Hi! I was hoping to get some bag recommendations for a bag! I work for a robotics company that installs machines on boats. I will often be traveling for a few days, spending a lot of time in rainy areas on docks. I will need to carry my 15" laptop, a few small hand tools (tool check, parallel jaw pliers, etc.), and a set of rain gear that will get covered in fish guts.

I am looking for something that is durable, relatively water resistant, has some sort of external lashing for my rain gear, and has internal organization for tools.

I was looking at:

• Mystery Ranch Rip Ruck 20L or 32L
  • Worried about mystery ranch new ownership and dislike the look of the bag.
• Patagonia Stealth 25L
  • No laptop compartment and more designed for fishing.
• Road Runner Anything Bag or ILE Flaptop Mini
  • They seem durable but I would like to stray away from rolltops.

If anybody has any suggestions I would love to hear them!

This summer I’ll be traveling a lot, and am looking to upgrade my “day” bag. I’ll have a big suitcase and a 30ish liter backpack to store my laptop etc in (we are moving around a lot so it’s going to stay packed most of the time), but during the day I’d like to carry something else. I would normally take my beloved Osprey ultralight, but on a recent trip the lack of security - and the fact that my water bottle was sitting in it awkwardly - got annoying. I’ll be carrying this for about 2 weeks.

I have narrowed it down to 2 bags, but am not wedded to either. Hopefully whatever I get is small enough that it can live in my big suitcase when I’m flying, and then I’ll bring it out when I have to leave things in the hotels

Current contenders:

Bellroy Venture Pack 20L - my current work bag is a Bellroy, which I like a lot. My favorite feature here is the hidden pocket in the back to store my wallet and phone. The quick access pocket on top looks good, but I am somewhat worried about pickpockets (not so much on this trip but I do travel a lot and hope to use this again). Honestly I’d probably just take this one except it doesn’t have a water bottle holder on the outside, which is very important to me.

Tom Bihn Synik 22 - my favorite feature here is all of the O rings, which I can use to secure items. Not great about security, though I can slip something into the laptop sleeve and it’s fairly well hidden.

Some kind of hiking bag (think REI Ruckpack 18, though I have the 40 and like it but don’t love it, or the Gregory Kiro 20), but I don’t need a waist strap so something like the Osprey Talon (women’s equivalent) is overkill.

What I’ll be carrying:

Wallet bottle, phone, battery backup, raincoat, random stuff people hand me (the joys of being mom), sunglasses, sunscreen, airpods, etc. I want quick access to the water bottle (biggest concern about the synik) AND I must be able to secure it. A sleeve without some kind of strap won’t work.

I know the 20L may be overkill here, but I’m used to carrying 30+L so the idea of anything too much smaller seems crazy.

I don’t want to say that I’m completely insensitive to price, but anything in this range is fine.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

Family of four luggage for a trip to Disney. First time using the M23 for travel and the new CPPv2. Was cornered about the lack of luggage pass through on the M23 but the hero clip and strum strap works well.

I really love the look of the Kaiden bullet in Xpac with orange lining but don’t feel like paying the current asking price. I’m heavily leaning towards the Aer city pack 2 Xpac. Any other recs for bags close to these?

Hi I'm looking for companies that make x-pac (or similar material) wallets. Can you recommend any? Thanks!

Hi! I'm looking for a bag for grad school, so really just needs to fit a laptop and a couple of books. I'm honestly looking for something that's colorful but quality. (I have a couple neutral color bags already)

I was looking at the custom Timbuk2 alcatraz, but apparently their quality has dropped in the past few years.

I also really like topo's backpacks, but I've heard bad things about the thinness of the material.

Could you guys drop some suggestions? I'm honestly prioritizing aesthetics over most everything else at this point. Budget is ~$150

Thanks so much!

Hey everyone! As of now I feel like I am transitioning toward slings than backpacks. I honestly feel like I like sings more since I feel more of a balance than backpacks and its also less stress on my back since its cross body. But I was wondering if you guys could help me find a sling bag for school? I literally only carry like my laptop which is 13-14 inches, a couple of notebooks, and pants/shorts for the gym. I was wondering if you guys would help me with this. Also lets try to make it a reasonably price point under 120 dollars if that's fine. Well looking toward your responses!

After a long wait, I’ve finally gotten my hands on my first Alpaka Elements Backpack Pro! Super excited about it. Just curious—has anyone here with an Alpaka bag ever added a patch to theirs?

Any tips on the best way to attach a patch? I’m wondering if gluing or sewing it directly onto the bag might mess with its water resistance. Thoughts and tips?

I am looking to replace a cheap backpack I got for free from work—specifically, the Leeds Graphite Deluxe 15 Inch Laptop Backpack—which has slowly been falling apart. As the only backpack I own, it has been my EDC and personal bag for flights.

My goal now is to find a backpack that more or less meets the following criteria:

• Similar in size (the Leeds is, in inches, 17.50 H x 12.00 W x 6.50 D)
• Suitable for EDC and at least a few days' worth of travel
• Comfortable/gentle straps and padding, especially when wearing wool jackets or coats (e.g., suit jacket, peacoat)
• Some built-in organization, but not too much

Based on my research thus far, the Aer City Pack Pro 2 seems like the best choice. I like the additional water bottle pocket for carrying an umbrella (I've never understood the point of a "quick-access side pocket"), the variety of side handles, and the clamshell design for packing. The navy color in particular also strikes me as visually interesting while still being professional for the office.

