- Hey, it's Nathan from Pack Hacker
and in this video, we're going to be
taking a look at the PAKT One.
A 35 liter clamshell duffel
that claims to be the only travel bag you'll ever want.
Here at Pack Hacker, we're a team of frequent travelers
that do travel gear and bag reviews like this all the time.
So if you're new here, consider subscribing.
So let's jump in to this PAKT One review.
[upbeat music playing]
You can tell that a lot of thought and consideration
has gone into the design of the PAKT One.
And the outcome, in our opinion,
is a really great looking bag.
The professional aesthetic and duffel style
will also ensure that no one paints you as a tourist.
You won't find any branding or logos
whatsoever on the exterior of the PAKT One.
We really respect a brand that doesn't
feel the need to plaster logos everywhere
and in fact, the only branding that you'll find
is a small, sweet and simple PAKT logo
in the middle of the pack.
When it comes to color, you have three options.
Black, gray, and navy.
All of which compliment the professional-looking aesthetic.
Not all of the colors are made
of the same materials though,
and there's a few differences between them.
Which, in our opinion, is a bit of an odd decision.
The black is their rugged option,
made of 420D Nylon Dobby,
and features YKK RCPU wate- resistant zippers.
Whereas the navy and the gray version
that we have here, features coated polyester canvas
and unbranded zips that lack any water resistance.
So why not make all three versions
out of the same durable materials?
Well, PAKT do shed a little bit of light
on the zipper decision anyway -
on a Facebook Live video that we'll link
in the description down below -
where they state that they struggle to source YKK zips.
Which apparently aren't that much better anyway,
but that is according to them.
The only other difference between all three color options
comes with the interior lining.
The gray pack and the black bag
have a kind of light gray nylon lining,
where as the navy pack has a golden cotton lining.
Fortunately, PAKT do explain this decision again
in that Facebook Live video that we mentioned earlier,
and the reasoning is actually quite simple -
they just preferred the way that the cotton lining
worked, looked, and felt within the navy pack.
Which is fair enough I suppose.
[upbeat music playing]
The PAKT One has a surprising amount
of nifty stuff going on the outside.
There's plenty of external pockets
and a really smart design going on.
But let's start with what is the most crucial component
of any duffel bag, the shoulder strap.
The detachable shoulder strap fits right
into the overall aesthetic on the PAKT One.
And folds away relatively small when not in use.
The metallic carabiner on the strap
and loop attachment on the bag
are both sturdy and durable components,
which facilitate a quick and easy attachment
even if you're in a rush.
But what's the shoulder strap like to wear?
Well, with plenty of padding,
it's surprisingly comfortable,
delivering a decent overall carry.
Unfortunately, if you do max this thing out weight wise,
there will eventually come a time
when the strain on your shoulder
will start to take its toll.
Of course, regardless of what bag you're wearing,
if you have a heavy load, you are going to feel it
on your shoulders after a little while.
The issue we have here,
is that load is on one shoulder
as opposed to spreading it out across both.
Some people love the duffel-style carry,
but just be aware if you're planning
on really loading this thing up
and carrying it long distances.
Moving onto the second way to carry the PAKT One -
and that is, of course, by it's top handles.
They feel strong, are very well made
and are also molded in a way
that provides you with a really tight grip.
A small nitpick on our end though
is the lack of any padding.
Meaning the carry isn't terribly comfortable
after a little while.
On the PAKT One,
you will find four small accessory loops
on the outside of the bag.
Now PAKT say these are to attach water bottles to
or any other kind of travel items you have,
with a carabiner clip.
Now if you're into that kind of thing, then great.
But personally, we've never actually used them.
And that doesn't bother us too much
because you can't really tell that they're there anyway.
Moving onto the bottom of the PAKT One
and you will four pieces of leather looking material
on each corner for added durability.
Now they may look like leather
and do the exact same job,
but they're actually made of polyurethane.
And that's great because PAKT are committed
to delivering animal friendly products,
which gets a big thumbs up from us.
On each corner, you'll also find four studs
to protect your bag when it's resting on the floor.
Since this is a duffel,
you're likely going to be laying it down a lot.
So these studs are an essential addition.
Here at Pack Hacker, we dig an external pocket,
so we were happy to find four
on the outside of the PAKT One.
On this side here you'll find two
that are set right next to each other,
square in shape. And these are, by far,
our most used on this pack.
The great thing about these pockets
is that they are liter independent
from the main compartment.
Meaning they'll always have room for you.
The left-hand side pocket even features
a metallic key clip and some card holder sleeves.
Not things we've used too often, but cool to have.
On the other side of the PAKT One,
you will find two more external pockets.
The first one being a long sleeve-like compartment,
with a magnetic closure.
This sleeve is excellent for stuffing something in
if you're in a rush.
But it's not a pocket you want
to be putting valuables in
or anything that can fall out easily,
because the magnetic closure didn't work too well.
We found it comes open more often than not.
On the front of the magnetic closure pocket,
you'll find a long zippered compartment here.
And this houses one of PAKT's party tricks.
A patent pending TSA pocket here.
Which they've designed for you
to put your mobile phones in, wallets in, keys in
as you go through security at the airport.
This is super nifty pocket.
And we love the fact that PAKT has thought
about how people use their travel bags
and what features can improve a user's experience.
