Ask Minaal Anything, Part 2

We challenged you to Ask Minaal Anything – and you really, really did. Part 2 of this series dives into product questions – everything from design to production to milk (wait, milk? Yes, milk. Read on...)

Got anything you want to know, about any topic? Send us a message here!

Q: Hello, just to know if you are thinking of making bags with a little less weight?

A: Good question. The weight vs functionality trade off is one of the toughest design challenges out there. We're pretty happy with where the current bags come in, but there's for sure an opportunity to create a different type of bag that's a little more 'stashable' in future.

Q: Why are bags measured in litres and what is your favourite liquid to measure them with?

A: Let's get this out of the way right from the start, milk is the best liquid for measuring bags, always has been and always will be.

My take is that litres are used for bag measurement primarily because it's better than using dimensions. The three dimensions of a bag are thrown out of whack by the actual shape of the bag – for example, how rounded the corners are. But even litre measurement is problematic – as you can see from our rant about capacity here!

Q: Are you able to make & design a backpack that is affordable by blue collar workers? All great backpack does not really have to be expensive to ordinary people. Just a thought. Cheers mate. Hi from Australia.

A: Hi right back at you, sheila/cobber. Totally agree that a bags can work well for individual use cases no matter their price tag. We think about price and accessibility a lot – as you can see from this oops-I-think-this-is-so-long-no-one-will-actually-read-it FAQ post.

(That link also answers the question: "why are you selling the Hip Pads instead of giving them with the backpack" :))

Q: Donde puedo ver todas las "funciones" de mi daily? Cada que encuentro algo nuevo me emociono y pienso que aun me faltan características por descubrir.

A: Jaja, ¡no es la primera vez que alguien dice esto! El mejor lugar para ver todas las características de Daily es nuestra página de Daily 3.0 Deep Dive (si no tienes la versión 3.0, puedes ignorar todo lo que tiene una insignia 3.0). E incluso con esa página tan larga, ¡no pudimos incluir todo! No dudes en enviarnos un mensaje con cualquier pregunta específica sobre las características.

Q: What does lifetime warranty really mean?

A: We got all excited to write a long answer about this – then realised we already wrote one... hopefully that clears it up!

Q: How good is the hipbelt if the 3.0 is fully packed?

A: In general, the Hip Pads get more effective as the Carry-on gets heavier. The underlying principle is you're trying to place weight load on your hips/waist instead of your shoulders. The more packed out the bag is, the more weight will be transferred – and the more noticeable it'll be without the pads.

Q: What kind of wear / stress testing did you do while designing the minaal bags?

A: Apart from strict regional airline carry-on limits in New Zealand, chicken buses in Vietnam, deep pow in Hokkaido, hyped-up baggage handlers at ATL, tropical thunderstorms while riding shotgun on motos, sailing trips, endless travel industry and entrepreneurship events, handing prototypes to grizzled travellers to thrash and report back, and 'official' harness testing machines loading them up until they finally bend – nothing :)

Q: I have a question regarding the back side of the minaal carry on 3.0. I use it as my daily go to bag. When the weather is warm my back gets really warm and full of sweat because of the bag pack. Is there a way that I can adjust the bag pack so that I won't get a sweaty back during the hot summer days?

With kind regards,

Nuno

A: Hey Nuno! One way to achieve this is by turning the sun down a little bit, but sometimes the controls can be a bit difficult to access, so we'll focus on the bag. Our favoured method is to keep the hip-level adjusters cinched tight, but loosen off the load lifter straps above your shoulders. That way the top of the bag will fall away from your back, giving it space for airflow. You'll just want to be careful it doesn't cause any pain – generally you want the bag's weight as close to your centre of gravity as possible.

Q: Will the next Minaal Daily iteration have Bluetooth Speakers and RGB LEDs built-in?

A: If anyone out there is willing to bankroll a Minaal Daily Ibiza Techno Club Edition, we're 100% in on this. Artist's impression:

Q: So when's that Minaal messenger bag coming out? I've unintentionally ended up buying all your gear, just because I really like the fabric, your design, etc. But I find myself wanting a Minaal messenger.

A: Haha. An easy unintentional mistake to make! Message us your favourite messenger designs and why they're still not quite right (if you haven't already). Nothing to announce, but always looking at options.

Q: I've asked before, but I recently got both a new personal laptop and a new work laptop. Both are modern, small 13-inch machines. I'd love a Minimum Viable-Space Product sling bag that will fit just a small laptop along with 1-2 days of clothing. Could serve as a daily commute bag or as a minimalist short trip bag.

A: Yeah, love this idea. Thanks for flagging it again! Don't think we asked the first time: would it need to be able to handle shoes? Or just clothes? Also pls promise that the image below does not represent "1-2 days" to you :D

Q: [A few questions combined:] Would you consider making a bag halfway between the Carry-on and Daily?

A: Have considered this for sure, but we haven't found a compelling, broadly-applicable use case yet – and since we have large Minimum Order Quantities (because we use such a high-end manufacturing partner) we need to be seriously restrained with our product range. We've seen too many fellow businesses go bust expanding their range and not being able to service them all!

OK - that's all for this edition of Ask Minaal Anything – you can always get in touch (with AMA questions, or anything else) at our Contact page!