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Medium Pack is Cavernous! Love waxed canvas and until Mountainback existed, I'd never known of 24-oz canvas. Anyway, this rucksack is rugged and durable. I've used it as my EDC bag while commuting on foot through two seasons so far and it's not shown any signs of wear. I plan on taking this in a road trip next month and will add to it a small Mountainback duffel. It's a spacious pack and holds a lot of gear. In a pinch I can transport my miniature pinscher if she gets tired on our commutes. High quality construction and I'm really loving the bullhide and extras like the back pocket and the one-handed way to open the pack. I'm about to gift away my US Army duffels to make more room for the Mountainback line. Thank you Dave!
Love the bag. I use it for everything. Can carry a lot in it. I took the drawstring loose and put several brass clips on the drawstring in the open sections of the string. Now I can clip the coin purses and various other stuff to it. Nice fabric and made to last. Beautiful color. Hope they will make iPad pro sleeves from this fabric in the future.
I have owned and used my pack regularly for two months and at this point feel I can offer a considered review. Most reviews already posted are exceedingly positive, so rather than echo what has already been said, I will in this review focus on two open questions, two minor niggles, and one major complaint about the design. These should be considered in light of the overall four-star rating, however, which suggests that they are ultimately secondary to the positive attributes of the pack – superb canvas, solid stitching, quality metal hardware, thick leather, great styling, decent comfort, etc. – that have already been covered by other reviewers. As this pack is designed for light travel, casual EDC, day hikes under controlled circumstances, etc., I will review it as such; using this as a proper hiking pack (at 12,000 ft., for instance) is … well, it is definitely not something I would recommend. The questions: 1. On the other leather backpacks I’ve used extensively (one old scout pack and two old army packs), the more hard-wearing side of the leather shoulder strap (the “outside” of the hide) faces the shoulder, ensuring maximum abrasion resistance (and minimal sweat absorption). I am as yet unclear about whether the decision to leave the “inside” of the hide against the shoulder is a sound one. 2. I agree with a previous reviewer that the last closure pull loops might do with some reinforcement (riveting?), as they suffers quite a bit of stress. I am not sure if they will hold up over time, but at least this is something that is easy to repair. The niggles: 1. The closing mechanism looks cool and it is mercifully easy to operate with one hand. (Having spent enough time over the years fiddling with traditional buckle-and-strap closures, I am grateful for this.) As it is just one central strap, it does allow for quite a bit of movement in the flap in windy conditions, however, and it can be difficult to properly secure the contents if the bag is filled. 2. The shoulder straps are sewn and doubly riveted directly onto the canvas (reinforced with a little leather patch), leaving the entire weight of the pack pulling on the attachment points. The problem with this is that there is a lot of strain on the canvas itself centered on a very limited area, and I strongly suspect that the torsional stresses are going to lead to degradation/fraying over time. In fairness, there is none so far, but cotton has a nasty tendency to break down over time and the stitching around the rivets do exhibit some signs of pulling the canvas fibers apart. I do think that a different design that utilized D-rings (for less torsional stress) and wider, leather reinforced attachment points (allowing for greater distribution of weight) would have been a better solution. The complaint: 1. The flap is the same width as the pack itself, ensuring that it becomes impossible to adequately cover the top opening of the pack when closed – almost irrespective of how much it contains. (As the pack is cinched shut, it leaves, because of the leather reinforcement of the cinching straps, little “mouse ears” at the sides that poke beyond the width of the pack and are not covered by the flap, no matter how you try to arrange things.) This means that if you are using the pack in the rain, you have to rely on a waterproof lining in order to keep your contents dry. As every other top-loading backpack I’ve ever owned in my life (and there have been many) have had flaps broader than the back of the pack, it is hard not to see this as a violation of some central tenet of Design 101. It is just, for lack of a more precise term, stupid – and should never have progressed beyond the prototype stage. In conclusion, I will return to my initial caveat that while this is a review that focuses on the negative, there are a lot of things to like about the pack. Okay, so it’s more of an urban hipster pack than something to reach for when going into the great outdoors – to me, that’s fine, I don’t expect having to fight my way through the zombie apocalypse every time I go on a little trip. But most importantly – far and away most importantly – in spite of its faults, it makes me happy to use it – and it is the pack my hand pulls out of the closet for daily use. Granted, I probably have a more well-developed sentimental attitude toward both backpacks (self-reliance) and green canvas / leather (military) than most people – but I “like” this pack; it is a handcrafted product that, while flawed and sold to me by people who presumably are in business to make money), stands in some sort of ideal philosophical opposition to the sleek, competent, non-descript, mass-produced stuff we mostly come to rely on. This is admittedly wholly subjective (and I am aware of the psychological foible of such attributions) – but to me this pack has “soul,” which is, ultimately, the highest (and strangest) praise you can offer a consumer product. As long as you keep out of the rain (or worse), this is the companion you have been looking for. And SBL, please fix that flap in the next revision.
I've been tempted by million-pocket, access-from-the-side, billion-zip backpacks before only to have them fail after a few years. A bung zip can take out the cleverest of backpacks. Frankly, I can't see how this backpack will ever wear out. It's surprisingly light, sturdy and flexible. The leather back not only makes things comfortable (plus creates the pocket for my book and ipad) it helps keep the backpack flat and in shape. The leather straps, while not-quite-comfortable for the first month are now molded perfectly to my shoulders. Why only four stars? I think it misses one thing - an outside canvas pocket. The interior pocket with the flap would be perfect on the outside. Just something for my work lanyard or a small water bottle when hiking. This thing is tops. No regrets on the cost. I recommend it.
I've had my canvas backpack for about four months now. I just love it. I can use it on picnics ,at the car shows and at the dirt track races. It's stylish enough for classic car shows, yet rugged looking to carry at the dirt track races. I can easily put a jacket and snacks in with my basic carry items and have plenty of room. The stitching is really excellent quality. The leather back I treat with chamberlains protectant kit ,which I just ordered a new set of. I get the conditioner and the protectant for use on all my leather products. Have ordered for awhile now and all the products hold up excellent. I'm tough on my bags and Dave makes his products to survive everyday use.Thanks Dave for always making product that stand up to this Scottish girls tough life.
