Mystery Ranch Urban Assault 18L Backpack - Durable Military-Inspired Daypack for Hiking, Commuting & Travel | Water-Resistant & Ergonomic Design

This bag is an almost but not quite for me.* I loved the color, and the material is solid, and I suspect quite waterproof.* The laptop sleeve is elevated from the bottom by several inches, which means if you set the bag down the computer edge won't hit the ground.* There's plenty of room in the main compartment if your mobile office is minimal (I just carry the computer, plugs, headphones, notepad, pens, and then wallet, keys, phone, etc.) Even on days when I loaded it up more, it held everything.* The backpack straps are nicely padded....Things I didn't like* The material is some sort of Cordura, which means it picks up EVERYTHING. I have a white cat, so in the 15 minutes it took me to do several test packs, it became covered with hair and fuzz. This was enough to kill it for me. (if you don't have pets, this may not bug you).* The zippers are quite sturdy, but take a bit of effort to move, and you will need two hands. There are fabric tabs to give you some stability as you move the ones for the top part, which is good. You don't want floppy zippers, but if you're getting in and out of your backpack during the day (I want to use this for a everyday carry), it's kind of a pain. Tom Bihn, another company I have products from, also has heavy duty zippers but they're more manageable.* Someone else had commented that "it's just not easy to grab stuff from it" and I didnt' think I was that person but it turns out, I am that person. If you're just going to use it for long hikes and don't need to get in it as much, it's probably fine for you.* There's a stiffener in the back of the pack. I had hoped it would be removable but it isn't. It makes the bag a bit stiffer than I'd like. Since I carry a laptop 95% of the time using an EDC< the laptop provides enough stiffness.This is a well-built bag, but not quite the one for me.This is a nicely constructed and extremely sturdy backpack. I purchased the blue and it is truly a stunning, quality looking material. I researched lots of backpacks before I settled on this one mostly for the construction, size, sturdy design and ventilation back, smaller frame for women, and color. I wanted a day-to-day pack that I could throw in my car each morning so that I could have a small stash of emergency supplies should I get stuck and need to walk a few miles to home.Cons:The fit seemed off. I'm average sized and assumed a women's pack would fit better, but to be honest the shoulder straps fell in a weird place in the front (ahem, right across the bust). I've never had this happen with a backpack in my life (shoulder straps are usually to the sides of the bust) so I'm thinking maybe I should have gotten the slightly larger unisex size? I couldn't really find a fit guide regarding what it was supposed to look like, but that didn't seem quite right and would probably end up uncomfortable on a longer day hike. The horizontal chest strap was comfortable and fit as it should.The zippers were hard to get open. You need to set the pack down flat and really pull hard even when holding the provided tab to pull against. I really had trouble with the main center one.I thought the style of the zipper down the front would make it amazingly easy to get to my gear, but in reality because the pack is fairly thin, the sides don't open wide enough to really be able to get to the little internal zippered net organizers. It was almost harder to get into than a regular pack. It wouldn't be practical to reach over and grab my wallet out of it for example if it were next to me in the car.Pros:The zippers are hard to open. Let's face it, if you are out there in the wild, you don't want wimpy zippers. Plus, these have the design to be waterproof.Thin pack. Obviously ergonomically designed to stay close and flat to your back. Much better for stealthy and the long haul if you are on a hike. Becomes part of you.Really beautiful. OK if you are a survivalist, you are laughing right now. But I wanted a day pack to carry around, and this one was really cool and amazingly sturdy. Get the black if you're going for a less noticed look.In summary, I think I chose the wrong pack for what I wanted (a day pack to throw in the car with essentials, frequent access, with possible emergency hike use). It is much more of a design that you could use to carry your supplies very safely on your back for longer hauls and sort of forget they are there. Not for constant access or tossing things in and out. It's just too hard to get into.I really like this bag. I decided it was too small for what I needed and went with the Urban Assault 21, but that doesn't take away from the construction or comfort of this bag. The zippers are burly, the shoulder straps (including sternum strap) are plush and comfortable, and the construction is top notch.Some things to consider, keeping in mind this was intended to be used to grab a couple of necessities, water bottle, jacket, snacks/drinks for the kids, and toss in the car for errands or trips across town to see grandparents or aunts/uncles:There is no external pocket (except a small one on the lid) for water bottles or to otherwise segregate your stuff. There are 2 mesh zip pockets inside but that's all. I have several smaller pouches from Maxpedition, Vanquest, and Helikon that I move from bag to bag depending on the mission so it wasn't an issue for me.The UA 21 & 24 have a row of webbing across the bottom of the bag to attach some other stuff and honestly that was a factor in my decision to go with the 21.Other than that this is a great bag. My only complaint is the lack of a light-colored lining. I always prefer a bag with that to help contrast with your stuff when it is lurking deep in a shadowy corner of your pack. If it was lined it would be a little heavier but I think it would be nearly perfect.My nephew is using this as his EDC for school. He is 10 and it is way overbuilt for this purpose, but he loves it and if it can survive his EDC, it should survive most people. He takes his computer with him so he can do online school from where ever he needs to, carries his Xbox controller, and whatever else he feels he needs. He was super stoked to get it.I have 2 of them personally, they are not tactical looking and make a good EDC bag/computer bag.通勤に使用中、18Lは丁度良い大きさです。混雑した電車でもさほど邪魔にならず。周囲の乗客の方にも迷惑をかけにくいデザインです。ジップの開閉に少しコツがいります。