We’ve written about a number of Kickstarter projects before – the HuMn Wallet, Hydrogen-1 shoes and most recently Modify Watches. If you’re not familiar with the website and the concept, here it is in a nutshell: a small company with an idea puts it out there on Kickstarter; if the idea – an art project, a movie, a product – has merit, then you can invest in it. Pretty cool idea. And it’s worked well for a number of companies including the ones mentioned above. It’s also working well for Ember Equipment.
I received an email from one of the Ember crew back in March pointing me to their Kickstarter page. The company was looking to raise $150,000, no small sum, to build its Modular Urban Backpack. One look at the video convinced me this was a pretty kickass design. Military styling, modular construction, heavy-duty Cordura nylon fabric, weather-proof zippers, magnetically attached gear pouches, obligatory iPhone case and a whole lot more. Impressive stuff.
Now, given the product name – Modular Urban Backpack – it should be clear that the product is oriented to commuters and travelers, not trekkers. According to the company’s specs, the fully configured backpack would come in around five pounds. That’s about double what you get from commute alternatives like a Chrome Barrage pack or Timbuk2 Messenger, and about 5x that of a Summit Sack-style daypack. But none of those products have the well-thought-out features or Ember’s uber-cool German-made magnetic coupling hardware.
Over the past few weeks, I found myself returning to the Ember Equipment Kickstarter page, watching the videos again and again, and following their progress. I dissected the design and realized I just had to have one. I made my own Kickstarter pledge earlier this week, going for the fully equipped Outfitter Pack (since I missed my opportunity at the limited edition Founders version). If you hurry, you can get your own on their Kickstarter page (at this writing only a few hours remain on their project).
Can’t wait for my Ember Modular Urban Backpack to arrive sometime in July. Look for a full review sometime after that.