[nfb-talk] Backpack alternative at convention

[T. Joseph Carter]

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