I don't want to write about backpacks
Posted on
So, I have a problem with bags.
I want to replace what is currently a school bag that has been used for ~10
years. In that time it's held up fairly well (the one it replaced lasted 7 years
if I remember correctly) and has served it's purpose of carrying school, note
and text books, a range of laptops, as well as entirely too many groceries.
It's time has come, but there to many options that seem good enough and
deciding between them has become impossible. In an effort to solve this problem
I'll be outlining my issues with the current bag below, to restart the search
with a more direct approach.
Having said that, this is in no way a good review of this bag due to the limited range of my bag experience. My points of comparison are a small collection of cheap draw-string bags, a school backpack as a daily bag, and finally a travel bag. The travel bag, is not necessarily being replaced, but is a point of comparison and has some problems of its own. It will probably be explored in a future post, but briefly:
It has more padding than is necessary, since it's mostly carrying clothes. Fitting a 16" MacBook is not impossible, but is a bit tight, and fitting an additional 14" laptop as well is not enjoyable.
A hundred or so bags have also been considered through online research, as well as some brief hands on experiences with the Peak Design Everyday Bag and the LTT Backpack but we're getting ahead of ourselves. We'll get into problems with other bags in a future post, but this should give an idea of the price point of bag I'm considering as well as comparing this significantly cheaper bag against.
This may result in unreasonable expectations for what a perfect bag would provide, and there's a good chance no existing bag solves every problem I outline. However, it will create a relatively concrete collection of criteria for comparison. In the scenario where no bag meets this criteria, I will just build my own.
Bag:
The "Super Deluxe Book Pack, 41L" by L. L. Bean
Specs:
| Attribute | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Max Volume | 41 L | |
| Min Volume | 41 L | Does not expand or compress, does flatten tolerably |
| Primary Material | 420D Ripstop Nylon | |
| Secondary Material | 840D Nylon | This is the material that rests on the ground |
| Weight | 2 lb 20 oz |
It is a nice enough backpack, but it has the following problems:
Too Wide
There is no good way to pack it without too much of the weight being too far from my back. I'd rather keep the weight near my body, and ideally it would expand upwards, rather than outwards. The majority of the organizational bits are in the wrong spot, by being in the outermost pocket any weight in those pockets ends up being exaggerated, and the pockets end up rarely if ever used.
Too Big
Most days two of the sections are empty, those being the two outermost pockets. The main pocket is a bit too big as well, especially for every day use. It is the right size for travel, and has room to pack another bag if necessary. This makes it expandable without being expandable.
Too Warm
There is no ventilation on the back of the bag. Loosening in an attempt to help makes the bag uncomfortable when properly filled. Due to the only pressure points being the two shoulders and the lower back, unless the bag is tightened all the way. In doing that it brings the entirety of this pack directly up against my back, completely cutting off all airflow. Hanging off of one shoulder helps a bit but becomes uncomfortable quickly.
Too Misc.
- Doesn't compact down as much as I'd like. Would rather it be smaller and expand upwards if expanding.
- Has bad waist strap (and broken, from years of dangling unused)
- Does not inspire confidence in a rainstorm
- Organization is in all the wrong spots
- Water bottle holders are kinda trash
- Shoulder strap pocket is kinda useless since it can't close
- Doesn't get complements from strangers
Too... good?
- Can fit a full weekends worth of travel clothes, with plenty of room to spare
- Can kinda fit into the travel bag if needed
- The material cleans very well
- Has a key holder, essential while traveling
- Has a laptop slot that can work for 14 or 16 inch laptops, and can fit both when necessary
- Has the roughly right amount of organization
- The material is durable and cleans very well. It's survived several unnecessarily salty winter roads.
- Doesn't get complements from strangers
It seemed only fair to outline the alright parts of this bag, since it has worked well for so long. It will make a nice large backup bag, and may see continued use for larger grocery runs, but it's time of daily use is coming to an end. There may be some followup posts cataloging my journey in search of an alternative bag, but again only time will tell.
If you have a bag recommendation, that solves these problems I would love a
link. I've been categorizing every bag I can come across, and
very
much open to suggestions. Find me
@ncb@mas.to