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Awesome Swing-Arm Design Alleviates a Major Ergonomic Flaw of Backpacks

You don't have to wriggle out of the Paxis to access it

By Rain Noe - August 17, 2015

in Bags

Most backpacks are designed while ignoring a simple ergonomic reality: One must shrug out of the backpack and bring it in front of you to access the contents. That's why you'll often see a pair of backpackers on a trail accessing each others' packs for them.

The Wolffepack design we showed you here attempted to tackle this, as it's designed to flip around to the front of the wearer's body. We thought that was super-cool, but now Washington-state-based husband-and-wife inventors Paul and Cathy Vierthaler may have one-upped that design. Check out their own creation, the Paxis:

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Want. The bags come in 18" and 20" heights, run roughly $250 and weigh between five and 5.5 pounds unladen.

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At just one year in length the warranty's not that impressive, and does make me wonder just how robust that mechanism is; in the photo below I spy a spring and what look to be plastic latches (the bright green things), and we all know those things tend to wear out. I'm going to look back in on these guys in a year to see how the long-term reviews have panned out.

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Also, what is it with husband-and-wife inventor teams? The Vierthalers should get drinks with the clothes-folding Kuipers and the CNC-tinkering Hertels, at the bar designed by Because We Can's Jeff and Jillian.

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Cathy Vierthaler

9 years ago

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Thanks for mentioning our packs! Our patented articulating hinge is the biggest innovation in backpacks since the introduction of modern materials. The hinge is very robust, made from aluminum and steel components, yet light weight (no flimsy plastic here), with a sturdy mechanical locking mechanism. The pack swings effortlessly on the hinge, less than a second from release to having your stuff right in front of you. The bright green things mentioned in the article, are actually peaks at the fabric covering the backing plate. We feel that the design, which distributes the weight across your shoulders and hips, rather than just your shoulders, is superior to other designs on the market that attempt to solve the age-old problem of getting access to your stuff.

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Fred Rhine

5 years ago

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Having lived in the mountains of Montana, the plains of South Dakota, I am very impressed with the Paxis pack. I have seen and been in many situations where movement is restricted for various reasons and needed to get items in my pack. the swing arm design resolves that problem and I think its about time a convenient practical solution is here.

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Ash Dipert

6 years ago

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After hopping trains and hitchhiking all across the US and travelling to over 30 countries, I woudn't trust this thing. Its itching to be broken. If i threw this thing once off of a train i feel it would break. Plus your probably carrying around an extra 3 lbs or so that could be supplemented for nice bottle of whisky.

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Pablo San Juan

9 years ago

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When you are out doors having a great time and making memories you want the entire trip to be a positive memory. This pack will make the hole trip a positive experience.

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Mark H

9 years ago

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Instead of having a hinged mechanism, the MindShift Rotation series of backpacks have a beltpack that fits into a pocket in the main backpack. The beltpack can be rotated to the front like any normal beltpack.

You may need to contort a little bit to unzip the pocket to free the beltpack, but it's a simple reach behind you. I'm not too sure how this mechanism affects the stability of the backpack since the waist belt is not stitched to the main bag.

The warranty is relatively unlimited for the original owner, with the usual "free of defects of workmanship or materials, excluding normal wear or abuse" disclaimer.

Like the Pixis (and many other products), there is a handed bias to this- the beltpack only slides out from the wearer's right hand side. Given that this is from a photography gear company, and cameras themselves are biased towards right hand use, it's pretty understandable in this case. Photo gear is one area where quick access important and many companies have their own ideas on how best to design for it.

http://www.mindshiftgear.com/products/rotation180-horizon

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- Darrah Mohr
  
  Mark H
  
  9 years ago
  
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  Mark, you should give Paxis a try! I'm a total convert! I used to have a MindShift pack, and just got the Paxis Mt. Pickett 20. The smallest change made the biggest difference for me. Not having to shimmy the beltpack around the side of my body is really nice. I never want a pack without a release handle now. Sure, it weighs a few pounds more than my Mindshift pack, but it's much more durable in my opinion. I've been really impressed by the construction, so I wouldn't be too concerned about the one-year warranty.
  
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  - Mark H
    
    Darrah Mohr
    
    9 years ago
    
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    Darrah, yeah, I can see how having to twist the beltpack around can get to be annoying , especially if you have to get to it often. First you need to be actually using the waist belt, then you need to loosen it, unsnap the cover, then finally shimmy it around (it might be easier if you have a rounder cross section). At least the magnetic latch is easy to snap when you're putting it back.
    
    Since I don't use the waist belt, it's not useful for me. I've modified a regular daypack for my particular needs.
    
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- Mark H
  
  Mark H
  
  9 years ago
  
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  Finally, note that because the beltpack isn't cantelevered out on two hinges, it doesn't have the five pound weight limit.
  
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