Escapade™ Backpack Daintree

Backpack

Nice backpack and a nice price

Great as an everyday backpack but not for hiking

I'll start off with what I like because there is a lot! -Pockets are great and huge, the zips are large and feel substantial. -water bottle pockets are huge, it's never fallen out -It fits so much and has extra space in the bottom with straps or if you wedge things between the front clips. It's been a great replacement for my old too small day pack and easy to throw everything in when I'm out and about on the evenings and weekends. However, I also bought this to be my main day hiking bag and that's where it falls down for me. I did a long day hike with a full pack to put it through its paces and it didn't have the support I wanted and was uncomfortable and heavy. The padded straps either cut into my armpits or my chest (if I use the strap), because they're padded like a school backpack unlike the thin curved ones, they didn't give as much support and got hot and itchy through the day. The where the waist clips attach to the bag come undone periodically and I'm surprised I still have both of them (had this since nov-25), they sit quite high up the body so I'm loading the weight onto the smallest part of my waist rather than my upper hip and doesn't give great support. The lack of back structure and adjustable top straps (at the top of the shoulder straps attaching to the body) means that on a full day hiking with a decent load in my bag, this was very uncomfortable and didn't give me as much support as I needed. Heaps of people in reviews said this was their go to bag for hiking and that's part of the reason I chose it over a more technical bag, but those features are what made it comfortable to use and without them I don't feel it's fit for that purpose for me. I'm going to buy a different bag for hikes and keep this one as a day bag, cause as long as I'm not actually carrying it all day, it's great.

So happy I splurged

This is going to be my favorite backpack ever, I just know it. I’ve only been using it a few days and it’s already become indispensable. All of my other backpacks have been flimsy, uncomfortable, and mysteriously an inch or two too narrow or short for what I want to put in it. This beast is perfect dimensionally and it’s tough as nails. All that, and it looks awesome. If I had one vote for a future enhancement, it’s to add a strip of foam rubber or other bumper material along the bottom of the laptop storage. I’ve made do with a bar of foam rubber packing material. Nobody can see it so I’m good.