We love sharing the story of Knackpackers who are living their best #OneBagLife, and today we’re sharing the story of John Campione, a chiropractor, educator and podcaster from Illinois.
John has been posting photos of his Knack Backpack to social media for months, so we reached out and asked if he’d like to share his story. If you’d like to be interviewed for future One Bag Blogs, please fill out this form.
Chiropractor Education
John opened his own chiropractic office with his wife, and eventually both he and his wife took adjunct positions at a chiropractic local program.
“Teaching wasn’t part of our original plan,” shares John. “But we realized that we really enjoy teaching, so we continued down the path of education.”
But after a few years of teaching, John wanted to mix things up. “I got bored with the monotony of teaching the same class over and over,” he told us. “I wanted to continually learn and develop, tackling emerging issues in rehabilitation therapy.”
Then, John found Rocktape, a company offering kinesiology tape, topical pain relief, fitness accessories, as well as courses for chiropractors, physical therapists and massage therapists. John joined the company’s team of instructors, traveling the country to teach professionals in the industry.
Travel Every Weekend
“I go everywhere for my job,” he shares. “Literally coast to coast – in a month’s time, I was in Portland, Oregon, and then to Portland, Maine. We go to large and small places, and it’s been pretty cool to see so much of the USA.”
As he traveled, John found himself on smaller regional jets. “I would have to gate check my roller suitcase,” he explains. “It was a pretty big inconvenience. I wanted to be able to take one bag on these trips. I don’t want to carry multiple bags. I don’t want to fight for overhead space. I just wanted to know all my stuff was right there.”
Looking for the Perfect Backpack
In addition to packing clothes and toiletries, John also takes a projector with him on all of his trips.
“I have a full-size projector that I carry with me, as part of the courses I teach. The projector is critical to my courses, and I absolutely cannot gate check it. I tried a bunch of different bags, and I ended up using higher capacity bags. They’re great, but they’re not good as an everyday carry after I unpack. Carrying a large empty bag doesn’t look professional.”
John began looking at expandable backpacks. “Having one compartment that holds everything and expands didn’t work for me,” he shared. “I kept looking, and eventually I saw Knack in an Instagram ad. Knack has a great return policy, so I decided to test it out.”
After his Medium Sized Knack Backpack arrived, John knew it was a great bag. But it had to pass one test.
“The projector needed to fit in the main compartment,” he shares. “Immediately after opening the box, I put the projector in – and it fit!”
The Perfect Expandable Business Backpack
“I’m able to keep my clothes and tech separate, which is critical for these short trips,” he shares. “When flying, the Knack Pack fits under the airplane seat in front of me. Now I don’t worry about having to gate check my bag!”
Packing the Knack Pack for a Work Trip
We asked John to share what he packed on his trips, as well as what items he put in each pocket and compartment:
Expandable Luggage Compartment
John packs his clothing in this compartment, which includes 2 pairs of pants and “3’s of everything else – just in case my Sunday flight is canceled. Then I have 2 days of clothes, plus a little extra.”
John also uses the Medium Packing Cube, as it helps keep things organized (and allows him to pack more).
Main Compartment & Laptop Sleeve
“I pack the projector here. I like that I can put my laptop in a separate sleeve, to keep my tech from bumping against each other.”
Water Bottle Pocket
“I love the internal water bottle pocket!” says John. “I hate the exterior flappy ones on the side of other bags. I love that this pocket zips up, and it fits a small umbrella as well!”
Triangle Pocket
“I wasn’t sure if I’d like the triangle pocket,” John shares. “I wasn’t sure what I would put in it. But it’s actually a great feature. It’s where I put things I need quick access to. I also like that I can open it one-handed, making it easier to open on a plane or car when traveling.”
Staying Open to New Opportunities
But John’s story doesn’t end there! We’d be remiss not to mention John’s newest endeavor – podcasting. John is what we’d consider an early adopter, and he’s professionally always looking to improve the experience of his students. This led to him starting the Rocktape Podcast.
“I went to our yearly instructor meeting, and looking around I realized that I get to work with 50 of the best people in our industry who are chiropractors, physical therapists and massage therapists,” John says. He wanted to share the stories of his fellow instructors, beyond weekend trainings.
“I started the podcast as a way to introduce people to these instructors. If someone has a particular specialty, then they’ll relate to a specific instructor more so than me.
Since starting his podcast last March, John has published over 44 interviews. You can check out his podcast here, where you may hear him talk about his Knack Pack!
Looking for the Perfect Bag?
If you’re tired of repacking bags (work, travel, gym, etc), then you’ll want to check out the Knack Pack. We’ve recently released the Knack Pack 2.0, which has over 40 design updates and new features.
