Boundary Supply Rennen Recycled Pouch Review

Boundary Supply seems to be on a mission with its Rennen Recycled line. The premise here is to use as much recycled material as possible while producing some good-looking and functional bags. Or, in this case, a stylish and functional pouch.

We’ve taken a look at the Rennen Recycled Daypack and noted two things about it. First was the internal organization, followed closely by how the lack of structure somehow holds it back. These two findings did come up when we tested the Rennen Recycled Pouch, among other things. So without further ado, let’s see what the Rennen Recycled interpretation of a pouch is like.

Materials & Aesthetic

The construction of the pouch is mostly made out of eco-friendly materials. Here’s an interesting stat for those looking for neat ice-breakers: four recycled plastic bottles were used to make the 600D CORDURA Eco Fabric. One can only imagine whether they were the large liter-sized soda bottles or those tiny solo ones.

Regardless, this fabric feels like any other CORDURA-made nylon fabric we’ve encountered. Of course, it’s as durable and trustworthy as we’ve come to expect. This very faint blue colorway is easy on the eyes and classy to look at, too. The design is very simple and minimalist, and it shouldn’t draw too much attention, even when you leave it unattended on a coffee shop table (don’t leave your stuff unattended in public places, by the way). There’s only a lone “BOUNDARY” white on black text logo on the side to accent the colorway.

Up at the top is the YKK #5 AquaGuard zipper in charge of keeping liquids out of the pouch. It’s paired with a really nice paracord pull that works in tandem with the flanking loop tabs that make zipping and unzipping as easy as possible. The zipper assembly at the top feels robust thanks to it being the AquaGuard variety, and it helps give the pouch some structure at the top. It also serves as a nice black contrast against the light blue fabric.

Usage

From the sides, you can clearly see that there’s a gusset at work to give the Rennen Recycled Pouch good volume. Once you open the pouch up, it certainly feels spacious as well, with some of the credit being owed to the fairly bright interior ripstop fabric.

We’re not shy to point out our penchant for good internal visibility, and this fabric delivers just that. Thanks to it, we get to see the features of this pouch clearly, like the handy pen loops to the side. It’s a nice touch, having your pens secured firmly to the side so that you don’t have to dig deep inside every time you need them. Although they do have some stretchiness to make getting pens in and out, keep in mind that they don’t stretch enough to accommodate thick dry erase markers.

Opposite those pen loops is a large divider pocket, with two more liner pockets inside. This basically subdivides the pocket into three compartments for better item separation. For example, you can have a socket adapter, a smartphone charging adapter, and a slim USB hub all in their own separate pockets within this divider pocket.

We had to avoid fitting in taller items in this divider pocket to avoid interfering with the velcro at the top. Stuff like power banks or tall makeup kits will have to sit sideways to attach the velcro. This velcro helps keep the pocket secure and structured because the ripstop fabric here is quite thin.

And you’ll want to keep that divider pocket closed until it’s needed because it can cover up the main space where most of your stuff will occupy. Thanks to that gusset we mentioned earlier, you can fit even the beefiest of power banks inside, a few SSDs, or a bunch of pens. In fact, the space is big enough that we’d recommend getting a smaller pouch if you want more separation for smaller items like SD cards. There is another thing to consider, however.

Despite gusset and flat bottom, we found it hard to make the Rennen Recycled Pouch stand on its own. We’ve narrowed the solution down to how balanced the load is. Unfortunately, it takes a very conscious effort to keep things balanced when you’re actually using a pouch. In the end, we gave in to just having the pouch sit on its side facing us, though it occupies more desk real estate this way.

Wrap Up

We like what Boundary Supply has done with the Rennen Recycled line thus far. The Rennen Recycled Daypack, for example, earned our praise for its internal organization, albeit its soft structure. It’s the same story for the Rennen Recycled Pouch.

Internal organization is good, with the divider pocket having separate pockets of its own. We wish there were an extra external pocket and rear magnetic points compatible with the Rennen Recycled Daypack’s internal magnetic attachment points. That would give the pouch additional functionality as a mounted pocket when inside the daypack.

On its own, the Rennen Recycled Pouch is well-rounded in terms of looks, organization, and simplicity. Although if you’re looking for a standing pouch, the Bellroy Standing Pouch has an equally minimalist aesthetic, and the Aer Slim Pouch has even better functionality. But if you want a closer match for your Rennen daypack, the Rennen Recycled Pouch fits the bill more so than the others.