Lab Test Results!
over 8 years ago – Wed, Oct 11, 2017 at 03:40:31 PM

Hey Travel Family!

We hope everyone's doing great this mid-week. We've been conducting some tests with our factory and are happy to report back.

First, we did a weight test. The Freedom Pack weighs in at a super lightweight 220grams. When empty, you can barely feel it on your shoulders (especially with our upgraded padded straps streeeetch gooooaa anyoneeee?)

Now, of course the question on everyone's mind is.. how much weight can such a lightweight bag hold? Well *Drumroll..* the straps on the bag can hold up to 17kg, and the handle can support up to 12kg. For reference, 12kg is like..

That is ALOT of food. 

For those who aren't carrying food around, 12kgs is almost the weight of 9 Macbook Pros 13" - plenty of support for what you need on holiday!

It's also 54.54545454 times weight to support ratio, so we're super stoked with the results. Remember, we designed the Freedom Pack to be the perfect daypack out from base camp, and part of the point is to limit what you end up carrying with you.. =)

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In our previous update, we also wanted to find out where our community was from. Huge props to the folks from Kickstarter - they've managed to fix our community tab so here's an update for everyone to see where other travelers are from! Hello everyone! Super humbling for us to see backers from all over the world, and 944 backers to boot..

Looking forward to our next update for you, where we will be reporting back on some fabric slash tests we'll be carrying out in the next couple of days. Really hoping to reach the 100k stretch goal for everyone, so please do keep the word going round. Speak soon! =)

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Projects We Love, Travel Edition:

We wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the Kickstarter community. Below we've included some projects we love in a special traveller's edition, because we believe in spreading the love. If you'd like to read on, go ahead. If not, feel free to keep walking ;)

B-2 Bomber Nano Blade | World's Smallest Tactical Pocket Knife

Our best friends over at Bomber & Company have engineered the World’s Smallest Tactical Pocket knife with a life-time warranty. They’ve been making awesome products over the past few years and their backers LOVE their knife. Check out what they're all about HERE.

RevolCam - The Multi-Lens Photo Revolution for Smartphones

RevolCam - With three high quality camera lenses, an adjustable brightness LED and Selfie Mirror, RevolCam is smartphone photography reinvented. Check it out HERE.

EOZ Air - World's Most Advanced True Wireless Earphones

High Resolution Audio - Bluetooth 5.0 - 52 Hours Playtime - Beautiful Design - Secure Fit - Instant Pairing. Only a few special deals remaining, be quick to grab one! Get your Special Offer Now

The BitzBlade 2.0 - The Last Multi-tool You'll Ever Need!

Our friends at StatGear have designed an awesome EDC tool with 26 features! They doubled their original funding goal on their first day and still have some Early Bird slots available! Check it out HERE!

200 Needle Socks Made By OTAA

Our friends at OTAA have launched there Awesome 200 Needle Socks! The Comfiest, Colour Crazy, Combed Cotton Socks Using The 200 Needle Making Process. Watch the awesome OTAA Kickstarter Sock campaign and see if you can guess who the voice over is! Have a look at their awesome socks. CLICK HERE

50K Stretch Goal: Achievement Unlocked! Upgraded Padded Straps!
over 8 years ago – Sun, Oct 08, 2017 at 09:12:35 AM

A Sincere Thanks. We Couldn't Have Done It Without You!

We've been super busy the past week working out stuff with the factory, and as it's been from day one - focusing on making the best product possible for you. While some of the things we are working out may seem like tiny details at the moment, it's these details that matter.

So you can image our excitement when we checked back and discovered we had blown past the 50K stretch goal, thanks to each and every one of you - thank you so much for being part of our journey. It means the world to us.

And of course, as a result we are stoked to announce that we will be having upgraded padded straps to the Freedom Pack! Check it out for yourself, we hope you like it!

We just got our latest prototype with the mesh padding and are absolutely loving it because we felt it was more durable over time, able to weather better, and also takes up less space when compressed so the Freedom Pack can pack even tighter in your luggage!

