Lululook Canvas Backpack for men review

Convertible bags are great, but they also present a tricky design challenge to make sure the bag works in both vertical (backpack) and horizontal (messenger) mode. Today we’re looking at Lululook’s take on the convertible backpack/messenger bag. There are ‘s a lot of interesting  design happening here. How does the whole package come together? Let’s have a look!

What is it?

It’s a canvas backpack that converts to a messenger bag.

Hardware specs

  • Cotton canvas with leather accents
  • Molded plastic hardware
  • 12” by 18” by 7”

Design and features

The Lululook Canvas Backpack is a convertible backpack/messenger that’s all about urban style. Tan is the primary color in my tester, but there’s some well-balanced use of earth tones in the trim & hardware (plus some leather hits) that provide visual interest. It’s a good looking piece of carry.

The exterior seems pretty well put together for a bag at this price point. Soft cotton canvas is the primary material, with cotton webbing used for straps throughout. Rugged plastic hardware and chunky zippers (not YKK, unfortunately) add to a build that feels fairly substantial. The interior fabrics are an issue, however, as we’ll see below.

The design is built around a simple 12” by 18” by 7” box shape. The backpack straps are hidden behind a zippered panel on the rear of the bag that rolls up and velcros to the top of the bag when in use. See below for the walk through:

It’s a clever solution that, when combined with the low-profile backpack straps, gives you a nice option for stashing those straps without adding a lot of extra bulk. Those straps are also comfortable despite the light padding.

You’ll find two pockets on the front face to organize your goods. That leather flap unzips on three sides to reveal a monstrous pocket that runs almost the full height and width of the bag. There’s also a horzontal pocket below it that’s plenty big enough for power bricks and such.

This presents one of the challenges I have with this bag design. See how those zips have to get under that rain hood at the top of the bag? It’s really tough to make that zipper turn those corners under the grommets without a fight. Maybe the zips will loosen up over time, but I found it really hard to get into this compartment.

This leads to the second issue I have with the front pocket: not only is it huge and tough to get into, but the pocket is backed by nothing but a thin piece of fabric. There’s a thin fabric divider in this space, but it just gets in the way. I dropped a 9″ by 11″ textbook in there… you can’t see it, can you?

With no internal support, that space just turns into a big floppy black hole. Big items get lost, and small items vanish into the void. Between this and the trouble working that zipper, I found myself not using that pocket much on a day-to-day basis. I also see that thin fabric as an area with a high potential for tearing over time.

On the plus side… the main compartment is enormous. Some soft padding on the rear panel and the divider will protect a laptop up to 15″, and the rest is just open space for whatever you like. We’re talking roughly 30 liters of space if you’re not putting too much in the front compartments.

I stuffed 6 books, my laptop, and an ipad in there in addition to the textbook in the front compartment with plenty of room to spare. If you like big spaces to bung all your gear, you’ll like this.

There are some thoughtful additions to design that I like quite a bit. Three rubberized grab handles are placed at the top, bottom, and side of the bag for tossing it around. They’re nice & grippy, and work well when getting in and out of vehicles:

Compression clips at the four corners of the bag are very much appreciated for cinching things down if you’re lightly packed:

The elastic mesh water bottle pocket is also a nice touch… while I have that compression strap unlocked here, it actually expands with the pocket to handle the Yeti 24 ounce mug you’ll see in some of the other pics:

When you want to go to one-shoulder mode, the included cotton web strap clips on the same side as the main compartment opening and side grab handle (which now becomes a briefcase-style handle). There’s no shoulder pad, but the strap is sturdy and comfortable. The hardware and attachment points are all solid.

Sadly, that front panel pocket is even less usable in this mode. It’s just impossible to access when the bag is turned on its side. The messenger-style carry works great for the main compartment, however, which turns into one big ol’ stuffable space. Note that the compression straps need to be unlocked to unzip to the main compartment in this mode. 

With all those soft fabrics and no framing, it’s important to note that the bag tends to sag and flop based on whatever you put in it. You can see that everything I loaded into the bag sinks to the bottom as shown below:

There’s a lot to like in this bag, but I found myself dealing with tradeoffs in both backpack and messenger mode that took away from the overall usability. If you’re an organizer with a lot of tech, you probably won’t be happy with this bag. If you like a floppy, unstructured bag that will accommodate all kinds of stuff, this may be a good fit for you. I’d prefer to see that front pocket redesigned (or removed entirely) to make this bag really usable.

What I like

  • Good looking, modern style
  • Some nice additional features in the compression clips, multiple grab handles, and water bottle pocket
  • Roomy

What needs to be improved

  • The main front pocket is not very usable
  • The bag could use some more structure to keep your stuff from sinking to the bottom
  • Interior fabrics are flimsy
  • Very little organization for tech and small bits

Final thoughts

The Lululook Backpack for Men is a mixed bag (pardon the pun) for me. It looks great, and there are some nice design elements that I quite like. There are some challenges in the overall layout, however, that you may want to consider if you’re thinking about this one.

