180-Degree Full Open x Two-Story. A Travel Backpack for Not Searching, Realized with a New Structure
Koei Co., Ltd. is launching the 'KABAG journey', a travel backpack designed to eliminate the need to search for items, featuring a 180-degree opening and a two-tier storage system, on Makuake.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 14, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 14, 2026 at 12:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 17:17 (124h 45m after Collected)
It is said that people spend an average of about 25 minutes a day, which translates to about 150 hours a year, searching for things. Experiencing the frustration of searching for a passport or charger sunken at the bottom of a backpack during a trip is a common problem for many. Koei Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, CEO: Teruaki Matsushita), which operates the bag brand 'KABAG', will start pre-sales of a new travel backpack, 'KABAG journey', that responds to this issue with its structure, on Makuake from 11:00 AM on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. This backpack features a 'no-search design' that makes luggage 'visible' through a 180-degree full opening and two-story storage. Pre-sale prices start from ¥19,250 including tax.
## Solving the Issue: Backpacks are Convenient, but You Can't See Inside
You can't find your passport at the airport. You take everything out of your backpack in your hotel room looking for a charger. Belongings that usually have a fixed place suddenly enter a state of 'I don't know where I put it' the moment they are repacked into a travel bag. While backpacks free up both hands, it is difficult to see what is inside. You cannot see everything at a glance like a carry-on suitcase. The 'KABAG journey' was born to eliminate this 'invisibility' while maintaining the mobility of a backpack.
## 4 Features of the No-Search Backpack
1. 180-Degree Full Open: A fully opening structure for easy packing
When you unzip it all the way around, the backpack opens 180 degrees left and right. Like opening a suitcase, you can pack while viewing the entire contents. The task of 'taking out all the stuff on top to get something at the bottom' becomes unnecessary.
2. Two-Story Storage: Creating fixed places by category for your belongings
A storage structure divided into upper and lower tiers. Gadgets, documents, and quick-access items go in the upper tier; clothing, amenities, etc. go in the lower tier. Simply dividing them by purpose makes organizing travel luggage intuitively complete. It also ensures visibility of small items with mesh pockets.
3. 'No-Search Design': 180-Degree Opening x Two-Story Storage x Visibility
By combining the two structures mentioned above, KABAG realizes a design philosophy it calls the 'no-search design'. You can see inside, and things have a fixed place. That alone eliminates the 'Wait, where was that?' during travel.
4. Carry-on Compliant Size (approx. 48x33x14cm) + Expand Function
At approximately 48x33x14cm, it meets domestic and international flight carry-on size requirements. You can travel light without checked baggage. If your luggage increases on the way back, the capacity can be expanded using the expand function. It responds to the reality of travel where the amount of luggage changes between departure and return.
## Made-in-Japan Material 'KONBU-N Nylon'
The fabric uses Japanese nylon 'KONBU-N' developed by Komatsu Matere Co., Ltd. in Ishikawa Prefecture. It is a material that balances lightness and stiffness, combining the strength and water repellency required for a large-capacity backpack.
## First Entry into the Travel Category for the 'Time-Saving Bag' Brand
'KABAG' gets its name from 'a bag with a mouth that opens wide like a hippo (Kaba)'. With the shared design philosophy of 'opening wide so you can see inside', we have developed backpacks and tote bags for everyday use. The cumulative number of supporters in crowdfunding such as Makuake exceeds 10,000, and the cumulative support amount exceeds 150 million yen. For our everyday products so far, we have repeatedly received feedback from users saying 'there isn't enough capacity for travel'. The 'KABAG journey' is the brand's first travel-specific model that answers those voices.
## About the Developer | Bag Researcher Akihiro Hayashi
Bag researcher Akihiro Hayashi (Managing Executive Officer, Koei Co., Ltd.) is a product designer who specializes in 'visualization and fixed-positioning' design based on observing consumer behavior and customer feedback, and has an established reputation for communicating functions on TV shopping programs.
Through the joint development of a bag for people with ADHD, he established the visualization design of a 'two-story structure x transparent pockets', and the core technology was registered as a patent in 2025 (Patent No. 7717417 / No. 7717414). In this 'KABAG journey', that design
## Solving the Issue: Backpacks are Convenient, but You Can't See Inside
You can't find your passport at the airport. You take everything out of your backpack in your hotel room looking for a charger. Belongings that usually have a fixed place suddenly enter a state of 'I don't know where I put it' the moment they are repacked into a travel bag. While backpacks free up both hands, it is difficult to see what is inside. You cannot see everything at a glance like a carry-on suitcase. The 'KABAG journey' was born to eliminate this 'invisibility' while maintaining the mobility of a backpack.
## 4 Features of the No-Search Backpack
1. 180-Degree Full Open: A fully opening structure for easy packing
When you unzip it all the way around, the backpack opens 180 degrees left and right. Like opening a suitcase, you can pack while viewing the entire contents. The task of 'taking out all the stuff on top to get something at the bottom' becomes unnecessary.
2. Two-Story Storage: Creating fixed places by category for your belongings
A storage structure divided into upper and lower tiers. Gadgets, documents, and quick-access items go in the upper tier; clothing, amenities, etc. go in the lower tier. Simply dividing them by purpose makes organizing travel luggage intuitively complete. It also ensures visibility of small items with mesh pockets.
3. 'No-Search Design': 180-Degree Opening x Two-Story Storage x Visibility
By combining the two structures mentioned above, KABAG realizes a design philosophy it calls the 'no-search design'. You can see inside, and things have a fixed place. That alone eliminates the 'Wait, where was that?' during travel.
4. Carry-on Compliant Size (approx. 48x33x14cm) + Expand Function
At approximately 48x33x14cm, it meets domestic and international flight carry-on size requirements. You can travel light without checked baggage. If your luggage increases on the way back, the capacity can be expanded using the expand function. It responds to the reality of travel where the amount of luggage changes between departure and return.
## Made-in-Japan Material 'KONBU-N Nylon'
The fabric uses Japanese nylon 'KONBU-N' developed by Komatsu Matere Co., Ltd. in Ishikawa Prefecture. It is a material that balances lightness and stiffness, combining the strength and water repellency required for a large-capacity backpack.
## First Entry into the Travel Category for the 'Time-Saving Bag' Brand
'KABAG' gets its name from 'a bag with a mouth that opens wide like a hippo (Kaba)'. With the shared design philosophy of 'opening wide so you can see inside', we have developed backpacks and tote bags for everyday use. The cumulative number of supporters in crowdfunding such as Makuake exceeds 10,000, and the cumulative support amount exceeds 150 million yen. For our everyday products so far, we have repeatedly received feedback from users saying 'there isn't enough capacity for travel'. The 'KABAG journey' is the brand's first travel-specific model that answers those voices.
## About the Developer | Bag Researcher Akihiro Hayashi
Bag researcher Akihiro Hayashi (Managing Executive Officer, Koei Co., Ltd.) is a product designer who specializes in 'visualization and fixed-positioning' design based on observing consumer behavior and customer feedback, and has an established reputation for communicating functions on TV shopping programs.
Through the joint development of a bag for people with ADHD, he established the visualization design of a 'two-story structure x transparent pockets', and the core technology was registered as a patent in 2025 (Patent No. 7717417 / No. 7717414). In this 'KABAG journey', that design