Surveys + EU/UK info + Questions Answered
almost 4 years ago – Sat, Jul 02, 2022 at 10:26:57 PM

Hello! Just a quick update on things.

Enough of the errored pledges were fixed to allow for all of the original goals to be unlocked. They are as followed: Black, Pink, Charcoal Grey, Cow, Forest Green, Lavender, Colorblock Brights. 

The Kid Core Colorblock design is going to be available as a stretch goal on backer kit as well as a few other insert color options.

I had to switch from using PledgeBox for surveys to BackerKit due to some issues I was running across. Therefore, I had to restart setting up the surveys and still have some work to do. After they are finished, they have to be submitted for review to make sure everything is correct for backers and if everything looks good, a smoke test will be sent out to about 30 backers to make sure that everything is correct still within the surveys. If those surveys come back without issue, the remaining surveys will be sent out.

I will be leaving for vacation tomorrow and will be trying to get them finished before I leave. Monday is a holiday so if submitted tonight, a response on the survey will not come back until Tuesday at the earliest. I will do my best to get the smoke test surveys out by Friday and the rest of the surveys out on Monday.

EU/UK Details

EU and UK surveys will be sent out via Kickstarter. A custom Etsy listing will be made for you with the items that you reserved once I have received the bags. Payment, VAT, and shipping will all be collected at that time. Any items that unlock via Backerkit will be available to you. I will send you the link through the messaging system on Kickstarter as well as through email. Money contributed through the campaign will be subtracted from the total cost. Please message me or leave a comment with any more specific questions and I will do my best to answer them.

Material Survey Results + Questions:

The overwhelming majority (48-4) said that they preferred the waterproof material for the black bag and all of those (10-0) that answered wanting the pink bag are okay with the change to the waterproof material as well. 

I have opted to not make the changes to the water bottle pockets. They will remain mesh with elastic.

Which bags will be water resistant?

The black, Charcoal Grey, and Pink bags will be waterproof. There are more limited color options for the waterproof material I have chosen and none of the others match the bag designs. 

How durable is the water resistant material compared to the canvas?

Based on how the material feels and that it has a lining to it to help keep water out, I would say the water resistant material is as durable as the canvas, if not more so. 

Forest Green swatch:

The green marked 87 is the initial swatch chosen for the Forest Green bag. The drawing was made from sampling the image. The brown will match the brown of the faux leather logo stamp on the bag. I was not sent a selection of swatches of this color. This image was provided by the manufacturer. 

If you have any other questions, I will do my best to respond to them in a timely manner while I am away this week.  If you are in the US, I hope you have a safe holiday weekend!

Thanks,

Rachel

We made it!! Errored Pledges + Bag Feature Survey + Campaign survey details
almost 4 years ago – Fri, Jul 01, 2022 at 09:26:48 PM

Hello everyone! I am glad to say that we are on the other side! This project has been huge for me and I am very excited to get these bags brought to life. Below are some details on funding, surveys, and a backer survey regarding features and potential upgrades to the bag. Bag feature survey link will be below the sections explaining the details. The surveys are anonymous.

Funding

As funding stands, we technically have unlocked up to the Brights Colorblock colorway for the bag. However, there are 32 errored pledges totaling over $2,000. So long as the majority of those are able to be resolved, I will still be able to offer that colorway. Errored pledge backers will have 7 days to fix their pledge via Kickstarter.

Bag Upgrade Surveys

There are some upgrades that are being made to the bags as well. 

• Changing mesh water bottle pockets to the bag material + adding a drawstring. I am considering doing this on only one side of the bag but that will depend on how it looks. The mesh pockets are quite deep and fit a lot of different sized bottles but the drawstring would allow a more custom and secured fit. The mesh also tends to tear with time and leave large holes in these pockets. You can probably fit a lot of cool rocks in the canvas pockets though.
• Those who want the black and pink bags: These bags may be changed to the waterproof/water resistant material. This survey is to make sure that the majority of you are okay with this change. I know some want this bag because it is made from cotton canvas versus a synthetic material. The waterproof material will add some functionality and still be very durable, but I understand wanting to put as little synthetic material into the world as possible. The Grey bag is already going to be made of this material and the Cow Print is also different synthetic material. (Purple, Forest Green, and Colorblock bags will still be cotton canvas) The inner lining of all of the bags is also a durable synthetic material.

