- The Ruckpack 40 from REI offers a minimalistic
form factor with some big functionality.
And in this review we're going to be diving
into the men's and the women's version.
Both of which Hanna and I, our Content Strategist here,
have been testing for a week each.
I'm Tom the founder of Pack Hacker
and we love helping people optimize their travel experience
with guides and reviews just like this one.
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Let's jump right into the urban-focused,
budget-friendly, functional Ruckpack from REI.
[upbeat music playing]
The Ruckpack from REI stays true to their technical focus.
However, a lot of things have been optimized
specifically for urban travel.
At the time of this review it's offered
in a couple of different colors,
as well as a men's and a women's version.
The men's is offered in black and dark army cot.
The women's version is offered in black, cacoa, and seaweed.
Of course we went with black because ... black.
We dig the low profile from an aesthetic perspective.
However, beauty is always in the eyes of the beholder.
That's why we polled our Instagram audience
to see what they thought of the look of this pack.
We'd love for you to head over to Instagram
and follow @packhacker so you can be involved
in future polls.
From a branding perspective REI has kept it minimal as well.
We have a subdued logo on the front of the pack.
There's a small logo on the strap.
A small label indicating the pack name and capacity.
As well as a tag that indicates the men or the women's
version of the pack.
From a materials perspective REI has incorporated
some good stuff across the board as well.
There are YKK zippers throughout.
The main compartment zipper being a
#8 Racquet Coil zipper.
If you haven't heard of YKK yet,
they're a Japanese zipper company and they make
some of the best zippers in the world.
There's ITW plastic hardware throughout.
They usually make a lot of buckles for the military.
So the plastic in the buckles are of high quality.
The material on the exterior is a 210D ripstop nylon.
This is a bit of a lower number for a pack.
However, that ripstop feature will help
prevent smaller rips from getting larger with this bag.
And lastly, there is a spring steel internal frame
that helps a lot with keeping the pack's structure
with the lower denier of fabric.
Starting with the outside of the pack
let's take a look at the harness system first.
To kick this off the main difference
between the men's and the women's focus packs
is going to be this harness system
for a couple different reasons.
First of all, these straps are different for each version.
On the women's version these straps appear
to be a little bit thicker.
On the men's a little more narrow
and there are different shapes on each of these as well.
On the women's version the harness system
is anchored a little bit lower than on the men's version.
And this optimizes for a smaller torso.
So that bag is going to sit a little bit higher
on your back which helps distribute the load.
Small note on the women's focus version -
if the pack is a little bit higher on your back,
you have a ponytail or long hair,
that can stick right into the back of the pack.
Hannah can verify:
- [Hannah] "Yep!"
Starting with the straps we've got some
decent density foam going on here
that helps with a comfortable carry.
On the top you have some load lifters
which help optimize where the weight is on your back.
And helps fit the pack to your body.
We were a little bit confused on this
however, because the anchor is about halfway
down the strap. And this is especially noticeable
on the men's version.
When you pull and tighten this the strap
can kind of get crumpled up a little bit.
Usually packs will anchor these a little bit higher.
So we're not exactly sure what's going on
with the anchoring here too - it doesn't seem to be optimal.
There's also a sternum strap here
which has a built in safety whistle.
If you ever get into a bind you can use that.
[loud whistle blow]
Also, two elastic loops on the straps
so you can hang a carabiner clip off it if you'd like.
Anyway you want to use that, they're right there.
Plus there's a perfectly padded hip belt at the bottom.
Not too big and great for urban travel.
Provides a lot of support without being bulky.
What does make it bulky though
is that it's not removable or hideable.
When it's not in use it's kind of just like,
flapping around at your sides.
And it can get annoying quite quickly.
We prefer packs where these are removable or hideable.
A lot of other packs do it.
So go take a look at some of our other reviews
if that's important to you.
The hip belt offers an elastic keeper
which helps with strap management.
Which we love.
However, you're not going to find that on every strap
of this pack.
So the compression straps on the side,
sternum strap and these shoulder straps,
don't offer any additional elastic keepers
to keep those straps from freely dangling around.
There's a pretty hefty back panel here
that you can definitely feel.
There's some mesh, some very dense foam,
which helps with a more structured carry on the back.
However it'll take you a little bit to get used to it.
So you can definitely feel it.
I know Hannah and I were trying this out.
First couple of times we had it on,
we're like, "Oh that's kind of weird."
But then as the week progressed,
as we wore it everyday, we definitely got used to it.
And kind of started to like it.
Helps with ventilation.
