RiutBag: Revolutionizing Urban Travel

Sarah Giblin's Award-Winning Design for Secure and Calm City Commuting

Sarah Giblin, the designer and founder of Riut, was inspired by her own experiences commuting between London and Berlin. She noticed a glaring design flaw in conventional rucksacks: when worn as intended, the person behind the wearer can access the contents better than the wearer themselves. This led to the creation of the RiutBag, a rucksack that places all outer entry points against the wearer’s back, making it a safer choice for city dwellers and commuters.

The RiutBag's unique properties lie in its reversed design. Unlike other rucksacks, the RiutBag's body has revolved to place all of the outer entry points against the wearer’s back. This simple yet effective design upgrade allows commuters to travel without suspicion or fear of crime, fostering a sense of calm and security.

The RiutBag was brought to life through a series of prototypes and a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014 that raised £63,743 from 1091 backers. The first production run took place in China in 2015. The bag is made from a foam-lined Cordura outer shell, lycra laptop holder, and a foam-lined Thermoplastic Polyurethane base. It also includes standard webbing, mesh, and YKK zips.

The RiutBag is not only secure but also practical. It has a width of 340mm, a depth of 150mm, and a height of 470mm, with a weight of 1.06kg and a capacity of 20 litres. It can accommodate a laptop of up to 15 inches. The bag also includes hidden ticket pockets in each strap, a small upper pocket for essentials like a phone, passport, wallet, and keys, and a bottle holder within the profile of the bag.

Before finalizing the design, Giblin conducted an online survey with 1000 commuters aged 18 to 70 to remove her bias while prototyping. The survey results indicated that function was more important than appearance to commuters, and that a bottle holder was a desirable feature. These insights were incorporated into the final design of the RiutBag.

In conclusion, the RiutBag is a shining example of how innovative design can solve real-world problems. By simply reversing the design of a conventional rucksack, Sarah Giblin has created a product that not only provides peace of mind for city commuters but also improves their daily travel experience. The RiutBag is a testament to the power of design in enhancing lifestyle and urban living.