Carbonado GT Review: The Biker Backpack you always wish you had.
Have you ever thought what an ideal biker backpack should be like?
I thought about it and came up with these things.
It should keep things well organized on the ride.
It should not flutter in wind blast while riding fast.
It should keep my belongings safe inside in case I drop it.
It should increase my visibility on the road.
Soon after that, I received the review unit of the Carbonado GT tech backpack for bikers.
And I’ve been using it on and off my bike & scooter for the past two weeks. Believe it or not, It’s everything thing I wanted from a biker backpack plus a lot more.
Quick Review.
Carbonado GT is the most suitable tech backpack for you if you like to go on everyday adventures. Be it your office commute weekend rides the outskirts, Carbonado GT is a good company. The design of the backpack is such that even when you open the bag after a tough day, you will find things in place.
Features like the insulated pouch and charging hub are a luxury to have, and they’re surely useful. Carbonado calls it a biker backpack, but it can be used by every commuter whether they travel in metro, bus or train. With its futuristic design and quality material, it’s clearly an all-rounder bound to get better in the future.
Keep reading for a detailed review as I uncover everything that the backpack has to offer.
The makers.
Carbonado is a tech startup based out of Bangalore in India. After crowdfunding a sum of 1.5 million via Fuel A Dream, they started manufacturing the GT tech backpack. The startup is led by ex techies Rashid and Pradeep who came together to create Carbonado.
Let me guess – now you want to know what’s unique about the Carbonado GT, don’t you?
These are the five things make this backpack special.
Charging & Aux hub.
Insulated Pocket
Polycarbonate Hard Back
Hard Shell Case
Water & Dust Resistance Material
Charging & Aux Hub.
There’s a small hub on the backpack in which you can plug in a USB cable and charger for the phone. But for that, you have to connect this little hub with a power bank. (there are wires inside)
The hub saves you from the hassle of taking out your power bank every time you want to charge your phone.
There’s a 3.5 mm jack on the hub too. You can plug in your headphones while your phone is inside the backpack. and connected to the hub with a 3.5 mm jack cable.
Insulated Pocket.
The insulated pocket is my personal favorite feature about the backpack. I mean, who doesn’t want chilled water in summers and hot coffee in winters?
On one of the weekend rides, my bottle of soft drink remained cold for about 3 and a half hours.
Quite simply, the insulated pouch is luxury to have on a backpack, whether you travel in metro, bus or on the bike.
Polycarbonate Hard Back.
Unsurprisingly, the polycarbonate back is the most striking feature of the Carbonado GT. It grabbed a lot of attention from people as I was wandering with the backpack to test it for this review.
You can also get creative and make it look even better with custom stickers and skins. Infact, Carbonado also sells skins for the backpack on their website.
But making the bag look cool is not the only job of the hardback. It’s there to protect your things inside the backpack in case of a fall and crash.
So think of the hardback as the helmet for your bag and belongings.
Hard Shell Case.
If you wear glasses as I do, you know the pain of finding a safe place to keep them in your backpack. In most backpacks, if you keep them without a case, they will get crushed by the weight, isn’t it? But the GT keeps them safe in a hardshell case, specially designed for fragile things.
So those were the fancy bits.
Frankly speaking, no one buys a backpack just because it has fancy features.
They buy a backpack only if features, comfort, and durability go hand in hand.
Which brings me to the next set of questions.
How comfortable is the Carbonado GT?
In your day to day commute, you need a backpack doesn’t feel like a burden on your back. And the Carbonado GT doesn’t.
In Spite of weighing 1150 grams and having a capacity of 20 liters, it feels surprisingly light on the back. The straps are broad, and there’s a cushion on the back for additional comfort.
In addition to that, the straps are highly breathable and don’t make your shoulders sweat.
You can comfortably wear this backpack while riding for a few hours. All thanks to the padded straps and back.
You may also like: Fego Float Air Seat Review (It saves your butt while touring on a motorcycle)
Can the GT keep things well organized and safe?
Keeping all the fancy bits aside, the Carbonado GT is as useful as a backpack can be.
It keeps your belongings well organized and in a neat manner. Most backpacks look like a mess from inside after a ride, but the GT ace at keeping things organized.
There are pockets, zippers, and meshes everywhere inside the backpack.
Even the tiniest of things can be kept separately in a pocket.
Within the main compartment, there are.
•Six small compartments, including one big pouch for sliding your laptop.
•Four mesh pockets for miscellaneous items like charger and mouse and cables.
On the outside
There’s an extra laptop compartment on the back, just behind the straps. Also, there are And two pockets on the sides, one on each side. One is the insulated pouch, and other gives you quick access to the main compartment.
All the zippers are water-resistant and stop any moisture for creeping into the backpack. But if that’s not enough, Carbonado also provides a rain cover with the GT.
Clearly, that’s enough to keep your things well organized.
What about design and durability?
Carbonado also claims that the backpack is drop-proof. So if you drop the backpack accidentally, your laptop and other things won’t break.
However, I didn’t get a chance to test it out, but I can vouch for their claim. There’s ample padding to keep things safe within the backpack.
It is designed in a way that it won’t flutter when you’re riding.
All the backpacks I’ve used in the past while riding started fluttering when I’m going at high speeds.
But the Carbonado GT hugs your back well and doesn’t shake or flutter when you’re riding fast.
Carbonado also sells an Anti Theft Cable lock for the GT backpack.
Note: Anti Theft Lock and Skins are not provided with the backpack. You’ll have to buy them separately.
Lastly, what could be better on the Carbonado GT?
The Strap Adjusters & Handle.
The strap adjusting mechanism can be worked upon. It takes more effort to adjust the height of the backpack on the go. It is different than what I’ve seen on bags to date. And it took me some time to get used to adjusting the height of the backpack. I even find it a bit irritating at times.
Another thing which I don’t quite like is the placement of the handle. Maybe because I’m not used to having a handle on the back instead of the top. Holding the handle from the top makes it easier to zip and unzip the back. But on the Carbonado GT, it takes a little effort.
Charging Port.
I wish to see Carbonado upgrading their charging hub in the future functionality to it like a type C port maybe?
Secondly, I wish there was a pocket below the charging hub to hold my phone while it is charging securely.
Why?
Because while riding, I don’t know where to keep my phone. If I keep it inside the bag, then the external charging hub will be of no use.
And if I keep it in my pockets, the cable will keep on dangling and fluttering in the wind.
Priced at 3,899, the Carbonado GT is a durable backpack that will bring convenience to your everyday life. And in the end, it’s the only thing that matters.
So If you like the backpack and want the convenience then get it before everybody else from Amazon.
Got more questions? Ask me in the comments.
