Nike’s new easy open backpack was designed to prioritize accessibility

Nike’s caller Elite EasyOn backpack was designed with innovative features making it accessible for arsenic galore athletes arsenic possible, including those with debased dexterity oregon centrifugal skills. Originally developed for athletes competing successful the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the backpack is now disposable to everyone done the company’s online store for $150.

The bag’s astir unsocial diagnostic is simply a afloat clamshell opening that afloat exposes its exterior. That eliminates the request to bare the backpack oregon excavation done its contents to scope items astatine the bottommost oregon those stashed successful respective of its interior pockets.

But securing the ample flap with a zipper would necessitate a agelong continuous way that could situation immoderate Paralympic athletes. “A remark we were often proceeding from adaptive athletes was however hard it was to unfastened and adjacent accepted backpacks without a high-dexterity anchor point, similar a hand,” says Brent Radewald, Nike’s Lead Equipment Designer.

The solution was to brace shorter zippers, upgraded with larger U-shaped pulls that marque them easier to grasp, with a apical flap, held successful spot with magnets, that tin beryllium opened utilizing conscionable 1 hand. Then, with a continued downward peeling motion, the full backpack tin beryllium opened without touching the zippers connected either side.

To amended the backpack’s information and to forestall it from falling unfastened connected its own, the ample flap tin beryllium secured utilizing a elemental hook and loop strategy astatine the top. To explicate however to usage the features, the backpack’s interior liner is printed with illustrated instructions.

Another cardinal tweak for the Elite EasyOn backpack is its modular strap design. A accepted attack with dual enarthrosis straps tin beryllium used, but the backpack tin besides beryllium customized with conscionable a azygous strap that runs crossed the thorax oregon a brace of straps with adjustable clasps connected either side, allowing it to bent disconnected the handles connected a wheelchair.

Nike said that addresses issues experienced by a section wheelchair rugby squad successful Portland, who pointed retired that due to the fact that they utilized wheelchairs with handles that didn’t person a modular width, they couldn’t find compatible backpacks.