RiutBag Crush.4a: testing in progress
Sarah Giblin, the designer behind RiutBag, has given me a Crush.4a to keep and test properly. I have only just started using it, so this is not the finished review and there is no score yet.
According to RIUT, the Crush.4a weighs 295g, holds 14 litres and can be folded into one of its own pockets. Its zips sit against your back while you are wearing it, and this latest version adds stretch bottle pockets on both sides.
I’ll start by using it during ordinary everyday life rather than inventing an opinion after carrying it around the house for ten minutes. Then it will be coming to Florida, where it will face airports, crowded attractions, warm weather and some very long days.
I’ll be paying attention to:
Comfort after several hours
How useful the 14-litre capacity feels in practice
Whether it is easy to organise and find things
How well the bottle pockets work
Whether the back-facing zips feel reassuring or awkward
How it handles heat, crowds and busy days
Whether packing it inside larger luggage is genuinely useful
How the lightweight material stands up to regular use
I’ll update this page as testing continues. The final score, verdict and awkward details will follow once I have used it enough to be fair.
The product and the proof behind the verdict
Help shape the next RiutBag
While I’m testing the Crush.4a, Sarah is designing a new secure commuter laptop backpack under the working title RiutBag X15. She is asking commuters to answer three short questions about what they carry and what they actually need from a work bag. That could include laptops, lunch, chargers, shopping and all the other stuff that quietly follows us around.
If you regularly commute with a backpack, you can help shape the design by taking Sarah’s three-question commuter backpack survey.
Link to this survey can be found below.
