In this post I am going to review the Horizn-Studios Gion Backpack and the thought process behind getting this one.
If you are looking for a trust-able brand for backpacks, do check out backpacks variety on HS and get a 20% discount with code HSxBudapezt.
“Micheal, you have to pay the repair charges for your laptop.”, The Manager said.
“But that is under warranty”,replied Micheal.
“It’s not working because of your negligence,as you kept on walking in the
rain”,Manager said furiously.
“Can I pay half of it”,Michael asked in a polite way.
“No, you have to pay the full repair cost,and it will be a lesson for you to consider company property as your own”, replied the manager.
Micheal was my colleague a few years ago,who had recently come out of the university.
He joined the company only 3 months ago and was still an intern.
One evening it was raining in Budapest,and after leaving office, instead of waiting for the rain to stop, he left office.
Since he decided to keep his backpack and laptop instead of leaving the office,despite the rain.
He had walked only for 10 mins,and later on in the evening,when tried to turn on the laptop, it failed to start.
His laptop and backpack were both provided by the company.
He was expecting that since the laptop comes with a warranty, it will be repaired by the IT.
To his surprise, the IT technician told him that it cannot be repaired under warranty and Micheal should pay for it.
Later on Michael requested his Manager to waive the charges,but failed to convince him.
Men Backpack requirements
Moving from student life to a professional job comes with lots of changes.
From wearing apparels of personal choice to the dress code of the required job, some jobs come with a major requirement of frequent traveling.
Young blood, passion to see the world,a career that starts with meeting lots of clients comes with major challenges.
It not only gives an opportunity to develop oneself but also to educate about the rules of corporate life.
In 2023, whether someone is an engineer,traveler, blogger or a corporate executive,backpack is one of the top personal belongings that need a considerable thought process before you buy one.
Backpack Variety in Budapest
The choice of backpack, at least for me, has been varying with each passing year.
Shopping in Budapest even with so many malls, there is still a limitation of backpack brands that provide a complete travel experience.Additionally, shopping malls are located a bit away from the city center,where tourists hardly visit.
Finding a backpack can be a bit challenging for tourists on Vaci Street, and Andrassy Avenue where there are limited options for backpack shopping.There are some small shops near Budapest Metro stations where you may find random quality of backpacks.
Even Budapest souvenir shops around city center are selling Chinese made travel bags for 150 to 250 Euros for the smallest size.
Backpacks I have used
At the start of my career, the backpack I choose was a Samsonite one with black/grey color combination.Do check Samsonite stores in Budapest.
Although the primary reason was to use it for a laptop, I had other minor requirements,i.e. Strength and Volume.
One reason to choose such a huge bag with big capacity was simple: doing groceries.
Instead of getting a plastic shopping bag every time I go out to the supermarket,my laptop backpack would fit in a huge set of items.
It was definitely a strong one and could handle considerable weight and volume.
It had some limitations, in case of rain, the water could easily pass on to the inner area,which could affect the laptop operations.
Luckily it never happened to me but definitely with Micheal.
Going on longer walk trips, my shoulders would hurt and I had to carry it in my hand for sometime.
After a couple of years of usage, the bag lost its shape,built some defects, on the front as well as back side and I had to discard it.
Later on, I picked a Cigarette colored bag that looked more elegant but had less volume.
It just lost its charm as the stitching on various parts started coming out shortly after few months.
Without going further into the past, nowadays, I feel as a professional working in a corporate environment, everything associated with you contributes to your personal brand value.
Gone are the days,when only the clothing brands you wear,the glasses, watches and the shoes were the only ones considered to contribute to your personal branding.
Nowadays, personal branding has gone further where the accessories,backpacks and luggage you carry also plays a big role.
Career Progression
Want to grow in your professional career with better opportunities?Your communication,the way you carry yourself will come into play.Visiting other countries for company internal and customer meetings has become a norm in today’s world.
For a short business trip, Executives travel with a small cabin baggage that carries clothing for 1/2 days and a few accessories.They are moving around with it inside the building, giving it the same importance as their corporate laptop.
It conveys a message,i.e.Luggage and backpacks contribute to building your personal brand.
My Choice of Backpacks
This time, my selection of backpack took a considerable time to get finalized.
Having gone through some tested and old brands, I was looking for something that would be trendy but also fit the corporate attire.Somehow, searching on the internet, products from HS caught my eyes.
I went through the range of products on their site,and was really impressed with their wide range of simple clean and elegant designs.Another reason to choose them is their Eco-friendly strategy to provide one of the most sustainable luxury luggage.
This time I ordered Gion Backpack for my executive usage as well as use as a laptop backpack.
Gion Backpack selection
For executive men when selecting the,with appropriate designs, I think dark colors are more suitable.In my personal opinion, dark blue,navy blue,gray,black,graphite and olive are some of the evergreen colors.
As I was looking for a as well as combination for executive traveling, I found a good range of products fulfilling my requirements.
Luckily for my liking, I found Gion Backpack in night blue color.
There were more than 8 payment options with Visa,MasterCard, Google pay,Klarna, Paypal, and Amex to mention a few.
Another good thing is that for luggage, and all orders over €150, you can get free shipping within EU,which I could not find even with suppliers on Amazon.
Delivery time
Within 5 working days, my order for HS Gion backpack arrived at the delivery address in Budapest.Unfortunately, I was not able to pick up at home and got a call from delivery company.
The delivery company called me to agree on a time when I will be at home.
On the next day after the weekend, Gion backpack was delivered at my apartment.
Packing
The Gion backpack came in a brown cardboard box that was strong enough to protect the backpack.
Inside the cardboard box, the backpack was wrapped in a cotton bag, to ensure further protection against dust.
Taking off the cotton bag, the backpack was in great shape as visible on the Horizn-Studios website.
Color
The best thing to mention here is the color of the, which is the same as that shown in the website.
I was worried about the exact color,as sometimes it has occurred to me that the color of the ordered item and the received item was different.
Despite being available in 9 different color combinations,I was still happy that I ordered the Gion backpack in night blue color.
Material
Although I don’t plan to use my Gion backpack during rain, it’s worth mentioning that it is made up of water proof material.
The surface is quite smooth and appears to be high quality, despite being made of vegan-tech material.I get a feeling that it will maintain its shape and outlook for longer years to come if used properly.
The next important thing I checked was the zip.My past experience with backpacks was the zip stitches which would open up and I had to get them stitched.
At Least for now, the both the zips of Gion backpack seems to work smoothly and the stitching around the zip looks of premium quality.
Size
I had ordered the Medium size for Gion Backpack, since I have two laptops with different sizes.
I tried to put my office laptop 15 inches and personal one 17 inches and both were fitting in nicely.
It has dimensions of WxHxD:31cm x 46cm x 16cm and volume of 23L which is great for a laptop backpack.
I would like to highlight here that a normal laptop and charger together can easily weigh 3 to 4 Kgs,and backpacks can be uncomfortable due to their design.
Not with the Gion backpack,perhaps due to the ergo-padded back.
Conclusion
One thing I really like about the Gion backpack is the Premium strap on the backside that you can use to fit onto your cabin luggage handle.
So,if you order Horizn-Studios’ cabin luggage with same color, I think the double team will carry on nicely.The protective compartments on the back side are great for storing your mobile or battery charger.
To add to that, the hidden pocket is also useful for protecting your valuable belongings.
Overall I am quite overjoyed with the color,appearance,design,quality and features coming with the Gion backpack.
Hence, if you are looking for a decent backpack for office usage,that has a good built quality with simple great design, Gion Backpack is definitely an option you should consider.