Kitanica VESPID 30L Backpack Review

Kitanica is a company known for hard use shop, motorcycle, and outdoor gear. Their designs are very utilitarian, ready for rough, abrasive conditions as noted by their name which is derivative of an insect’s exoskeleton. While the gear is utilitarian, it manages to give a unique almost futuristic military-inspired look that I absolutely love. Knowing this, I was excited to get my hands on the Kitanica VESPID and see how it could best be used. Since the VESPID is described as an “everyday solution” and shown to be in use in a variety of settings, I was curious to see what the VESPID could tackle. 

Design

Looks 

Kitanica as a whole has a very rugged, utilitarian, and tactical look in their designs. The VESPID takes on the utilitarian and tactical look but makes it a bit more streamlined and modern, especially due to the laser-cut PALS and the muted colors. 

The more geometric construction of the pack with the two-tone panels (as seen on the Ranger Green and Wolf Gray variants) shows that there was thought going into making this bag look aesthetically pleasing instead of just being utilitarian. The pack also maintains its structure thanks to some foam and the use of laminates.

Construction

Kitanica has a long-standing history of making high-quality, almost overbuilt gear — this VESPID pack is no exception. The VESPID’s build quality and finish will give high-end packs a run for their money since not a single loose thread or any sort of minute imperfection was seen upon taking it out of the box or after regular use. 

The VESPID is constructed in a way that helps it keep its shape and structure due to foam sheets in different areas, like the lid and front panel. The sheets help protect whatever is stored within the pack, but also help add structure and tension to the materials so that the pack is able to maintain its shape instead of becoming floppy. 

Materials and Hardware

The materials and hardware used here are all high quality. Starting with the materials, the pack is mainly constructed using a laminated Squadron 500D Cordura Nylon with a PU coating on the back, as well as a DWR on the face side. This gives the majority of the pack a decently weatherproof and tough face. This laminate Cordura is actually pretty stiff, which makes it great for having the laser cut PALS in it and offers better load bearing compared to regular Cordura Nylon. The inside of the bag is lined with a 210D Nylon which also makes up the tech sleeve and the open-top pockets.

YKK zippers are used throughout the bag with #10s being used for the main opening and #8s for the rest of the pockets. The zippers use 550 cord with shrink tubing for the pulls, making them easy to grab onto. The plastic hardware used on the Kitanica VESPID comes from WooJin, including the funky magnetic sternum strap.

Features

On the inside, the bag has a central area with a larger tech sleeve, a tablet/document sleeve, and a mesh pocket. This area helps keep everything you’d need for the office or cafe in one central area. The larger sleeve seems to accommodate a wide range of laptops as it engulfed my Razer Blade 13 and 13″ MacBook easily. So textbooks or notebooks could fit well there as well. While partially obstructed from view by the tech sleeve, there is a loop material to help prevent scratches to any tech, or to attach any hook-backed accessories (like a cool Carryology patch).

On either side of the main compartment there are a few pockets. The first is a zippered mesh pocket which runs about two-thirds of the height of the flap and serves for a variety of items. Below that zippered pocket is a simple, open-top pocket which would be more for water bottles, tall pouches, or even a shell layer. Finally, across from the tech sleeve is a vertical zippered mesh pocket. The liberal use of mesh is great for not only saving weight but to be able to see what is stored in each section. The softer, flexible mesh is even great for odd-shaped items.

On the outside of the pack there are a fair amount of features and organizational possibilities. The lid of the pack has a quick-access pocket for items that need to be on hand. On each side of the pack there are three columns of laser-cut PALS webbing for mounting anything extra like a pouch or a carabiner. Just below the PALS are stretch water bottle pockets wide enough to accommodate a standard 1L Nalgene.

The front panel also includes a laser-cut PALS grid, while the bottom of the pack has actual nylon PALS webbing for any type of lashing you may need.

Performance 

Space and Access

Space and access are some of the best features of the VESPID. The bag is essentially a cavern and it takes in a variety of different loadouts with no issue. Even more, the bag is very accessible and easy to pack due to the four-zipper opening. At the mouth of the opening there are two little clips to help seal the lip. The lid also features two little magnets sewn in between the layers of Cordura and foam to maintain ease of opening and closing. 

Comfort

Comfort is another one of VESPID’s highlights, despite the empty 3lb weight. The pack uses an adjustable harness with great contoured straps and load lifters. The harness itself is adjustable for height and comes with a thin Kydex strip hidden in the tech sleeve. I suggest loading the pack up and adjusting the harness first, and then dialing in the shoulder straps and load lifters. The load lifters also have their webbing in a triangle configuration, rather than just a straight line. I found this helps distribute the weight of the load up and wide, rather than just vertically.

Speaking of the straps, the straps are a highlight of the Kitanica VESPID. At first glance, the straps may seem narrow, but they are designed well and efficiently. The contour of the straps ensures that a wider range of bodies are able to fit. On the inside of the straps, there are two layers of foam to add rigidity and padding. To round it off, the underside of the straps have airmesh to help ensure airflow. The back panel of the VESPID has the same airmesh used on the straps, but has an internal rigid foam frame sheet.

Weatherability

The VESPID is a decently weather-resistant pack, especially due to the aforementioned Squadron laminate 500D Cordura. This laminate has the nylon sandwiched between an outside DWR coating and the backside with the usual PU lining, making it very weather resistant. The areas with the cut PALS have the 210D Nylon backing with the PU inward so you would have two layers before weather would reach the inside. 

Verdict

The Kitanica VESPID should not be slept on at all. It’s a very comfortable, versatile, and very nice-looking pack. The VESPID easily packs and unpacks due to its four-zipper opening, so switching roles from going to the office or classroom and then packing for the climbing gym or for a weekend hike is very easy. I actually found it quite easy to change the loadout from being a coffee shop commando with a laptop and the related gear to something focused for a trip to the bouldering gym. The VESPID can be bought directly from Kitanica for $180, which we think is great value.

Many thanks to Sergio Granados for this review.