dayowl.com

I backed A Better Backpack on Kickstarter and loved the first iteration of this backpack. So when I heard about the next generation of it I knew I wanted a piece of the action again! I got the larger backpack before and wanted the smaller one this time around. The navy with brown leather is absolutely stunning and just oozes class and style. Timeless honestly! I couldn’t be happier with my bag. I love it so much!

I was really excited about this backpack. I needed a good travel backpack and don't like the typical backpack look or even material so this was a nice break away from that. The only negative is minor really - the pics on the website make the fabric look more suedeish than corduroy - to me anyway. But, again, that's the only eh. It really is a nice backpack and I look forward to being able to use it!

I guess you could say that I'm something of a backpack aficionado, so I really liked the look of the Day Owl pack. I was interested in using this as a "personal item" on my next plane trip (whenever this pandemic ends, of course). It has a lot of pluses: - A fantastically minimalist look. - Fits my 20-oz Kleen Kanteen bottle nicely (it was quite snug, though; the zipper would benefit from having an extra inch to open more easily). - No hanging strap ends from the shoulder straps. - Lovely fabric feel. But after five minutes of walking around with it in my apartment, I realized I had to return it. - The flat pocket in front doesn't go down deep enough. It needs to be made deeper by maybe one more inch in order to accommodate an iPad (and case or sleeve) comfortably. Yes I know there's a laptop compartment in the back, but my iPad is *so* thin, it seems like a waste of space in the back. I'd prefer to insert something else like a pair of pants or button-down shirts because the depth of that laptop pocket was way too “loose” for my iPad. (I don't have a laptop.) - There is NO chest strap option available. When I ordered it, I'd hoped that the pack would feel snug enough on my body, but because my chest is so narrow, a sternum strap has become a vital necessity. I knew that it didn't have a chest strap when I ordered it, but I was hoping that I wouldn't need one. Day Owl needs to look at how they can offer an optional sternum strap that can be added to the shoulder straps. (Fjallraven offers such a strap option for their Kanken backpacks for only $10, which I truly appreciate.) Nonetheless, the lack of a chest strap as an option is the main reason why I decided to return my larger Day Owl pack. It's THAT much of a dealbreaker for me. (Sorry!) - Another possible approach to the sternum strap issue is to utilize a *square* metal loop instead of a horizontal square loop in the shoulder straps. That would be a logical place to add a chest strap. Right now the height of these metal loops are too short for attaching a sternum strap, but I think this approach would be very doable with minimal effort. Just swap the loops and offer a sternum strap as an option for the larger pack. Or perhaps each shoulder strap could have a vertical 1/4" gap running down in the middle so that you could pull the ends of a Day Owl sternum strap through the gaps, it'd be height-adjustable as well. You could still retain the minimalist look in case people don't want to use a chest strap. - I'd asked for Moss Green but I was given Olive Green. (This was not a dealbreaker because I had decided to return the pack anyway.) - As nicely designed as the larger Day Owl pack was, its 21L size would feel strangely too big/bulky/unwieldy to be presented as a personal item at the airport security gate. I've never seen the smaller bag in person, but I've found the 16L bag size in general to be a bit too small for day trips, especially if there were no exterior pockets for a water bottle. (The hidden pocket for a water bottle in the Day Owl pack does eat into the interior space of the main compartment, which would make the interior too tight for an overnight set of clothes, especially in the 16L model.) - Incidentally, if you ever decide to make an even larger Day Owl pack (28L or so) specifically for travel, having a "hidden" bottle compartment on both sides of the pack would be perfect for storing a stuffed shoe each! And please don’t forget to offer a removable hip belt as an option. Overall, the Day Owl pack is *indeed* gorgeously-designed and easily ranks among the very best-looking packs on the market. Now, if only there was an 18L model (between the smaller and larger models), and if only the Day Owl pack had an optional sternum strap that could be added somehow to the shoulder straps ... that’d be so PERFECT. (I realize that this is a very long shot, but please?) I want to thank Day Owl, though, for coming up with this wonderful backpack. They have every right to be proud of it.

I ordered this bag because I wanted to support the company mission, but was blown away by the fact that 25 recycled bottles could feel so luxe and high-quality in these bags! I ordered the smaller jam backpack and although it is not as deep or expandable as backpacks I have owned in the past, I am okay with it because it’ll keep me from overpacking my bag as I have a bad habit of doing and just sticking to the essentials. Thank you Day Owl for making the world a better place look so good!

Fit and finish is fantastic. Only grip is the zippers sometimes catch. But the price is unbelievable for what I got. I’m somewhat of a backpack geek and I’ve gone through many, some more expensive and others less. This is my favorite thus far. Currently using it for work commute. ***I do wish it had a false bottom for the laptop compartment.