Solid Gray Backpack Discussions | Drop

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Nov 16, 2014

I agree the price tag is high, but I disagree completely with trigger-firing hate messages at products that veer away from traditional form factors before thinking critically about the additional utility they provide. I can think of a few use-cases that put it in a league of its own.
- It's completely water proof. I frequently commute into cities with heavy rain (San Francisco, Portland, Seattle) and average size umbrellas rarely provide coverage for your backpack. I've arrived to work many times with a dry coat and a soaked bag.
- It's durable. On crowded planes and trains, you usually have to cram your bag into shared overhead compartments. I could see myself comfortably checking this backpack, if necessary.
- Custom inserts could really make this thing. You can see the potential with the integrated tablet stand, and I wonder what other utility could be realized if the company expands in that area. Laptop stand/workstation, custom panels for smart devices, speakers, and important documents (boarding passes, passports), etc etc.
I found this interesting mod that could be useful for people that demo frequently on the road or have product parties in their hotel rooms: http://www.bornrich.com/speaker-backpack-solid-gray-revolutionize-portable-speakers.html

Martinotti

Nov 17, 2014

ajax81Unfortunately the pack is only water resistant on its own. If you want to weather-resist it then you will need the optional cover: https://solid-gray.com/store/raincover-black/ Waterproof implies that the bag can be submerged which this definitely cannot. I would personally never trust anything like this bag living in Portland... I have a Chrome messenger and Ortlieb rolltop and even those aren't 100% watertight on a bicycle. If you want waterproof I would suggest getting a dry-bag.

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Jefffa

196

Nov 17, 2014

ajax81I can vouch for the utility of having a hard plastic backpack for the water-resistance, sure. That's a good feature, but one of the deal breakers is it's hard plastic.
Crowded overhead compartments is a good example. Since it's hard, if it's a tight fit or the gap is even half an inch too small then you've got no chance of getting that thing in there. A regular bag will power through as it's soft and more flexible. It's true that this may not happen very often, but when it does I can imagine it being infuriating because there's obviously a space to put it in glaring at you and if it were only a thumbs width larger... It seems like an absurd problem and feels like that time you bought that TV and you're trying to get it to fit in your car.
Now, that's addressing the downside of tight fits for the exterior, what about the interior? On the off chance that you have something with an irregular shape or size perhaps a box of some kind. The backpack can only accommodate for very specific shapes sizes while regular bags could often fit or leave these odd objects slightly sticking out of the bag's zipper if necessary, but this has a hatch-type of opening which makes things awkward.
There's no doubt that this bag has some advantages, but it just seems that the disadvantages heavily outweigh them for some people hence all the negative comments floating around here.

ajax81

Nov 17, 2014

JefffaThose points are well taken. I hadn't considered scenarios where you have to conform to predefined spaces -- seems like an unfortunate opportunity to damage/scratch the bag, or moreover be forced to carry it in your lap when it ultimately doesn't fit.
Irregularly shaped items or unexpected cargo could create headaches as well, but I suppose the frequency of which would be determined by the types of business/activity the owner typically conducts. I've traveled for work about 4 years now and have been inconvenienced by additional items only during the holiday season (purchasing/receiving gifts). Either way, your point is a good one and it would be interesting to see the seller market around it.