Next, we are trying a couple of prototypes on the slash resistant stretch goal. We will provide more info and photos on this in the next update - we've already gone through an additional 3 prototypes for material testing. Each material varies in it's resistance factor, and we are trying to find the right fit and balance. But more importantly, we need to hit the 100k stretch goal in order to upgrade the exterior to be slash resistant, so please help us spread the word to your travel or kickstarter buddies - the momentum has slowed in the past day, so we really need all the word of mouth we can get!

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Stretch goals aside, we also want to get more involved with the community that we're building. Unfortunately our project's community breakdown isn't working for some reason, and we've reached out to Kickstarter to ask them to fix this. In the meantime, we'd love to know where most of you are from. Please let us know where you're from by leaving a comment below, and we'd love to trade travel stories in our next update!

In the meantime, it's back to work for us! We'll continue working with the factories, and next week we'll be doing a live demo at the Singapore University of Design and Technology (hope to share some photos). We've also sent out some production samples to a couple of youtube reviewers, so we hope to share those links with you also in our next update.

Till then, please help us rally to hit the 100k stretch goal by spreading the word!

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Projects We Love, Travel Edition:

We wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the Kickstarter community. Below we've included some projects we love in a special traveller's edition, because we believe in spreading the love. If you'd like to read on, go ahead. If not, feel free to keep walking ;)

Trove SWIFT | The Ultimate Slim Wallet

Our friends at TROVE have launched their second generation of slim wallet, the TROVE Swift. Building off the back of their first campaign and after 3 years of detailed planning they have launched version 2. The wallet holds up to 10 cards, cash, coins and even keys. The new pull-tab allows for even easier access to your favourite card. The campaign funded within 12 hours and is one of our favourites around. CLICK HERE to take a look.

The Action Jacket | Not your average running, hiking, outdoor, do anything jacket.

What do you get when a former Army Ranger and an award winning technical ski wear designer get together? The Action Jacket. Check out our friends at JUMPER’s new creation! CLICK HERE.

LunaR, the world’s first solar powered smartwatch

A modern, self-sustaining and functional smartwatch that will keep you connected, informed and on time––without the need to plug in and recharge. CLICK HERE

Seasons Blanket. Waterproof. Comfortable. Built to Last.

Our friends at Seasons created the ultimate adventure blanket. The Seasons Blanket is durable & made for everyday use. Built to last a lifetime & not your Grandma's quilt it's comfortable on top and heavy duty + waterproof on the bottom. CLICK HERE

World's Most Advanced Off-Grid Mobile Mesh Network

Our friends Sonnet Labs has launched a revolutionary communication device, Sonnet. At $89/pair, it turns your phone into a super walkie-talkie that sends text, voice, images, and files without cellular signal. Sonnet also creates your own network that can stretch the range up to 100 km, and share internet connectivity! We love it and we think you will too! CLICK HERE.

Stretch Goal Updates!
over 8 years ago – Fri, Sep 29, 2017 at 04:08:29 AM

Hey Folks! 

We know you've been waiting for this update =)

Thank you for all your awesome suggestions in the comments section. It's been amazing hearing from our community so early on as we're just starting out, and we love that we can involve you in the building of the pack. 

We've had some intense conversation working the design and feasibility out within the team, the factory, seeing what's feasible and what makes sense for The Freedom Pack. During our discussion what remained top of mind for was to make a bag that we all will LOVE using, and a brand that will change travel gear forever. So without further ado, our stretch goals are:

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$50,000 - Padded Straps

$100,000 - Reinforced Rip-Stop Nylon Exterior

Please note that the rip-stop nylon exterior does not mean it is slash proof, but it will be slash resistant. This means that in a real world situation, a petty thief would require multiple slashes to break through the backpack (since it's also double lined). If they took a point blade and poked it directly into the bag it will slash, but at which point we believe you'd also notice! We did consider slash proof material would be too thick and heavy and hence not packable, so we felt that was not the best option.

