Thank you for the great description of the EPX600 fabric, definitely one I'd like to check out. Jack of all trades master of none definitely seems apt, but I find the "one bag to rule them all" category very interesting nonetheless, particularly rolltops with additional access.
For sure! When a lot of these newer high-tech materials and laminates started getting used in the carry world they usually brought great performance, high strength, lightweight and water resistance but at the cost of a fairly artificial hand feel / look. Now that they’ve started combining them with more “fabric like” (for lack of a better word) face fabrics it’s been amazing - like the best of both worlds - high performance fabrics that “feel” like how you’d expect a bag to feel, which can be important considering how often a person might touch, grab or otherwise physically interact with a bag in a single day, let alone throughout the whole ownership period. Regarding the jack of all trades, master of none - I know what you mean! I know that in general the idea of a single do-it-all perfect bag is a quixotic quest that is impossible to truly realize but I have such a love in my heart for seeing different designers and brands bring their own unique spin/approach to this problem space, basically just living their best life by bringing their perspective on how to best reconcile the different (and often contradictory) requirements. It’s like you get to see this peek into the mindset of what they consider the most important things to solve for and how it should all be wrapped up in a cohesive whole. As you put it - truly an interesting category indeed!
Thank you so much for the kind words @DarkMuj - I really appreciate it! Yes, I’ve been trying to make more of a focused effort to be consistent and release more videos these days 😂. Next challenge is to try to get the video lengths back under 45 mins or less whilst hopefully still covering all the critical aspects in-depth. I think I need an editor in my life LOL
@@TheMountainborn personally I feel like the longer the better! It’s what sets your reviews apart from the more surface level channels out there (pack hacker…). But then again I have no idea about what the algorithm responds well to etc
Awww, thanks man! Fortunately I try not to think about or fear any algorithm - this is more of a hobby than anything for me so one hour videos it is hahaha
Haha yes, I definitely have a preference for bags that at least offer an option for a sternum strap. You never know when you might suddenly need to flee a pack of wild badgers or something and need to make sure your bag is securely affixed to you!! 😂 And thank you for the kind words - I really appreciate it!!
Me too!!! I would love to see a new release from them - I really like their approach and would love to see it applied to a new form factor / space they haven’t challenged yet (just uhh maybe not a briefcase lol)
Great review. Own and love this bag, so my 2c - there is 1.5 inch false bottom, you can check where the seam is - I love this mesh, so durable, spartan, minimalist. And it doesn’t accumulate dirt in the corners And yes, in UVX40 (1.2kg) it’s the one bag to rule them all. Can’t wait for the ULTRA version.
Fantastic in-depth review as always, was excited to see this! I’ve found changing the clamshell zipper pulls to a para cord type has drastically improved the zip functionality. I no longer get the snagging on the corners, was a big gripe of mine. Seems to be easier to ‘guide’ the path of the zipper. Agree with the comment about the mesh, I really wish the top quick access had some sort of nylon fabric instead, it’s not very nice to interact with as you mentioned. Overall though I like the versatility, for me I use it for travel with the flexibility to be able to carry a bit more if required. For EDC I find the access a bit complicated. Reason I got this bag was the combination of roll top expandability, clamshell access, top quick access pocket and comfy carry. Combined with easy carry on size. All this makes it a very versatile travel pack I think. Edit: personally I like the low key laptop compartment. I find other bags such as the evergoods CTB etc take up too much room for laptop carry. This is fine if you always carry one but, if like me you don’t then it wastes too much space and weight in the bag. I believe in one of the Remote Equipment videos on UA-cam the designer echoes this and basically says, use a laptop sleeve if you need the extra protection. So it seems this was very intentional to omit padding in this area. Also just checked my V3, there’s now a small loop with a buckle behind the quick access pocket to suspend a water bladder etc.
Hey there - thank you so much for the kind words! Great tip on changing the zipper pulls - I might try that (I really like the design of the bag but I am definitely open to tweaking it slightly in the pursuit of better functionality). I feel you on all the other points about the benefits of the rolltop + clamshell, and the great suitability of this bag for travel use. Regarding the low key laptop compartment - for sure - I like its simplicity of approach as well and just try to be careful when packing to avoid damaging my laptop (I don’t really like using laptop sleeves since I feel they tend to just add weight that can otherwise be saved via careful packing/carrying). I also really appreciate that Philip has a clear POV on the bag he wanted to design and how he approached the trade offs to realise that vision - that’s one of the things that I love about the carry space, seeing the infinite universe of solutions human beings bring to the same problem space ❤️ Re: water bladder hook - someone else mentioned that in a different comment - I’m gonna go back and check it again! I’m wondering if maybe it’s a difference between the V2 and V3? (Or maybe I’m just blind? LOL)
Good review. My only real issue is you made a point of the side straps not having strap keepers, but if you buy a v3 version, they come with them. It helps a lot.