On the bottom of this TSA pocket here,
you'll notice this red strip.
Now according to PAKT, this serves as a reminder
to also get anything else out of your bag
that needs to go through the x-ray
at the airport separately.
Now, we're not sure if we're missing something here,
or whether a red label to you symbolizes this
and notifies you of that?
But if we've gone out of our way
to put our phones and passports into this pocket anyway,
surely we'd also think about everything else
inside of the pack.
So it sounds a little bit like marketing spiel to us
but regardless, it's there and it's a great little pocket.
[upbeat music playing]
On the top of the PAKT One,
you will find three openings.
The right side's going to give you access
to the right-hand side compartment.
The left side is going to give you access
to the left-hand side compartment.
And the middle one is going to open up
all the way like a clamshell.
The clamshell opening has been a common trait
in a lot of travel backpacks for a while now.
But this is relatively new territory
for duffel bags, and we love how PAKT
has brought this new feature to the game.
Being able to open this thing up like a suitcase
is, in our opinion, this bag's big selling point.
And we're happy to report that it works incredibly well.
The clamshell design means that organizing your pack
and being able to cram in as much stuff as possible
is a straight-forward and stress-free process.
But of course, you don't need to always open up
that big clamshell zip to get inside.
The great thing about the PAKT One
is that it retains its core duffel function.
Giving you the access zips here to each compartment
means that you can open them up,
stick your hand in, get something out quick.
And we love this, as well as the clamshell.
Both sides of the bag are pretty much identical.
They're both the same size,
feature a long zippered pocket -
which is ideal for smaller items
that would otherwise get lost inside
the bigger compartment - and have two small mesh pockets
on either side.
The only difference between the two
is that one of them is covered by a mesh panel,
whereas the other compartment is covered
by a nylon fabric panel.
And that's because the nylon one here
is also home to the laptop compartment.
This laptop compartment is conveniently located
in the middle of the bag.
Meaning that the weight is distributed evenly.
The main clamshell zip also
gives you quick access to the laptop
so it's easy to whip out if you're at the airport.
The compartment will fit most 15-inch laptops.
But just a note, it is a bit of a squeeze.
If you've got an additional sleeve
or thick case on it, chances are it's not going to fit.
[upbeat music playing]
We've been testing the PAKT One for the last two months.
And we've taken it on trips to the USA,
to Spain, and around the UK.
The considered design and functionality
make the PAKT One an absolute pleasure to use.
And the bottom line is
we've thoroughly enjoyed testing this pack.
That being said though, we do hold some concerns
over the durability and build quality of this bag.
First up, the stitching is downright shoddy in areas.
And for a premium product,
priced at the higher end of the market,
this is frankly unacceptable.
Not sure that we can say too much else here
other than please sort this out, PAKT!
Our next two areas of concern are the materials
that our gray bag is made out of.
Which is the coated polyester material
and also the unbranded zips used throughout the pack.
In only two months of use,
we're already finding abrasion marks
on the coated polyester material.
Which is not a great sign of things to come.
And moving onto the zips,
they do still work perfectly fine for us
but being unbranded, we remain skeptical
as to how long they will last.
We're also constantly wary
of being caught in any sort of downpour,
because these zips
will have water seep through them pretty easily.
It's important to know though
that most of our concerns here
would be solved by getting
the black version of the PAKT One -
which features those water resistant
RCPU YKK zippers throughout,
and that 420D Nylon Dobby material.
We have the gray version
and that's the one we've been testing here though.
And also let's remember that
all three versions of the bag
are all priced exactly the same.
PAKT claim that this is the ultimate travel bag.
And the only travel bag that you'll ever want.
So is it?
No, of course it's not.
And that's because the ultimate travel bag,
perfect for everyone, doesn't exist.
And likely never will.
But this doesn't mean that it's a bad bag though.
The fact is, everyone has different use cases
and people vary from person to person.
So although this may not be
the only travel bag you'll ever want,
the fact is that there are certain people -
maybe you watching this right now -
that the PAKT One may be perfect for.
Moving on to some pros and cons.
The PAKT One features a unique clamshell design.
There are plenty of useful external pockets.
And the PAKT One can work both
as a day pack and a travel bag.
Moving on to some of the cons.
It's not made using the most durable materials.
Fully loaded weight wise,
it is heavy to carry on just one shoulder.
And there's poor stitching within the pack
where loose threads can be found everywhere.
[upbeat music playing]
We found the PAKT One to be a great looking
duffel-style option for short city breaks.
And unique features like the TSA pocket
and handy external pockets will make your journey
through any airport an absolute breeze.
And surprisingly, we also found the PAKT One
to be a pretty good day pack, too.
If you're a fan of the duffel style and carry,
but want the ease of a clamshell pack,
then regardless of its pitfalls,
the PAKT One could be the bag
that you've been searching for.
Thanks for taking a look at our view of the PAKT One.
Be sure to head over to packhacker.com/newsletter.
Sign up for our newsletter and never miss an update.
Thanks for checking this one out,
we'll see you in the next video.
♪ Let's put the pocket away ♪
♪ Hiding the TSA pocket ♪
Which is this one here?
Don't know where that went.
That was a bit odd.
[upbeat music playing]