Backpacks adjust in size and shape

A new collection of bags by Dutch product designer Casper Notenboom was inspired by the way some Chinese residents package and transport their belongings, often carrying them on their back or on a bicycle. The designer used this observation, while serving an internship in China, to create a practical way for people to adjust the container to what is being contained in it.

The possibilities of both growing and shrinking one’s bag, based on the types of objects to be carried, resulted in Notenboom’s “Increase/Decrease” collection that features backpacks, based on vacuum and heat-sealing technique, that are able to adapt to the size and shape of their contents.

“Experiences, emotions [and] also objects are things that you collect while traveling and want to cherish and take along with you,” he says. “Modern day life is making us increasingly more mobile, this also means that more is demanded of our adaptability and flexibility.”

The bags are particularly useful for large, unwieldy objects, and also attractive to those who travel quite a bit, as the product is so adaptable. It includes two product types: four backpacks (based on the vacuum technique) and twelve folded, mesh bags.

The collection was presented at the Baitasi International Design Competition 2016 in Beijing.