As you know, with everything there are trade-offs to be made. Size, weight, structure, and strength were some of the factors we considered in our stretch goal decisions. We know some of you had also asked for sternum straps and RFID pockets. While we really appreciate these suggestions, we had designed the backpack straps to be curved and therefore already sit nicely on your back, meaning it's hard to shake off or destabilise. Adding a sternum strap would require additional hardware which would make the packed bag less compact. As for RFID pockets, as the pockets are located on your back, your wallets will already be obstructed with items in the bag. We also feel that most of you will already have RFID proof wallets, and we also have plans to design one in the near future that may fit perfectly with the freedom pack *hint**hint*! =D

Once again, thanks again for all your suggestions and we hope to reach the stretch goals together. Now as with the rationale for stretch goals, we hope that you, our community, will help us get there. If you know of travel buddies who would love The Freedom Pack, please help us to share this project with them!

CLICK HERE TO SHARE ON: FACEBOOK | TWITTER | EMAIL

OR COPY AND SHARE THIS LINK: http://kck.st/2fwCVDr

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much!

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Projects We Love, Travel Edition: 

We wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the Kickstarter community. Below we've included some projects we love in a special traveller's edition, because we believe in spreading the love. If you'd like to read on, go ahead. If not, feel free to keep walking ;)

Because you need a portable stand for your portable tech - FODI: The flat multi-purpose origami stand 

FODI is a paper thin, multi-purpose stand that uses a carefully designed origami structure that can hold your smartphone, laptop, books and more. CLICK HERE for more info! 


Because you need a notebook to collect those awesome thoughts - Approach Notebook System

Functional notebooks and planners with innovative add-ons designed to optimize the user experience of 'Thinkers'. CLICK HERE

Because you need a travel wallet- Slimmest RFID Blocking Front Pocket Minimalist Travel Wallet

SERMAN BRANDS 5.0 , a 21st century blend of organization and style compacted into one minimalist wallet. With attention to detail each wallet was crafted to fit your desired lifestyle. Whether it's a trip overseas or a day in the office its the wallet for YOU! CLICK HERE

If you're traveling in the summer - you are going to need this - Aircon Watch: The World's First Personal A/C Watch

Aircon Watch is a new revolutionary product that cools or warms your body in a couple of minutes. CLICK HERE

Because you need some entertainment while you're on the road - Potato Pirates | A new and innovative way to learn programming

We love Potato Pirates and so will you. Our friends from Codomo (also based in Singapore) have launched their first-ever Kickstarter which was fully funded in 10 hours!

Potato Pirates combines potatoes, programming, and piracy into a carbo-loaded card game perfect for the classroom, family day, or even game night with friends. It teaches anyone age 6 & up, 10 hours worth of programming concepts in 30 minutes, all without a computer!

Head over to their Kickstarter campaign page and checkout the tuber-awesome reward tiers. You will not be disappointed! CLICK HERE

Because you need a bag that heals itself - WOLVERINE PACK | World's First Self-Healing Utility Bag

A revolutionary utility backpack with Regenerative Self-Healing FuseFabric™. You really have to see it to believe it! Ideal for EDC, Travel, or Gym. CLICK HERE.

Back from our road trip, 500% funded, backpack interiors, and featured on Product Hunt!
over 8 years ago – Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 05:24:40 AM

Hey everyone! We just got back from our trip to the factory - it was an exhausting few days with little sleep, long drives, and lots of FOOD! Imagine our exhilaration when we landed from the red-eye to see The Freedom Pack over 500% funded - you guys make it all worth it!!!

We just caught up on the awesome comments and suggestions and have read through every single one of them. Many of them are stretch goal feature requests, so do give us a bit of time on that as we work that our internally with our team and factories. 

The goal is to make a product that we will absolutely LOVE using, so we're taking all these awesome suggestions into consideration and working out the feasibility of the suggestions and considering the trade-offs. More in our next couple of updates!

