The lightest bestest minimal backpack for carrying a laptop around.
This is the geekiest blog post I’ve ever written about an item but this backpack has made a real difference for me.
It’s made by a British company named Rapha that makes insanely expensively, beautifully designed bicycling clothes and accessories.
I used to have a big problem with Repetitive Stress Injury or RSI. I learned how to make it go away.
I learned to minimize weight on my shoulders. After a bad injury to my nerve in an accident I learned how important it is
to evenly distribute that weight. A bike messenger style bag is no longer an option for me.
I searched for the best possible backpack I could find and found what I was looking for on the BART one day when a
bicyclist came into the train car with his fixie. He was kind enough to let me try on the backpack and I was sold.
I do not bike every day. I don’t even own a fixie (though that may change).
Here’s the best detailed review of this backpack (with photos) I could find on the excellent Velodramatic, comparing it thoroughly to the slightly larger version. Velodramatic points out all the biking nuances.
Even if I never get on a bicycle or my beloved motorcycle again, here’s why it works for me:
• This backpack puts the weight on your shoulders very high and evenly distributes the weight.
• I travel a lot. I’m on planes a lot. This thing will always fit where you need it to go.
• My MacBook Pro fits well and is padded. I do not feel anything hard on my back, just the nice padding on the outside of the backpack.
• there are two internal compartments and 3 zippered external pockets for all peripherals. One is very soft (for sunglasses) but it works well for glass covered smartphones.
• I can reach everything in the side external pockets without fully taking off the backpack.
• It’s waterproof. You can be drenched but the laptop stays dry.
• It doesn’t look like a computer bag.
• There’s an opening for  a headphone cable that I never use, but you could.
• Everything about the design is lovely but Velodramatic does a great job of methodically outlining the details.
• There are 2 version but I got the smaller one. I’m trying to minimize and make things lighter. It makes me pack less.
• I once did a 3 day trip (to the Meet in the Middle for Equality Rally post Prop8) with nothing but this backpack.
This bag is quite expensive, you can buy it in the US here.  For me it has been worth it.
To badly paraphrase my favourite writer: I find it harder and harder everyday to live up to my backpack.
post inspired by @jensimmons in need of a backpack
