Skateboarding can be a fun way of getting around town, but most boards have to be either carried by hand or strapped onto a backpack when not in use. The Koala Boards skateboard offers an easier alternative, as it magnetically snaps onto an accompanying pack.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Koala was designed by New Jersey-based skateboarder and entrepreneur Oren Mendelow.
It’s much like any other good-quality cruiser skateboard with one exception – two magnets are recessed into holes in the top/front of its North American hard maple deck. When the board is picked up and placed against the back of a system-specific backpack, those magnets engage two other magnets located within two receptacles on that pack.
Mendelow is quick to point out that while the magnets do help guide everything into place, additional clasping mechanisms within the receptacles keep the skateboard secured. Once attached, the board can reportedly withstand over 130 lb (59 kg) of outward pulling force, yet it can be removed from the pack simply by sliding it upwards.
Potential buyers who don’t want to shell out for the backpack can opt for an attachment kit which consists of two receptacles that get user-attached to an existing pack. Along with two such receptacles, the Koala Boards backpack itself additionally features padded sleeves for a 15.6-inch laptop and a tablet, a luggage strap, a USB charging port, and padding in the shoulder straps and back.
Kickstarter pledges run from US$119 for a package that consists of a wheelless deck and attachment kit only, up to $299 for a complete skateboard and Koala Boards backpack. Retail prices will be 20% higher.
Magnetic skateboard pops on and off of a matching backpack [New Atlas]