ISPO Award 2022 Winner: Tropicfeel Shell Backpack

You know how it is: in the morning you need a backpack for work, in the afternoon one for sports, on the weekend one for the city trip and a few times a year it even goes on a big trip - that would actually be quite a few backpacks and each would be missing a certain feature. It's a good thing that the Spanish outdoor brand Tropicfeel has tackled the problem with a completely new concept and thus developed the one backpack for all occasions: the Shell Backpack.

Actually, with the Shell you acquire three backpacks in one and thus the right companion for every adventure - through various modules and settings you have a backpack that holds between 22 and 40 liters of volume. In the small version, you have enough space for the daily way to the office. Laptop, cables, food, and drink find their place as a matter of course. If you are planning a day trip to the mountains on the weekend, you can expand the Shell to 30 liters and pack a rain jacket, sun hat, camera, and thermos. And if you're going hiking for a week, you'll have enough storage space for your outdoor adventure when fully loaded. From 51 to 60 cm in height, the backpack extends if necessary, while the width remains the same at 30 cm. With a weight of 1500 grams, the Shell is in the medium weight class.

In addition, the Tropicfeel Shell comes with nice gimmicks on offer, such as a toiletry bag, a waterproof bag for lots of tech and bits and bobs, and a collapsible box for a camera. Both the Toiletry bag and Tech Pouch are held in place with four magnetic buttons—the Fidlock system—so you can easily strap them on and off without the risk of losing them when parked or having them stolen on the bus.

But the highlight of the Shell is the Wardrobe System, which turns the backpack into a small closet. The removable wardrobe can be easily hung by straps - whether in the closet or on the bedpost in the hostel. This gives you the freedom to be on the road without your travel essentials while your clothes are waiting well sorted in your accommodation. Three sections divide the hanging locker, socks, t-shirts, and shorts remain neatly separated. Thanks to a specially developed lacing system, the wardrobe can be compressed to save space. The manufacturer promises space savings of up to 20 percent.

For items you'd rather keep separate from the rest of the contents, the Shell has another surprise in store: the Kangaroo Pocket, which can be extended from the bottom of the backpack, holds dirty shoes, wet swim shorts, or the avocado-smeared lunchbox without it coming into contact with the wardrobe.

To avoid the usual hustle and bustle that drives you crazy at the airport or on the bus when you're looking for just the one item that is, of course, at the bottom, the Shell has a convenient flap opening at the back. Via zipper, you can easily access your wardrobe without anything getting mixed up.

What about the sustainability of the Shell Backpack? Tropicfeel claims to use only recycled nylon MIPAN® regen and 60 percent recycled polyester regen®, both GRS-certified. They rely on a mix of pre-consumer and post-consumer waste. Pre-consumer waste is a material that was scrapped before it was ready for use, and post-consumer waste is a product that was disposed of after it served its original purpose. Supply chains are documented along with retraced. Suppliers are Bluesign certified, so the backpack contains no hazardous chemicals. The Shell is manufactured in Vietnam.

• Variable packing volume from 22 to 40 liters.

• Thanks to the removable wardrobe you have a lightweight daypack on site.

• The compression system allows 20% more content.

• Bluesign certified materials.

• Lifetime warranty.