7/25/2023 0 Comments Packrat review![]() Alternatively you can use the strap to stow items outside the bag (assuming it’s not too far expanded already). ![]() This allows for the user to overstuff it to nearly double what the volume visually indicates. The expandable drawstring collar is a surprisingly nice feature, which in combination with a single buckle adorned strap is how you close the bag. Just due to the nature of the stretch material, the contents somewhat pushes into the inside of the pack. The side pouches stretch far enough to hold a 64oz Naglene bottle, though such large items might be harder to get in or out if the bag is really stuffed. The front pocket has a drain hole and is large enough to hold your wet rain jacket, a baseball hat or whatever. On the outside of the bag, made out of a stretchy spandex material, is a front pouch and two side pockets. These are the prices you pay for light weight do it all bags that skew towards outdoor adventures versus city commuting. In other words, though this bag does work with laptops, it’s certainly not optimized for it. Some bags address this by suspending the laptop sleeve inside the bag, but that wouldn’t really work here due to the design and size of the bag. You should probably consider an additional padded sleeve. So if you’re rough with your bag you’d really need to be careful about smashing your devices when you put the bag down. This hanging organizer would almost be better situated on the front side of the compartment.Īnother thing to consider for laptop users is that there is minimal padding. In those scenarios I’d strongly consider removing it, though on the other hand, internal organization for this bag is on the sparse side so you’d be giving something up. That said, the removable zippered pouch gets in the way much of the time, especially if you’re someone who is going in and out of your bag a lot, grabbing your laptop, etc. ![]() The laptop/water bladder sleeve is nice to have, especially when you want to stiffen up the back in some scenarios. Inside the Packrat is an expandable main compartment with a sleeve for a laptop or water bladder, a zippered compartment in front of the sleeve, and a removable zippered pouch. Assuming the stitching issues are addressed I think this bag is a great value at this price point. Quality in terms of materials used and design was pretty good, especially for a sub $100 bag. I don’t think this is either good or bad, just one thing worth noting. One difference when compared to the Dragonfly though is that there are no pouches attached to the straps. It does help to have a laptop or similar device to provide a bit more rigidity to the back panel in those scenarios. And while I don’t believe ULA provides a specific maximum or ideal load measurement, I’ve carried loads around 15-16 pounds in comfort. If anything they might be a tad overkill for the bag’s preferred loaded weight, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. These straps do a really great job of hugging your torso and distributing the load. The Packrat uses the same 3 inch, S-shaped straps that are on the Dragonfly and other bags in the ULA lineup. My commuting load is right around 10 pounds which is about perfect for this bag. So far I have primarily used this pack for commuting and day hiking. For example, the pack I review here is in black Dimension Polyant X51 with a blacked out logo, but there are about 38 or so other color and fabric choices I could have gone with! They can also embroider your name on the pack or change the colors of the logo. One of the great, unique things about ULA is that they build packs to order and have numerous fabric, color and material options available. This no frills approach helps keep the overall weight down while still keeping the bag fairly weather resistant. To achieve this, ULA has kept the bag design fairly simple. The Packrat is still a lightweight backpack, just focused a bit more for every day carry. The newer Packrat is one of ULA Equipment’s recent forays into the every day carry pack category (along with the Dragonfly and Burst). ![]() Their bread and butter are large volume, live-out-of-your-backpack type bags such as the Ohm 2.0, Catalyst, and Circuit. The biggest focus of ULA packs are always weight and comfort, as they’re primarily built for thru hiking and ultralight backpacking. They’ve been around for a while and are generally well regarded in those communities. If you’re new to the ultralight scene, ULA Equipment is a well known bag maker in the outdoor and backpacking world.
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