About the most ventilation that you can get here
without having an external frame.
On the top you've also got a stitched handle
that you can use if you don't want to put your pack
directly on the floor.
Although you can't hide the hip belt individually,
the entire harness system hides.
If you do want to check your bags,
that's a great feature to have -
keeps the straps all nice and tucked away
as it's going onto the airplane as a carry-on.
Pretty easy to use - just unvelcro it from the bottom,
unravel it and zip all these straps away.
It can be a little bit tricky
to align the velcro back up perfectly.
But with some practice you'll get better at it.
One additional minor kind of nit pick here
is that there's always an exposed zipper
on the outside of the pack.
Some packs have like a little bit of a fabric flap
to hide that a little bit.
And it does look a little bit odd.
It doesn't affect the functionality at all.
More of just an aesthetic preference.
We don't like to have, like an open looking zipper
around the entirety of the pack.
Your mileage may vary.
Of course we're going to bring everything up
that we can in this review even if it's a really tiny nitpick.
And this is definitely a very tiny nitpick.
So that's it for the harness system.
Let's move on to the other components on the exterior.
There are two handles on the side of this pack as well.
And these are going to be good for taking the bag
out of the overhead bin or carrying to a cab.
Things like that.
Shorter distance carry.
These aren't necessarily optimized for longer distance carry
because they're anchored towards the back
and the side of the bag.
So the weight isn't evenly distributed.
Gives you a little bit of tilt as you're carrying it.
The water bottle in these side pockets
are large, compressible and expertly designed.
Each has a small cinch strap with a nylon gusseted material.
And there is a stretchy mesh material here as well.
Great for fitting larger bottles.
If water bottles are not your thing
and you want to hold something a little bit longer -
there are diagonal compression straps
on the side here as well,
detachable with a buckle.
So that's going to be great for holding things like a tripod.
You can stuff a jacket in there as well.
Super helpful to have that feature.
Additionally, they're great if your pack
is a little bit more empty and you just want to
compress it down a little bit
to give it a smaller form factor.
Above those compression straps are two nylon loops
which can help hold in taller items as well.
Or use as a carabiner clip.
Basically anything you want to use
in the exterior of your pack.
Low profile so they don't come out too far.
However, they are there if you'd like to use them.
Now onto some of my personal favorite features of this pack
that give it that high functionality and minimal aesthetic.
First of all there is a hidden daisy chain
on each side of these packs.
Going to be great to have those lash straps,
if you do want to use them.
However, they're hidden by a flap
if you don't want to use them.
Also, there are four small pockets here
where the straps go that are ideal for holding
trekking poles or other longer items.
Again, when you're not using these,
easily stow them away to keep a low profile.
Better in a crowded urban area
so you're not getting caught up on everything.
However, when you hit the trail it's easy enough
to just take these out and utilize them as you see fit.
Really smart design going on here
and we love the functionality and the minimal aesthetic.
Lastly, there's a dedicated zip compartment
on the bottom of the bag that's going to hold a rain fly.
This pack offers some weather resistance on it's own,
However, having that ensures the next level
of weather protection.
Quick deploy, always there,
easy to access.
Also you may be able to fit a couple
other items inside with it.
Maybe some dirty clothes or sandals
if your shoe size is a little bit smaller.
Moving on to the interior of the pack.
Let's start with the quick access pocket on the top.
This thing fully opens up in a horseshoe fashion
allowing you quick access to things
that you want to grab on the go.
We love these types of pockets
and the placement is great.
Next up on the wearer's right-hand side
you have a side access pocket here
with a bunch of organization as well.
First of all the YKK zipper on the side
is paired with a small pull tab
which helps you open the side pocket with ease.
It's one of those small little details
that you didn't know you needed until you have it.
Once you learn about it - you love it.
This whole side system kind of reminds us
of the Eagle Creek Global Companion pack that we've reviewed,
as well as the Peak Design Travel line.
This type of organization is something
that we would've liked to have seen in the top pocket.
Just to a bit of a lesser degree.
The top side pocket offers a soft interior
which is good for tech
that's a little bit more delicate, or things with screens.
There are four pockets here for pens, pencils, styluses.
Maybe even a spork or portable chopsticks
if that's your thing.
And then there's one larger divider pocket below.
Lastly, there is a zip pocket that goes behind
this entire organization system.
Arguably, that's a little bit more secure,
since it's under two layers of zippers.
So just good to put anything back there.
Great organization going on,
on the side of this pack.
The wearer's left-side pocket is a little bit different.
