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02 SEPT 2004 |
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Spire Fuse Backpack |
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If you are a mobile user
who likes to carry a lot of peripherals or
accessories around your laptop, finding the
right bag can sometimes be a bit annoying.
There are plenty of those one-shoulder type of
bags that are typically rectangular. The
problem with those is that they have limited
space for your extra accessories and they do
become bulky easily considering that you are
carrying a lot of weight on a single shoulder.
Spire, a laptop bag manufacturer, has taken a
different route with laptop bags. They have
combined the typical two-shouldered backpack
that is capable of securely carrying a laptop as
well as all the extra accessories. As a more
standard two-shouldered backpack, there are
several things that come to mind. First, it
makes it less obvious that you're carrying a
laptop since it looks like a normal backpack.
Second, already mentioned, is that a
two-shouldered backpack can easily hold much
more items while still at ease to use.
Today, I
will be reviewing a two-shouldered laptop
backpack from a company called Spire. It is
called the Fuse backpack. This backpack,
according to Spire's website, retails for $140.
This is quite expensive for a normal backpack,
but the price is a bit more expensive than the
average laptop bag. Let's find out if Spire has
created a product that is worthy for your
laptop.
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If you haven't
heard of Spire, don't be surprised. The
company is composed of a small group of
tech-oriented mobile individuals who
have had experience in the building of
quality gear and bags. Their company is
different on the level that they
understand how to make quality bags
while being tech-oriented themselves.
They know exactly what kind of bag your
computer or notebook will fit in. With
this unique combination, they have been
able to make great laptop bags
manufactured, designed, and tested in
Boulder, Colorado.
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According
to Spire's website, the backpack
has the following features:
-extra
beefy padding at the bottom for
maximum shock absorbancy
-ergonomic die-cut shoulder
straps for comfort
-large exterior pocket
-hidden MP3 player pocket with
durable chrome headphone port
-multiple interior pocket for
headphones and peripherals
Based on these features, you can
already guess that this backpack
has a lot of places to put your
accessories and has a lot of
padding to protect your laptop.
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The
backpack arrived neatly
in the package. It was
enclosed in a large
clear plastic wrapper.
When taking the backpack
out of the plastic bag,
I immediately got a
whiff of the smell that
you might find in the
interior of a new car.
On the exterior, the
backpack has a nice oval
shape that is both
stylish, yet makes the
bag look compact.
Towards the top of the
backpack at the front,
there is the Spire
logo. One thing I
immediately noticed
about this backpack was
that it had four major
bands at four sides of
the backpack. As a
student, having owned so
many different types of
backpacks over the
years, I have found it
annoying how inflated a
backpack can look even
when you're barely
carrying anything in
it. This happens when
you 'break into' the
backpack after a period
of time. In a sense,
these bands allow you to
adjust the size of the
backpack. If you loosen
up the bands, it will
allow the backpack to
expand to meet your
storage needs. Right at
the front center of the
backpack, there is a
silver ring which will
allow you to place your
key chains.
When looking at the back
of the backpack, I
immediately knew I was
looking at a quality
backpack. Most of the
back of the backpack was
lined with soft and
absorbent foam covered
with netting. The
padding is also lined
along the insides of the
shoulder straps. There
are various straps on
the back that will help
provide the maximum
support when carrying
your heavy laptop in the
bag. First, there is a
strap that you can use
that will connect to go
across your chest. In
addition, there is also
a wide thick strap that
is intended to go across
your waist. When
carrying an extreme
load, suppose that for
some reason the shoulder
straps somehow get
loose. I'm sure that
the waist strap will
prevent the backpack
from completely dropping
on the floor. Lastly,
there is a nice slim
handle at the top of the
backpack which for some
reason feels fun to pick
up.
The
bag has the usual
zippers to open and
close the bag. There is
a small plastic bead
attached to the zipper
which you will use to
open and close the
zippers. One
interesting thing I
would like to note about
the those beads is that
they are tied inside and
out in the hole of the
zipper. This allows for
slightly better control
when opening and closing
the zippers. Take a
look at the picture to
get a better idea of
what I am talking about.