Interior Pockets

In the meantime, some of you have been asking about internal pockets. At present we have included a tech pocket which fits a 13" laptop or your tablet - though we feel compelled to say that travelling tech free is liberating - try it once!

Featured On Product Hunt

We were also super psyched to be featured on Product Hunt yesterday. If you're a product hunter, do help us upvote The Freedom Pack so we can keep spreading the word here > https://www.producthunt.com/posts/travelab-freedom-pack

Lastly, What's A Trip Without Photos

Guess how many Freedom Packs we managed to fit in? ;D

Stay tuned for our next update!

Team Travelab

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We wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the Kickstarter community. Below we've included some projects we love, because we believe in spreading the love. If you'd like to read on, go ahead. If not, feel free to keep walking ;)

GoPUCC - Collapsible Canteen & Shaker Bottle

World's first collapsible multipurpose shaker bottle designed to accommodate all hot and cold beverages including protein shakes! CLICK HERE

Mark Bifold - The best bifold wallet ever!

Our friends over at Modest Mark has launched their flagship wallet on Kickstarter and was funded in just 2 hours! This is their best design yet. Mark carries all your essential cards, bills, coins and even a pen! All these while still maintaining an ultra slim profile. Get a Mark while the Super Early Bird slots are still available! CLICK HERE

SilverSocks | Unisex Socks That Don't Show or Smell

Incredibly comfortable premium quality socks that eliminate odor, stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Click here to get your pair now!

The Undress V3 - The Most Versatile Dress in the World

You know when Shark Tank Veteran Daymond John votes for The Undress as the Grand Prize winner on Good Morning America, it’s gotta be good... From the creators of the #1 dress on Kickstarter, the Undress is back and better than ever. The Undress Version 3 is the only dress in the world that allows you to change three ways! Change clothes (without being naked!), change sizes (customize your fit!) and change styles (choose your look!)! You’ve got to see the video to see how it works! CLICK HERE to check them out!

SnuggPlug 3.0 - Smart&Slim Multi USB Wall Charger

Can a wall plug be smart, dynamic, and compact? While conserving energy, saving you space and money? YES It Can. Meet the SNUGGPLUG. CLICK HERE to check it out!

Over 300% Funded, A Visit To Our Factories, And Stretch Goal Possibilities
over 8 years ago – Fri, Sep 22, 2017 at 05:59:23 PM

Hey Travel Team!

We're now officially over 300% funded, and we're gaining momentum!

We're so psyched at the progress that we booked a ticket to our factories this weekend. 

It's extremely exciting for us and doing quality checks this early will help us speed up production and getting The Freedom Pack to you. We'll also check some of the specifics and the possibility of including some stretch goals and will keep you guys posted. In the meantime if you'd like to suggest something, let us know in the comments section.

Our next update soon,

Team Travelab

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We wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the Kickstarter community. Below we've include some projects we love, because we believe in spreading the love. If you'd like to read on, go ahead. If not, feel free to keep walking ;)

TREEO 3-in-1 Hammock by Range Travel Goods

The TREEO, a 3-in-1 hammock that easily transforms from a ground cloth to a rain fly and back to a hammock all with its quick draw cord system. The most versatile hammock in the world. CLICK HERE to check them out

Sunrise Smart Pillow: Control What Time the Sun Rises in Your Bedroom

 

Sunrise Smart Pillow is the world's first Smart Pillow to track your sleep, wake you with your own personal sunrise & nature music. It is clinically proven to wake you up with extra energy so you're more focused and alert every day. CLICK HERE to check out the Sunrise Smart Pillow.

FOMO | The World's First $39 1080P HD Personalized Stick&Shot Badge Camera

FOMO is the first personalized badge-camera in the world. Stick and shot, make you capture the treasured moments anytime anywhere! Compact badge shape, FOMO camera captures amazing new perspectives! Just $39 to capture life in a new way! Also, you’ll get a free STICKER for FOMO because you are a backer from The Freedom Pack. CLICK HERE.