And that's going to offer an interior mesh stretch pocket.
This is good for a reservoir tube to fill with water.
You can throw a water bottle in the interior as well.
Or I found that using this pocket for like a keyboard
if you want to travel around with one of those,
or something that's longer and flatter.
It's great for that use.
One of the things that I dig with these side pockets as well
is each side serves a very different function.
However, they look symmetrical from the outside.
So the wearer's right-hand side zips down the entirety
of the pack, and the left-hand side zips down
only about half way.
Just to make it more functional
with the intended use case of each side.
Moving on to the main access of the pack
these zippers here are lockable,
which is a nice additional security feature.
One note on that though, is that you can access
the main compartment from the pocket
with the mesh inside of it as well.
And that is not a lockable zipper.
So this isn't really a bullet-proof solution.
However, if you are looking for something
a little bit more secure go take a look
at a bag from Pacsafe.
We've reviewed one on our channel.
They definitely put security top of mind
when designing their packs.
The zipper positioning here allows you
to get a full view inside of the pack,
after only unzipping these a little bit.
This is an awesome design compared to other
clamshell bags that open up all the way.
Normally, you have to unzip those a little bit more
to get an entire view on what's going on inside of your bag.
When you open up the pack all the way
you'll need to unbuckle those side compression straps
which is a small annoyance.
Some bags position those to where they're
not behind the zipper.
However, with this it's fine since there's
just two on each side.
The opening is a pretty large space
that's optimal for packing cubes.
REI makes their own brand.
However, really any brand will do in here.
We are a big fan of Eagle Creek's Pack-It Specter Cubes
due to their light weight and durability.
There is a top, meshy stretch pocket here
which gives you a little bit of depth.
And there is a plastic clip here for keys as well.
This larger mesh pocket on the top is good
for flatter items or smaller things
like underwear or socks, etc.
if you aren't using packing cubes.
And lastly, on the back of the pack
there is a hydration pocket/laptop compartment.
There's a hydration port on each side of this bag
depending on which side you want the hose
to come out of, if you are using it with a water bladder.
When using this compartment for your laptop
we definitely recommend a padded laptop sleeve.
The pocket itself isn't structured or padded
and it's a little bit loose overall.
This blue thing helps a little bit
with holding it down.
However, it's just not quite as structured
as we'd like to see for putting your laptop
inside of here without any additional protection or padding.
Lastly, on the back of the pack
there is a reverse zipper here.
It's a little bit mysterious.
That's going to be what's going to hold the internal frame sheet.
It's not really a pocket.
I guess if you wanted to you could like,
stuff a bunch of cash down there.
If you're just really cash rich or something
and you're traveling.
However, it's just a reverse zipper.
You're not really meant to access it regularly.
Holds that internal frame.
At the time of this review - Hannah,
our Staff Content's Strategist, and I
have been testing both the men's and the women's version
for one week each.
Both of us like the fit of the pack.
Even more so after we got used to that stiffer foam
on the back panel.
Is this a great bag overall?
Definitely.
Is it extremely durable?
It's pretty good.
There are definitely more durable packs out there.
It's not a military grade bag.
However the materials that REI has selected
for this thing and how they put it together -
it's a pretty solid package.
And we're excited to keep using this
in the future as we test it for longer.
All right, so to wrap this thing up
with some pros and cons.
The top access is great.
You can fully see inside of the pack
with only a little bit of unzipping.
The water bottle pockets are really nicely designed.
This bag offers a minimalistic aesthetic
and big functionality with a lot of hidden features
on the exterior.
We like that it keeps a clean low profile,
and still offers some great functionality.
On to some of the cons. The laptop compartment isn't great
and it's not as structured as we'd like to see.
You can't hide the hip belt which can be an annoyance
if you don't want to use it.
And lastly, the load lifters appear
to be improperly anchored.
Especially on the men's version this is apparent
with the thinner straps.
They can crinkle as you tighten these up.
The REI Ruckpack offers an overall solid experience
in carry and organization.
The aesthetic is minimal and there's a bunch
of hideable features on the outside
that tuck away when not in use.
A great blend of form and function.
We found several small nitpicks with this pack.
However, there's not a ton of glowing cons either.
It's great that REI is considering
the men's and women's focus carrying experiences as well.
Thanks for taking a look at our view on the REI Ruckpack.
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Thanks for checking us out.
We'll see ya in the next video.
There are s'more.
(laughs)
There are s'more?
Great for taking the car.
The car of bags?
No.
The Ruckpack 40.
(claps)
The Ruckpack 40.
(claps)