soyuz backpack review
Published: 2 June 2009 The days of the traditional mobile office are over. The Soyuz speaks to the tech athletic nomad that demands performance and functionality, period. This medium size, dual compartment roll top backpack and laptop bag allows placement of daily essentials that can be organized in multiple weatherproof deep manifest pockets. For convenience and protection there is a side access, integrated laptop bag pocket. The durable materials and fully waterproof seam-sealed main chamber make this a daily go-to for the commute across town and its sleek aesthetic and unique design will make a personal statement where ever you end up. Dimensions: 14" x 21" x 6." Flat Volume: 1600 cu. The Soyuz laptop bag is constructed with the most rugged assembly of industrial materials and hardware available: – 1,000 denier Cordura weatherproof body laptop backpack– A fully waterproof, RF welded, urethane rolltop backpack main chamber– 11X15" padded laptop bag compartment w/ separated file chamber– Industrial metal cam lock under arm compression buckles– Weatherproof urethane coated YKK zippers
The Soyuz laptop bag is designed with an ergonomic EVA compression molded back panel, an airmesh Strap construction, full shoulder strap accessory attachment belts, and four additional weatherproof external cargo pockets. A fully waterproof RF welded urethane main backpack chamber means that a six pack of beer could explode in there and not dowse your laptop in the next pocket over. Combined with the weatherproof cordura outer backpack shell, your cargo is safe from rain, snow, mud, and most anything else this cruel world can sling at you. The Soyuz is available in black and sik/red and retails for around $180 Chrome Bags are popular with cycle messengers due to their durability. NASA’s saucer-shaped spacecraft is scheduled to lift off Monday from the west coast of Kauai island in Hawaii. The launch was delayed from last week amid shifting winds that threatened to push the spacecraft off course. The flight plan begins with a massive, high-altitude balloon that will ferry the ‘flying saucer’ into the stratosphere.
Our astronaut guest blogger Leroy Chiao is one of the few spacemen to have flown in both a US Space Shuttle and Russia's five-decade-old spacecraft, the Soyuz—any guess which one he prefers? Yesterday, I wrote about what launching aboard a Space Shuttle is like. This time, let's consider the Russian Soyuz rocket and spacecraft. Isn't a rocket a rocket? Is it really that different? Yes and no, no and yes. They both get astronauts into space in around nine minutes. But, they are very different. First, consider the two spacecraft. They look pretty different from each other. One is a part of a missile, the other a winged vehicle, attached to a rocket assembly. If the living space inside of the Space Shuttle is Business Class... ...then the Soyuz is decidedly economy. However, I must say that the Soyuz has a very special place in my heart. It is a robust, capable spacecraft and launcher. It has the best-demonstrated safety record of any manned spacecraft. And, it just feels hearty.
So, what is it like to launch on a Soyuz? Well first, you almost wear the Soyuz rather than strap into it. Squeezing down the hatchway into my seat, I got an idea of what claustrophobia must feel like. If anyone is the least bit claustrophobic, this would bring it out. Your legs are bent up into your chest. It's not very comfortable. Like with the Shuttle, you strap in about two and a half hours before launch. But, it gets worse. The Soyuz requires two orbits to get enough telemetry to the ground, for the Mission Control Center to verify that the spacecraft is healthy. During that time, you must remain strapped into your seat, in case you have to perform an emergency deorbit. Total time in that position? So there's no dozing off in the Soyuz. And follow along in the checklist, of course. T-Zero is totally different—there is no kick, since there are no solid rocket strap-on boosters. The liquid engines are very smooth. The thrust builds up gently until the rocket simply rises off of the pad.
You have to go by your watch, and the announcement from the launch control bunker, to know that you are flying!There is a deceleration just prior to staging, and then a muffled "Bang!" as the four liquid strap-on boosters separate. Same for the third stage. What surprised me (startled the hell out of me, actually), was the very loud "BANG!!" followed by an instant flash of bright light. Just for a split second, I thought we were exploding, but it was just the shroud and escape tower separation! I could now see through the porthole, and look down at the familiar view of the Earth, and the bright, fluorescent blue line of the atmosphere on the Earth limb. Follow astronaut Leroy Chiao in his guest column, as we celebrate human life in space with our "Get Me Off This Rock" week. Crazy Soyuz rocket engines shot up top from Wikipedia.Your bookbag served you well all those years, ferrying your texts from class to class and serving as a roaming billboard for your favorite bands, buttons, and movies.
