The UK based RiutBag, innovators in sleek and secure backpacks is pleased to announce the availability of its first easy-clean 15-inch laptop anti-theft backpack, purpose-built for everyday life in the age of COVID-19, the RiutBag+.This secure 20-litre laptop bag responds to today’s everyday challenges with a mask holder, hand sanitiser attachment and disinfectable, wipe-clean surfaces throughout. The RiutBag+ is available now on the RiutBag website for £129.

Unlike most backpacks that are rarely cleaned, RiutBag+ can be cleaned in seconds thanks to its wipeable surfaces throughout, allowing users to remove traces of bacteria and viruses quickly to allay a wearer’s concern and prevent contamination at work and at home. Tarpaulin and ripstop PVC materials give the backpack its unique future-functional look and sanitise surfaces right down to the straps and handles. The mask holder on the straps prevents masks from being lost and littering streets. The backpack has a 20-litre capacity and can hold up to a 15-inch laptop. The backpack also includes a double tech holder which allows for two slim laptops, a laptop and tablet or two tablets to be stored safely inside the double zipped compartment.

Designed by award winning backpack designer Sarah Giblin, inspiration for the easy-clean RiutBag+ came when Dr Velasco, working in COVID positive wards at the peak of the pandemic, contacted Giblin. Due to new COVID regulations he was unable to take his normal backpack into the hospital as they were unable to disinfect it and he was carrying his laptop and stethoscope in a plastic bag.

He asked if she could help. From her Manchester studio in lockdown, Giblin immediately started on a prototype backpack for the doctor and all hygiene conscious travellers for use after lockdown eased. A qualified nurse and seasoned traveller, Mike Huxley commented: “I’ve never seen anything like it: a backpack that is secure and tackles surface contamination. Safety is covered every way you look at it.”

Coming out of lockdown, attitudes to travel have certainly changed. Towards the end of 2020, 91% of travellers surveyed said hygiene in public places is “extremely” or “very” important to them, up from 41% in 2019. 98% of travellers surveyed use methods to stop the spread of the disease. Despite their precautions, including wearing a mask, carrying hand sanitiser and disinfecting items on arrival, 73% said they feel uncomfortable travelling with other people. In 2019 over 67% of travellers “liked” or “loved” travel. This figure has fallen to just 7% in 2020.

Giblin’s travel designs first hit the headlines in 2015 for their simple and effective theft-proof “backwards” design. The secure laptop backpacks have zips cleverly hidden on the back panel so no one else can get in. The new RiutBag+, inspired in part by paramedics’ wipe-clean medic bags, combines Giblin’s secure design with a re-engineered minimalist, smooth surfaces which are easy and quick to disinfect.

Giblin adds, “My first backpack designs helped reduce fear of theft and actual theft with my trademark backwards design. With the onset of the Pandemic, I saw it as my job to rethink the backpack again to help healthcare workers, scientists, and all hygiene-conscious people to keep travelling with a backpack, even though a pandemic where surface hygiene matters.”

The RiutBag+ is available now in a limited edition on the RiutBag website for £129.

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