I guess the clue is in the title. But you'd be surprised. So we will lay it out for you.
A custom bag manufacturer is someone that will manufacturer a bag specific to your designs or drawings, as opposed to just producing something common and off the shelf. It can't happen without a custom backpack design & technical drawing. A service that we also provide, so no worries there. But also you can find a tonne online that will knock one up for you for a couple of hundred dollars.
What is the purpose of your custom backpack and how will it be manufactured?
Nearly all of our clients custom backpacks focus on a particular niche, and their backpack is manufactured around satisfying the demand for that niche. The weirder the better in many cases. We've seen some mad ones over the years. Some great. Some...yeah.
Know your audience. Are you marketing it towards outdoors people, travellers, security, business people, young people, pet owners, gym goers, emergency services? Knowing your audience and what you want to make will hugely affect the types of materials we use for your custom backpack and how we manufacturer it.
A school or college backpack needs to rugged and tough, but also probably come in some interesting colours with some patterning. It needs to be able to hold a lot of weight (think of all those study books) as well as be comfortable. It also needs to look great, so you minimise your chances of being picked on at school.
A business backpack will need to look more refined. We may decide to manufacture a business backpack in PU or a high strength Oxford. It will of course be absolutely no use if you can't find a laptop in it as well as some pens, notebooks, chargers etc. So functionality is going to take a stand here. It also needs to try and not look like a school or college bag....As well, its for business.
How to go about designing my custom backpack?
Start with a sketch, a scribble, some notes, drag images off pinterest, save things off google, take pictures in walmart. Whatever you need to do, just get your idea on paper. Then pass those images to us and we can help sort of mould them into shape. Designing a custom backpack is not easy and does take time, so remember this whole process is a marathon not a sprint. I think the average project takes about 6-9 months to finish, sometimes longer. It really depends.
Once we have your backpack designed and we sit down with the custom backpack manufacturer here in Quanzhou, China we need to choose a fabric. Often I like to make the first sample in black so we can be sure of the functionality and know the design is done correctly. Then once we've done that, we can start to pick colours, nail down fabrics and pick from swatches. Going from drawing to prototype can also be a frustrating and drawn out affair, but have faith. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
A quick overview on the types of fabrics we typically use.
1) An Oxford Fabric. Good for anything gym, sporty. trekky, hikey, walkey, It's a very durable and versatile fabric well suited for manufacturing these kinds of backpacks.
2) Non Woven fabric has a weave like finish. Made from fibres Non woven fabric is durable and will last a long time, perfect for a wide range of custom backpacks. It is also usually available in a wide range of colours.
3) Nylon is ultra strong and best suited for heavy duty backpacks. We recommend our clients who are developing something really out there to consider using Nylon.
4) PU Leather. Really PU Leather needs a post all on its own as it's so in depth, It comes with a wide range of colours, effects, touches and styles. You need to make sure your backpack manufacturer is familiar with PU and knows how to work with it before you proceed.
5) Vinyl Fabric. Vinyl is popular mostly for handbags and those sort of trendy style backpacks. We haven't done too much work with Vinyl but it is up and coming as a popular choice for people looking to manufacturer backpacks.
6) Microfibers. Extremely lightweight and for its denier quite strong. Best suited for people manufacturing picnic backpacks, travel backpacks, things that need to pack away small into the boot of a car.
7) Jute Fabric. Jute is super strong. Its eco-friendly and affordable. It also looks trendy as. Being organic it is rapidly emerging as a first choice for conscious minded backpack manufacturers.
Sorting out the dimensions of your bag.
Dimensions are important. Think airplanes. Carry on luggage, stuffing it in the back of the car. All of these things are crucial. We have standard dimensions that we can offer you, depending on your market. But of course if you have something bespoke that fits to your niche let us know and we can be sure to update your technical drawings with the correct information prior to sampling.
To learn more and find out how best to start your custom backpack idea and get it ready for manufacture here in Quanzhou, China fill out the short form below and we will get back to you asap with a proposal.