HEIMPLANET MOTION LINE ELLIPSE 25: REVIEW
FOREWORD
Based in Hamburg, Germany Heimplanet is a very interesting company. Founded over a decade ago, it pursued a simple goal - improve your travel experience. The first product launched was an innovative, futuristic-looking inflatable tent cleverly called The Cave. With time, the company diversified and created a rich and sophisticated product line ranging from apparel, to accessories and of course bags.
The hero of today’s review is the Ellipse 25 - an everyday bag which is marketed as part of the “Motion Line”, basically the daily bags that allow you to be agile and on the move, in both urban and rural environments. I had a pleasure of testing it over the course of 12 weeks in the city and in the wild and spoiler alert - the bag is excellent, but it does come with some quirks.
Read on to find out more.
WHO IT SUITS
Those who are seeking for a very light bag that can hold its own on the hike and on your daily commute to the office
Anyone looking for sleek and futuristic-looking bag that looks different from most rectangular everyday backpacks out there
If you are looking for a bag made with innovative, sustainable, lightweight and durable materials - this is the one
WHO IT DOESN’T
Those who value sophisticated built-in organization might find Ellipse 25 lacking in that department with its spartan pocket offering
If you plan on using this bag for work and value quick access to your laptop - the lack of external dedicated laptop pocket might be disappointing
ABOUT THE BAG
PRICE: 145,69 € (~$179)
DIMENSIONS: 56 x 34 x 25 cm (22 x 13.4 x 9.8 in)
WEIGHT: 900g (2 lbs.)
CAPACITY: 25L
Looking at Ellipse 25 I can’t help but think of numerous iterations the bag went through. The silhouette is clean, the lines and features are a joy to behold. Simply put, this is a very refined bag and I appreciated the amount of thought and consideration that went into it.
Weighing less than 1kg this, Ellipse 25 is one of the lightest EDC bags I have ever used. It almost rivals ultralight hiking packs yet retains some weight in the features valuable in the city - gently padded shoulder straps and cool-looking yet functional back panel that add a very nice level of comfort that would be lost if the bag was made even lighter.
COMFORT
The comfort is bit of a mixed bag with Ellipse 25.
Let's start with the good:
The back panel has a unique design and very interesting triangular 3D pattern that looks great and I found to be performing excellent as well. The panel is sufficiently padded, very pleasant to the touch and I found myself reaching to touch it more often than I care to admit :)
The straps don’t have much padding but they are wide and contoured which makes them very comfortable.
Not so good:
Surprisingly the sternum strap placement is on the collar bone in the lowest position and I much prefer the fit when it’s on the chest.
The top grab handle is probably the coolest I have ever tried. It’s stylish, futuristic and bold. But ultimately it’s thin, cuts in the skin under heavy load and not the most comfortable to use. The x-factor is there, but it does not score points where it matters to me - the comfort.
The bag was tested during not the hottest months of the year - October to December so it’s hard to say how the back panel would feel in the hot climate but from what I can see it should not absorb any sweat and should stay fairly comfortable.
The included waist strap is simple and nothing special, but it could be useful for some folks. I personally used it very little before removing completely.
DESIGN & FEATURES
The design is forward thinking and unique. Heimplanet has become quite famous for incorporating unique patterns and shapes into its products with bags (and Ellipse in particular) being no exception. Triangular shapes on the inner liner, subtle diamond-shaped outer fabric (made in-house blend called DYECOSHELL II (essentially 420D Nylon x 330D Nylon made in extremely sustainable way), brilliantly looking and feeling back panel - these little things all over the bag keep surprising every day with its aesthetics yet always remain functional.
One of the most prominent yet subtle features of the bag is the front elastic panel that from distance looks like contrasting fabric to “spice up” the look of the bag, but in reality represent a large expandable front compartment that can be used for additional external organization, storage and access.The beauty of this compartment is its generous expansion which allows you to throw extra items even when the main compartment of the bag is jam-packed. I found it very useful to store a water bottle, snacks and very handy to keep a wet jacket in.
There are a couple of small contrasting gear loops at the bottom that can be used to secure a tripod, axe, hiking sticks, etc. These also cleverly tuck away and hide so you don’t have to see them if you are not using them. Neat and tidy, thank you Heimplanet!
Inside the bag there is a dedicated sleeve that can be used to secure a hydration bladder or up to 15 inch laptop. You have to pick which as there is only room for one of those items.
ORGANIZATION
My packing style gravitates towards using external pouches and organizers to keep myself tidy so I am not a big fan of backpacks with many pockets - they just make me forget where I put what or worse stay neglected and ignored altogether.
This is why I very much enjoy when the bags offer the essential built-in organization that I can further enhance with my personal solutions such as pouches, organizers, dopp kits, etc.
Ellipse 25 offers smart and thoughtful organization, you will not find anything overwhelming on this bag and after using bags with dozens of pockets I found it refreshing.
It has all the pockets I could possibly need:
stretchy front compartment and quick access pocket on the outside
laptop/hydration sleeve and a floating pocket on the inside together with quite spacious main compartment
WHAT’S HOT
Unique shapes and patterns used on Ellipse 25 make it unmistakably stylish and futuristic
Built sustainably with environmentally-friendly processes and innovative materials Ellipse 25 is a great bag if you are concerned about your footprint and wish to support the companies that do their best in fighting the climate change
One of the lightest 25L bags I had a pleasure of using
Competitive price-point for what you get
WHAT’S NOT
Collapses into itself and can look a bit floppy when not full. This is purely subjective aesthetics and not a serious concern considering that the bag stays stylish even half-empty
No external access to your laptop - especially if the bag is full makes you dig for your laptop in the main compartment
The top grab handle is cool but I found it digging into my skin when the bag was heavy. It’s OK to grab the bag quickly and put it on but do not expect to enjoy holding the bag (when heavy) for extended periods of time
Mixed experience with the comfort - great shoulder straps and back panel mixed with so-so top grab handle and strange placement of the sternum strap
VERDICT
While using Ellipse 25 it has become obvious that Heimplanet pursued the mantra of “buy less, but better” and wanted to make a bag that would excel in many different scenarios, work for a wide range of people. Even though Ellipse would not be my first choice when heading to the office I can still confidently say that the company succeeded in creating a light, durable and versatile backpack that also manages to have the X-factor thanks to incredible in-house developed fabrics and patterns.
If you are looking for something different, hope to take this bag on the adventure in the city and beyond, want to support the company that puts environmentally-friendly practices at its core - consider Ellipse 25 as your trusty friend.
Disclaimer
Ellipse 25 was provided by Heimplanet as a sample for review purposes, the content of this review was not shared with Heimplanet before publishing.
My goal is to share an honest, unbiased review that is not tailored to keep the brand happy.