On the December 1 WAN Show, we showed off an incredible specimen of the LTT Backpack, which someone in the mining industry had used for a year - shout out to u/Frashure11. Its condition is a testament to the quality and reinforcement of this bag’s design and is just one of the many incredible stories posted to r/linustechtips about how our backpack has performed under pressure.
Linus was showing off some of the amazing advertised features of the bag - the reinforced top handle, the strong recycled Repreve material… then disaster struck. He attempted to show off the dual-layer bottom panel - which we included to avoid ANY situation where the bag might wear through on the bottom panel after years of use - but when he cut through it… there was only one layer. We were… devastated. And we know that many of you were too.
How did this happen?
The short answer is that our supplier made an unapproved change, and we didn’t catch it in the change-over between sampling and production. The long answer will take a bit more reading.
Our backpack is a labor of love. At the time, it was by far the most complex project we had taken on, and we knew we needed additional support to make something we were proud of. We found a reputable and experienced design & manufacturing company that focuses on strong and sustainable materials in bags, backpacks, and other high-end goods. It was a great pairing as we had a great idea of what we wanted to do, but lacked some of the knowledge to follow through.
It took over a year of work and 5 complete sample rounds to get the backpack to a place where we were ready to go to market. Our team basically tore apart each of the early samples to analyze what worked and what needed to be changed. Some of those samples brought significant changes to pocket layouts and strap construction, others were small tweaks to seams and zipper placements. Throughout the entire process, one point of focus was clear - we weren’t happy with the “standard” found in the industry. We wanted to focus on quality and reinforcement to give tech enthusiasts a bag they could trust for years to come.
With the bottom panel specifically, there was significant discussion about the need for the dual-layer of material. The Repreve fabric we chose for this bag is fantastic on its own. Its abrasion resistance is high (tested at greater than 10,000 “rubs” with 120 grams-force applied per 1cm²), and it gives our bag the supportive look that it’s known for. We insisted that this was an important feature (so important that it was called out directly by us when we launched the bag), and that it had to remain.
But, without checking with us or their project leads, one of our supplier’s designers saw the dual-layer while making adjustments to the sample file, thought it was a mistake, and removed it. This change wasn’t caught by the project leads at our supplier, and wasn’t discovered by our team when the sample arrived. Everything else about it was great, and the sample was approved. This was the version of our bag that went to production.
On one hand, we’re frustrated. We knew that we lacked the expertise to execute our vision for a product like this, so we engaged with an expert in the field to “ensure” that we would avoid any pitfalls in our product journey, and here we are… with a lot of backpacks in the wild that have a single-layer bottom panel because we didn’t cut open every single sample that we received.
On the other hand, we consider ourselves very trustworthy bros. When we make mistakes - like not cutting open the final sample to ensure that the feature we insisted on, and advertised, was there as intended - we see no path forward but to take responsibility.
We’re very sorry, and we’re going to do everything in our power to make this right.
Here’s the plan:
We already offer a robust limited lifetime warranty on all of our backpacks that offers coverage against all manufacturing and material defects, but today we’re adding another layer to that.
For all bags purchased before December 9, 2023, we’re adding a “Virtual Double-Layer” clause to our warranty. We don’t expect many of our backpacks to ever wear through that single-layer of bottom material, but if yours does, we’ll replace the bag (within standard warranty terms, so no coverage for intentional damage). This is still an amazing product that will serve you for years to come, and if it doesn’t, we’ve got your bottom… I mean, back.
In addition to that, we’re offering a $25 credit for anything on lttstore as an apology to everyone who decides to keep their backpack.
But, we understand that not everyone will be happy with this offer. If you just plain don’t feel good about this whole situation, we don’t blame you, and we’re here to take care of you. Even if your purchase is outside of our standard return window, we’re offering a full refund & return for anyone concerned about this issue.
Our support team will reach out to all backpack buyers in the next week or so with these 2 options; a warranty update + $25 credit, or a return & refund. This submission process should be automated, but there are thousands of you out there, so please bear with us as it may take a few more days than normal to get through the full process and send out replies.
The good news.
I know we’re running a bit long here, so we’ll keep this short. We finally have some real, solid updates for our carabiner replacement kits. Our titanium carabiner option is nearing completion, and we’re supposed to receive about 25% of our replacement kits by the end of December. We’ll be sending these out in waves, so early buyers should expect to hear from our team to confirm their shipping address in late December or early January. We hope to have all carabiner replacement kits shipped out by April 2024, assuming everything goes well with the first few waves. We’ll provide updates along the way to keep everyone informed on progress & success of those installations.
At the end of all of this… we just want to say thank you. Thank you for taking the time to listen. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to investigate the situation and provide an update. This has been a difficult situation for everyone involved, and we can’t thank you enough for your patience and understanding.
PS - for those of you who may be worried that returned bags will end up in a landfill somewhere - our team is already looking into local options for refurbishment, so if you have any envious friends, they may have an opportunity in the future to get a lightly used, but still amazing LTT bag for a small discount ;)
Nick Light, COO & the entire lttstore Team