Backpacks with Wheels – a great idea that is usually lost in the implementation
Who would’ve thought that backpacks could be a controversial area? People who buy backpacks often have strong ideas on whether to go with wheels or without wheels. Those who go without wheels – the majority – believe that backpacks with wheels are a poorly thought-out idea. Those who love those wheels can’t see why you wouldn’t have wheels that could make your job sometimes easy.
Perhaps one problem is the way the designers of backpacks with wheels see their product. Once they put wheels on it, they seem to feel that the wheels are the highlight. They feel they don’t need to try as hard with the rest of the bag anymore. Those who design regular backpacks on the other hand, have no real “special feature” to boast about. And so, they put a lot of thought into designing a bag that serves people in practical and important ways – the right kind of compartments and so on.
If designers of backpacks with wheels could only get over their wheels, they might be able to design something good that could change how people think about these backpacks. Wheeled backpacks could take over the market manufacturers could only make them perfect for every need.
For instance, wheels on a backpack tend to take up space. The pullout handles that these backpacks have add weight and take up room as well. People buy backpacks primarily to carry on their backs. They don’t buy them to wheel along behind them. Not primarily so. The wheels are secondary.
When customers who comes in to shop for a backpack finds that all those with wheels that are on offer are somewhat larger and heavier than those without wheels, they right away are going to favor the smaller non-wheeled types. It’s only natural that they would do that, because backpacks, primarily, are meant to be carried on the back.
You just need to take a look at the user reviews on Amazon to see how even the major manufacturers often slip up when making backpacks with wheels. Customers commenting on the Samsonite Unisex model for instance, hate how large the backpack is.
Apparently, Samsonite thought that since they were putting wheels on it, they might as well make use of those wheels by making the backpack extra-large. Customers complain about how the wheels are noisy and how the pullout handle doesn’t seem strong enough to carry the weight. And this is Samsonite!
In general, if you’re looking for backpacks with wheels, try JanSport or Nike. These models seem often to be the best thought-after ones.
