There are endless categories of backpack types out there, but I think the hardest of them all to find a good backpack in the ‘grab-and-go’ class of backpacks. This backpack is the genre defining backpack — it’s the classic Jansport. Simple, unobtrusive, no-fuss, all utility. Finding a better looking backpack that can still do this like a Jansport is not easy — I’ve been chasing it for a long time.
Bags like the Filson Journeyman come tantalizingly close, but things like an overly large weather flap, and scratchy brass zippers will always set that bag back. As good as it looks, there’s just enough friction, that I keep looking for the next one.
Enter Amundsen’s ‘V-Bond’ (aka Vagabond, depending on the website you look at) 25 Daypack. It’s a very simple backpack, which somehow really nails the ease of use, while adding excellent visual interest.
Specs and Materials
This bag is 100% cotton canvas with leather straps and other leather details. It’s rated at 25L and the stated dimensions are: 26” x 13.8” x 5.9”. There’s three zippers (YKK vislon) and a roll top with a very fiddly little metal buckle.
My measurements peg this bag at 21” tall when rolled shut, 11.5” wide at the base, and 6” deep at the base. I’m guessing the discrepancy is that I am measuring what the dimensions are when you are using it, rather than laid flat with the top unrolled.
There’s two front pockets, a laptop sleeve with full side access, and a roll top. There’s an open top pocket which is along the back of the bag and only accessible from the roll top, and a side accessed pocket sewn to the front of that pocket which is accessible from the side zip. It is that latter pocket which is the laptop sleeve. There’s no padding anywhere in this bag, and the laptop sleeve then only has a couple layers of canvas between the laptop and your back, and while the pocket is suspended from the bottom of the bag, that’s not as great as it sounds, given that there’s no structure keeping the pocket from being the new bottom of the bag.
In Use
There are, effectively, no good reviews or information to be had about this bag other than the couple of sentences the brand tells you. I had not seen one in person before buying this one, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I have three quick thoughts:
- This bag is very silly in a lot of ways.
- It’s laid out surprisingly well.
- I keep using it despite it not really being that amazing of a backpack.
The V-Bond 25 is one of those amorphous bags, where looking at the stated specs are misleading and meaningless. This bag could have been cranked out as a simple roll top, and that would be that. It’s nothing crazy fancy, but fitting for the brand.
Except, here Amundsen added a couple of things which take this bag from the boring and ordinary, to somewhat practical. And it’s that practicality, which brings me back to this bag when I simply need to grab something to stash a bunch of gear in quickly.
This is the type of bag which craves to be tossed around and looks better for it.
Before we dive into the good, I’ll start with the not great:
- There’s no framesheet, so whatever is against your back in this bag, is what you’ll feel. For this style, I think this is the correct choice, but it does mean that you should keep that in mind. There’s also no padding, which is less common for this type of bag.
- The straps are completely fine, and yet not great for heavier loads. They are rather short, so be prepared for the leather portion to be against your body.
- The roll top closure is clunky, slow, and not very secure. It’s more aesthetic than functional, though in practice this doesn’t matter as much as you might think.
- There’s far too many logos, I have hope that they fade off over time, but why each shoulder strap needs a logo is completely unknown to me.
What pulls this bag back to being quite noteworthy:
- The two front pockets are nicely sized, and bring a lot of utility to the bag for easily accessing gear.
- The large side access zipper allows you to not only get at your laptop in the sleeve, but also to get at the entire bag, so you won’t need to open the roll top often (or in my case, ever).
- It looks really nice, and all of the materials feel soft and pliable — the materials are top notch.
- There’s a lot of space in this bag, it’s stated to be 25L and you get all of that and maybe a touch extra with this bag.
- There’s absolutely no fuss with this bag if you don’t use the roll top.
I mentioned the Jansport at the start of this, and I think Amundsen built a bag which is about as comfortable as a Jansport to carry, which looks better, and has slightly better utility to it overall. Becuase of the floppy nature of the materials, any measurements are done with a large asterisk denoting that’s only when he bag is perfectly still, laying flat on the ground — at all other times this bag is changing shapes to fit the wearer and the goods it carries.
That’s not to forget that this isn’t something special to carry. It’s not super comfortbale. It’s not made for heavy loads. But it is very much not a gimmick the brand tossed on the website to check the ‘backpack’ box. I do think that this would be just fine for a short day hike.
But where it excels is bumming around town, at a beach, a park, or a quick jaunt over to see a friend with a couple of bottles of whiskey. It’s laid back, but it can still handle itself. It’s a bag I keep at the bottom of the closet to grab when I need something — anything — without having to think about it. It always works for that.
Overall
Amundsen labels this backpack as “versatile storage” in the end of their description, and I cannot think of a better label to apply here. It’s not going to be the bag you want over all others for any one thing.
But, if like me, you keep this in an easy grab spot, it’ll be a backpack you grab over and over again when you need to head out the door.
For $179 there’s a lot of options you could buy, but I can assure you that none of them look nearly as good as this. And the fact that this is more than just a good looking bag, well it’s the reason I keep using it.