- The YNOT Deploy is a durable 15-liter packable day pack
that is great for the road
and actually wears like a real backpack -
versus some of those other compressible bags out there,
and that's what we really like about it.
I'm Tom, the founder of Pack Hacker,
where we use our expertise
and real world experience, provide practical resources
and honest opinions guiding you towards smarter travel.
So, let's jump right into the YNOT Deploy.
[upbeat music playing]
The look of the Deploy is sleek and minimal
and it does actually feel
like a regular daily driver backpack
while you're wearing it around.
This is a big contrast to other packable daypacks
in the market that use a thinner meshier material
and ripstop nylon.
These typically don't hold their shape that well
but the YNOT Deploy does a really great job at that
because it's a bit more structured
than your typical packable daypack.
We chose the black and reflective version.
And I personally was just about to go for that multicam
cuz I personally like the way it looks,
but I don't think I'm there yet.
I'm not quite there to pull that off.
There are a ton of other color options on the site
in addition to just black,
and with those colors
sometimes the material changes as well.
So here's the materials lineup:
we've got either 600D Tough Duck, 1000D Cordura,
or 10.10 ounce Heritage Waxed Canvas.
From a branding perspective
there is a small minimalistic tag on this thing
featuring YNOT's branding
which is a condensed and bold typeface because ... YNOT.
We think the Deploy looks slick, however,
aesthetics are always in the eyes of the beholder.
That's why we polled our Instagram audience
to get their thoughts.
It turns out a lot of people
like the way that this pack looks.
So to wrap up the materials,
we have a Duraflex rotating acetal snap hook
for use when the bag is compressed -
and basically that's just a hook with a clip on it.
Very fancy technical terms going on.
There are automotive grade seatbelt straps
on the Deploy as well.
This is a great design for a smaller pack.
However, a lot of other packable daypacks that we've seen
feature a breathable air mesh with a little bit of padding -
and when in hot weather, you're wearing a tank,
and this is skin to skin.
It's going to definitely pick up a lot more sweat
than with the air mesh straps on a smaller packable daypack.
YNOT pulls together all these materials in Toronto, Canada
to create the Deploy.
This small, bespoke brand also offers a lifetime warranty
so they really stand behind their products;
although we have not needed to test this warranty yet
in our two months of testing.
Starting in the compressed state
the YNOT Deploy is a small square pancake
that's stuffed into it's own front pocket.
All of the fabric is held inside
with a #8 YKK 8c zipper
that is double sided.
Next to that, we have that Duraflex swivel buckle
that's going to be great for clipping this
to the interior of your pack,
the exterior of something else, or to hold keys inside of it
or other hookable items. Because when you do unfold this -
which I'll show you in a second -
this is actually inside of that front pocket
for some additional organization.
And then there's a nylon loop tab
at the other corner as well. And this comes in handy, again,
if you just want to hang it on a carabiner
or something like that
if you don't want to use this Duraflex clip.
Another little hack that it does
is when the bag is uncompressed you can grab that tab,
pull it, and it makes it a lot faster
and easier to fully compress.
So a nice little hack from YNOT there.
One note is that this bag is slightly bulkier
when fully compressed compared to other packable daypacks
on the market.
And that's the price that you pay for the durable materials
that match an ordinary EDC backpack.
Also, when fully compressed,
there is some extra room on the sides.
So this thing isn't fully jammed in.
It is easy to get in,
but the space isn't entirely perfectly optimized
and we think that's something to maybe consider
for the next version of the Deploy.
However, we do understand that this is how the template
is cut, because that front pocket is basically the size
of this little square pancake.
To uncompress the bag - simply unzip the zippers
and pull the rest of the fabric out, as well as the straps.
It's super easy and takes no time at all.
So that small square that we just unpacked is the dimension
of this front pocket. And that's just a nice little partition
to hold things outside of the main liter capacity
of the YNOT Deploy.
A lighter or more compressible jacket fits well
into this front pocket in a pinch.
One note, is that the bigger zipper pulls on this thing
can be a little bit hard to fully close.
Sometimes that big zipper pull can get in the way
of closing this pocket.
That's a really minor nitpick, but that's why our channel
is here - because we like to pick up
on all those little details.
Moving on to the harness system -
starting with the webbing loop on the top here,
it is a simple grab handle as well as
a way you hang up the pack; pretty standard.
The entire system here seems sturdy and reinforced
and I personally like how they have handled
the seatbelt design here. So it folds over, they stitch it
and then they attach it to that nylon strap.
Plus the seatbelt straps are pretty easily adjustable
due to the plastic hardware here,
as well as the small loop on the bottom
to grab on to for extra grip, if you want to use that.
Moving on to that main compartment -
the YKK #8c zippers
open up horseshoe style here. And basically what that is
is it just kind of stops on the sides here.
It doesn't go all the way down and fully clamshell,
but you have enough room
to access the main liter capacity of the pack.
We generally recommend using packing cubes and pouches
for organizing larger pieces of travel gear.
And with the YNOT Deploy,
you would have these same recommendations.
Using something with padded protection -
like the GORUCK padded Field Pocket -
will not only help protect your gear
from this already thin material going on here,
but it will also keep things in their shapes
and prevent stuff from poking into your back
as you're wearing this thinner material backpack.
At the time of this review,
I've been using the YNOT Deploy for about two months
between Detroit, Amsterdam and here in Porto, Portugal.
In that time, it's been a great
little compressible workhorse.
One thing to note here is that the standard coil zippers
can come undone a little bit more than we would want.
With most of the bags that I test,
I like to have both zippers on the center near the top.
However, when it is like this on the YNOT Deploy,
it can start to unzip if it's filled up
with a bunch of heavy items.
One thing that I found is that this does not happen
when these zippers are on the sides.
So if they're on the side, it is completely safe.
Wondering a little bit here, why YNOT decided to opt for
the coil zipper versus the racquet-coil zipper
that is popular in a lot of bags and luggage.
It's a bit of a stronger zipper with a stronger bond,
doesn't quite come as unzipped quite as easily.
One other small nitpick, is that the reflector piece
on the YNOT Deploy is picking up marks and scuffs
and crinkles a little bit faster
than any other area of the pack.
So just note that.
This is the only color that comes
with the reflector version. However,
we're always going to point out these nitpicks
because we just love drilling into things.
Other than that, the pack has held up solidly
and it looks beautiful and it's just really a joy
to use on the day-to-day.
So to wrap this thing up with some pros and cons.
This looks and feels like a daily driver backpack,
even though it's compressible.
It compresses and uncompresses quite easily.
On some other packable daypacks
you are really stuffing that in for a while.
And lastly, the durable materials and solid craftsmanship
come together to create a really great little packable pack.
On to some of the cons. The zippers are a little bit weak,
especially when the pack is filled to the brim.
The seatbelt shoulder straps can run hotter
than the mesh alternatives.
Lastly, this is larger than other packable daypacks
we've seen in it's compressed state;
plus the compressed size isn't completely optimized either.
The YNOT Deploy is a simply- designed, sleek-looking
packable daypack that's perfect for using
as a daily driver to compliment your larger luggage
or backpack when you're on the road.
Although the compressibility is a tad larger than expected,
and we've had some nitpicks with the main zipper,
the Deploy is a highly functional bag that's crafted well
using some great high-quality materials.
So there you have it - the YNOT Deploy.
Please let me know in the comments
what you think of this bag,
as we love hearing your thoughts.
Some of the best ideas come from you, the community.
So thanks a lot for checking out this review.
This is from Pack Hacker ... your guide to smarter travel.
We'll see you in the next one.