Review: AKA Racer Backpack

Perfect for Personal or RC Use

I own a pretty large laptop; it’s a 17-inch HP that I use on a daily basis to run Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, web programs, etc.; let’s just say it’s a pretty major workhorse. It travels to and from work every day, requiring me to carry it in a sizeable backpack. The one problem I’ve come across is that most backpacks that state ‘will fit a 17-inch laptop”, barely do so. When fully closed, the top of the pack is bulging, putting some serious strain on the zippered portion. Recently I bumped my backpack against a wall and it broke the zipper, so I couldn’t close it completely anymore. With all the rain and snow we’ve been having here, this became quite the inconvenience.

So why am I starting off this review with that information? Well, it just so happens that while I was in the process of looking for a suitable replacement and having a very hard time doing so (my laptop was just not fitting these 17inch backpacks), our order of tires from AKA arrived. Stuffed in the box with the tires was a sharp-looking black backpack. I pulled it out and inspected it; good quality, nice stitching, looks very roomy and was quite attractive with the red accents and AKA logo embroidered on the front. Greg told me to test-fit my laptop and, to my extreme joy, it fit with a ton of room to spare!

Inside, there are three main compartments and an amazing 16 auxiliary pockets within the pack. The rear compartment is huge and features a padded laptop sleeve and mini-pocket (good for a cell phone, iPod or something similar). The center compartment is equally as large and, believe it or not, can fit something as large as a 1/8- scale car in it! I had to try it and it does fit, however the wing sticks out so you can only zipper it closed to that point. That’s fine because it still looks pretty cool with a stickered RC wing hanging out the top. The final main compartment is ‘slightly’ smaller with no extra pockets and could be used for carrying tires, tools, GoPro equipment, a jacket; or all of the above. It’s pretty spacious.

There are also additional pockets on the outside of the pack. On both sides are tall, zippered pouches for storing things like batteries, GoPro poles or tripods. Netted pouches are also on both sides, good for carrying your favorite drink. There is a small, zippered area on the front of the pack for carrying smaller items and, finally, a zippered compartment on the lower section of the pack that has an additional set of pouches in it.

WRAP UP
For RC use, I was able to stuff my 1/8-scale, box of tools, a charger, some spare parts, tires and batteries, a pit towel, two cans of motor spray, a pit light and my Futaba 4PX, and there was still plenty of room for a couple more items. For personal travel, I’ve carried two laptops, an iPad, some GoPro equipment, two pairs of pants, a couple shirts, a heavy jacket and a spare pair of shoes. The best part is that this is basically a hands-free unit that is comfortable to wear and roughly the same price as your normal hauler. Take a look at AKA’s Racer Backpack if you’re looking for a cavernous, hands-free carry-all for personal or RC use!

Links
AKA, www.raceaka.com