Travel Tips
Quikflip Hero Hoodie Review — A Clever Piece of Travel Apparel?
When packing for a trip, there are a few things I can’t leave home without. At the top of the list (among the numerous chargers and cables I need for my various devices these days), is a comfortable hoodie. Not only is this a must while flying or driving but is also something I end up carrying with me whenever we venture out of our hotels — nearly regardless of what time of year it is.
Of course, a drawback to this plan is that I find myself just carrying my sweatshirt when it’s warm or even bringing along a bag for the sole purpose of stuffing my hoodie in it. Well, imagine my surprise when I discovered that a company had actually come up with a solution to this conundrum: the Quikflip Hero Hoodie.
In addition to being a regular, functional, zip-up sweatshirt, this hoodie can convert to a self-contained drawstring backpack. Mind = blown! But, while it sounds great in theory, is it really as useful as it seems? Well, it’s not been two years since I purchased a Quikflip for myself and have taken it on many trips. So, let’s take a look at my experience so far and what I think about the product overall.
About Quikflip (and What I Purchased)
About Quikflip (and What I Purchased)
If you’re like me, you may have seen Quikflip on the ABC show Shark Tank. Apparently the deal they received from Lori didn’t close, but they certainly caught my attention. Looking at the Quikflip site, I noticed there were quite a few items to choose from, all featuring the company’s convertible calling card. This includes a pullover sweatshirt, “Dryflips” windbreakers, and full zip hoodies — which is what I choose.
Specifically, I went with the Hero Hoodie Classic in Gunmetal Grey. Although this now retails for $59.95, it was not only $54.95 when I ordered it but I was also able to obtain a 15% off coupon for joining their email list, bringing my total down to $46.71 with free shipping.
So, now that you have that background, let’s take a look at a few aspects of the Quikflip hoodie.
Weight
Something you may notice upon picking up the Quikflip hoodie is that it has a bit more weight to it than a regular sweatshirt of its size and thickness. I’m guessing that this is mostly due to the metal clips on the backpack’s straps. While those obviously don’t weigh a ton, I suppose any weight you add to something as light as a hoodie will be noticeable.
In any case, once you put the Quikflip on, that extra weight is hardly detectable — although it is more prominent if you wear the sweatshirt open and let the back hang more. Meanwhile, when converted to a bag, it’s still quite light. Overall, I’d say this shouldn’t be a bother to most people but it’s still something to be aware of depending on how you plan on wearing it.
Materials
The inside of the Quikflip hoodie isn’t the super soft and fuzzy feel you may be familiar with but, instead, a courser and more textured material. This isn’t to say that the sweatshirt is at all rough or even uncomfortable, but it is unique. In my opinion, this is actually a good thing as it adds some variety to my hoodie collection.
Another aspect of the gunmetal grey hoodie I purchased that I really like is the black cuffs on the bottom. Not only do these add a cool style to what could easily be a plain, basic sweatshirt but these elements also add another material to the build. Speaking of neat materials, I also really like the zipper on this hoodie, which seems rugged and well-attached. All in all, I continue to expect to get some good mileage out of this hoodie, even after wearing it regularly for two years — including several international trips.
Comfort
When you put your Quikflip hoodie on and feel around your lower back, you’re likely to notice the strap clips from the bag, Moreover, depending on how you’re sitting and how your sweatshirt is positioned, it’s possible that these clips will push into your back a little. However, I will say that this really hasn’t been an issue for me. Even when lying down, I honestly can’t feel them. So, once again, I’m thinking this won’t really be a problem for most.
Converting your Quikflip to a backpack
Now for the moment you’ve waited to see (or read about): turning the Quikflip into a bag. As promised, this process is remarkably easy and nearly foolproof. Basically, after removing the hoodie, just turn it over to grab it by the waist, open the sack in the back, and start stuffing the shirt into the bag — that’s really about it. Notably, this can be done regardless of whether the hoodie is zipped up before conversion or not. With this being the biggest selling point of the sweatshirt, I’m happy to report that this feature is well executed and is as simple as it sounds.