Price: $45.99
Where to buy: Visit the Lululook web site for purchasing information.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Lululook.

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PlanetBox is the eco-friendly lunchbox for kids or adults

NEWS – Just like with most reusable lunch kits, taking your lunch from home will be more eco-friendly.  You will reduce waste because you won’t need plastic bags, waxed paper, or aluminum foil to package up your lunch.  You don’t have to worry if the PlanetBox lunchbox is food-safe and BPA-free.  PlanetBox says they take “non-toxic, non-leaching, safe from BPA, phthalates, and lead” very seriously.  Their lunch kit isn’t made of plastic – it’s made of high-quality stainless steel that’s warranted for 5 years.

PlanetBox lunchboxes have been thoughtfully designed after years of studying how people use lunchboxes.  They have compartments of various sizes to hold sandwiches or an entree, veggies, chips, fruit, and even some tiny compartments for dressings or even a small dessert.  The size of the compartments can guide you to pack sensible portions.  The lunch kits are dishwasher safe, and unlike plastic containers, the stainless steel doesn’t stain or hold on to odors.

The boxes are available in three sizes, so just like Goldilocks, you’ll be able to find a PlanetBox that’s just right for the way you pack lunch for your kids or yourself.  The Shuttle (small, center) holds 3.5 cups of food and is $39.95; the medium-sized Rover (left) holds 5 cups of food and is $55.95; and the large Rover (right) holds 7 cups of food and is $59.95.  You can purchase magnet kits to personalize the kits with designs from dinosaurs to galaxies, or you can have custom-printed magnets made for a truly unique kit.

PlanetBoxes are available alone or as part of kit with magnets, a carrying bag, and a drink bottle.  Other accessories, like cutlery sets, napkins, and snack containers, are also available.  Shop PlanetBox for your own eco-friendly lunchbox and accessories.  Also check out the meal planning ideas while you’re at the PlanetBox website.

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Ninja Cooking System with Auto-iQ review


REVIEW – Lately, I’ve had a few reviews that were a little bit on the frustrating side, either dealing with problems or just a lot of figuring things out due to the lack of features or inadequate software. The Ninja Cooking System with Auto-iQ broke that trend by being simply a joy to use.

What is it?

The Ninja Cooking System with Auto-iQ is a multi-cooker system that is four appliances built into one. A slow cooker, a stovetop for searing and sautéing, a steamer, and an oven for baking. Not only that, but it has a little bit of seamless technology tossed in that makes it even nicer to work with.

What’s in the box?

  • 6-Quart Lightweight Nonstick Cooking Pot
  • 80+ Recipe Cookbook
  • Steaming/Roasting Rack
  • Glass Lid with Handle
  • Multi-Purpose Pan




Design and features

I work from home I and often do a lot of cooking in our household, not just because my wife often works later into the day than I do, but because I enjoy cooking, and I enjoy eating! The Ninja Cooking System was a welcome addition to the various cooking appliances I have, and may very well send a couple of them to an early grave.

I was initially intrigued by the Ninja’s ability to do several things. Often multi-use kitchen items work, but they don’t do each individual task they’re designed to do very well. The Ninja does each thing very well, and I think that’s because they’re each close in function to each other.

The first thing I did after taking unboxing photos was to toss in a bison roast and fire that baby up for a nice 9-hour slow cook. I must say, it came out fabulous. I think it was one of the best roasts that I’ve cooked. My old slow cooker only had warm, low, and high settings which were often either too low or too high of a temperature. Not with the Ninja! If the settings on the slow cook mode aren’t to your liking you can simply put it into bake mode and set any temperature in the range from 250°–425°F.

I really liked the steam mode, as it had much more room than my regular steamer. The removable steamer rack is 7.25×10.5″ and provides 3.5″ of vertical room to the top edge of the pot. That’s a lot of vegetables! It’s also easier to clean than my steamer.

The steamer rack can also be used to place a small pan or loaf pan in the cooker for baking bread or other items. It did a pretty good job of cooking a small loaf of bread.

The stovetop mode is just as it sounds, it’s like cooking in a pan on the stove top. This was a welcome addition to my kitchen because I really don’t like the electric stove I currently have because it’s too hard to control the heat. The stovetop mode also lets you sear meat and then cook whatever you want without having to dirty a separate pan. When I cook my chili I like to sear my meat very well, then I would normally have to add a little water to get all the caramelized goodness into my crock pot. With the Ninja, I simply seared the meat and then added my other ingredients directly to the pot without using a frying pan.

