At IFA Berlin this year, amid the usual cacophony of folding phones and connected kettles, a quietly clever entry for travellers and commuters arrived: the Scapade AirPack. It’s one of those products that doesn’t try to wow you with gimmicks — instead, it quietly stitches together a few useful technologies (Apple’s Find My network, a TSA-approved zipper lock, wireless charging) into a single, well-priced backpack aimed at people who move between planes, trains and co-working cafés.

Why a backpack needs to be “smart” (but not annoying about it)

If you’ve ever spent the first five minutes after landing frantically rifling through a bag, the attraction of trackable luggage is obvious. Scapade builds the tracking hardware directly into the pack: the AirPack ships with a built-in Find My module that pairs with iPhones, iPads and Macs so you can see the bag’s last known location in Apple’s Find My app. The company has designed the module for one-press activation, wireless charging and a small flashing indicator that tells you when tracking is active — a tidy, integrated alternative to the duct-taped AirTag.

That approach matters because Apple’s Find My network is enormous and private: it uses Bluetooth handoffs between Apple devices to anonymously relay location data back to the owner, and Apple’s documentation makes clear the system is end-to-end encrypted and built for third-party accessories. In plain terms: Find My gives you a broad, battery-efficient crowd-sourced locating network while keeping privacy protections in place.

Security that plays by airport rules

Scapade didn’t stop at tracking. The AirPack includes a hidden, TSA-approved zip lock so the bag can be secured yet remain compliant with airport security procedures — useful if you check a bag or want a travel-friendly way to prevent casual tampering during transit. That combination of trackability plus a travel-compliant lock is the AirPack’s clearest travel pitch: protect what’s inside, and know where the bag is if handlers or fate intervene.

Design and everyday practicality

On paper, the AirPack covers the essentials travel tech buyers care about: a padded compartment that fits up to a 16-inch, roughly 28 litres of organised storage for documents and accessories, water-resistant materials and ergonomic straps for long stints on the move. Despite that capacity, it’s relatively light — outlets report a pack weight of about 1.3kg — and compact enough (reported dimensions ~29.5 × 20 × 45cm) to work as a serious daypack or a minimalist carry-on.

Beyond specs, the UX details are worth flagging: the integrated tracker means there’s no separate gadget to forget, the wireless charging removes fiddly ports, and the indicator light answers the “is it on?” question in a second — small touches that add up when you’re trying to move quickly through airports or cafés.

Who the AirPack is for — and who should pause

This is clearly aimed at the digital-worker / frequent-flyer crowd: people who carry laptops and chargers, want to streamline the number of loose accessories they manage, and value a product that’s both practical and neat in execution. At £129.99 / €149.99, it sits in a reasonable mid-range price bracket for a travel backpack with built-in tracking and certified locking.

If you live off-grid, never fly, or prefer modular solutions (an AirTag you can move between bags), the built-in tracker may feel like overkill. Likewise, anyone outside Apple’s ecosystem should check whether Find My-centric tracking meets their needs — Apple’s network is powerful, but it’s optimized around Apple devices.

The pitch

Scapade’s AirPack doesn’t reinvent the backpack — it refines it: built-in Find My tracking, a TSA-approved lock, room for a 16-inch laptop, and user-friendly touches like wireless charging and an activation indicator, all for a price that won’t make you wince at the checkout. If you want a tidy, travel-first bag that reduces the number of things you can lose, it’s a sensible option.

The AirPack is available now from Scapade’s online store — Scapade lists the pack at €149.99 (regional pricing shows £129.99 in the UK).