The Hunt Continues :: Viska Fora Backpack

Ariel Wickham Earnhardt is on the hunt for the perfect bike bag. First pack off the rank: Viska’s Fora…

I was hugely excited to test out this pack from Viska. While living for a short time in Minneapolis I was perusing through the hashtag #minneapolis on instagram and stumbled across one of their posts. I was immediately drawn in by their simple clean heritage aesthetic and lifestyle shots in their gallery.

“I was immediately drawn in by their simple clean heritage aesthetic and lifestyle shots in their gallery”

I was able to meet up with James Duke (and Ashley who was busy making cool bags and couldn’t join us) of Viska, and they were nice enough to give me a pack in my preferred colorway (black). I have now been using the pack for about a month for just about everything. Wherever I was the bag was right with me. The pack didn’t get to see any crazy weather in this past New England fall. Occasionally there was some rainfall, but nothing which would have made me fear items being in danger of aqueous contact. So with that in mind, let me share with you my experience of the Fora Backpack by Viska.

I discovered Viska just around the time I graduated and found myself working in a more “professional” environment. The Chrome messenger bag was the pack I had been sporting at the time. Though it held up well through college I felt the need for something a little less street punk, but not straight up stuffy white collar.

At the time I wasn’t quite able to justify the purchase of a pack then as I was under a pile of student debt. It would have been a poor use of what little spare change I had if it couldn’t hold up to all of my commuting needs. True I could have switched between my Chrome messenger bag and a Viska pack, if its functionality proved to be lacking. But switching bags is a real royal pain. So I had to hold off on this purchase.

Not having to switch bags because of its styling or functionality is a major plus in my book. I’m not a date around kind of bag person. I like to stick with one pack for a while and really see if it’s a pack I can live with.

“Not having to switch bags because of its styling or functionality is a major plus in my book.”

Being a sucker for an attractive bag means that if it looks great I’ll probably use it and unknowingly change my carrying habits to accommodate for the errors of a pack. Though styling clouds my judgement at times, it’s not the only thing I need in a bag. If an equally sexy pack comes along and has more to offer in function I’m down for dumping the old pack and upgrading.

Styling I feel does have its place as a function for a pack. For me (and probably for most other women and some men) I like a pack to match my genre of dress. If I have to use different packs for different tasks because they don’t match, I’ll end up misplacing my EDC. Realizing something you need is in another pack is a huge downer on your day when you’re an “on the go” kind of person.

Who this pack suits

This is definitely a pack for a more urban dweller who wants to purchase a stylish pack but wants to invest in something a bit more durable and handmade (go USA made goods!).  The one thing that makes me hesitant to say it’s one hundred percent an urban pack is the lack of secure and fully closed pockets.

“The one thing that makes me hesitant to say it’s one hundred percent an urban pack is the lack of secure and fully closed pockets”

If I were still living in the city I would only use this pack if I was wearing clothing with pockets to fit my important EDC items. Currently I’m living in Burlington Vermont, and none of my commuting puts me in environments where pickpocketing would be an issue. And because of this the pack has been great for everyday use.

Who this pack does not suit

Definitely someone who values function over appearance and needs lots of areas to organize. The pack is fairly simple, which is something personally I really appreciate. But for those who need a pack that has lots of bells and whistles this may not be your jam.

How does it perform with cycling/commuting?

It snugly fits a U-lock or water bottle in either side pocket, both of which are easily accessible. You can also strap light items (such as jackets or tube cases) with the two main straps down the front.

As far as volume goes this pack fits a good amount. When packed fully with groceries and other shtuff the load doesn’t become too overbearing. For me this is a plus because it means I never accidentally pack too much and have a shitty bike ride home due to the weight of what I’m carrying.

As I mentioned earlier, I was unable to truly test this pack in heavy rain. But as far as keeping goods dry I would trust this pack to work in moderately inclement weather.

“Depending on what kind of attachment your lights have you may or may not be able to secure a light to this pack”

If commuting on a bike is your thang then you know how important visibility is and you probably have a few lights you slash to your pack. Depending on what kind of attachment your lights have you may or may not be able to secure a light to this pack. There aren’t really any clear options for attaching lights. I ended up clipping it onto one of the straps on the face of the pack. It worked for the most part, but occasionally the light would become dislodged or I would have to remove the light when I unbuckled the straps.

