Perspectives
Long-form pieces on the topics that shape how you choose a bag. Honest takes that go beyond the spec sheet.
20
long-form takes
Most anti-theft features are designed to look secure, not to be secure.
Read article →Price tells you something at the bottom of the backpack market, little in the middle, and at the top only what you check for yourself.
Read article →You stopped noticing your bag years ago. That is either the best sign or the worst one.
Read article →The bag that once signaled seriousness was built for a desk of paper. Your work doesn't fit in it anymore.
Read article →"Airline carry-on compliant" is a measurement comparison, not a boarding pass.
Read article →The useful part of EDC is the noticing. The hobby part is the optimizing.
Read article →Your instinct about bag weight is right about the empty bag and can mislead you about the loaded one.
Read article →A bag review is often a walkthrough with a verdict. Knowing the difference changes what you take from it.
Read article →What "manufacturing defect" covers, what it leaves out, and how to check a brand's record.
Read article →It is sold as a way of life. It is a good fit for some trips and a bad one for others.
Read article →Why a bag with a pocket for everything still hides everything.
Read article →The parent bag that helps is the one you can open with a kid on your hip, not the one with the best changing mat.
Read article →Buy used first. Then weigh materials, repair, end of life and the supply chain.
Read article →Hobbyists who can't find the right bag end up having one sewn. Each step on the way there is a flaw in a mainstream bag.
Read article →The purse solved a problem the clothing industry created. That's not the same as being the right solution.
Read article →Why bags leak and tear at the seams first, and what to look for in how a bag is joined before you buy it.
Read article →Ultralight bags are built for light loads carried far, which is why they can be the right call for a day out and the wrong one for a laptop commute.
Read article →"Waterproof" on a backpack almost never means what you think it means.
Read article →Most of what goes wrong with a bag can be fixed without replacing it.
Read article →The habit that keeps a toiletry bag tidy is the same one a good daily bag leaves room for.
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