Drive By :: JBird Collective Techpack

by Carry HQ, May 12, 2015

Josh Rogers gets behind the wheel for our latest Drive By featuring the JBird Collective Techpack. Surfer, official nicknamer and Sales Director for Bellroy, Josh put the pack through its paces with travel, work and trade show duty…

Who It Suits

Travelers and working professionals in smart-casual environments.

Who It Doesn’t

Crew looking for a bag with lots of organization or something that suits formal work settings.

The Good

In terms of aesthetics I dig the overall look of the bag. Not too active that I feel like I need to be rock climbing, and not too business that I felt uncomfortable walking around the trade show – where crew dress to impress. In fact I received a bunch of positive comments on the bag.

I also like the front top pocket. I used this more than any other pocket on the bag. It’s a really good size for key items when I’m traveling – passport, sunnies, note pad…and there’s easy access with the metal clip.

However, the flap doesn’t always remain flat when closed. If there is a little bit of weight in the pocket it tends to pull down. The flap is potentially a little short and the bag doesn’t have much structure, so the flap gets a little odd and looks like a half tucked in tee-shirt.

The quality of the materials and trims are solid. The canvas and leather are really nice. I also like how they have used canvas lining internally (although not sure on red) rather than using a cheap polyester or cotton lining. The metal trims, webbing and zips (all YKK) are nice. I never had an issue with zippers jamming (a pet hate of mine).

The leather handles on the front and top of the bag are solid and well placed. I used these a bunch getting on and off the plane and carrying the bag – maybe because the shoulder straps were a little short for me, but maybe I’m just abnormally elongated.

The build is great. There’s no loose stitching (aside from the raw edge on the shoulder straps – see below). Other materials are showing no signs of aging (even the leather). And I wasn’t gentle with it.

“The quality of the materials and trims are solid.”

The pack is a super versatile size. Checking into the airport coming home, I was over my check-in baggage allowance. But I was able to fit a pair of sneakers, jeans, a hoodie and shirt, along with my usual carry-on items including a laptop, iPad, glasses, book, headphones, cords and some other shit in the pack. Worth noting I’m a size 13, so they were not a pair of midget sneakers.

“The pack is a super versatile size.”

You could easily use this backpack as a weekender – it can carry a heavy load. On the flip side I’ve been using the bag as a daily/office workhorse (laptop, iPad, headphone, glasses, vegimite sandwich) and it’s great.

The Not So Good

I wasn’t a fan of the laptop side entry. I only run a 13-inch MacBook Pro and the side entry is super tight when the bag is loaded up. The weight pulls down on the panel work and shortens the zip, making the entry really tight.

Plus there’s a lack of padding at the laptop base and on the back panel. Scratch the comment that zipper jams are my pet hate – no padding at the base of a laptop section is absolutely my pet hate. Either shorten the pocket so the laptop remains elevated from the base of the bag, or insert a decent amount of EVA foam to protect the edge of my laptop when I put my bag on the ground.

“I only run a 13-inch MacBook Pro and the side entry is super tight when the bag is loaded up.”

In addition, the padding on the back panel is thin. As a result, when you have the bag full you can really feel your laptop.

The shoulder straps look super sleek, but there are some issues here. Even at full adjustment, the shoulder straps are short. Yes I’m plus sized, but I feel like a 6’3 person shouldn’t be excluded from wearing a backpack. Adding 10-15cm of webbing to the straps would fix this.

I dig the appearance of the raw edge on the leather shoulder straps, but in reality it frays and has started to look a little tatty – maybe a painted edge would fix this…

I don’t really get the elastic strap between the shoulder straps. I assume that they are trying to keep the shoulder straps together when carrying heavier loads, but in reality it rubs on the back of your neck and leaves you susceptible to the old elastic neck slap…brutal.

“Even at full adjustment, the shoulder straps are short.”

In terms of the organization the pen holders inside the main compartment are a bit much…six pen holders plus additional daisy chains and two odd ID/card pockets – all of which are not really usable and more for aesthetic than function.

I would love to see a separate iPad section. Storing my laptop and iPad in the same section (there was nowhere else to use) caused them both to be scratched. Scratches don’t worry me, but it would upset some crew.

“I would love to see a separate iPad section.”

It feels like the internal organization was an after-thought. Maybe all the effort credits were used up on the outside, which to their credit does look good.

The front side pockets are too shallow to fit anything meaningful (except pens 🙂 This ended up being my pen storage, rather than using the actual designed pen storage). Not much else fits in these pockets.

“It feels like the internal organization was an after-thought.”

Maybe you could use them for USB flash drives, phone cords, pens, or pencils. This bag has so much potential to hold pens and pencils. If I was selling pens instead of wallets, I would be ripping…ha!

When it came to the bottom side pockets my fingers barely fit in them… Enough said.

Others To Consider

The Incase ICON Pack is a great option if you’re after a pack with more organization options. In terms of travel, the GORUCK GR1 is a good alternative to consider, with a similar lay-flat design for easy packing.

Conclusion

The Techpack will be great for some and not so great for others. The pack could do with more padding for the base of the laptop and the back panel. The tight laptop compartment could also use some tweaking, while the short shoulder straps will be an issue for taller people. The organization could also be better but if you’re a minimalist packer this may not affect you as much. However, if you’re looking for great build quality and materials, sleek and stylish looks and a versatile size that functions well for work or weekend trips, the Techpack is certainly worth considering.

JBird Collective Techpack