Now that you’re all grown up – mostly – it’s time send your long time companion to that locker in the sky and upgrade to something a bit more adult. You’re not ready for a briefcase, or intrigued by it’s limited design options and capacity, so like most of us, you start thinking of a messenger bag. Next thing you know you’re at the Army Surplus store throwing down $18 for a cheap canvas bag, partially because of price and partially because the sign said it was an Israeli Parachute bag. Or a Swedish Medic’s bag. Either way, a year later you’re in the same store, looking at the same item because the cheap canvas bag turned out to be a cheap canvas bag. Maybe six months later, when your tough military bag is stained and ripped again, you decide to step it up a notch and buy a messenger bag from a more respected source. Somehow you end up at The Gap or American Eagle and spend eighty bucks, seemingly not making the connection that a clothing store is not your best bet for buying a bag that’s going to last through the rough and tumble lifestyle of carrying your laptop, gym clothes, magazine collection, and beach towel – sometimes all at once.
Now that you’ve torn through that waste of money, what next? First, my friend, you must decide what you want out of a bag. How often do you use it? What do you carry? Is your laptop gigantic? Do you carry a power supply, an adapter, a mouse, some notebooks, pens, paper, tablets? Are you interested in carrying your gym clothes to the office with your presentation supplies? Are you looking for an easy to carry overnight bag? If you answered yes, or even maybe to any of these questions, you’re more than ready to step up from crappy canvas sacks. So if what you’re looking for is a legitimate messenger bag, the kind that actual messengers use to safeguard their deliveries, why not buy a real messenger’s bag from a company that knows what it’s doing? When you’re ready to make that step, step up to Chrome, a company that is very serious when it comes to bags. Sure, you’ll pay more, but you also won’t get where you’re going and then realize your laptop is in seven pieces scattered across the sidewalk.
Chrome bags are lined with a waterproof material, so when your water bottle breaks, your gym clothes are wet, but anything in a separate pocket is dry as sand. Flip it over, mop it out, spray it clean if you have to, wipe dry, return to use. You don’t have to hang it in your shower over night to get it to that dried, crusty stage either. When it comes to tough, these bags fit the bill. Most close with a combination of buckles and velcro, some have zippers. the straps are made of the same seat belt material that stops you from flying through a windshield in the middle of an 80mph crash. Some even have seat safety buckle closures, making sure they only come off when you want them to. The stitching on the bag is to the same certification the military uses meaning that even if you overload this sucker, it’s not going to come apart at the seams. Chrome doesn’t care how much you have to carry either. If you’re looking for your standard bag that can carry your laptop and some books, you’ll want the lightweight Corsair, meant for regular daily use.
It’s a good looking bag with minimal frills, a large lined pocket, a medium pocket, two small pockets, and a zippered compartment. The next step up is the Citizen, the bag most associated with “real” messengers. It’s built to take abuse and last a long time, slings over you shoulder with a padded foam strap, seat buckle closure, and is one-hand adjustable. It’s retail is around $160, but this bag will last as long as you don’t make a habit of crashing your motorcycle or getting shot and stabbed. Still not enough space? At $180, the Soyuz is a serious bag. They call it a laptop bag, but you could almost fit a desktop in it. Worn like a bookbag, but looking much cooler, the twin straps connect in the front via buckle to make sure it stays put while the ribbed foam backing makes it comfortable. The bag is a maze of pockets of all sizes. The laptop compartment is padded and could safely hold two 17″ computers. That also leaves you with two long pockets for accessories, a smallish zippered compartment, and another pocket that is full of more lined pockets.
If it sounds like it can hold a lot, take a time out, because I didn’t even tell you about the last pocket. Velcro enclosed and water resistant, fully lined, there is one gigantic pocket if you wanted to carry, I don’t know, two changes of clothes in addition to all your other stuff. This bag isn’t gigantic looking, but it’s loaded with storage space. If you wanted a high end survival pack, you could easily load this bad boy up with bottled water, food, knives, fishing line, water tablets, matches, and a survival blanket. All after you already put in your iPod, laptop, a pair of shoes, and some reading material. Even then, you’d have pockets left over for cool stuff you find on the trail. No joke, this isn’t even their biggest bag, but it has more storage than I could even foresee filling up, but then again I’m a light traveler. At the end of the day, you need to come grips with your storage needs. Are you done fussing around with cheap ass canvas bags? Ready to carry your stuff like a stylish man?