So basically, I am looking either for validation for the CPP2 in Navy or for similar bags I should consider that meet the criteria above. Based on the bag I have now, I would say the bar is pretty low. Thanks in advance!

The three most important features I look for in a bag are:

1. A dedicated laptop compartment
2. Enough width to fit a lunchbox
3. A water bottle pocket that can hold a 32 oz. Nalgene

Both bags do all three of these things exceptionally well.

That said, I’m going to be returning the Catalyst. The lack of organization is sort of a deal breaker for me. I appreciate the ability to skin the bag alive using the tri-zip design, but that prevents any organization outside of the main compartment. Pack the bag out too much and all the internal organization starts to compete for space.

From what I’ve read, opinions are split on whether the water bottle pockets on the Catalyst 26 can accommodate certain bottles. I can confirm that when the bag is fully packed, it easily fits a 32 oz. Nalgene, a 40 oz. Hydro Flask, and even a 46 oz. Yeti.

The Raven takes a bit more convincing, but the Nalgene and Hydro Flask absolutely fit. It does reach the limit trying to stuff the Yeti in there, but it’ll go with some coaxing. I'd get sick of stuffing the yeti in there every day if that was the bottle I carried.

Very interested in the AER CPP2. I have a feeling that might be my unicorn, but for 200+ dollars I'm struggling to justify the spend. Note that I bought the Catalyst on sale for $125 and got the Raven for ~$75 with a gift card. Anyone have pictures or experience with the different size bottles the bag can take?

Hello, I'm looking for a bag to replace my Decathlon Quechua NH Escape 500 23l rolltop. Has anybody bought this tomtoc navigator t61 L rolltop? Is it any good?

I'm going to be purchasing a ULA Dragonfly and trying to decide between Ultra and Robic.

I don't really care about the water resistance. My big worry about the Ultra is eventual delamination.

Anyone have long term feedback on whether or not it holds up as advertised?

Thought about it for ages and was just about ready to hit buy on an Aer Travel Kit 2 (the ultra version, not a huge fan of the orange on the x pack) and they’re sold out. Im going away for over a month so want something that will tide me over. Any recommendations for the best dopp kit? Something similar in capacity and design to the Travel Kit 2?

This is an interesting little cube so I had to buy it. What would you use it for? It's 3L so plenty of room for things.

Are there any similar alternatives to the Nike RPM that looks professional and within the same price range? I’m using it for work and i want a secure compartment to hold my laptop, wallet and clothes amongst other things.

Seeking recommendations for 20-22 liter backpacks with a luggage pass through and at least 1, preferably 2, water bottle pockets. Thank you!

Does anyone have a photo of the inside of the UX10 black fabric?

I am currently building a PLCC 2.0 from Packolabs and I was thinking of using UX10 black vice versa, where they will use both sides of the fabric. I know the black Dyneema fabric looks awesome on both sides, and thought it could be cool to use both sides of the UX10 black.

Hoping someone can share a quick photo of the backside of the UX10 black fabric. Thank you in advance.

Get home back recommendations

Looking at the boundary supply prima system, grey ghost gypsy, and go ruck m23. Does anyone have any experience with these bags and does anyone have any other bag recommendations?

Hello, I've been looking for a smaller, lightweight EDC bag. I currently carry the Alpaka Elements Backpack Pro and I really love it, it's the perfect backpack for me, I really like all of it's features and the way it looks, but I kind of wish I had a smaller, lighter backpack for EDC and work.

So far, I really like the Able Carry Thirteen, Aer Daypack 3, Aer Pro Pack Slim, maybe the Alpaka Metro Backpack...

Besides the size and weight, I really like a backpack with an admin panel/secondary compartment with pockets. It's my favourite feature of the Elements Backpack Pro and the main reason I'm looking at Aer bags as they do it really well. Generally, I won't use external water bottle pockets but they are not a deal breaker, I just won't really use them. Main compartment needs to fit an umbrella, a 500 ml water bottle and maye a pouch or two. I don't think I need anything else.

I could also accept a crossbody bag or similar if it fits my needs!

Any recommendations or thoughts on my suggested bags? Thanks!

Hey all been eyeing the Wandrd 6L Rogue for a little bit and was originally planning on waiting for a sale to pick it up. But with the chaos that's going on right now in the US with tariffs (among other things), was wondering if I'd be better off buying now instead?

looked and saw that wandrd, while an American brand, manufactures it's bags in Vietnam...a country that just got some big numbers slapped on it. So was thinking should I buy now at normal MSRP instead of chancing prices jumping to like 1.5x's?

Any advice on a sling which can fit the following please?

• steam deck (not in carry case, but it'll have a thin case that makes it bigger but still less bulky than the carrying case)
• sony wh 1000 xm4 headphones in case.
• samsung 20000mah battey pack
• usb c cables
• Phone
• Other miscellaneous bits and pieces

Bonus if i can strap on an umbrella or water bottle somewhere on it.

Budget <£130, UK based.

Currently using a tomtoc steam deck sling and i have to leave my headphones at home as they won't fit in there lol.

Thanks.