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The interior
of the bag is what immediately sets the backpack
different from others. When opening the main part of
the bag, you will find the place where your laptop
goes. The interior of this main part of the bag is
covered with a beige-like cloth. This is to not only
protect your laptop as you move around, but it also
prevents unnecessary scratches to the exterior of your
laptop while putting in and taking out the laptop out of
the bag. There might be times where you might want to
carry your laptop separately from the backpack. In that
case, just pull the bag out of the backpack and it can
be used as a secondary bag to hold your laptop.
The other large pocket of the backpack is towards the
front. Once you open it, you will notice that there are
many pockets to place items such as a MP3 player, CD
player, external hard drive, etc. There are many more
large pockets than your typical backpack. In addition,
there are plenty of smaller pockets to place your much
smaller items such as stationary items.
There is also one last pocket at the very front of the
backpack. This is just a single pocket for general
use. This pocket can also hold other small sized items
if all the pockets are full.
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I put the
laptop in the bag by opening the lid attached via
Velcro. You can do this either by directly placing the
laptop in the bag or you can take small laptop bag out
and place the laptop in first before putting it in the
bag. It was a good idea for Spire to place the laptop
bag closest to the back of the individual so that the
weight is steady and that it can't be damaged easily if
someone were to apply a strong force from the front of
the backpack. I put in the 7lb IBM Thinkpad in the
pocket. Keep in mind that you will need to purchase
this bag depending on the size of your laptop. If you
have a smaller laptop, you can opt for the smaller sized
back. Or even if you have a much larger laptop such as
a widescreen laptop, you will probably need to get the
backpack with the larger laptop bag. When carrying the
backpack on my shoulders, the backpack felt very sturdy
and comfortable on my shoulders. I had a sense of
security when carrying it in the backpack. I wouldn't
mind using it even in a crowded bus where there might be
accidental pushes against the backpack.
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According to
Spire's website, Spire claims that this backpack is
great for students. As an overachieving student, I tend
to carry several textbooks with me wherever I go as well
as small items such as pens and pencils. I wanted to
find out if the backpack was able to hold less or more
than my typical load. First, I put in two decent sized
textbooks. When I placed the backpack around my
shoulders and looked in the mirror, I noticed that the
backpack seemed to stick out at the top. Even with the
two textbooks in the backpack as well as the laptop, I
just used the two bands towards the top of the backpack
to close the gap. The backpack instantly looked just as
compact and stylish as before.
These clips even serve an even greater purpose. Let's
say for some reason, you forget to close the pocket
containing the laptop. If you didn't use the clips,
then the laptop would probably have a good chance of
sliding out of the backpack. Even then, I'm sure your
laptop would still be safe on the floor inside the
protected bag. The clips also prevent the laptop from
sliding out. With the laptop and textbooks in the bag,
it definitely weighed more than my typical backpack.
When I wanted to add even more books, all I had to do
was expand the backpack by loosening up the bands toward
the bottom to make the bag wider at the bottom. I
really have to commend Spire for making the extra padded
base. It ensures that your things won't poke a hole
through the bottom of the bag and suddenly drop out.
Also, it adds a level of protection to the base for
those many times you will placing or dragging the
backpack across rough surfaces.
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With Spire
being one of the few companies that make laptop bags in
the form of a backpack, I was surprised at the quality
and construction of the Spire Fuse backpack. This
backpack is great for those who like to carry multiple
sized accessories along with their laptop. Based on our
testing, this product is also fit for those who can
sometimes be a little rough with their backpack. This
backpack was able to hold the same amount (if not more),
than my typical backpack. Choosing between a single or
two-shouldered laptop bag is more of a personal
preference. After testing this bag, I am more in favor
or a laptop backpack instead. With a retail price of
$140, this product is a bit more expensive than your
typical laptop bag. Considering that you will be
carrying a laptop that is easily in excess of thousands,
this is a small investment. This product is for those
with a sense of style while maintaining the ruggedness
of travel. After review this product, I would like to
see Spire make an ordinary backpack. I'm sure they will
be able to make quality backpacks that can easily exceed
big names such as Jansport, Eddie Bauer, etc. Don't
forgot that this backpack does have a lifetime warranty
if something wrong happens to it.
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Reviewed by
ronald@digitalreviews.net |
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