A large part of the writing I do for TechFruit is done from cafes, co-working spaces, or even the park on nice sunny days, so a bag that is both comfortable to wear and designed to fit a laptop is an absolute must. I’ve used various bags over the years, but when Swedish design firm Gaston Luga got in touch to ask whether I’d take a look at one of their sleek Pråper laptop rucksacks I was excited to try it out.
Design & looks
I opted for the black Pråper bag as I thought that would provide the most versatility in terms of style and function – large enough to fit a 13″ MacBook Pro, but small enough that it looks good worn by either men or women. The thick string tassles on the top of the bag used to pull it tight do make the bag look a bit more feminine than masculine in my opinion, but it would definitely work for either.
The bag is made of a durable canvas, and the base and top-flap made of what the brand describe as “vegan leather”. I can get behind the idea of vegan leather, but before the bag arrived I was a little nervous how that might look when compared to real leather. Luckily there was nothing to worry about, and whilst you don’t get the grains you do with leather, the black polyurethane touches looked sleek and luxurious. The base is also made out of the same PU material, with four metal studs to keep the bag balanced and a little off the ground.
Internally the bag has a patterned burgundy red lining and 18L of total capacity. This is made up of one large general space along with a padded 13″ laptop compartment to keep your MacBook safe along with two other smaller pockets for keeping your passport, headphones, spare battery, sunglasses, or other bits-and-bobs you might be carrying.
In-use
The Pråper is a rucksack, so allows you to carry the weight across both shoulders – which is much better for your posture than a courier bag. The adjustable shoulder straps are made of wide canvas so don’t dig in, and whilst they are not as comfortable as padded straps, they are perfectly fine for wearing the bag on your walk into work or to the local coffee shop and keep the bag looking sleek.
Conclusion
The Pråper is a stylish 18L rucksack that makes use of high quality, durable, and animal-free materials, and with a laptop compartment that easily fits a 13″ laptop with a sleeve (or a 15″ laptop without a sleeve) is ideal as a work bag.
Buy
Price at the time of review: £109 (including worldwide shipping)
SPECIAL OFFER: Use coupon code “TechFruit” to get 15% off your order and Gaston Luga are also currently throwing in a free passport case with all purchases, so pick one up now before the offer runs out.
