[nabs-l] Backpack alternative at convention

[T. Joseph Carter]

Very cool Rania!  I'm not an employee or anything, I just have been 
really excited about the thing because it works so well.

Joseph


On Sun, Jun 05, 2011 at 12:51:18PM -0400, Rania Ismail CMT wrote:
>Thanks for sharing! As a massage therapist I also see people with neck
>shoulder and back pain like a physical therapist does.
>I will hold on to this website and suggest this as an alternative to
>changing bags or lightening the load!
>Thanks
>Rania,
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nabs-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
>Of T. Joseph Carter
>Sent: Sunday, June 05, 2011 3:06 AM
>To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>Subject: [nabs-l] Backpack alternative at convention
>
>Hey everyone,
>
>I have been playing with a very cool "backpack alternative" for about
>two weeks now.  If you carry too much stuff with you and are coming
>to National Convention, I'd be happy to show it to you!
>
>As probably most of you who know me are already aware, I tend to
>carry everything but the kitchen sink around with me.  My girlfriend
>has even threatened to buy me a folding camping sink so that the next
>time someone asks if I have it, I can respond with, "Actually..." and
>pull the thing out!  It would be SO worth it.  *grin*
>
>Anyway, there are two problems with a backpack: You can't get at
>anything in them without stopping to take it off first, and of course
>a heavy backpack is literally a pain to wear.  A sling or messenger
>bag makes the first problem easier, but makes the second problem much
>worse.
>
>That's where this ingenious device comes in.  It's called a BackTPack
>(that should be read "Back Tee Pack" if your screen reader of choice
>mangles it.)  The company's website is: http://www.backtpack.com/ and
>the product doesn't cost significantly more than any quality backpack
>would, making it very much worth a look!
>
>The design of the BackTPack is a bit unusual, but completely logical.
>Essentially it takes your backpack and splits the bag portion in half
>to make two (relatively) thinner bags.  Then it slides these down the
>straps so they hang more like messenger bags, one on each side.  The
>place where the bag was becomes just a small, flat piece to hold it
>all together and attach the backpack straps.  Like nicer backpacks it
>has a sternum strap to keep the BackTPack sitting properly on your
>shoulders.  It's way less complicated than it sounds, I promise.
>
>The idea behind this arrangement is that it balances the load and
>places it vertically on your spine, which is the part of your body
>that is intended to support that kind of weight.  It was designed by
>a physical therapist who saw one too many school kids hunched over
>carrying the weight of school books.  Even a moderately heavy
>backpack pretty much ensures bad posture and eventually back pain.
>
>With the BackTPack, you aren't hunched over or pulled backward or off
>to either side.  This consequently makes it easier to wear for a
>longer period of time, and the whole thing feels lighter than my
>backpack for the same contents.
>
>If you're wondering if the BackTPack would interfere with using a
>cane, it doesn't in my experience.  I cannot wear messenger and
>laptop bags on my left side because they interfere with movement of
>my cane-using arm, but I do not have that problem with the BackTPack
>at all.  The BackTPack website talks about how useful it is when
>using a service animal, but it's just as useful for a cane user and
>for the same reason: One of our hands is occupied pretty much all the
>time!
>
>Of course a pack is only as good as what it will let you carry.  The
>size of the bags on the BackTPack vary slightly based on which of the
>three models you're using, but the smallest size is 13 inches square
>by 3 inches wide.  The medium/large model 3 is 14 inches by 13 inches
>by 3.5 inches.  The bags are soft, so they can fit items that are a
>little bigger in one of these dimensions, but you're not going to
>cram a 17 inch MacBook Pro into it.  The larger model 3 will hold
>about a 15.4 inch laptop.  It easily swallows netbooks, note takers,
>iPads with folio cases, etc.
>
>If you look into one of the bags, there are pockets about the size of
>a pen pouch you'd put into a three ring binder.  On the wall toward
>your body, the pocket has a zippered top.  On opposite wall, the
>pocket is sewn into a few pen holders and pocket about four inches
>wide.  The model 2 and 3 bags have a mesh bottle holder pocket as
>well intended for 16-20 ounce bottles.  A Camelbak 25 ounce bottle
>fits, barely, but the large 32 ounce Nalgene bottles are too wide for
>the mesh pockets.  The other bag mirrors all of the above, and adds a
>strap with a keyring clip toward the front.
>
>Outside, there are two pockets in the front that will hold a cell
>phone (including larger phones like the iPhone or Blackberry),
>glasses, or whatever you need.  On the outside of each bag is a
>pocket big enough to carry a men's wallet (which is not what I'd
>suggest putting there, of course!).  On one side, this small pocket
>has a mesh window for a bus pass or ID badge, should you need one of
>those.
>
>There are two other features which might be really nice, depending on
>your circumstances.  First, if you're going to sit down in chair that
>has no armrests, a bench, or a seat on a bus that's wide enough,
>there is no need to take a BackTPack off.  There's a strap that
>hangs down in front on each side called a sit strap.  Buckle it and
>have a seat!  All of the weight is taken completely off your
>shoulders by the sit strap.  Plus you know how much space you occupy,
>so you're unlikely to turn and smack someone with with your backpack.
>
>The other feature is a set of elastic loops on the inside of the bag
>intended for a hip belt, should you desire one.  You might find this
>useful for longer trips.
>
>And speaking of elastic, purely as an attention to detail matter, all
>of the straps have elastic keepers to hold the excess strap so it
>isn't flopping about or getting tangled.
>
>If you'd like to see my BackTPack in person, just let me know!  I
>will be attending the whole Convention.  I am staying in the overflow
>hotel, but I literally take the BackTPack with me everywhere.  Just
>reply off-list to this email or give me a call at 503-610-8709 and we
>can arrange a time and place.  (I'm still going through the agenda
>trying to determine where all I will be and when, and I'll bet I am
>not alone in that regard!)
>
>And yes, I AM going to be there this year-my state president tells me
>I am not allowed to suddenly find any scary medical problems that
>keep me from going.  If I find another tumor or something, I won't
>have to worry about it, because Art is likely to kill me first.
>*grin*  That is assuming of course a few others who have said similar
>things don't beat him to it.  (It's good to know I'm loved, hehe!)
>
>See you all there,
>
>Joseph
>
>
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