DSPTCH Daypack Review

The DSPTCH Daypack is a versatile bag that is suitable for various purposes, including daily carry to and from the office, as well as rugged outdoor adventures. It offers a simplistic approach to organization and has a 22L capacity, making it perfect for carrying essentials and more. The bag’s durability and protective features are impressive, as we have not noticed any issues after 4 weeks of testing. We also appreciate the ability to customize the carry styles.

The bag is robust, featuring a rigid structure and substantial weight that adds solidity to its frame and gives it shape. Thanks to its structure, it adds some weight even when the bag empty. Its sturdy frame and construction offer ample protection for the contents of the backpack. This bag excels in its flexibility and organization, both internally and externally.

External Components

The exterior is crafted from a water-repellent 420D Nylon/Polyester Dot Grid fabric, which not only provides durability but also adds a unique aesthetic to the bag. The dotted grid pattern gives the bag a distinctive look that is neither too bold nor flamboyant. The material can be a bit noisy and feels slightly rough, but it doesn’t detract from the bag’s overall quality. And, thanks to the rugged material, we never had any concerns about setting the pack down on any surface. And, while not the softest material, the interior of the bag is made with a 410D nylon Packcloth that feels durable enough to withstand daily wear and tear. This particular model features a greenish/gray color with black accents, which provides a decent amount of contrast.

The bag features built-in compression straps on both sides, making it easy to compress it down to its smallest size. The compression straps are equipped with a smooth g-hook clasp that can be operated with just one hand, which we find super user-friendly. These straps are particularly helpful when navigating through smaller shops and other tight spaces, as they allow the bag to be compressed to a fraction of its original size. Thanks to the adjustable clasp, it’s easy to compress the backpack whether it’s full or empty.

One of the additional perks of this backpack is the built-in carry straps underneath. These straps can be adjusted and cinched down when not in use or expanded to carry extra gear underneath. We find this feature particularly useful for carrying a tripod, yoga mat, or even just looping a jacket through. However, one downside is that due to the placement of these straps, the backpack is unable to stand up on its own, despite its rigid structure. Additionally, the backpack features two D-ring attachment points on both sides, making it easy to attach extra gear.

The DSPTCH Daypack features industry-leading YKK zippers on all of its external zippers, ensuring a super smooth and easy experience zipping the bag. The nice protective coating adds an extra layer of durability. The bag has one carry handle on the top, and while it’s not the most comfortable backpack handle we’ve tested, it does its job and feels quite sturdy. The branding on the bag is minimal and subtle, adding to the overall aesthetic. Overall, the external components are well-designed and functional with a minimalistic approach.

The harness system on this backpack is quite interesting. It consists of two solidly-built, detachable backpack straps, a non-removable chest/sternum strap, and a removable luggage pass-through that can also serve as a secondary grab and/or carry handle. While the backpack straps are not heavily padded and may not be the most comfortable, their wide design helps distribute the weight effectively, preventing them from digging into your shoulders. This makes the backpack reasonably comfortable for extended periods, especially when carrying only the essentials.

The straps can be detached from both ends using a sturdy g-hook clasp, which we find to be secure and reliable. We appreciate the flexibility of being able to fully remove both straps. However, it’s worth noting that there is no dedicated compartment or storage for them, so they would need to be placed in the main compartment without any specific organization. One final note about the backpack straps: we discovered that they tend to twist inward due to the attachment point at the bottom of the straps. While this was a minor annoyance, it became particularly noticeable when putting on the backpack, as it often required untwisting the straps before they would sit comfortably over the shoulders.

The sternum strap is not removable and sits relatively high up when on the body. It does a good job of helping distribute the weight, which adds to the overall comfort. Its construction is pretty solid and is made with a military-grade webbing and Duraflex plastic hardware. With a similar g-hook clasping mechanism, the luggage pass-through fastens to both sides of the back panel and is completely removable. It’s made with same aforementioned webbing and functions very well and even doubles as a carry handle when the shoulder straps are removed and stowed away. While it isn’t the most comfortable, it feels secure enough to get the job done over short distances.