Other upgrades

• The back panel will be mesh like the underside of the straps instead of just the canvas material to help with breathability.
• A flap of fabric will now be covering the main compartment zipper to help protect it. 
• An adjustable chest strap is also being added to all of the bags!
• The bag is being enlarged by 1 inch in both width and height. This should not be a significant change in its appearance but will add some room around the edges of your laptops.

Survey Link

Bag Choice Surveys

I plan to use PledgeBox to send out surveys as well as open a pre-order store.  Surveys will not be sent out any sooner than the majority of the errored pledges are fixed. I may choose to wait the full two week period before sending them out. Backers with errored pledges will still receive a survey link. You will then be able to fill out your survey and pay for your pledge. However, if you can fix it before then, please do. 

Pledgebox is similar to Backerkit. If you are unfamiliar with these survey platforms, they allow for a more detailed survey to go out. This is also where shipping will be calculated and charged. Survey links will be sent to the email address associated with your Kickstarter account. From there you will choose you bag color, add on any extra items if you desire, and pay for shipping. Due to the long manufacturing process of these bags, you will be able to change and update your address through Pledgebox before shipping begins.

Thank you for supporting this project and reading through all of this! Look out for another update and survey link emails in about 2 weeks!

-Rachel

Swatches, Updates, and More!
almost 4 years ago – Sat, Jun 18, 2022 at 09:37:07 AM

Hello everyone and thank you so much for backing this project! The response has been phenomenal and we have unlocked up to the cow print colorway so far and we are very close to the forest green! I've been keeping an eye out for any questions posted to the campaign as well as messages. 

I was also alerted to an issue where there was not an add on option for standard pledges for a second bag. That has now been fixed so if you were wanting to add a second bag on to a standard pledge, you can now do so! UK/EU backers, please make sure you are selecting only the reservation tiers and not the full cost tiers.

Swatches

I received some fabric swatches from my manufacturer to compare some of the different material options so I've now photographed the colors and some comparisons. Please keep in mind that these colors may appear different on your device screens than in person.

Here are the two pink swatches. Above is the original canvas swatch, and below is the weatherproof swatch. The colors are very similar, so if you are choosing a pink bag, please let me know if you have a strong preference against the weatherproof material as I think I will be choosing it instead of the plain canvas to give a cute but even more functional option!

Here is a closeup of the grey material swatch. This fabric is weatherproof as the backside has a coating that will keep water out. I really love the color and texture of this fabric!

Here is a close up of the cow print fabric as well as the brown embossed logo detail. The logo is going to be updated.

These are the swatches for the Color Block Brights bag. They are a little brighter in person.

I was not given swatches of all of the available canvas colors so I do not have swatches of the colors for the Forest Green bag. The color used in the drawing was sampled from a photo of the swatches, but that is an imperfect sample of the color.

Bag Upgrades

I will be looking into some of the comments and suggestions I have received in order to improve this bag! A backer suggested adding a flap to cover the zipper, as well as having two zipper pulls on the main compartment. The flap will help protect the zipper and keep rain out. These additions are very likely.

I am also considering making the back panel the same as the mesh underside of the straps for better breathability. The mesh will be color matched to the bag. This change is also highly likely.

Another backer has asked about some improvements to the water bottle pocket. Instead of mesh, I am going to look into upgrading the material to a cloth, or a more durable, but elastic material, as the mesh pockets tend to wear out fairly fast.

If you have any other suggestions such as these, please let me know! Any feedback is much appreciated and I will do my best to answer all questions!

Surveys

Surveys are going to be sent out via a third party survey site (BackerKit, PledgeBox). I am still looking into which platform has the best user experience.  The surveys will be sent out after the campaign ends to the email address associated with your Kickstarter account. You will be able to add on more bags, inserts, and other items during the survey as well.

UK/EU backer surveys will be sent out via Kickstarter after the campaign ends. I will reach out to you again once the bags are in hand to set up a custom Etsy listing for you to purchase your bags at the reserved Kickstarter price. Etsy will then collect and remit VAT. Your reservation dollars will be deducted from your total cost.

Thank you for reading this huge update and I hope you are excited for these bags! I certainly am! Please do not hesitate to ask questions! Thank you so much for supporting this project so far and I look forward to seeing how far we go!!

-Rachel