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Floatplane
When we launched the original LTT backpack back in 2022, we had one goal in mind: build the last backpack you’d ever need. It had massive storage, tons of features, and it was certainly built to last.
But while it felt like the perfect backpack to us at the time (and especially Linus), the reality is creating the perfect backpack for everyone is simply an impossible task. Fortunately, with a community as passionate as ours, we were able to pinpoint a few limitations of the original thanks to thousands of reviews, posts, and first impressions:
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Not everyone wants to carry everything all at once, especially if they're using the backpack for work/school.
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For some people, it was just too big (which is why you’ve never seen Yvonne, for example, wearing the original backpack!)
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$250 is just a lot of money for a backpack
So we went on a mission to create a smaller, more focused, and more affordable bag for everyday commutes without sacrificing the quality and features that made the original great.
We’re taking you behind the seams to show you exactly how our product designers brought that backpack to life!
The problem with downsizing
Step one? Scale it down.
While making a smaller backpack seems like a simple task, there’s an inherent challenge in making something more compact and affordable while retaining all of the features that made the original great and adding new features, like the external water bottle holders.
Meet Matthew, who took this challenge head-on. You may be familiar with some of his work like the Cargo Pants or Dropout Hoodie- or you may have even caught his AMD Ultimate Upgrade!
The first thing he has to do is figure out which tradeoffs need to be made in order to make this happen. With a backpack as feature rich as the original LTT backpack, there were plenty.
For one, adding water bottle holders limited the ability for our zippers to zip all the way down. And the glasses pocket? It took up additional space in the primary storage pocket since we couldn’t add extra bulk to the exterior. Not to mention the fact that having three storage compartments in a significantly smaller bag meant each pocket carried much less when scaled down.
Some new features that weren’t part of the original LTT backpack included a removable reinforced panel to help the Commuter Backpack stay upright (which didn't end up making the final version), as well as a non-removable luggage strap for added convenience.
Once these tradeoffs were made and new features were put together, Matthew then went onto developing the initial tech pack. This is essentially a blueprint for our item that outlines technical sketches, dimensions, material information, and everything else a manufacturer needs to produce a product.
Once built up, it was time to send it off to our bag manufacturer.
Turning feedback into features
A few weeks later, we got the first prototype in our hands. This being the first sample, we knew that inevitably there were going to be changes that had to be made. However, the best way we can figure out exactly what they are is to try it out ourselves.
Coincidentally, Computex 2024 was coming up around this time. And Linus, being one of the pickiest people we know, was the perfect person to point out the backpack’s flaws and limitations. So he packed his things, headed to Taiwan, and carried the prototype everywhere that week. You may have even spotted it in some videos like that time when we bought a PC in a Taiwanese mall!
After a full week of testing and an 11 hour flight back, Linus had a lot of thoughts to share. And the feedback was… brutal to say the least.
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Removable reinforced panel? Limited carrying capacity too much.
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Sunglass pocket? Positioned awkwardly.
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Laptop compartment? The limited zip travel really hindered ease of access.
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Water bottle pocket? Couldn’t comfortably fit 40oz bottles.
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The front pocket with less space? Useless.
It was clear that we had to make a lot of improvements in order to make this bag not only Linus-approved, but worthy of the LTT stamp. So, back to the drawing board we went.
Samples, samples, samples…
After field testing, pinpointing potential problem areas with the first sample became much clearer. Linus' feedback highlighted exactly where the design was falling short, allowing Matthew to make changes in problem areas.
First, Matthew ditched the removable reinforced panel, along with the entire front pocket for a bigger, more practical storage compartment. With this change, we were also able to shift the positioning of the primary storage pocket’s zipper to the front. Consequently, this allowed us to widen the water bottle holder which now had enough space to fit our larger 40oz water bottles. Furthermore, because the front pocket wasn’t there anymore, we were also able to reposition the sunglass pocket there instead. From one seemingly simple change in removing the front pocket, we were able to resolve almost every gripe that Linus had.
But beyond his feedback, building out a second prototype allowed us to also make some additional refinements. We pushed the two main compartment zippers to the front, allowing for the primary storage compartment to zip all the way down. The mesh backing got swapped out for a longer lasting and more comfortable nylon stretch twill, the straps got a little narrower to fit a wider range of body types, and we even added some more pockets in the laptop compartment for chargers and other accessories.
Once these were reflected in an updated tech pack, we sent it off to the manufacturer again. A few weeks later, we got another sample in - and we were overall pretty happy with how things turned out! But because we had intended for this to be a commuter backpack, we sent a few samples out to our team to test during their day-to-day commute. From these tests, we learned that there was still more opportunity for improvement.
However at this point, it was more about refinement than drastic changes. And this was true for the next couple of rounds of sampling as well. Some changes that were made for samples 3, 4, and 5 included curving the front zipper outward to make the water bottle holder even wider, adding zippered pockets to these holders for additional storage when not being occupied by a bottle or umbrella, adjusting the sizes of pockets to be more practical, adding more pockets, and reinforcing the stitching to be able to last even longer. This process takes months and lots of critical feedback, but we need to do it in order to ship the best possible product out the door.
After the final round of testing and one last pre-production sample, Matthew was ready to lock it in and we gave the manufacturer the green light to start producing it en masse.
And now we’re here.
Testing, feedback, and real-world use are critical at every step in our product development process. As much as we like to have fun, we’re truly obsessive about making sure that our products are the “last you’ll ever need”. Fortunately, we have many big brains who design and test our products so that we can accomplish that mission.
The result? The Commuter Backpack—a backpack that’s accessible for more people with all the same passion and care we put into the original. We know a lot of you have been receiving your backpacks, and we can’t wait to see more of them in the wild!
Warmly,
The LTTStore Team