The back panel of this backpack is extremely solid thanks to the frame sheet that sits between the back panel and laptop compartment. This helps give the bag its structure and provides additional protection to the laptop compartment however due to the length of the bag, those with shorter torso lengths may not have the most comfortable carry experience. The frame sheet can be removed entirely through a VELCRO sleeve if you decide it is unnecessary or simply wish to eliminate it which we appreciate. Like the shoulder straps, the back panel has minimal padding (almost nonexistent) and lacks noticeable ventilation. While not a major issue, this is something to keep in mind if you’re someone who lives in a hot climate or travels to tropical places. Additionally, thanks to the detachable straps, it is possible to remove the backpack straps entirely and use the bag as a basic duffel bag.

Fit Notes

As mentioned before, the dotted grid fabric offers a pleasing combination of uniqueness and simplicity. It can blend in seamlessly, particularly when viewed from a distance, and its minimal branding ensures it doesn’t attract unnecessary attention. This backpack is well-suited for various settings, such as a dorm room, the floor of a cafe, or the table of a conference room. It is designed for everyday use and can also serve as a travel backpack if needed thanks to its modularity and removable straps. However, with that said, we wouldn’t necessarily recommend this as a dedicated travel backpack since its minimal padding doesn’t do a great job at taking the weight off your shoulders when the bag is heavy. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Inside The Pack

On the front of the bag, there is a vertical zippered compartment that provides quick and easy access to gear. While the pocket does not open very wide, which makes it difficult to see everything inside at once, the additional organizational pockets are easy to navigate. Inside is a zippered mesh pocket, 4 elastic loops for cord management, and a key clip. The mesh pocket does not offer any stretch, but it helps keep the contents safe and secure. Meanwhile, the elastic loops have a good amount of flexibility and are useful for holding cords, pens, and styluses. The key clip, located at the top of the compartment, features a standard carabiner and has very little slack or elasticity. This ensures that the keys are easily accessible regardless of the other items in the bag.

The backpack features two external water bottle holders on each side. The water bottle pockets have a good amount of stretch and can accommodate up to a 32 oz bottle, which is convenient. However, it is worth noting that the pockets do not sit flush against the bag. Smaller water bottles may have a tendency to fall out due to the lack of secure elasticity in the opening. Additionally, both pockets have a water-repellent coating on the inside. The zipper of the main compartment slightly extends down into both water bottle pockets. Keep this in mind when deciding which side to store items. It can be somewhat cumbersome to access the bag when a water bottle is obstructing the zipper.

There is a dedicated laptop compartment located between the main compartment and the back of the bag, protected by the rigid frame sheet mentioned earlier. This compartment is raised to provide additional protection in case your laptop is dropped, and it can accommodate devices up to 16″ in size. We tested it with a 16″ MacBook Pro, and it fit just barely. Although it felt secure, we were slightly concerned because there was no softer material inside, and the computer essentially touched both edges. However, we don’t believe this will be a problem. Keep in mind that in order to insert or retrieve a laptop of that size, you will need to unzip both ends all the way down. The back panel also effectively safeguards the contents of the laptop compartment, although the inner lining material is not the softest. However, we have not observed any scratches or similar issues.

The main compartment of the bag functions as a standard cavern, but with added organization inside. While the back panel ensures that it maintains its structure, the front of the bag is made of a flexible material that allows it to bend and fold easily during loading. Inside is a zippered mesh pocket near the top, two internal pockets on either side that can hold water bottles, and an additional tablet sleeve capable of fitting a 10″ or 13″ device. The tablet sleeve can be secured with a plastic buckle for added safety and security. The extra organization inside the bag is a nice feature that can be utilized or disregarded entirely if you prefer packing cubes. We enjoy thoughtful touches like this as they really allow the user to utilize whichever method or style they like best.

One standout feature of this bag is its compatibility with additional gear and add-ons, such as DSPTCH’s utility straps, accessory case, and camera inserts. DSPTCH offers a wide variety of add-ons but we also found that other third-party add-ons work well too. We appreciate the modularity, but it’s good to know that these items are not necessary to fully utilize this pack.

Overall, the DSPTCH Daypack is a versatile bag with a minimalist design that offers great flexibility. Its water-repellent exterior, detachable straps, interior organizational pockets, and various carry styles make it suitable for daily use and outdoor adventures.