Oh man, great catch and I totally failed to mention that in my video. (Kinda embarrassing considering I talked for nearly an hour about this bag hahaha). I’ll add a note to the description noting this for the V3 - Thank you for the call out!
Wonderfully detailed breakdown, as always! On the side, would love to hear more of your thoughts on the ATD bags 🤭 Regardless, keep up the good work - your reviews are so informative and a real pleasure to watch!
Again a nice review 😊! Whenever I have to choose a travel bag, I always come back to the Alpha 31. It's so polivalent and practical, whatever the conditions. For the time being, it's my undisputed travel bag of choice (not EDC) for now. But I've yet to compare it with the ULA Dragonfly.
Thank you so much for the kind words!! I understand what you mean about the Alpha 31 - I love it for its design and as an object so I keep it in my travel rotation even though it’s several years old at this point. The ULA dragonfly is an interesting bag that has been getting more and more popular on the carry scene so I’m thinking to do a review of it sometime later this year 👍.
I think you’ve missed the anchor point for a water bladder (you mention there isn’t any), it’s up there but you have to look for it 😂 Great review nonetheless!
Oh man, really!? I need to go back and look again, I swear I’ve looked up there a few times and never found one. I shall check again - thanks again for the call out! I wonder if this is a difference between the V2 and V3?
@@TheMountainborn I've got the UVX40 version, so V2 definitely has it.Could be tucked away behind the framesheet, there is a gap there where you can access the sheet
As much as I love mine the lack of standing kills it for me. Very hard to use a roll top that you have to hold up with one hand when you need both hands to operate the rolltop
Thank you for your reviews and recommendations so far. I really love the consistent style of the backpacks, with their minimalist yet practical design in black. If I were to purchase only one backpack for daily commuting, I would like to know which one you would recommend right now. Or, could you tell me which backpack you use the most for daily use?
I can't imagine how many all sorts of interesting bags, backpacks and slings have accumulated for reviews during the seven month hiatus from the Trakke Storr video.
hahaha - quite a few actually! Now that I am (hopefully) posting more regularly I’m hoping I can balance touching on new bags with working my way through my many months long backlog 😂
Hey there - I have!! I haven’t had it in heavy rotation yet since I’ve had other bags I’ve been focusing on reviewing but I am still trying to find the sweet spot for it between EDC and possibly very compact light travel. (There’s also the other obvious use case of just being a smaller CTB26 for those with smaller frames/torsos which I can’t attest to directly but may have someone smaller try it out and opine on it) They basically shrunk down the CTB26 but kept the same structure and design / form factor and I need more time with it to understand if this approach works or if it needed some additional tweaking beyond just downsizing it - All the standard Evergoods goodness is there of course but there were times when I wasn’t sure if maybe someone would just be better off with something like an Aer City Pack pro or even a CPL24 etc. Will definitely do a review of it at some point though so stay tuned! Anything in particular you’d like to know about it so I can try to answer here / hit it in the review?
@@TheMountainbornMy just arrived Goruck Bullet DC 18L is a sweet spot between EDC, a personal item on flights and a very compact light travel. It can load up to 22L. It's another fun bag besides my CTB26
@@TheMountainborn As someone who often EDCs a CPL and also often carries a thermos + water bottle, I'm looking forward to not needing to carry these inside the bag at all times with the CTB20. Can't beat the sleek look of the CPL but seems like it might end up being a more flexible option. I'll still use the CPL16 for smaller loads but CTB20 could be on to replace the CPL24 when needing more room.
Hahahaha completely understandable! 😂. I think it’d be cool if REI started carrying Remote Equipment stuff though ! (Actually, I wish REI would go back to carrying more stuff by third party manufacturers in general, especially in the bag/carry department. They keep getting rid of high quality third party brands and replacing it with their unfortunately generally not that good in-house brands and it just makes me a little sad. Every once in a while they’ll have an interesting original design in house but generally they’re just becoming less and less attractive of a destination for me (I understand why they’re trying to vertically integrate but still))
MPL30 is a great versatile bag as well! I believe I did a review of the v2 back in the day, I should probably revisit it now that they have an updated version.
Getting my popcorn to watch 🍿
Heyyy it’s GeorgeDefined!!!! I love your work and am honored by your visit!!! ☺️
Thank you for the great description of the EPX600 fabric, definitely one I'd like to check out. Jack of all trades master of none definitely seems apt, but I find the "one bag to rule them all" category very interesting nonetheless, particularly rolltops with additional access.
