By observing workers on trains, in the office, on sales calls by car, and even rushing for flights, our designer Jamie Rothwell has been tracking the activities of the ‘nomadic’ agile worker. This is an individual that commutes daily or only spends a few days a week in an office. All this research has led Jamie to use his Hotbox organisational magic to re-imagine the business backpack.
Two distinct, large compartments keep your personal items on one side and your work items on the other. Here is where the Hotbox DNA really shines through: inside the work compartment is a soft-sided, organised and ready-to-go Hotbox- the new HB-3. Like all Hotboxes you simply lift it out, place it wherever you are working and you are ready to go. It holds your laptop, pens, files, cables, tablet, mobile phone – everything you need, organised and at hand. When you are Hotbox organised you also reduce the weight of your load. The combination of the HB-shuttle and HB-3i create the perfect working platform for the truly agile worker.
The traditional backpack is a great way to carry our belongings, but it has not visually changed from the camping rucksack, with its curved top and pickpocket friendly compartments; it certainly does not offer the functionality that a commuting agile worker requires. Folders and laptops are square at the top not curved; when you are in a crowd you need everything to be secure, but you also need everything to be at hand and easy to find when you need it.
HB-shuttle is square-topped, it has concealed zips and even a secret, secure but quick to access pocket for passports and keys, or those items you need to find regularly. It has a black outer (as we discovered that you like your luggage to be conservative in public) but like a great suit, it has fabulous lilac lining. The light colour is not just a style statement it actually helps you see everything more clearly.
The new HB-shuttle encompasses all of its HB ancestry, with clever design based upon extensive research. There is something about the DNA of Hotbox that makes its market leading solutions unique. It is not just about designing a product, it is about working with customers to refine and then create the perfect fully tested solution.