Top critical review
2.0 out of 5 starsLooks really great! Well built. One HUGE showstopper.
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2019
UPDATE 1/31/19: I've had this a few weeks now and a chance to use it more. I don't use a full backpack often but was hoping this would fit the bill. As stated before, it's well built and VERY stylish. BUT, and it's a BIG but, it has one serious flaw that I cannot ignore. The main arm straps are ridiculously short. I'm only 5'7" and have an average sized chest, shoulders, and arms and when wearing this the barely make it around my shoulders (see picture). What this means it that the arm straps end right in your armpits and makes the pack, IMHO, very uncomfortable and downright odd feeling to wear. The adjustment buckle rubs on you, gets in the way when you put your arms by your side, and the pack always feels super tight. Maybe if I was 5'2" and weighed 100 lbs this might be fine...maybe. I really like most everything about this backpack (well, the external bottle pockets could be a little bigger to accommodate larger bottles, but this isn't a big deal) but because of the weird short straps it will likely be relegated to very rare use. It's a shame, all it needed was maybe 4-6 inches more of material.
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Initial review:
Just got this a few days ago and finally used it today. It's attractive, seems to be well built, and a great value. The only thing that really needs to be mentioned is that the padded shoulder straps are almost laughably short. I'm of about average shoulder width and size (no bodybuilder here) and the straps are short enough that the plastic piece that the adjustable nylon strap goes through ends up right in your armpit which for some, or over time, could get annoying. Note that due to the nylon strap adjustment it is wearable, it's just that the padded straps should be probably be at least 4 inches or so longer.
Also, more internal pockets might be nice. But I'm a pocket guy...you can never have too many pockets!
And also, the leather straps and buckles aren't functional in the way you may think, they actually close with magnets on the back which is really much better than if you had to buckle them open and closed all the time. The magnets hold really well and make getting in and out a LOT easier.
