“Pros:
- No mesh backing, thankfully. Backpack mesh has ruined some of my clothes in the past, due it being abrasive against the clothing fabric and creating pilling. I initially looked at the EDC Pro version, but it had mesh, so no thanks.
- Most of the interior lining is a light colour which makes it much easier to see your items in low light. This is a thoughtful design choice that shows experience on the designer's part, and it baffles me when established brands overlook this.
- The EDC Backpack has an interior water bottle pocket which is handy for keeping the bottle in place and containing any incidental condensation. I found the pocket large enough for easy in-and-out use with a typical 600ml PET bottle. I'm glad it doesn't have an external bottle holder, which I wouldn't use anyway. I got this backpack mainly for work, not to look like a tourist.
- The backpack's main fabric both on the interior and exterior seems strong and durable.
Cons:
- The zips are small and don't feel robust. The metal zips have a cheap-feeling flexible tag attached to assist with zipping, but the tag feels thin and unsatisfying in the hand when opening and closing a pocket, especially when combined with the tiny zips.
I often find it awkward to zip the pockets with one hand due to the small size of both the zip and the zip channel. I frequently need to hold the bag just right with my other hand, in order to get the zip teeth to line up straight enough to close.
This was annoying when travelling, as I needed to frequently access my passport and other items. One might argue that it makes your bag more secure, but there are other ways to do this without it being a daily frustration.
- The backpack has a fabric handle at the top for carrying. This is just one strip of fabric with no foam interior or thickness to provide a confident (and comfortable) grip. The handle becomes more uncomfortable to use when the bag gets heavier, such as when carying a laptop. It makes the bag feel cheap.
Other caveats:
- This backpack really needs another pocket for small items. I find the main interior is definitely large enough, but there's many small items that I have to try and cram in the other available pockets.
- When the main compartment is fully unzipped, the front lining just flops right back with no real structure. Since the front contains an inner pocket, if the zipper of that pocket happens to be open, then items are liable to fall right out when the front fabric flops over.
- No fleece lining in any pockets, despite having two tablet/laptop pockets. It was never advertised as such, but it is disappointing not to see any refinements like this, especially for the cost.
Overall this bag seems more like a generic department store backpack. If it were a quarter of the price, I'd say it was great. But the cons I've pointed out make it feel like they were cutting a lot of corners, which I don't find appropriate for the price. 3 out of 5 stars.”
Thanks so much for the thoughtful and detailed review! We really appreciate you taking the time to share both what you liked and what could be improved — especially the notes on materials, lining, and zips. We'll definitely pass this along to our design team for consideration in future updates. Your insight helps us get better. Thanks again for supporting Rushfaster!
