Every once in a while around here at Nerve Rush, we take a look at the gear that enables us to do the adventures we love. Today we take a look at the Lenore capsule backpack/duffle from Ignoble Bags.
Lenore
After finding the Cora from Ignoble, I started browsing their other designs and the bag that stood out the most was Lenore – an interesting combination secondary bag that seemed equally good looking, versatile and useful. I decided to get it in my hands and put it through its paces to see if it lived up to expectations in person.
The Description
The official description of Lenore via Ignoble’s site goes like this:
Constructed from 1680D ballistic nylon with a fully lined nylon Ripstop interior, YKK branded nylon zipper closures and nylon webbing, the Lenore Capsule Backpack is an ultra-soft, ultra-robust travel bag. The pack features padded straps, a padded airmesh back, a padded exterior duffle bag style handle, left and right exterior stash-pockets, and a dual-zippered main compartment with internal hanging-pocket and book-sleeve. Lenore also features a simple but effective shoulder strap restraint system that allows the backpack to be quickly converted into a mini-duffle, for convenient and balanced carrying via the bag’s padded duffle handle.
You read that right, the Lenore is one of the most stylish (and possibly only) backpack/duffle transforming travel bag out there. Take a look for yourself
The Bag
The Lenore is one of the most versatile bags I’ve come across. It’s best described as a small backpack with duffel bag transformation capabilities. This means you can easily use it as your primary bag and wear it as a backpack or turn it into a duffel bag and carry it as a secondary bag via the handle. I’m in love with this concept and Lenore and don’t understand why more manufacturers haven’t utilized this idea. If you’re a frequent traveler, the ability to have a secondary bag for use on longer trips while having the small form factor for day trips is invaluable. I’ve taken the Lenore to Jordan and back as well as quite a few other places and it’s quite possibly the best secondary bag I’ve ever used.
It’s a bit difficult to explain in writing, so watch the demonstration below.
The Lenore Transformation
It’s incredibly simple to transform Lenore from a backpack to a duffle in just four steps.
1. Buckle The Arm Straps
2. Tighten The Shoulder Straps
3. Tidy Everything Up
4. Go
Simple – It takes about 15 seconds to actually make the transformation (here’s the official conversion pdf from Ignoble).
The Durability
While I’m not convinced that the Lenore is quite as water resistant as the sister bag Cora, but it is just as durable. Besides using it as a travel bag, I’ve also used it for day trips and as a gym bag. When I released Impossible Abs, we did a photo shoot at an abandoned property in Chicago. I lugged the Lenore up hundreds of feet, dropped her, scratched her up and she . The only thing that impressed me more than the consistent style of Ignoble Bags is their impressive durability and the fact that they hold up so well when I’m consistently tough on them.
The Specs
The technical specifications and dimensions of the Lenore are as follows:
- Average Weight: 1 lbs 12 oz (793 g)
- Bag Dims: 12.5″ W x 19.5″ H x 8″ D
- Internal Book-Sleeve Dims: 12″ W x 11″ H x 5″ D
- Total Capacity: 27 Liters
It’s also worth mentioning the Lenore has the following features
- 1680D Ballistic Nylon and Ripstop Construction
- Padded Shoulder Straps and Padded Airmesh Back
- Padded Exterior Duffle Bag Style Handle
- Shoulder Strap Restraint Loops for Conversion to
- Mini-Duffle
- Large Dual-Zippered Main Compartment
- Zippered Left and Right Exterior Stash-Pockets
- Side Compression Straps
- Internal Hanging-Pocket
- Internal Book-Sleeve
- Top Exterior Webloop Handle
The Price
Priced at $249.99, the Lenore is a great bag, but feels a bit over-priced (especially since I used it as a secondary bag to the Cora rucksack). That said, it is a GREAT secondary bag, but if you’re on a budget you might want to first pick up the Cora – my personal favorite from Ignoble (that said, if you’re going to do both, you might talk to Dean at Ignoble and he might give you a pricing break :).
Lenore might not be the best choice for those on a budget, but there’s no doubt it’s a solid bag, well made and incredibly versatile and worth every penny.
Get the Lenore Capsule at Ignoble Bags.
Use the code IMPOSSIBLE at checkout and Ignoble will donate 25% of the purchase price of any bag sold between now and the end of the year (Dec 31, 2012) to the Impossible HQ campaign to build an #impossible school in Guatemala.
