Matin Airpad Strap Cushion

★★★☆☆ - Good

Works, easy to use - but hoped for more padding

Pros

• Reasonable price ($13 at time of writing)

• Super easy to attach

• Doesn’t accidentally rotate on the strap

• Stays in place well enough

Cons

• Pad isn’t as thick and comfy as I had hoped

• Prominent branding might be a turnoff

Review

My ginormous Samsonite carry-all is great, except for that fact that is has literally no padding in the shoulder strap. Given the amount of stuff I cram in there I needed something to make it easier on my shoulder.

Matin’s Airpad strap cushion seemed to fit the bill. A cross-over velcro enclosure makes it easy to put on without risk of it falling off. It can be slid, but it stays well enough to not slide around randomly.

The big downside for me is that the pad just isn’t all that…paddy. It feels fine to your fingers, but when put under weight it doesn’t feel as soft as I would have hoped. I still use it because it’s definitely better than nothing and not bad enough to warrant buying a new one and throwing it away. But if I had to pick again I’d likely go with something else. A very minor annoyance is the prominent branding - “Airpad” is larger on my bag than “Samsonite”, and it just doesn’t feel as…classy?

That said, if you aren’t weighed down a ton and just want a little extra cushion, this will certainly get the job done.

Conclusion

Generally well-designed and priced, but a lack of cushion thickness limits the appeal for heavier use cases.