Our ‘Nice Bit of Kit That’ feature is a celebration of the gear, clothing, and footwear that we like. It’s as simple as that. No rocket science. No complex lingo. Just stuff that we think is cool.
This week, 50 shades of grey from Chrome Industries (no, not in that way).
What Is It?
It looks like that time your lucky suit, that you only ever wear to job interviews, fell to the bottom of your wardrobe and you just sort of left it there. Months passed, and you were always slightly too lazy to bend down, pick it up, and put it back on the hanger. And, well, eventually your suit got bored of being a folded pile of suit on the floor and morphed into a backpack. This backpack. The Modal Pike backpack from Chrome Industries. Stylish, sophisticated, and, yes, extremely functional – we like it a lot.
OK. Why’s It Good?
OK not the headline act here, by any stretch, but first up let’s have a quick shout out for the velcro on this thing’s side pockets; so thick, so satisfying to open and close, so, so good. We actually spent so much time enjoying the Modal Pike’s proper, really not messing about man, velcro sections that people started looking; started complaining. Got a meeting with HR about it on Monday. Don’t care. It was worth it.
“Your suit got bored of being a folded pile of suit on the floor and morphed into a backpack”
The Modal Pike has clearly been constructed with versatility and durability in mind, screaming “I am your go-to travel pack” from every square inch of its woven Twill Melange, 600 Denier Polyester, and 70 Denier Nylon liners. Nice to the touch but with an underlying toughness that suggests it’s perfectly suited to being chucked about the place as you make your way from A to B, and B to C, and C to D, and so on. Oh and them liners, by the by, will ensure your cargo stays dry. No soggy paperbacks for you, compadre.
Our favourite thing about this pack however is how utilitarian it is, especially the main 22 litre capacity compartment with its various access points. The standout feature, in this regard, is the flap down lid that when opened up reveals a vertical zipper that sort of brings to mind that time you had to dissect a frog in GSCE Biology (like that, but in a way far less likely to make the sickly kid in your year group, who you still see in the pub when you go home for Christmas, turn green, faint, and hit his head on the worktop). It’s cool, as is the Pike’s padded laptop sleeve with waterproof PU zipper.
When Would You Wear This?
Good one for the commute this, but also for them days when you’re out and about on the weekend. Chuck it in the backseat, and hit the road brother. Or, alternatively, chuck it on your back and go for a ride, or a stroll, or a hop, skip, and a jump down them city streets.
Alright, I’m Convinced. How Much Is It?
£160 por favor.
Final Thoughts
Haven’t you heard? Grey is the new black.