The following review is a sponsored post. This means that Apera provided me with an athletic bag at no charge in exchange for my honest opinion. I don’t accept sponsored posts lightly, and will only publish reviews of products/services which meet the following criteria: 1. It’s related to fitness. 2. I use it or would use it myself. 3. I feel it’s of interest to my audience. 4. The quality is excellent.
I believe in fate. And fate is the reason I crossed paths with Apera recently. I suspect they have secret agents tucked into the shadows of the athletic landscape because someone obviously sensed that I needed them. Watching me wrestle my way through the doors at the gym, arms burgeoning with personal and workout paraphernalia. Trying to balance it all at the front desk while eeking out a single digit to press on the fingerprint pad. Hard to watch. Easy to fix!
Apera is a revolutionary sports bag company that understands today’s athletes expect more from themselves and their gear. I am no exception to that philosophy, so I wanted to give them a try. And not only are they in tune with today’s modern fitness enthusiasts, they’ve got a lot of other things going for them as well:
- Big hearted goals through 1NSPIR3D
- The satisfaction of buying local for us Coloradoans
- Innovative materials
- Well-thought out design
- A balanced form:function ratio
- They have some SMOKIN’ deals right now that I’d love to pass along to you, including the chance to win a FREE BAG,
So let’s get started. I will use Apera’s words here about their commitment to Special Olympics, which as a Special Ed Para is near and dear to my ♥
Apera’s cause is simple – to inspire ALL athletes. We have created a unique business model that reinforces the social and causal components of a Social-Athlete culture. Apera will donate one bag to a Special Olympics athlete for every three bags we sell.
Now that’s saying a lot, especially for a company that is so new. BIG check on my list of coolness!
I was lucky enough to test drive the Apera Active Pack. Here it is. Isn’t it AWESOME? Love the red detailing on the zippers and tabs! I chose the pearl color, but it’s also available in black, blue (take a close look at this color because I have some exciting news about this one at the end) and fuchsia baby!
In terms of material, this bag is solidly constructed. Nicely weighted fabric, beautifully finished seams (no little frizzly threads tempting the zipper teeth), heavy metal zipper pulls that are aesthetically pleasing and coolly smooth to the touch with lovely, light colored linings to see and protect everything inside from the funk-factor.
I am a sporty girl, and backpacks are the way I roll. So not only does the styling suit me to a T, the amazing thing about this one is all the cool little compartments that are dedicated to certain gear. For instance, the top zip slot has a softer lining for items like electronics and eyewear. When I remove my iPod from the pack at the gym, I replace it with my sunglasses. Perfect! It’s also got side compartments for shoes. In winter, I sometimes have to wear my big snowboots into the gym, and this keeps things tidy because the shoes and liners are separated from the rest of the pack. This is a common theme throughout this bag, which I really find functional and unique.
You know me. I don’t usually end up doing things the regular way, so what I pack in my bag is probably a little different than what you might. My gym is literally 2 minutes from my front doorstep, so I rarely have to bring extra clothing or shower supplies. However, I carry a HUGE purse and a bunch of essential gym accessories like my workout log, iPod, etc. I have tried to put the accessories in the purse, but waste precious gym time with the inning and outing of said accessories with each trip because I don’t want them to live in there permanently.
I have also tried removing only the required items from the purse such as keys and phone, but inevitably ALWAYS end up needing the wallet, checkbook, Chapstick or other whatnot. Then I just have MORE to shlep in with me and always leave something crucial behind (because everything is crucial) from the pile in the driver’s seat. AND on lower body days, you know I need my squishy blue square…and voila! Apera has solved it all! Now my gym essentials own permanent real estate in my dedicated bag, and my new look matches my swagger! “So polished!” they whisper, as I swag on by.
For more information on how this bag was meant to be used, check out this very thorough video clip detailing ALL the nifty features of the Active Pack.
AND NOW FOR THE DEALS!
SALE
- 40% OFF of their entire Blue line of bags. Any style of Blue bag, including the Active Pack, is 40% OFF now and into March!
- All Duffle Packs, any color, are 40% OFF too!
THE GIVEAWAY
Apera will be giving away a FREE BAG each month. Enter by signing up for their email newsletter . At the end of each month, they will randomly draw a name from their newsletter subscriber list to select the winner!
The bag for February is the YOGA TOTE (hurry, we’re getting near the end of the month), and the bag for March is the SLING TOTE.
What’s your favorite gym accessory?