Product Review – Bling Airbac™
It is a funny story how we ended up with this product review for the Bling Airbac Cheer Bag. The marketing division of Airbac contacted us thinking that we were a cheer gym and was letting us know about their product for our pro shop and athletes! We were very polite when we replied, letting them know that we were in fact a cheer blog site and we were all about the positive side of cheer, but we also were able to do product reviews such as this Resurge review. . . And here we are!
Each of our daughters received one of the Bling Airbac Cheer packs to test out. With it being choreography season, it was a perfect time for them both to use a new bag for carrying cheer shoes, water bottles, extra clothing, socks, hair ponies, bows, lunches, snacks. . . All of the things necessary for a cheerleader working on choreography for a few days!
My daughter Jordyn (age 9) was lucky enough to receive the Bling Airbac in the red color (gym colors are red, black and silver). My co-founder’s daughter, Cheyenne (age 11) received a teal Bling Airbac (gym colors are teal and hot pink). I will admit that when we got the box, I thought that it had been 
a bit large, but when I opened the box up I was literally blown away! Inside was a gorgeous, glittery red backpack with black trim! “Wow,” was Jordyn’s reaction to seeing the Airbac. “I LOVE the rhinestones on the sides, and the glitter! It is very eye-catching!” Cheyenne especially loved the animal print that lined the inside. The side pockets were even decorated with rhinestone broach-looking décor that was large and stunning! The front pocket of the Airbac was large, and the zipper pull was a heart charm! The draw strings for the main storage compartment of the Airbac was braided white and black cording with a shimmer of silver lamay weaved into the cording! The Airbac hardly looked like the item that I had heard about at various seminars, events and gatherings around the cheer industry! It was not at all what I had envisioned!
Don’t let the good looks fool you! This bag is state-of-the-art, with physics and ergonomics behind its design and features. That bag is designed to truly take the weight off of your shoulders and distribute it so that you maintain proper posture when wearing it. Where did Airbac get its name? Why from the patented design using air bags in the structure of the bag to help with how the bag rests on the carrier. There are padded shoulder straps (I am not talking the extra strapping covering some basic foam here!) are PADDED! My husband measured the thickness of the straps, and they were almost two inches thick! That cushion (the best way to describe it) helps keep the bag in the correct carrying position. The straps are adjustable so the smallest of athletes can carry them correctly, just as the tallest of athletes. With Jordyn being a small 9, she needed those straps just about all the way tightened when she was carrying it. When she put the bag on what did she notice? “Mom, there is a cushion in my back!”
Yes – there is an air bag that is designed to rest in the small of the wearer’s back so that the pack doesn’t pull the carrier backwards or create a bad posture. It actually encourages you to stand up properly when you are carrying it. Cheyenne experienced a traumatic back injury 3 years ago and is still working on rehabilitating her back and core strength. This emphasis on standing properly and even distribution of weight has been very therapeutic for her.
And the amazing part about that air bag? You can actually use a pump (sold separately on the Airbac website) to add air to it if you find that it isn’t holding enough air or you wish it to hold more! The bottom is also one large air pillow so that heavier items don’t pull down on the wearer due to having basically a fabric bottomed bag that you are carrying! It keeps heavier items up in the best possible position so that the carrier of the Airbac is not being forced to walk with bad posture, hurting their back and muscles.
We received our Bling A
irbac on July 3rd, so Jordyn used it for the baseball game that we were headed to that evening with friends to carry her sweatshirt, her electronics, chargers, headphones, extra games (for the 3DS), a blanket and some of her soy nuts that she so enjoys (I had never heard of them until my daughter’s second-grade teacher gave them out to the students for rewards instead of candy or prizes – and they all loved them!). She also brought her water bottle that she carried in one of the side pockets (which are rather roomy, by the way). “I like the Airbac because it felt better on my back than carrying a regular backpack,” Jordyn states. “The straps are extra padded, so they feel softer on my shoulders, and it felt soft on my back because of the pad.” She received numerous compliments on her bag, and we even had a few of the spectators seated near us asking to see the bag because they noticed the unique look to the back of it and saw how the bottom was padded and firm. I had numerous times told people to go to the website (www.airbacathletics.com) to find out all of the information and that not all the Airbacs were so sparkly! They have designs for school, sport, cheer, business, outdoors and travel, utilizing the amazing patented design to help us backpack carriers with our poor posture and sore backs and shoulders. Cheyenne used her airbac for choreography camp, cheer skills camps, and practices. Her teammates and coaches love the look and the feel of the airbac and it was a hit at the gym. She loves it because it holds everything she needs for practice and camp with room to spare, lots of sparkle, and doesn’t hurt her back.
The Bling Airbac (sold in the “cheer” section of the website of course!) retails on the site for $89.99 and comes in many different colors: Black, Black/Silver, Dark Green, Dark Blue, Gold, Green, Maroon, Multi-colored, Pink, Purple, Red and Teal. The lining of each Airbac is a durable fabric, with a very interesting design. The red on that Jordyn has is a zebra-cheetah-tiger pattern that is done in blacks, greys and silvers. It is subtle, but at the same time truly a finishing touch for any cheer diva that feels the need to own this Airbac!
The specifications (according to the website) are the patented air support system, two rhinestone side pockets, large main padded compartment for electronics and heavier items, large front pocket that is padded and easily used for accessories, padded straps for maximum comfort and a front chrome hook for hanging bows or other accessories from. The bag is able to be embroidered, holds about 1,530 cubic inches of room and is made of a durable poly urethane. The official measurements are: 8” Long x 11” Wide x 16” High. It is very roomy for what it is. And this bag comes with a warranty!! What more could you want? How many backpacks come with any type of warranty? The warranty is for a comparable or replacement bag, so they are not going to send you trashed bag into the company and they just tighten up a few stitches and hope that you don’t notice!
Why did they do that Airbac patented design? Simple! We all carry a lot of stuff whether we are headed to school, off to cheer competitions or we are carrying stuff over to a friend’s house. With the design, it feels like you’re carrying half the weight (cheerleader approved! Statement), promotes better posture and spinal alignment (cheerleader approved! Statement), built-in shock absorbers (cheerleader approved! Statement), easily adjusts to fit any body type (cheerleader approved! Statement), and outstanding air-cushioned protection (cheerleader approved! Statement). 
Were there any drawbacks? Well, the only one that was noticed was first noticed by my husband when he went to get the cooler out of the back seat of the car (“Where did all this red sparkle stuff come from?!”), but Jordyn also mentioned that “I have red sparkle all over me! Good thing I am a cheerleader!” My personal viewpoint on that is that it doesn’t shed sparkle any more than any other bag made of the same sort of “bling” material. But I am sure that when my husband uses his car for work and has co-workers or clients in his car he is less than crazy about them thinking he has some sort of glitter addiction (I keep telling him to tell them that his daughter is a cheerleader and it would explain everything, but I don’t think he fully gets it all yet).
Jordyn’s rating on the Airbac? “I would beg you to buy it!” she told me. “I think it is great! I love it!” Cheyenne’s thoughts “This is best backpack I have ever owned. I want another one for school too!” I have to say that I also enjoy the bag, and would recommend it to friends as well. It is going to get her gym logo and her name embroidered on it soon so she can carry it as well!! Thank you Airbac! It is an amazing product and one that is well worth the money!
Co-founder Heart of Cheer
