My trusty Osprey Stratos 24 is getting a bit rugged. I'm looking for a replacement in a similar size. It is essential that it can handle rain as it will often carry books and occasionally a mac air. I'm not familiar with UK/European brands so I'm looking for advice. No need to spend more than necessary but it should be comfortable, waterproof and ideally not ugly. Where to buy and what brands should I look for? I will wear it and sometimes my fiancée (174cm and 40KG) so nothing too bulky. For reference this is the last bag she picked (she likes green)
You're going to struggle to get anything properly waterproof, but most are water-resistant to some extent. A rain cover and maybe putting the laptop in a dry bag for extra security is probably the best option if you want to use it in sustained wet weather. As for brand, Osprey have always been good to me. Well made and well designed. Plus they have a pretty huge range now. Perhaps have a look at their more "urban" designs. Maybe bit a bit more durability and laptop/document compatibility, albeit probably at the expense of weight, long distance comfort and outdoors features. There are quite a lot of nice outdoor-y rucksack bands other than Osprey though. It's worth having a look at some online reviews on outdoors sites, but I think the best bet is to go to a big outdoors shop like Ellis Brigham/Snow&Rock/Cotswold to have a look what takes your fancy and try a load on.
Of these three beauties: They're practical, stylish and your classmates will thank you for keeping everyone running on time Or if you want even more style (is that even possible?!?!?), grab yourself one of these lovelies: Sure to keep arm fatigue and light rain showers in check
whats the point in the clock? faces the wrong way! unless you send your kids out on point so you can always tell the time without looking at your watch.
The clock is pretty lame, it doesn't even spin and I'm a bit disappointed by the noticeable lack swarovski crystals. I was happy with my current Osprey rucksack. I was a lot happier with the prices in HongKong than here. Can anyone recommend a good site for outdoor gear, preferably one that would allow me to sort rucksacks by some sort of size range. OutdoorKit looks good but the site keeps timing out on me.
They face the wrong way so you can smugly inform others behind you how late they are and how punctual you are.
Osprey make good sacks, go to a decent gear shop (or check out a site like Wiggle or Cotswold) and have a look at what's available (I have a Quasar that makes a good weekend pack that will take a 15" MBP). Deuter make good packs too. I have six different models of theirs. One's a 15L speed-light daily carry and the others are used from running to full on mountain packs. I also quite like Salomon, Jack Wolfskin, Lowe Alpine, Mammut, Haglofs, Black Diamond and Montane although I'm not familiar with their ranges for the type of bag you're probably looking for. If you buy one of these brands and like the pack it should last a while. The North Face are okay too, although I still think of their pack range to be a bit too fashion lead. I don't have one, but I know people who do, but the ortleib packs are pretty awesome if you want something bombproof. Great for bike use. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ortlieb-messenger-bag/ How rainproof do you need? Most sacks will shed off a bit of light rain, or you can use a separate rain cover to provide more. I'd always use an internal roll top dry back if I was expecting things to get properly wet. You can get packs with pull out rain covers (I have a Deuter bike pack that does this) but they add a bit of bulk. Disclaimer: I'm a rucksack nerd. I'm not exactly sure how many I have but it's somewhere upwards of 25. But there's really only three or four that get regular use.
I got a new one recently (Comany Branded - looks swish) Looks to be a HIGH SIERRA SWERVE BACKPACK. Much better than the Dell rucksacks we normally deploy.
I'm currently using this for work, http://www.sprayground.com/money-stacks-backpack-sprayground.html Probably one of the best bags I've ever got given, has a lined laptop pocket, sunglasses pocket, stash pockets for newspaper and ****, I carry tools and stuff too/from work with my stuff all safe. Oh and its comfortable. And baller.
