Away Outdoor Backpack 26L Review

Away is a brand we mostly know for chic-looking gear that feels at home strolling with you through the flashier parts of town. So when we got our hands on their more outdoor-focused backpack, the Pack Hacker team’s collective interest was, understandably, piqued.

Yet, despite expectations of heavy denier fabrics, buckles the size of your fists, and enough straps to hold back two Hannibal Lecters, what we have here is quite reserved. For the most part, the Away Outdoor Backpack 26L looks and feels business as usual. It has a sleek look, uncomplicated shoulder straps, and a straightforward layout like most of their daypacks. So what exactly merits the “Outdoor” in its name? Let’s find out.

External Components

The fabric shell is a weather-resistant recycled polyester with what appears to be a TPU coating of some sort. It has that same slick feeling as tarpaulin but is not as thick. The material feels relatively lightweight and thin. All of this is to say that the fabric doesn’t give the impression that it’s tough enough for outdoor activities. It’s not as thick as ballistic nylon, nor does it have the multi-layered robustness of X-Pac. If there’s any saving grace, it’s that the slick texture makes wiping off dirt fairly easy.

The unbranded zippers also feel quite plasticky, whether you’re talking about the pulls or the track itself. Opening or closing them makes a distinct hollow-sounding noise that makes it obvious they’re plastic. Yes, the zipper tracks’ toothy appearance may look solid, but they don’t feel that way once you use them.

Mind you, we still think this is a good-looking backpack. It looks out of place when you put it beside bags from The North Face, Patagonia, or Osprey, whose backpacks typically feature thick fabrics and a decent structure. This backpack looks more like a casual daypack that you occasionally take lakeside or on light trails where it won’t get tossed around too badly.

A sewn-in strap runs the entire height of the backpack, and it’s broken up into segments to create lash points. There are two loops at the top and two at the bottom. Away specifically suggests attaching your keys to any of these loops. While that may be convenient, we’re not too stoked to expose our keys like that. On the other hand, we find these loops handy for externally hanging carabiners or accessory pouches. And in case you’re wondering, unfortunately, the bottom loops aren’t big enough to fit a yoga mat.

The harness system is also quite tame for an outdoor backpack, with twin shoulder straps and no extras. There’s no sternum strap, load lifters, or even a hip belt. The only luxuries here are a top handle and a luggage pass-through built into the back panel for traveling with rolling luggage. To be clear, the lack of support straps shouldn’t automatically mean an uncomfortable carrying experience, and we’ll see in the next section if this simple setup can deliver.

Additionally, the fabric material around this area is noticeably rough. It’s a mesh material that should let air pass through fairly easily. We usually find this type of mesh material to be smooth, but this one is more abrasive. It’s not a total deal-breaker, though you’ll want to take note if you’re putting these straps on bare, sunburnt skin.

Our biggest gripe regarding the harness system is with its adjustment. This backpack has Duraflex adjusters, which sounds encouraging since they’re a reputable brand when it comes to hardware. Unfortunately, the straps keep loosening on their own when you’re not wearing the backpack. There are two possible reasons for this issue: either the adjusters are too big or the straps are too loose. Either way, we occasionally find ourselves having to re-tighten the straps.

Fit Notes

The bad news doesn’t stop there, though. No matter how well we adjust the shoulder straps, we never feel truly comfortable with them. Once fully packed, you can really feel the bag’s heft weigh down on you, resulting in a somewhat saggy feel. We’re not asking this bag to break the laws of physics, but we at least want that weight cushioned by the decent padding. Unfortunately, the shoulder straps can’t cope, nor does the back panel feel particularly supportive.

We can actually feel two things coming from the back panel. First, the luggage pass-through noticeably sticks out. We can also feel the laptop inside poke through all the fabric and padding. The only silver lining here is that the adjusters stay firm once you’re wearing the bag, though it’s a reach to call that out since, if we’re being honest, it’s a bare minimum expectation.

Inside The Backpack

At the sides of this backpack are water bottle pockets, each rated for a 32-ounce bottle. If there is any hint of the outdoors in this backpack, it is the capacity for hydration. Using such large bottles stretches the elastic which, in turn, firmly holds the bottle in place. On the flip side, though, slim insulated bottles may not be held as tightly since there’s more wiggle room for them.

The luggage pass-through has a built-in security pocket for valuables you want to keep hidden. We often see this feature on travel backpacks since they’re ideal for storing passports and other travel documents. These are typically small pockets, but this one spans the width of the back panel. It’s roomy, but small items can go too deep; you’ll have to reach for them if they do.

The laptop compartment is rated for up to a 15-inch device, which sounds about right for a 26-liter backpack. Ingress is a bit tough, though, as we have to maneuver even a smaller 13-inch MacBook through the fairly narrow side opening, and we can only imagine how much trickier it would be trying to fit a 15-inch MacBook Pro inside. On the other hand, we appreciate having a separate laptop compartment since it’s easier to access than a laptop sleeve within a main compartment that could get blocked by other gear.

It’s worth noting that there’s no false bottom to protect your device from impacts below. Additionally, the back panel lacks a lot of structure that would otherwise shield your device; it’s more like the laptop inside that’s propping up the back panel.

The front compartment houses the majority of the bag’s organization. There’s a large sleeve pocket at the back with two adjacent drop pockets on its front. Given how large they are, you can fit a lot of gear in these pockets, but they’re also fairly loose. Small accessories like makeup canisters and keys can spill out of these pockets if the bag gets tossed around. We recommend using small organizers and pouches to avoid this or storing exclusively large gear here, like the compact sling we’ve been testing alongside this backpack.

The main compartment also has a fair amount of room for storing large packing cubes and pouches. It’s mostly devoid of dividers or anything that could get in your way of packing. The only built-in means of organizing here is the rear document sleeve, which you can also use to store a 16-inch MacBook Pro (we’ve tried it, and it fits). Overall, there’s enough room for at least a weekend’s worth of clothing, so you’re well-covered if you plan to take this on casual treks.

Overall, though, this bag’s design exhibits floppiness that’s hard to reconcile with it being an outdoor backpack. The fabric shell feels too thin, the inner pockets feel too loose, and the carrying experience feels too saggy and uncomfortable for long periods. It really feels more like a large daypack you can travel with over the weekends and maybe occasionally take on an outdoor excursion, but nothing too intense.