I was lucky enough to be the person who chose the company gifts, and after a lot of chats with vendors, I settled on ULA’s Cicada backpack in Ranger Green with a custom patch field. It’s lovely, and ULA was stellar to work with.
I expected that this would be a good backpack, but what I did not expect is how great this backpack actually is. It’s one of those bags where the simplicity of it, transcends anything which might be missing/lacking.
Materials & Specs
Here’s the notable specs (direct from ULA’s website):
- 30.7 OZ
- 22 L
- 25 LBS max load
- Main Body: 20 L
- Large Front Pocket: 1 L
- Small Front Pockets: 0.5 L (Each)
- Outside: 18″ x 11″ x 5″
- Inside: 18″ x 11″ x 4.5″
- Laptop Sleeve: 15.5″ x 10″
And a quick list of some of the standout features:
- X-PAC X50 Fabric
- Front Loading
- Luggage Pass-through Sleeve
- Exterior Accessible Padded Laptop Sleeve w/ False Bottom
- Four Quick-access Exterior Pockets: 2 Small + 1 Large + Hidden Passport Pocket
- 2 Interior Static Mesh Zippered Pockets
- Interior UltraStretch™ Mesh Side Pockets
- Full-height Interior UltraStretch™ Mesh Sleeve
- Pen Holder
- Padded Haul Loop
- ULA Signature S-Straps
- Removable + Adjustable Sternum Strap
- Rugged YKK Aquaguard Zippers
Essentially, everything you need in a good daypack that works for office or travel, but nothing you really don’t. The fit and finish of this bag is spot on, and I had the opportunity to see the finishing on 6 of these bags, and not one of them looked different. The X50 is nice, and not lined, so the weight remains low overall. The zippers are smooth, well sized, and easy to use. No complaints, fantastic size, shape, and fit/finish.
In Use
I’ve been testing and using this bag since December, so before I dive into it, I think it’s worth mentioning what ULA Equipment (who typically makes outdoor packs) says about the design mission of this bag:
Designed with travel in mind, the X50 Cicada features a luggage pass-through and hidden passport pockets for smooth, secure transitions. A breathable mesh back panel and padded haul loop deliver all-day comfort, while hip belt attachment loops offer a more supportive carry when needed.
I’ve used the bag for travel, EDC, and hiking. It’s a fantastic backpack all around, and so much more than what that statement really entails. If I were to grab a singular backpack I own, which I wanted to take on a plane with me, walk around any city, and also wear for a few real hikes — if I needed all three: then this Cicada is without a doubt the best backpack I’ve owned and used for that.
Even at that, as just an EDC/Travel backpack, this bag excels. The first thing you are going to notice about it is the sheer lack of weight on the bag. When empty, this backpack is astonishingly light. There is a framesheet, but it’s really the material choices, and the decisions not to add extra which make this lightweight bag happen. There are two primary materials: UltraStretch for the mesh and X50 for the structure and body. Unlike what many bag companies do, there’s no additional lining on the bag. There’s lining for the pockets, yes, but the sides are X50 and nothing else, that’s a small change with big impact to the weight and ability for the bag to be less rigid.
And it’s this lack of weight which helps make this bag so compelling.
Having said that, when you look at the images of this bag online, it’s underwhelming. And I don’t know why. I would not have chosen this bag if it were not for people who’s opinion I trusted saying how good the ULA bags are, and how much better they look in person. Online this bag looks a little stiff and abnormal. In person this looks completely normal, and not very stiff. It actually looks pretty good in person, enough that my wife complimented it — and she’s seen a lot of bags.
With the looks and the weight hitting the mark, the big question comes down to the utility of the bag. This is where the bag really starts to shine. You can get a few different options on this bag, and mine has the interior water bottle pockets, the external laptop access (no quick access pocket at the back/top), and an added loop field to attach a patch to it.
I found the organization of this bag to be unexpectedly clever, and pretty fucking great. The exterior of the front lid has three pockets, on one side of the bag is a nearly full length and width pocket, which I found great for things like a shemagh, or gloves, or beanies. The opposite side has two full width pockets, split in half height. These are great for quick access to smaller items, and work well. These pockets grab some volume from the interior, but mostly push the front flap outwards more as there’s a little baffle to the design. They hold a ton (ULA says 2L between those three pockets).
Inside the bag the clever org continues. The front flap has what is becoming rather standard with two zippered mesh pockets, both with a little dimension to them. At the top of the inner lid is an elastic pen loop, which I missed during the first month or two of use, but it works well and is quite handy. I’d prefer it in one of the smaller front pockets though.
The two water bottle pockets are nice to keep things tidy, and the large Ultrastretch pocket is handy as hell. The laptop sleeve is nearly completely sealed off from the main area, save maybe an inch gap at the top, this is designed to be accessed from outside the bag.
All in all, the org seems quite basic on the surface, but I quickly fell in love with it while using the bag.
Carrying the bag proved to be solid. At heavy loads over 15lbs, the straps can feel a touch narrow, but carrying heavy loads is not really the goal of this bag. It’s made to carry smaller and lighter loads. A laptop, some accessories, a water bottle, and maybe a layer or two. When you do that, the comfort is spot on. And it’s an easy bag to wear.
There are a few things I think could be better on this bag, notably:
- While the top handle is huge and awesome to grab, it’s designed such that the bag needs to be zipped shut of you are grabbing by this handle. Both the laptop access and the front flap should be closed. Which are both areas I found I left unzipped when working out of the bag, and when I went to move it, the handle really pulled that top bit of material. It turned a little sack like, I doubt you need to worry about damage, but it bothers me.
- The ladder locks used on the shoulder straps, coupled with the webbing material choice leads to a lot of slip on the strap adjustment. It’s decently common for me to toss on the bag and the straps are fully loose. That’s not great and can be quite annoying. It also means you really need to secure the strap length, or you need some sort of webbing management that is easy to adjust the straps with.
- The cord used for the front pocket zipper pulls are quite thin, and don’t offer as much grip as I would perhaps like — an easy fix at home though.
All in all, there’s not a lot wrong with this bag. It works well, looks good, and carries pretty great. It’s not made to be overbuilt, it’s instead built really well, and designed to keep you nimble while on the go, and it nails that.
Overall
Since getting this bag, it’s been my most used backpack. I am constantly going back to it, as it is a very easy backpack to use, and to live with. This is a very good bag.
And if you are looking for a bag which can do it all, taking you on plane, into and office, around the city, and then through some forests — off the top of my head I cannot think of a better bag than this Cicada for just that.
I highly recommend this one. Buy here, $320.