For sure! When a lot of these newer high-tech materials and laminates started getting used in the carry world they usually brought great performance, high strength, lightweight and water resistance but at the cost of a fairly artificial hand feel / look. Now that they’ve started combining them with more “fabric like” (for lack of a better word) face fabrics it’s been amazing - like the best of both worlds - high performance fabrics that “feel” like how you’d expect a bag to feel, which can be important considering how often a person might touch, grab or otherwise physically interact with a bag in a single day, let alone throughout the whole ownership period.
Regarding the jack of all trades, master of none - I know what you mean! I know that in general the idea of a single do-it-all perfect bag is a quixotic quest that is impossible to truly realize but I have such a love in my heart for seeing different designers and brands bring their own unique spin/approach to this problem space, basically just living their best life by bringing their perspective on how to best reconcile the different (and often contradictory) requirements. It’s like you get to see this peek into the mindset of what they consider the most important things to solve for and how it should all be wrapped up in a cohesive whole.
As you put it - truly an interesting category indeed!
We've been blessed with many of your videos lately what a joy! Thanks for all your great work
Thank you so much for the kind words @DarkMuj - I really appreciate it! Yes, I’ve been trying to make more of a focused effort to be consistent and release more videos these days 😂. Next challenge is to try to get the video lengths back under 45 mins or less whilst hopefully still covering all the critical aspects in-depth. I think I need an editor in my life LOL
@@TheMountainborn personally I feel like the longer the better! It’s what sets your reviews apart from the more surface level channels out there (pack hacker…). But then again I have no idea about what the algorithm responds well to etc
Awww, thanks man! Fortunately I try not to think about or fear any algorithm - this is more of a hobby than anything for me so one hour videos it is hahaha
“…a card carrying member of the sternum strap squad…” Nice! Another excellent, thorough review.
Haha yes, I definitely have a preference for bags that at least offer an option for a sternum strap. You never know when you might suddenly need to flee a pack of wild badgers or something and need to make sure your bag is securely affixed to you!! 😂
And thank you for the kind words - I really appreciate it!!
💪💪💪 - Remote Equipment is one of my favorite brands!
Me too!!! I would love to see a new release from them - I really like their approach and would love to see it applied to a new form factor / space they haven’t challenged yet (just uhh maybe not a briefcase lol)
I would like to see their take on a duffel…
Great review. Own and love this bag, so my 2c
- there is 1.5 inch false bottom, you can check where the seam is
- I love this mesh, so durable, spartan, minimalist. And it doesn’t accumulate dirt in the corners
And yes, in UVX40 (1.2kg) it’s the one bag to rule them all. Can’t wait for the ULTRA version.
- there is a clip for the water bladder, just well hidden
Fantastic in-depth review as always, was excited to see this!
I’ve found changing the clamshell zipper pulls to a para cord type has drastically improved the zip functionality. I no longer get the snagging on the corners, was a big gripe of mine. Seems to be easier to ‘guide’ the path of the zipper.
Agree with the comment about the mesh, I really wish the top quick access had some sort of nylon fabric instead, it’s not very nice to interact with as you mentioned.
Overall though I like the versatility, for me I use it for travel with the flexibility to be able to carry a bit more if required. For EDC I find the access a bit complicated. Reason I got this bag was the combination of roll top expandability, clamshell access, top quick access pocket and comfy carry. Combined with easy carry on size. All this makes it a very versatile travel pack I think.
Edit: personally I like the low key laptop compartment. I find other bags such as the evergoods CTB etc take up too much room for laptop carry. This is fine if you always carry one but, if like me you don’t then it wastes too much space and weight in the bag. I believe in one of the Remote Equipment videos on UA-cam the designer echoes this and basically says, use a laptop sleeve if you need the extra protection. So it seems this was very intentional to omit padding in this area.
Also just checked my V3, there’s now a small loop with a buckle behind the quick access pocket to suspend a water bladder etc.
Hey there - thank you so much for the kind words! Great tip on changing the zipper pulls - I might try that (I really like the design of the bag but I am definitely open to tweaking it slightly in the pursuit of better functionality). I feel you on all the other points about the benefits of the rolltop + clamshell, and the great suitability of this bag for travel use.
Regarding the low key laptop compartment - for sure - I like its simplicity of approach as well and just try to be careful when packing to avoid damaging my laptop (I don’t really like using laptop sleeves since I feel they tend to just add weight that can otherwise be saved via careful packing/carrying). I also really appreciate that Philip has a clear POV on the bag he wanted to design and how he approached the trade offs to realise that vision - that’s one of the things that I love about the carry space, seeing the infinite universe of solutions human beings bring to the same problem space ❤️
Re: water bladder hook - someone else mentioned that in a different comment - I’m gonna go back and check it again! I’m wondering if maybe it’s a difference between the V2 and V3? (Or maybe I’m just blind? LOL)
Good review. My only real issue is you made a point of the side straps not having strap keepers, but if you buy a v3 version, they come with them. It helps a lot.
