Hero: A Deserving Name For A Dynamic Design

It’s a bold statement naming a bag ‘Hero’, but we believed it to be fitting. Full of practicality and function, you won’t find another changing bag quite like it. From the external design, with details that look purely aesthetic but are actually there to improve weight distribution or add to the usefulness of the bag. To the adaptable internal, so your changing bag can be modified for your specific needs rather than you having to ‘make do’ with what you’ve got. The creation of the Hero is a story of refinement, problem solving, and innovation.

It all started with a research trip that unearthed the most pleasing take on a classic backpack shape. The curved top backpack is an iconic style that has a place in any changing bag range, but we had to ask the question ‘How do we make ours different?’. Well, first we had to start with the look. The curved zip opening is practical, so we didn’t want to play around with that too much, but adding a variation in height between the back and front panels we were able to create a lovely streamlined shape that sits nicely on your back, while also showing off the metal zips and puller details. We also tested adding voluminous side pockets, not only useful for bottles and other baby bits, they add a new look to this style by creating softer shape than the more boxy versions we were used to seeing - it was a success and so we found a new take on this style of backpack and a new changing bag to add to our range.

However, this style comes along with some issues. It is likely everyone at some point in their life has used one of these types of backpacks, can you remember what irked you about it? For us, we remembered two main issues. One, it is a big and bulky shape, so often when it’s on your back it can be uncomfortable to wear. Being able to shove everything inside the bag is great, but the weight distribution can be wrong with large heavy items at the top and lighter items at the bottom. This can lead to back and shoulder pain. The second, any bag that is taller than it is wide is not going to be the easiest to access. Items often fall down to the bottom and you’re left with your whole arm stuck inside your bag while blindly rummaging around for a dummy or teether toy. We knew we wanted to solve these problems, the only questions was ‘How?’. Luckily, we had a few ideas…

So in actual fact, some of the styling tweaks were not just to make the bag look different. They were decisions to add to the functionality too. By tapering the top section of the bag we created a shape that means you’re more likely to place your larger/ heavier items at the bottom of the bag. This is key for healthy weight distribution and so will stop you getting back and shoulder pain when carrying your bag. The narrow top section also means the shoulder straps are positioned quite close together, this is perfect for smaller frames and narrower shoulders, but is still comfortable to wear on bigger and broader torsos. Oh, and those side pockets… this allows the bottom of the back panel to be slightly wider, distributing more of the weight on to your hips and not just your back and shoulders. The back panel and shoulder straps are also padded for the most comfortable wear.
 

Next came biggie, how were we going to go about making the internal more accessible without changing the style of the bag? Really what you need is 2 access points to the bag, one at the top and another lower down to quickly access the items at the bottom of your bag. Great! But what happens if an item you thought was at the top has just fallen down? Wouldn’t it be better if you could actually have different sections within the bag to keep everything organised and in the right place? Well then let’s just add a divider inside the main compartment and we’re done, well… not quite. It would be quite restrictive to have your bag sectioned in half, imagine if you have a laptop or books -  you might not be able to fit them inside. So really what’s needed is a way to create separation inside the bag, without it being a permanent divide. After brain storming, sampling, testing and a bit more testing. We came up with convertible shelf system. You can securely attach the internal ‘shelf’ with velcro to create 2 separate sections (great if you’ve just been swimming for example as the lower section of the bag is laminated so ideal for wet swimwear and towels) or simply open the velcro and push the ‘shelf’ down to the back panel of the bag and you have one large compartment, perfect if you need to use as a work bag or the bag is only half full.

Throughout the years, as our Hero has stayed in our range we have added additional features to improve the design and function as well as it being reimagined in new materials. Still one of the most intelligent baby bags on the market, it is still as deserving of its name today as when it first launched.

Discover the Hero.