Skule 20-Liter Water Repellent Backpack

After my favorite backpack of 15 years finally wore out, I spent the best part of 3 hours searching for a replacement. Nothing besides this one seemed to fit the bill. The inside is spacious and not hampered by excessive pockets nor dividers, it's super lightweight, the shoulder straps are narrow for smaller folks like me, and the chest clip sits high up on the chest making it female friendly. I have a good feeling this one will last me the next 15 years :)

TLDR: Bag is tough, but narrow. Good for daily carrying but not for anything that requires more gear. I've had this bag for about a year and got it for school and some outdoor activities. I will say that this is a good basic bag that does the job. However, there are a few things that I've noticed. First, the bag is quite narrow, meaning there isn't a lot of room for the bag to expands outwards without it bulging. Putting in jackets or any other bulky objects (food containers, etc.) quickly stuffs the pack. For context, the most I'm carrying in this bag for outdoor travel are snacks, a sunhat, chalk bag, and jacket, and that fills it out. I hook my climbing shoes on the little bands on the outside of the bag because there's no way they'll fit inside. For school, if you're just carrying a laptop/iPad with a few books it's nice and light. But if you try to fit a jacket in there it immediately becomes bulky. The smaller compartment has some options for organization, which is nice. That compartment in particular is VERY narrow (basically no outward space) so slim items will fit best. Within this narrow compartment is a smaller zip-space. The problem with this is that it pushes into the space of the main compartment so when you're trying to put stuff in, that pouch gets in the way or takes up too much room. The small zipper compartment on the very top of the backpack is great for smaller things (chapstick, bandaids, etc.) but it's not made for big keys or a passport/phone. I wish it was either bigger so I could fit larger things in it or repositioned better; it's extremely difficult to access that compartment without taking the entire bag off. I want to reiterate that I do like this bag. It's tough, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. However, if you're planning on carrying anything more than a laptop/books/very very light jacket, look for something larger. This is not a bag made for longer outdoor adventures. This is a city bag.