I’ve seen quite a few posts on CT recently about the Takata/Bride backpack, and as an owner of one of these bags, I’d like to clear a few things up. TL:DR; the bag is rubbish, but it looks cool. If offered the chance, I wouldn’t buy

Let me just start out by clarifying something:

This bag is NOT an official Takata/Bride product. The material is made by an independent source, and it is not licensed in any way. Had I known this when I was looking at purchasing it, I maybe would have made a different decision; I’m not for supporting illegal goods. I do not endorse the purchasing or use of this bag in any way, shape or form. Instead, I encourage you to buy licensed Takata/Bride merchandise at their respective official websites.

Alright, now that we have that legal stuff out of the way, let’s get on to the review.

I’ve owned mine for over a month and a half now, and have used it pretty much every day to carry my textbooks around. As a “daily driver” it works pretty well; the three pockets are quite convenient and spacious. The laptop compartment in the bag fits my laptop perfectly, though it may be a tight squeeze for anything bigger than 14 inch screen. The straps are nice and broad, and are very forgiving on the shoulders and back. However, there are a couple of issues with it that I need to bring up. Firstly, the bag doesn’t have much padding on the inside, so it doesn’t offer much protection to the things inside. Fine if you’re transporting textbooks, but maybe not so if you’re carrying your prized collection of Phil Collins albums. The lack of padding also means that anything that you have at the bottom (e.g. laptop cords, bottled waters, oil filters, etc) will poke into your back, and become quite annoying on your walk across campus. Also, the straps can be cumbersome on occasion, but it’s not bad enough to be off-putting.

Aesthetically, it’s awesome. It’s very striking to look at with its bold colours, which contrast starkly with the dark colours on the bag. If you wear it in public, you will certainly get asked about it, and sometimes you’ll get a knowing nod or smile from a fellow petrolhead. And hey, that’s always nice. However, I often wear suits, sport coats, and other semi-formal wear, and the bag doesn’t go well with them. At least that’s what I hear. Then again, if you’re buying a backpack with racing harnesses on them, fashion is probably the least of your worries (I don’t give a rip about it). It does go well with stripey jumpers though (I can confirm). The only complaint I have about aesthetics is that the handle is quite unimaginative; it’s literally just a strip of fabric. I mean, come on. They should have been able to do better than that.

As far as quality goes, there are several major issues. When I got it, the first thing that I noticed is that one of the zips caught pretty bad; I knew I had to be careful or it would break. After a month and a half, two of them are like this, and the first one is nearly non-functional. One of the cheap faux-leather tags have fallen off, and is now lost to history. The fabric on the harnesses is fraying, and I have to constantly keep it in check with a lighter and a pair of scissors to make it look presentable. The biggest issue, however, is in the quality of the fabric making up the main body of the bag. This material is about as durable as a desert-driven Lancia Beta Coupe. There are two massive rips in the bottom, each of them big enough for me to stick my fist through. I have lost several writing utensils, and other things that I desperately needed through these massive holes. There are areas on the front that are beginning to wear, and I fear that more holes may open up there as well. Frankly, as far as quality goes, this is the worst backpack I have ever owned.

Oh yeah, and the bag costs 30 pounds, or about 47 US dollars, which is quite a lot for a bookbag. Add to that the shipping cost from ‘Straya, and you have quite a hefty price tag. For me, living in the United States, it was around 60 USD, or about 39 GBP. Not exactly what you’d call cheap. For the quality of the final product, it’s an absolute ripoff. Think of all the petrol you could spend using that cash.

So, my final scores are as follows:

Practicality- 7/10 Decently spacious, but could use some work when it comes to comfort.
Looks- 9/10 Looks awesome, just fix that stupid top strap.
Quality- 1/10 Had issues since the day I bought it. A real deal-breaker.
Overall- 5/10 Not what I want after spending a full tank’s worth (93 octane) of money on a bookbag.

So, if you want a fake bag that’s uncomfortable to wear, is very overpriced, and built with the same care as a Trabant P50, then this is the bag for you! If not, you’re better off writing ‘Takata’ on a normal bag in Sharpie marker. Or just buying some straps, and attaching them to a normal bag or something. But if you do want it, don’t worry. Even though you’re losing things constantly out of the massive rips in the bottom, and your laptop cord is poking you in the back, you look totally awesome.

-S80

P.S. Sorry for the potato image. It’s pretty awful, but it’s all I could manage at the moment.