WinRAR themed merch is a hilarious nod to the app's unlimited free trial

[DragonSlayer101]

What just happened? Rarlab, the company behind the famed WinRAR file compression software, has teamed up with French clothing brand Tern to release a WinRAR-themed bag designed to resemble the app's iconic logo, which depicts three stacked books in magenta, green, and blue.

The WinRAR X account announced the new merch with a hilarious post that acknowledged how most people never pay to use the software despite it being a product costing $29 per license. "What better way to support the software you've NEVER paid for than by buying a WinRAR bag?" the post asks.

WinRAR offers a 40-day free trial before becoming paid software, but the developers do not strictly enforce the limited trial period, allowing users to access it indefinitely without paying. The unpaid version of WinRAR offers full functionality and unrestricted access even after the end of the trial period, so most users simply close the pop-up nag at every startup and take advantage of what is effectively an unlimited trial period.

What better way to support the software you've NEVER paid for than by buying a WinRAR bag? Do it! We dare y'all! https://t.co/5sqtOuJQkI

– WinRAR (@WinRAR_RARLAB) February 8, 2025

The WinRAR-themed bag is made of vegan leather and has an adjustable clip-on strap that allows it to be slung across the shoulder. It has a single, rigid compartment, like a loot box, and uses a magnetic closure system. It measures 21.4cm x 14cm x 7cm, and is priced at €115 (around $119). The company plans to start shipping in April.

To showcase the spaciousness of the new bag, the team at Tern shoved as many as 805 Yu-Gi-Oh single-sleeved cards inside, and Rarlab has since confirmed that it can accommodate three cans of Diet Coke. It doesn't offer much space if storage capacity is your primary concern, but it's certainly good enough to hold the essentials, like your phone, keys, and maybe even a purse or wallet.

The quirky new bag is not the first piece of licensed WinRAR merch to be sold on the official Tern website. The two companies have an existing partnership to market a series of WinRAR-themed clothing and accessories, including jackets, hoodies, pants, t-shirts, and caps. Prices start at €48 (around $50) for the graphic tees and go up to a cool €225 (around $233) for the varsity jacket.

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WinRAR themed merch is a hilarious nod to the app's unlimited free trial

 

[BobDolesGhost]

Lol, the murse is awesome. I might need one of those haha!

 

[scoffer]

Just stick with 7-Zip..................

 

[Puiu]

WTF is "vegan" leather? Just call it cheap fake leather like everybody else. It's just plastic that has a short shelf life span.

 

[Win7User]

Just stick with 7-Zip..................

I, was going to post the same thing...

 

[antiproduct]

Should come bundled with a license for that price... or is that too far?

 

[RaXelliX]

Just stick with 7-Zip..................

7-Zip is great but it's not updated as often as WinRAR and it lacks some more fine grained control over self extracting archive creation. WinRAR now also has dark mode support. What im trying to say is that both have their place. Personally I use both. If I want maximum compression ratio I use 7z and if I want to make an SFX archive or deal with multipart archives I use WinRAR.

 

[Win7User]

7-Zip is great but it's not updated as often as WinRAR and it lacks some more fine grained control over self extracting archive creation. WinRAR now also has dark mode support. What im trying to say is that both have their place. Personally I use both. If I want maximum compression ratio I use 7z and if I want to make an SFX archive or deal with multipart archives I use WinRAR.

I agree completely. And, it's true, it's not updated on the program itself, you'll have to download (7-Zip) a new instance of the software to get a current version. I do it about once a month. 7-Zip works well for me. And, as the saying goes, if it works, don't fix it.