Versatility is at the heart of all Tropicfeel's backpacks, and this one might just be the most adaptable of the lot. The Hive sits somewhere between their larger Shell travel pack and their more compact Nest day pack, combining streamlined design with a deceptively large amount of space. With a base size of 22 litres, it’s perfect as your everyday carry around town, but open up the expansion zips, pull out the spider net on the front and deploy the folding kangaroo pocket in the base, and suddenly you've got a 46-litre travel companion for short breaks. You can even detach the waist belt and use it as a bum bag for your passport and other essentials. As with all Tropicfeel backpacks, the Hive sits in the centre of what they call an 'ecosystem' of specialist accessories that can tailor it to different uses. For weekend adventures, you might want to install the 'Wardrobe' – a smart packing system with in-built compression that lets you pack up to 20% more stuff.
Tropicfeel are relatively new on the scene – but appropriately enough for a company that started out making ‘the world’s most crowdfunded shoe’, this Barcelona-based brand has hit the ground running.
Their story started in 2016, when co-founder Alberto Espinós and his mate returned from a backpacking trip to Thailand with a serious gripe. The problem, as they saw it, was that their gear just wasn't versatile enough. They were ponying around multiple sets of kit for various different activities, spread across a mismatched set of duffels, day-packs and bum-bags.
Alberto’s vision of travel was one where a single set of apparel would do for hiking, adventurous activities and city breaks, and where adaptable, modular luggage could be combined with an efficient 'ecosystem' of accessories. Working from the ground up, he began by designing a multi-functional travel shoe, pitching it straight to a worldwide community of globe-trotters through an ambitious and meticulously planned crowdfunder.
What followed was one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns ever to come out of Spain, and Tropicfeel have been quietly rewriting the backpacker rulebook ever since.
What's kind of special about Tropicfeel is an obsessive desire to move forward – to make each new product and iteration that bit cleverer and more versatile than the last. They're also hugely conscious of their own impact, with recycled materials and ethical manufacturing at the heart of pretty much everything they do.
-Lenny, Verified Buyer