If you’re not comfortable with the manual cooking modes, there are the Auto-iQ modes. Simply pick a meal from the included 80+ recipe cookbook, follow the easy directions and select the recipe number and press start. Some recipes are as simple as just dumping in all the ingredients, selecting the recipe number and pressing start. You can choose from over 80 pre-programmed recipes divided into four Programs: Quick Meals, Layered Bowls, Grains, and Poached Infusions.



I found that the non-stick surface on the cooking pot was fabulous, it cleaned up very easily, even after cooking BBQ ribs for 8 hours. Unlike some slow cookers, being able to remove the cooking pot for cleaning was a real time saver and it is extremely light-weight as compared to a ceramic slow cooker. My wife even commented on how easy it was to wash.

Although the product I received did not include the multi-purpose pan, the product listed on the Ninja site shows that it is included when ordering it through their store.

A PDF of the cookbook is also available on the Ninja website if you want to check out the delicious recipes in the recipe book. The recipe book also contains a chart for steam times for various vegetables and a slow cook chart for various meats.

What I like

  • Additional accessories available such as a loaf pan, mini muffin tray and multi-purpose pan.
  • Temp and Time bake mode
  • Auto-stay warm feature when cooking is done
  • Steaming/Roasting Rack
  • 6-quart capacity

What needs to be improved

I can’t really think of anything that could be improved with this cooker as it does everything so well. If I wanted to be really picky I would say that the stove top feature could heat up a little quicker, but I like how the current model works because I don’t have to worry about it getting too hot too fast.

Final thoughts

Whether it was a roast, ribs, steaks, or corn or whatever else I cooked (can’t remember everything because I’ve used it a lot) everything came out great. I really like the control of time and temperature, without the need to constantly babysit stuff as I would on a stove top or oven. I’m so impressed with this cooker that I’m going to purchase another one because you can never have enough slow cooked food!

Price: $149.99 (other models available also)
Where to buy: Ninja and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Ninja Kitchen

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The Mighty Sound by Capture Flow will keep you dancing while on the go!


NEWS – These days, there are literally thousands of Bluetooth speakers that are available on the market, all with various levels of sound and quality. The choices are so many, that consumers can find a speaker to fit almost every need whether the need is for use outdoors or indoors, and if necessary, it can be water resistant or waterproof. Many of us need the speaker to be portable enough to walk around with, and while many are quite portable, we usually have to carry them in a bag, or backpack, or on a wrist strap.

The Mighty Sound by Capture Flow is another such Bluetooth speaker that is designed for portability, but this speaker claims to pack a mighty sound while comfortably fitting in your pocket. Measuring just 3.5″L x 1.8″W x 0.7″H, this speaker is smaller than your cell phone, and thin enough to fit just about anywhere without the need for a bag or strap. It can be fully charged in approximately 2.5 hours, and it has a battery life of approximately 4 to 8 hours. Unlike the more common micro USB charging cables that can be used to charge most portable devices, this speaker uses a lightning cable.

You can purchase the Mighty Sound by Capture Flow in one of 4 colors on Amazon for $75.

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RHA triples their wireless options

NEWS – In my 2014 review of the Read Heath Audio’s MA750i in-ear headphone, I stated, “With all the innovations and improvements resulting in the MA750, where do they go from here? Stay tuned.” Well, it’s 2018 and RHA’s innovations have led us to this: Three wireless versions of RHA’s most popular models. RHA has reworked their 390, 650 and 750 earphones into wireless cousins. 

The affordable and lightweight MA390 wireless earbuds feature 8-hour battery life that charges via USB-C. They are IPX4 rated—sweatproof & water resistant, and have a 32ft. Bluetooth range with the ability to sync with two devices at once. You can switch between music, calls and digital assistant functions (Siri, Cortana & Google Assistant) at the touch of a button. They feature a flexible neckband for durable comfort in any environment.

The MA390 wireless is available on Amazon for $69.95 US.

With their 12 hour battery life, LED battery level indicator and power saving auto off function, the MA650 Wireless in-ear headphones are a step up from the MA390 wireless. An easy-pairing NFC chip quickly connects your device to Android phones (sorry, Apple). A remote and microphone sports track and call control, with full compatibility for all digital assistants. RHA’s noise isolating aerophonic design delivers clear sound via its 380.1 driver and high grade 6063 aluminum build.

The MA650 wireless is available on Amazon for $99.95 US.

The MA750 wireless is RHA’s best combining premium metal construction, sophisticated design and accurate and balanced audio. There are 12 hours playback with 30 days of standby. The MA750 wireless also features high fidelity aptX Bluetooth and AAC streaming for compatible devices,  digital assistant control via remote and mic, noise isolating, aerophonic design in steel and are sweat and splashproof with and IPX4 rating.

The MA750 wireless is available on Amazon for $169.95 US.

All have an RHA 3-year warranty. Visit RHA for more information.

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