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Steroid Cosmetic Bag: XD Design Urban Bumbag Review

There is a company such as XD Design - engaged in the creation of advanced backpacks. Perhaps you already have their “main business card” - the debut Bobby, the success of which encouraged the company to produce a whole bunch of backpacks-modifications and other solutions. At the end of summer 2018, our blog published an overview of the XD Design Bobby Urban backpack - a universal backpack bag that several employees of our company invariably use (and they have seen many backpacks).


And the main character of today's review was an accessory made in the same style as Urban - an Urban Bumbag waist bag. 

Appearance


The front and back of the Bumbag are made of the same material as the Urban backpack - it is cut-resistant, waterproof and extremely difficult to stain. "White noise", in which there are already 4 components:

  • 64% - UHMWPE (Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight PolyEthylene, Ultra High Molecular High-Density Polyethylene, aka High Modulus Polyethylene, aka UHMWPE / Wiki )
  • 16% - PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride, PVC / Wiki )
  • 14% - Polyester (Polyester / Wiki )
  • 6% - Glass fiber (Fiberglass / Wiki )

In a backpack, this material proved to be exceptionally good for two years, which will be discussed in more detail below. But in short, it's nice to meet him again in the new product from XD Design.


But the “bottom” and side pads are made of material that has not yet been found in brand backpacks - something like dense rubber with a rough texture. Everything is carefully stitched.


A decorative overlay was made from it at the top, on which the manufacturer immortalized the name.


Another brand name can be found on fastex (belt buckle). It is made of high-quality plastic - this is unlikely to be erased to open spontaneously. 


Moreover, fastex with a lock is used here: to remove the "trident", you need to not only squeeze it, but also hold down the lock button - this is a more reliable and durable solution.  


The last two mentions of the brand are on the "dogs" of lightning (such have already been found inside the Bobby Bizz backpack ). 


But why at such a short distance already two dogs? It turns out necessary. The fact is that when they meet each other, they snap into place and simply undoing them will not work. To get inside the bag again, you need to move the dogs with both hands relative to each other in a plane perpendicular to the zipper. 


Inconvenient? Perhaps that’s why there is a second way, “one-armed” - to take the dogs to the left as far as the “unlock station” is. Primitively? Yes, it’s rather weak for the title of “Anti-theft bag”, but still without knowing this nuance it is difficult to immediately open the compartment - intuitively I want to push the dogs along the zipper. In addition, the manufacturer honestly writes: “ Quick & Easy lock zipper does not offer the same security as a separate lock. It can be opened by anyone who knows how the zipper operates . " So it’s rather an elegant defense against a fool, not attracting attention and not claiming secrecy.


In XD Design, all the fittings are traditionally from YKK. What do cunning dogs hide? Neither more nor less - 1 liter of space. Moreover, this space is delimited among themselves into three parts.


A smartphone (or tablet up to 7 ”) with a power bank, passport and something else small is easily placed in the main compartment. 


On the outside of the main compartment there are two mesh pockets - another smartphone and a pack of memory cards in the boxes, or a huge bunch of keys can easily fit into a large one. And in the small compartment ideally fit the “GoProshka” or AirPods in a case (or similar headphones ) and a wire for charging.


Another “room” is located on the inside of the main compartment - an RFID pocket with a zipper. Despite the fact that usually these pockets are needed for credit cards (against the quite possible “attack on the card” using a portable terminal), the phone also fits in it. Do not rush to write “why hide the phone where it will not catch the network?” - situations may well arise when the excuse “damn it, put the phone in the wrong compartment” will save :) 



Total dimensions: 35.5 × 6 × 16.5 cm.

Actually, that’s all :) The disadvantages of Bumbag include the lack of reflective elements. We would not have remembered this if they were not on almost all the other backpacks from XD Design. Well, it would be possible to make a cutout for the wire for charging on the inside - as it was in the debut Bobby (and as it was not in Urban).  


Using


Adjustable in length straps allows you to fasten Bumbag on a wide range of waists: from the most modest sizes to the most impressive. But someone may not succeed in hanging it over his shoulder. The author of the post succeeded (on the maximally loose straps), but it was still more convenient to carry a bag on his belt - there even a jam-packed Bumbag can easily be hidden under a T-shirt to add masking points to it.



Yes, and bags for fastening over the shoulder, as a rule, are more impressive: here, for example, a three-section bag from Nike, which appeared nearby during the review - much more things are placed in it ...


... but it is the size of some people and it’s impossible to make it invisible:


Bobby Bumbag is very convenient in everyday use - it easily fits the “tourist” set: documents, cards, phone and powerbank (even at 20,000 mAh) with wiring, as well as a bunch of keys, a flashlight and something for self-defense.


The locking lock is very convenient in practice and the dogs are almost always on the left - so that they can be opened through the extreme position on the left, and not through opening with two hands. But in public places, they instinctively shift to the other side. 

Bonus: what Bobby Urban looks like after almost 2 years of daily use


What was the "bad" debut XD Design Bobby? The fact that during active use, he lost points of appearance. For example, its front side of rubberized material was covered with scratches and scuffs over time, and the upper part lost its shape. Well, there were problems with the strap clamps - on the first revisions they spontaneously loosened the belts.

Bobby Urban is devoid of all these shortcomings. Firstly, it does not have a rubberized outer part - instead of it, a cut-resistant fabric that is difficult to even stain. As for the form, initially the backpack does not have it, so losing it is quite difficult :) It's just a bag that is adjustable in volume. With the ability to "increase" the volume due to the external grid (included) - all this gives Urban the opportunity to take part in a huge number of scenarios. From trips between home / working with a laptop and playing sports, to fastening a backpack to a lounger on the beach with wet slippers / towel behind the net. 

Below are photographs of the new Urban and the one that has been used daily for almost two years. Try to understand where which:


If you do not play guessing games, then the differences are noticeable only in two details: in the cracked handle (rubberized material cracked at the fold) and in the appearance of “creases” (but so far without cracks) on the outer sides of the straps made of the same material. 





Not very nice, but not critical - if you wish, you can alter the handle, but with straps it’s more difficult.


The same rubberized material is used at the bottom of the backpack, but it turned out to be almost unharmed even at the seams.




The remaining elements (lock, zippers) - as new:




The material of the backpack itself experienced many external irritants (heat-cold, rains and sand on the beach, ketchups and sweet mustard, wine and all kinds of mechanical attacks) and a couple of washes - after all this, it looks like new. 5 out of 5.

Instead of output


This post, rather, is not so much about Bobby Urban Bumbang, but rather a post-update about Bobby Urban itself - when you have such a wonderful backpack, you want to “add more” to it, to add something. Therefore, it was difficult to refuse such an accessory as Bumbang - after a month of use, it became clear that it was just as cool and practical.


The only thing that is a little frustrating is the cost: Bumbag costs 3,790 ₽. But for Habr’s readers, we have prepared a 20% discount on the BUMHABR promotional code. The same discount is valid until May 15 for all XD Design products on the shelves of our virtual store - look, there are a lot of everything besides backpacks.

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