nice backpack is really valuable under the right circumstances. One of those circumstances happened to me this week. My family and I decided on a whim to take a short road trip. I had some work I had to do while we were on the road so I grabbed my Incase Commuter Backpack and we hit the road.
DETAILS
The Incase Commuter Backpack is designed to be the ‘ultimate everyday carrying solution’ for its users. It is lightweight and features a large main compartment. There is a laptop sleeve that can protect a 16-inch laptop and organizational pockets for items like pens and other accessories. The outside of the bag has a magnetic-snap closure water bottle pocket and the backpack is available in 4 different colors – sand, Baltic Sea, steel grey, and ocean green.
One of the things that makes this backpack so special is that it’s made from recycled materials. The backpack – as well as the other products in the BIONIC lineup – is made with BIONIC yarn, a durable material created from recovered plastic that is found in marine and coastal environments. Incase refers to it as ‘BIONIC ripstop material.’ The material that makes up the bag is the equivalent of 26 plastic bottles. Incase takes pride in helping to care for the environment and describes the BIONIC material in this way.
“Through our intentionally designed backpacks with BIONIC FLX yarn, which is made with 100% recovered plastic (RPET), we’re actively taking part in cleaning up the ocean while still providing device protection. FLXTM is a high-grade yarn that is not only impressively durable but looks stunning and yields a variety of performance and aesthetic properties – it’s lightweight, smooth, and features abrasion-resistant micro-ripstop qualities.”
USER EXPERIENCE
Normally, I like to break down a product’s packaging and all of its features as a part of the ‘user experience’ section of my reviews. In this case, though, I really feel that the story of this product and why it’s now my everyday carry bag would be more beneficial to readers. So, here is the rest of the story.
Before we got in the car, I piled up the things I needed to take with me. I had already made sure that everyone else had what they needed and so I was rushing just a bit so as not to keep everyone else waiting. I piled my laptop (16-inch MacBook Pro), my iPad (2018 10-inch iPad Pro) with its Apple Pencil, my planner (full-size, 8.5 x 11) and printed notes, my AirPods Pro, a couple of charging cables and power adapters, and an assortment of pens and markers. Then I looked around my office trying to decide which bag to use.
I have a large satchel that I’ve been using lately because there is no lack of space in it, but when I considered that I would be in the backseat of a Ford Escape with another adult, I figured that would be too large to maneuver. So, I scanned the room and my eyes landed on the Incase Commuter Backpack. For a second, I thought, “There is no way this backpack will be big enough for my stuff today.” I knew that the backpack would be perfect for the car space, but just didn’t think it could fit all my stuff. I picked it up and opened it up. First, I slid the laptop into the pocket and was surprised at how slim the bag seemed to be – even after the laptop was in it. I quickly noticed that the majority of the space in the bag was in the cavity of the main compartment. I dropped the rest of my belongings in that compartment, zipped up the bag, and headed out the door.
The bag rested nicely in the backseat between the seats. I didn’t have any issues getting my laptop, iPad, or other items out of the bag while we were on the road. The backpack was super easy to carry and it felt really well-balanced. I was shocked at how much room was in the bag and while I realize that this style of bag isn’t going to be a good choice for all users, I think it’s a great design. It’s very easy to use in that you can get items in and out of it quickly and easily. The material of the bag seems very durable and as a bonus, it is environmentally friendly. The laptop sleeve doesn’t have a ton of padding on it, but it’s enough for the laptop to be protected as long as the backpack isn’t slung around with reckless abandon.
CONCLUSION
I’ve been a fan of Incase products for many years and when they released this new line, I was very interested in checking out the bags in this line-up. The Commuter Backpack did not disappoint and because of its versatility and durability, it’s won a place as my daily-driver bag.
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