Using the backpack
As I’ve alluded to throughout this post, the Quikflip hoodie sack includes a pair of clips that allow you to easily adjust the straps on your bag. These Slide&Bite cord locks work really well in my experience and are even kind of fun to play with. I also like that the straps are flat like shoelaces or the drawstrings on the hoodie itself, making them a little more comfortable than the round cords you may find on such bags.
Something else I like is that, if you didn’t know better, you wouldn’t be able to tell that there was anything special about this bag. Sure, the two-tone (black on the front, grey on the back in my case) is different, but there aren’t any errant seams or strands to give away the game. Instead, it’s as sleek as you’d expect from any such sack.
What’s really great is that, in addition to giving you a smart way to carry your hoodie with you, you can also add items to the bag once converted. While the sweatshirt itself will of course take up a fair portion of the available space, you could still easily fit a water bottle, phone, camera, and probably even more in the bag (although this begs the question of what happens to these items once you do want to put your hoodie back on). There’s even a small pouch within the bag where you could put cards, keys, or anything else you don’t want freely flying about in your bag.
Finally, as luck would have it, this style of cinch sack is one of my favorites. While it’s easy for the wearer to sling their bag to the front for access, I would imagine it’d be pretty difficult for anyone to reach into your pack without you noticing. Thus, it’s just one more reason why I think this could be a smart travel solution.
What would I change?
As I predicted, the Quikflip Hero Hoodie has become my go-to travel hoodie, coming with me on pretty much every trip I’ve taken in the past couple of years. And while that experience has been great overall, I do have one improvement idea and one nitpick to share.
First, I’d love it if there were a model of Quikflip that includes zippered pockets. See, another one of my favorite travel hoodies is one I bought from Uniqlo a few years back that has zippers on both pockets found on the sides of the jacket. What I’ve discovered is this addition is a great utility when flying as I can better secure items I want to have on my person for quick access. For example, while I want to have my AirPods on me when boarding one plane or heading to another flight, nothing is worse than letting your case fall out of your pocket. Thus, zippered pockets provide great peace of mind — and I’d like to see my two favorite travel hoodie features come together in one garment.
The other nitpick I have is not only a problem Quikflip has already solved but one that might not even exist! Let me explain. While I love the Slide&Bite locks, I do wonder if there’s a possibility of them setting off a metal detector. Honestly, I wouldn’t really think so since they are quite small, but the fear of this happening — and me then having to explain to TSA or other security why I have bits of metal in the back of my jacket — has prevented me from trying.
Instead, I’ll usually pack my Quikflip in my carry-on if traveling by air (while wearing my Uniqlo one) or converting my hoodie to a bag and sending it through security that way. Meanwhile, this minor dilemma does have me considering also picking up a Hero Hoodie Lite. That’s because that model has many of the same features of the main one but with non-adjustable straps and, thus, no metal. I’m also a huge fan of this burgundy color, so don’t be too surprised if I pick one up soon.
Final Thoughts on the Quikflip Hoodie
Final Thoughts on the Quikflip Hoodie
From the moment I saw the Quikflip hoodie, I thought it was genius. Thankfully, after purchasing one for myself, I have not been disappointed. Although $55 — now $60 — is a bit steep for a sweatshirt, I don’t think it’s out of line given the utility and novelty.
When I first got the hoodie, I felt as though it was well-made and would likely last. Sure enough, that’s been the case so far as it’s stood up to many travels and even more washes. Also, as promised, I always get inquiries about the hoodie whenever someone sees me convert it. For all of those reasons, I’m quite pleased with my Quikflip purchase and look forward to taking my hoodie with me on many more journeys in the future.
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Clever design. You can bring your hoodie without bringing a bag because its a bag in itself.
Nice design and can be very handy if you need to bring a sweater.
Nice, hopefully you can be back traveling soon to test your hoodie 🙂