Oh man, great catch and I totally failed to mention that in my video. (Kinda embarrassing considering I talked for nearly an hour about this bag hahaha). I’ll add a note to the description noting this for the V3 - Thank you for the call out!
Wonderfully detailed breakdown, as always! On the side, would love to hear more of your thoughts on the ATD bags 🤭
Regardless, keep up the good work - your reviews are so informative and a real pleasure to watch!
Thank you so much for the kind words! I really appreciate it!
And noted on the ATD bags - I’ll add those to the queue to review!
Again a nice review 😊!
Whenever I have to choose a travel bag, I always come back to the Alpha 31. It's so polivalent and practical, whatever the conditions. For the time being, it's my undisputed travel bag of choice (not EDC) for now. But I've yet to compare it with the ULA Dragonfly.
Thank you so much for the kind words!! I understand what you mean about the Alpha 31 - I love it for its design and as an object so I keep it in my travel rotation even though it’s several years old at this point. The ULA dragonfly is an interesting bag that has been getting more and more popular on the carry scene so I’m thinking to do a review of it sometime later this year 👍.
I think you’ve missed the anchor point for a water bladder (you mention there isn’t any), it’s up there but you have to look for it 😂 Great review nonetheless!
Oh man, really!? I need to go back and look again, I swear I’ve looked up there a few times and never found one. I shall check again - thanks again for the call out! I wonder if this is a difference between the V2 and V3?
@@TheMountainborn I've got the UVX40 version, so V2 definitely has it.Could be tucked away behind the framesheet, there is a gap there where you can access the sheet
This kinda reminds me to the new Peak Design outdoor series bags on Kickstarter
As much as I love mine the lack of standing kills it for me. Very hard to use a roll top that you have to hold up with one hand when you need both hands to operate the rolltop
Thank you for your reviews and recommendations so far.
I really love the consistent style of the backpacks, with their minimalist yet practical design in black.
If I were to purchase only one backpack for daily commuting, I would like to know which one you would recommend right now.
Or, could you tell me which backpack you use the most for daily use?
En el momento en que vi el bolso kisluxs , supe que tenía que tenerlo.
I can't imagine how many all sorts of interesting bags, backpacks and slings have accumulated for reviews during the seven month hiatus from the Trakke Storr video.
hahaha - quite a few actually! Now that I am (hopefully) posting more regularly I’m hoping I can balance touching on new bags with working my way through my many months long backlog 😂
Curious - have you tried the CTB 20 yet?
Hey there - I have!! I haven’t had it in heavy rotation yet since I’ve had other bags I’ve been focusing on reviewing but I am still trying to find the sweet spot for it between EDC and possibly very compact light travel. (There’s also the other obvious use case of just being a smaller CTB26 for those with smaller frames/torsos which I can’t attest to directly but may have someone smaller try it out and opine on it)
They basically shrunk down the CTB26 but kept the same structure and design / form factor and I need more time with it to understand if this approach works or if it needed some additional tweaking beyond just downsizing it - All the standard Evergoods goodness is there of course but there were times when I wasn’t sure if maybe someone would just be better off with something like an Aer City Pack pro or even a CPL24 etc.
Will definitely do a review of it at some point though so stay tuned! Anything in particular you’d like to know about it so I can try to answer here / hit it in the review?
@@TheMountainbornMy just arrived Goruck Bullet DC 18L is a sweet spot between EDC, a personal item on flights and a very compact light travel. It can load up to 22L. It's another fun bag besides my CTB26
@@TheMountainborn As someone who often EDCs a CPL and also often carries a thermos + water bottle, I'm looking forward to not needing to carry these inside the bag at all times with the CTB20. Can't beat the sleek look of the CPL but seems like it might end up being a more flexible option. I'll still use the CPL16 for smaller loads but CTB20 could be on to replace the CPL24 when needing more room.
just realized REI and Remote Equipment are not the same company 😅
Hahahaha completely understandable! 😂. I think it’d be cool if REI started carrying Remote Equipment stuff though !
(Actually, I wish REI would go back to carrying more stuff by third party manufacturers in general, especially in the bag/carry department. They keep getting rid of high quality third party brands and replacing it with their unfortunately generally not that good in-house brands and it just makes me a little sad. Every once in a while they’ll have an interesting original design in house but generally they’re just becoming less and less attractive of a destination for me (I understand why they’re trying to vertically integrate but still))
HEY kislux !! I have been watching you for years and im so proud of where you have made it! I love you so much! Also thanks for making my day
MPL30v3 is superior alternative if you don’t need rolltop
MPL30 is a great versatile bag as well! I believe I did a review of the v2 back in the day, I should probably revisit it now that they have an updated version.
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