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

Nike’s caller Elite EasyOn backpack was designed pinch innovative features making it accessible for arsenic galore athletes arsenic possible, including those pinch debased dexterity aliases 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 shop for $150.

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

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

The solution was to brace shorter zippers, upgraded pinch larger U-shaped pulls that make them easier to grasp, pinch a apical flap, held successful spot pinch magnets, that tin beryllium opened utilizing conscionable 1 hand. Then, pinch a continued downward peeling motion, the full backpack tin beryllium opened without rubbing 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 really to usage the features, the backpack’s soul liner is printed pinch illustrated instructions.

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

Nike said that addresses issues knowledgeable by a section wheelchair rugby squad successful Portland, who pointed retired that because they utilized wheelchairs pinch handles that didn’t person a modular width, they couldn’t find compatible backpacks.