Organized, versatile, well-made, weather-resistant and chic-masculine EDC bag (almost perfect)
[EDIT: one year of ownership update, no issues. Its lost a little more of its form (expected) but its still a tough, structured bag and it has not shown any premature signs of wear despite daily usage. Still could pass as new] tldr: Overall, its sharp, versatile, highly organized, well made and effortlessly easy to live with. Its a good sharp bag that has that sort of easy chic-masculine charm that lets it fit in anywhere, and makes the wearer look effective, smart and stylish. If you're looking to invest in a premium ultimate do-it-all EDC bag and you like its looks, its a winner and has no major flaws. But there are some design oversights that might not make it the best choice for everyone. First things first: as others have stated, the Nutria color does not look like whats presented in images. Its a bit less saturated and greener. Its not really a bad look, but its far enough off to be annoying. If you're after nutria in EXACTLY the same color as depicted with that slightly rosy brown color, this isnt it. How Thule managed to get the promotional image so far wrong and not fix it after all this time is a big question for me. I think that Thule might have set the color temperature too warm when they took/processed the nutria promo image. Otherwise, this is a well made backpack with a lot of pockets. This is the first backpack I've ever owned that feels PERFECT for me, and feels functionally cohesive and well thought out. Each pocket has a purpose but is versatile enough to be used for whatever it needs to accommodate. The nutria external color plus contrasting red clay-like interior color, the density and style of the fabric and the sort of chic-masculine look of the bag makes it HIGHLY versatile from an appearance and functional standpoint. Whether vacation, school, work (blue or white collar), EDC or whatever, the only place this wouldn't fit in well would be a boardroom and that could be a matter of opinion honestly. All zippers have multiple layers of water resistance which is a really nice bonus, but metal zipper grabs would have taken the design to a whole new level. Size is just right if you don't have a specific use case, and I can pack up to a weekend of stuff if I need to, but it really shines as an organized EDC bag. The side bottle pocket is ACTUALLY designed for bottles! I can fit my 1 liter stainless steel bottle in it just fine, and though its slightly tall, I don't worry about it going anywhere. Bottles with slightly over 3 inch diameters should fit great, but bottles that are taller than 11-12 inches may start to feel unsecure and top heavy. I've had this for a few months, and during this time most bags will lose some form naturally, but the extent of that, I have found, is a fairly accurate predictor of how well the bag is made and how long it'll last. Yes it has lost some of its form, but not nearly as much as most competitors in this price range. It still stands on its own, and is quite structured. I have no doubt that this will continue to be a great bag for several years of daily use if taken care of. I've had issues with past Thule products for having an overall well-done design but having one or two fairly critical design or quality oversights that resulted in premature wear (back panels were a large source of this, especially on my Subterra 34) but as far as I can tell, every single critical design point has been considered here. Some caveats: - Older paramount models had the front flap that covered the ENTIRE body of the bag from the back, adding to weather resistance. This one covers everything BUT the laptop zippers. yes, they are quite weather resistant as noted, but this feels like a step back for weather resistance, given that the most critical pocket is left un-flapped. add in the side main panel access zippers and its a bit more problematic. This is marketed as a commuter and weather-ready bag, but this makes it feel like maybe another paramount model, or another brand, would be best for those who REALLY need that. Yes, this bag is MORE weather resistant than average, but if you need definitive coverage there this isnt your bag. -- Speaking of the flap, older models had a magnetic closure. This one uses a hook system, and the design of the hook is very aggressively tapered so that once hooked, it takes a significant bit of playing with to unhook it. Its still something I struggle to do in one smooth movement, so I usually just don't hook it unless I'll be out and about or quite active, and use the unzipped front pouch as a 'quick access little bucket' for keys, receipts, wallet, etc. Someone with a motor disorder that has a harder time with fine controlled movements will find this hook maddening probably. I understand that its there to prevent from coming undone easily, and it accomplishes that, but it still feels cumbersome. - the 'main pocket section' in the back of the large interior pocket seemed slightly skewed to the right. its uneven. its not a big enough deal to affect functionality at all, and is only noticeable if I take a moment to look at it, but its such an easily avoidable thing: just take the extra time to make sure its centered before sewing it together. its bad enough that, if the bag is fully loaded with the tech gear that would usually occupy those pockets, that the bag's weight distribution would be affected subtlety. Read more