Another thing that pertains to biking/commuting is that there are also no really good places to stash/clip on your keys. If you’re lucky enough to be a guy who has the option to buy some comfortable cycling pants and have a nice place to stash your keys this might not apply to you. But if you decide you want to sport some lycra then you’re kinda forced to put your keys into a pocket on the pack.

“The pockets available don’t offer great protection for things you might want easy access to”

And finally the pockets. The pockets available don’t offer great protection for things you might want easy access to. Accessibility may be more of a messenger bag vs backpack issue. But the ability to protect against certain EDC falling out, theft, or weather is a must. This being the case, I found myself putting things like my keys, phone and wallet into the main compartment…fiddling around with a double buckled rolltop to grab your phone can become tedious after a while.

Organization

In short I found the pockets to be lacking in their ability to protect items I would want easy quick access to while riding or commuting.

“The inner pockets are minimal, so if you like to have a specific place for all your items this may not be to your liking”

The inner pockets are minimal, so if you like to have a specific place for all your items this may not be to your liking. The outer pockets also lack a fully closed “weather pocket”. There is one with a large flap that covers a portion of the pocket opening, but leaves a Gorby Gap where small items might fall out or precipitation could easily sneak in.

Two simple inner pockets/separators are located on both the inner ventral and inner dorsal panels. I assume the ventral side is supposed to act as a laptop/book separator? I found this separator to be more of a hinderance than a help as books would catch on the fabric.

The dorsal pocket was fine for small items I didn’t want lost in the pack. Having perhaps a separation in that pocket would have been helpful to further organize things. Personally too much organization in main compartments isn’t something I make full use of as items in the main compartments for me are typically things like my books, laptop or pencil case.

Materials

Overall the materials have held up to my beatings and proven to hold their looks over time.The leather is generously thick and seemed to age nicely with use. I do wish that the back side of the leather on the straps had been treated/sanded off as it sheds a bit over the pack. This I could have done myself but would have been a nice finishing touch.

“It looks very much like the day it arrived”

The waxed canvas has also proven to be very durable. Looking at the base of the pack now I can’t make out much wear, if any. It looks very much like the day it arrived. And trust me, I’ve been throwing this pack around and all over the ground.

I didn’t have a good chance to test this pack out in a prolonged Seattle downpour, but it did keep the water out and held up well to some smaller bouts of rain.

Fit

In speaking with James they really wanted this pack to fit men and women alike. I don’t know how well this pack would fit a man. But for a small petite female I found the fit to work well on my frame. The pack wasn’t too long, and the base edge fell in a comfortable place on my lower back. For me I find that most normal backpacks hit me in an odd spot right on or a little below the tailbone. I was glad to see that this pack did not do this when the straps were adjusted to my size, though I think I will add another punch or two since I like my pack to be a little more snug while on a bike.

The shoulder straps were very stiff at first, and cut into my upper armpit area. But after about a week of daily use and bike rides, the straps softened and I actually found them to be rather comfortable. I’m not one who needs super soft and cushioned straps on a daily pack. So for daily urban use the straps do their job without much discomfort.

“The uneven distribution of weight was rather irksome”

I do have to note that the straps on the pack I received were slightly uneven. I didn’t notice this unevenness until I fully packed the bag with a weighty load. The uneven distribution of weight was rather irksome, especially on a bike where you want your shoulders to feel evenly loaded and balanced. I wouldn’t hold this flaw against this pack, but it is something to note as I felt it did cause discomfort. I might have even sent it back to resolve the issue if I were buying this pack for myself.

Verdict

This bag has itself some seriously sexy styling (I got a lot of compliments on this pack). The handsome and minimal aesthetic is only enhanced with the use of durable and generously thick quality materials. It carries what you need for a nice day trip around town, and fits well on a woman’s frame whether commuting on foot or with a bike. The downsides to this bag pertain mainly to the protection for smaller items and EDC organization.

“The handsome and minimal aesthetic is only enhanced with the use of durable and generously thick quality materials.”

Overall the Viska Fora is one handsome well-fitting pack, with some pocket issues.

I’m excited to watch how the materials age, as the more I use it the more character it seems to gain! Until another pack with some different pocket solutions comes along I’ll be hanging onto this beaut!