True love, Wall-E and Eva say happy V-day!
Hi everybody! Anyone out there considering a commuter backpack? Long time no review… The PR peeps reppin booq hooked it up back in October of 2011 with this Eva look-alike, the Mamba Shift L. Although it isn’t a bike commuter-specific backpack, my Trek one-strap messenger bag was in tatters and hardly capable of holding anything expensive like a laptop. I decided to give it a shot, considering the Mamba Shift’s sleek and seemingly sturdy exterior. Here are some fat stats about this futuristic laptop backpack:
booq: Mamba shift L
Lightweight, extremely functional backpack uses a clean and compact exterior design to conceal a plush and roomy interior
- 1680 denier ballistic nylon exterior with water-repellant coating and interior water repellent ripstop lining
- Diagonally overlapping interior accessory pockets, provide easy access to all your gear
- Separate accessory zipper pouch to carry cables, external hard drive, etc.
- Elastic pop-out iPhone pockets integrated into shoulder straps
- Airmesh back padding increases comfort and allows heat to escape
- Equipped with Terralinq service, helps reunite you with your lost bag (author note: I never registered my bag, but consider it a lost and found registration service!)
Available at: BooqBags.com and various retailers Stores.Booq.com
Price: $149.95 (13″-17″ Mac or PC)
Website: www.booqbags.com
Eva comes in black, "sand" or "denim" color. I chose "sand" as it's a lighter color, hoping for better visibility than my previous black Trek messenger bag.
The booq website actually has some detailed photo spreads showcasing the intricately designed layers of pockets, flaps, hook-and-loops, and zippers in this space-inspired design. Eva came with me on our jaunt around Europe and is a great transitional bag from bike to plane to bike. Let’s do a photo-battle throughout this review: mine vs. my Dad vs. theirs!
Mir.I.Am fotog skillllls:
Typical contents of Eva the Mamba Shift on a commute to work. Lock and cable are left at work M-F.
LIKES: I love the pockets in this backpack! Orange interiors make it easy to find things (no blending into the black hole material like standard bags) and different sized layers make it easy to separate and store pens, computer stuff, takeout lunch, clothes, and baby pandas. The key clip is detachable and near the top of the bag so you can easily find your bike lock key or key fob to your apartment (I heart this feature, hard). I clipped my flat-pack water pouch onto it, antibacterial goop, USB keys, etc. Also, the Mamba Shift backpack is slim at the bottom and carries most of the weight at the top, relieving some strain off your lower back while on the bike. The profile is streamlined enough that is doesn’t interfere with looking over your shoulder while changing lanes for us mirrorless bike commuters. The booq Mamba Shift has sturdy construction and can hold a half-size drawing set, a big plus for snarchitects like myself. The laptop compartment is velvety smooth like the finest bathrobes you’d steal from a Singapore hotel! You can store a full-size U-lock and cable for proper lockups in either the laptop compartment (without the laptop, duh) or in the main compartment, easily. Lastly, the Eva-esque shape and color make it stand out from typical laptop bags and backpacks; the herringbone/tweed pattern of the material received several compliments from architects, bike commuters at stop lights, friends, and family.
Retired Asian Dad “skills”:
Sand over black sweater: better than nothing for night riders. (identity of bike commuter has been obscured out of embarassment of Dad's butt shots)
COULD BE BETTER: Granted, the Mamba Shift is not a commuter-specific bag; this bag is NOT waterproof! Water-resistant, maybe. Waterproof enough for me, sure! Reserve this bag for clear-weather commutes or days with puddles but no downpours. The thick material did keep interiors dry on all but two days of extreme rain-pain on my commute (you can read about one of those days here). Although a great protector of your laptop with ample padding all around the back, it can also get a bit warm like most backpacks do during a high-intensity bike ride! My only major/minor gripe about this bag, was that if you like to carry bike water bottles on the side of your bag, or have more accessible pockets during your ride, no luck with the Mamba Shift: as the side pockets fit only flat objects. (I did manage to shove a baguette in each side once, when the main compartment was rather empty – take note, Frenchies.) And to wrap it up, this backpack takes a little breaking in, as it can be stiff like a TMNT half shell when you first get it, turtle power.
The pros at booq:
Not a bad fotog, of the awesome layers of orange pockets with Mac obsessed gear to boot!
WRAP IT UP! Ok, to be nice to my Dad (wink) let’s call the photography contest a three-way tie. My overall sentiments of the Mamba Shift after a four-month review: a compact bag with max protection for your laptop, an almost all-weather commuter companion, with space-age style, and a neatly organized space-age interiors. If you’ve got a 150 bones to spare for maximum protection of your techie-gear and fair weathered commutes, the Mamba Shift a.k.a. Eva is right up your alley!
P.S. – booq, Vanya, Xootr - Apparently I’ve been relegated to weird-named cyclicious product reviews!
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