San Rafael man touts design of more efficient backpack
Carla Bova, Marin IJ Reporter, 6/15/2006
Most students have experienced it. Textbooks, binders, notebooks sinking to the bottom of their backpacks, making for a disarrayed load that is awkward to haul.
Twenty four-year-old Ian Ivarson of San Rafael has done something about it.
He invented the Ivar Backpack with a patented angled shelf system to keep everything securely in place.
"The internal shelf design not only organizes cargo but it also optimizes weight distribution," Ivarson said. "From those benefits we also get easier access to cargo, load stability and enhanced carrying comfort. Things do not bounce around inside."
Originally designed for school use, the backpack is also an urban commuter pack for people on the go, such as cyclists.
Ivarson came up with the idea in 1998 when he was a junior at Marin Catholic High School.
"There are a lot of backpacks out there. The market is over-saturated but they all perform in the same way," Ivarson said. "They are open sacks where cargo drops to the bottom and, while they get the job done, they do not offer any innovative benefit related to organization, weight distribution and comfort. ... I saw an opportunity to make a better product."
The development process was "on the slow side" as Ivarson worked on-and-off to perfect the design while finishing high school and throughout college at the University of Denver. He was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 swimmer on the Pioneers team and graduated in June 2004 with a double major in finance and marketing.
"We went through 40 rounds of prototyping before we got to the final design," Ivarson said. "It is a typical backpack on the outside but on the inside there is an independent shelf structure made of soft foam and nylon. It is durable so you can fit books and binders and things of that shape. But, because it is flexible, you can also fit objects of a larger size such as a beach towel or helmet."
It took about three years to get utility and design patents for the design, called the Ivar System. A utility patent is pending in Canada.
Ivarson USA LLC based in San Anselmo was formed in April 2002 and the product is being manufactured in Vietnam.
"It would be my first choice to manufacture in the U.S. but I found it would cost about three times as much to make it here," Ivarson said.
The Ivar Backpack comes in red, black or blue with features such as laptop protection, a shoulder strap case, reflective piping and padded shoulder pads.
It costs $49.95 and will be available in late July in several stores, including Luggage To Go in San Rafael, San Rafael Luggage Center, Wilderness Exchange in Berkeley, and Outdoor World, which has several South Bay locations, among other outlets.
The University of Denver bookstore was the first to buy the product, which also is available online at ebags.com and ivarusa.com.
Arch Rival owner Peter Van Camerik will carry the Ivar Backpack in his Strawberry, Greenbrae and San Francisco stores. He said the backpack has a rugged construction and is priced well compared to the rest of the market.
"The first thing you notice is the well-defined compartments which are reinforced," Van Camerik said. "Kids carry such heavy stuff and all the books glom together but this keeps things separate and easy to find during class. It has a cell phone pouch and pouch for water, which has been done in the past but others do not have the compartments for books."
Mike's Bikes, which has six Bay Area locations, including in Sausalito and San Rafael, also will carry the Ivar for customers who bike to work and kids who bike to school.
Co-owner Matt Adams called the backpack an item unlike any that can be found at REI or Wal-Mart.
"When I commute and carry a change of clothes, a laptop and shoes, it all seems to sit in one spot on the back with the heavy stuff concentrated on the bottom. But with this, the weight is spread across your whole back," Adams said. "You hear all the time about how heavy kids backpacks are and this seems like a good solution."
Heidi Orloff, exercise science professor University of Puget in Washington state, said a lot of student backpacks on the market are "for fashion" and not posture. She noted children adjust their posture to accommodate backpack weight by bending over at their trunk and dropping their heads forward.
"It stands to reason that kids are changing the curvature in their spine," Orloff said. "In a conventional backpack when the weight sinks, it tugs on the shoulders. What Ian is trying to do is make sure it all does not fall to the bottom by spreading weight among three compartments for better distribution of weight along the spine."
In the fall, with funding from a university grant, Orloff will begin testing the Ivar Backpack to determine whether its design helps with posture.
"This may change the way backpacks are made," Orloff said.
