Peak Design Outdoor Backpack 25L Review

There’s a lot going on with the Peak Design Outdoor Backpack 25L, from DIY compression straps to an optional hip belt, two (2!) sternum straps, and two ways to get inside … and that’s just scratching the surface. But what’s useful and convenient, and is it too much?

We’ve been testing this outdoorsy bag in and around metro Detroit for weeks, through sunny days and sudden downpours, so let’s find out.

External Components

The Peak Design Outdoor Backpack comes in two sizes: 45L and 25L. This review covers the smaller daypack size, but you can find details about the larger bag here.

The 25L bag is made with Terra Shell™, a 210D ripstop nylon material that’s bluesign®-approved. The front and bottom panels have a PFAS-free TPU coating for weatherproofing. It’s certainly lightweight, coming in at just over 2.5 pounds or 1.15 kg, which is great for something you may be carrying around as you stalk a life bird or hike the Smoky Mountains.

We’re testing the Cloud colorway, which is white with some gray accents scattered around the bag, though you can also get it in Black (self-explanatory) or Eclipse (deep purple) at the time of this review. We opted for the lighter colorway for something different, and we’re glad we did—if only to be able to let you know that it’s pretty see-through. A small red pouch shows brightly through the front pocket, and you can plainly read the tags of other gear we’re carrying in the main compartment through the bottom. Whether that matters or not is up to you, but we wanted you to know that if you want something opaque, you’re better off with a darker colorway.

The Peak Design logo is printed in the bottom center of the bag’s front, and there’s some accent stitching to break up the color you choose, as well. The accent color is orange on the Cloud and gold on the Black.

Further beefing up the weather resistance is the rolltop design for the main compartment. It features a magnetic closure in the center, with a little loop on the back side to help you pull it open, though we never felt a need to use that loop; there’s plenty of space on either side of the magnets to put your fingers and pull it open. Indeed, we feel like there’s quite a bit of the main compartment not sealed shut with magnets, so while the rolltop should theoretically protect your gear, it’s a bit clunky in real-time use. If you want additional protection, Peak Design also sells a rainfly separately.

You have to manually push the sides in where they crease, as one side or the other is prone to bulging out as you roll it. Then, the roll somewhat wants to come undone, though you have to let it go to cinch down the front panel and hold it tight. It works, just not always as well as we’d like. On the other hand, the rolltop design gives you an extra 5L capacity, which might come in handy when you load it up for the day, so you win some, you lose some.

To lock it in place, hold the top of the front panel with one hand and pull the “Ultra Cinch” cord with the other. It’s a pretty nifty system in that you can stop anywhere along the way and have the cinch stay in place. However, when everything is at your preferred tightness, there’s a long cord hanging down the front of the bag with nowhere to go. Stick with us here; it’s the first of many cords you may be dealing with on this bag. Opening it is fairly easy, though, as you just pull the Hypalon loop tab at the top of the panel upward (toward the rear of the bag) to release the secured cord.

A carry handle is atop the backpack, but it’s uncomfortable to hold as it’s a thin, rounded cord. It’s an ever-so-slightly thicker version of the “Cord Rails,” or attachment points running all around the bag’s perimeter and alongside both side edges of the front pocket. We’ll get into how to use those soon, but first, just know that the carry handle is fine for hanging the bag on a hook but less fine for carrying it long term. You’re better off grabbing a single shoulder strap if you need to do that.

The hardware on the bag is unbranded, yet it all works fine. In addition to the rolltop, there’s zipper access to the main compartment, which we use 99% of the time because our tester finds it more convenient, and it keeps the rolltop locked in place. The zipper has a weatherproof coating and includes two pulls that you can extend to the bottom of the bag, opening it fully clamshell. The zippers feature colored cord pulls with a tiny bit of heat shrink wrapped at the apex of each loop. The cords are very thin, though, and rough to grab—it seems like Peak Design is primarily focusing on functionality and cutting weight wherever possible at the expense of comfort.

Different cords attached to the bag are moveable and removable, depending on your preference. Peak Design sends two “Gear Loops” and two “External Carry Straps” along with each bag, which you can use to hold gear in place on the side pockets, compress the sides of the backpack, or strap bulky gear to its front. This is the reason for all those attachment points we mentioned earlier—they allow you to connect the straps wherever you like to get the support you need where you need it.

Each loop or strap is basically a stretchy elastic cord of one length or the other, with a plastic hook at the end that will securely grab onto the Cord Rails. It’s great that they hold so tightly because you don’t have to worry about your gear falling out or off or the loops or straps popping off. However, they take a lot of effort to pop off the rails when you want to move them. We never needed to use them to hold a water bottle in the pocket, but they could come in handy for skinnier gear, like hiking poles. As for the DIY compression, the bag doesn’t stick out much when it’s empty, so we skipped that, too, to save having to unwind and rewind the cords every time we changed our pack-out, but your mileage may vary.

One place Peak Design does emphasize comfort is the harness system which is, presumably, where you need to focus on cushion and padding if you’re going to skip it elsewhere. We have to give them kudos for beefy padding on the back panel and shoulder straps, especially near the top of the straps. It’s all lined with a breathable mesh, and the straps are curved and articulated for a comfortable fit. You can unhook them from the top and stow them behind the back panel if you plan to stow them in the overhead bin and don’t want them snagged on other luggage, though getting them reattached takes some effort. The back panel features two pieces of vertical padding with an air channel running down the middle for breathability. It doesn’t run all the way to either edge, but it’s enough to get the job done, and we never feel like we need more padding than there is.

Back to the shoulder straps, there are a few extra features to mention. First off, there’s a channel running underneath the padding that will rest on your shoulder so you can slide a hydration tube through if you’re using this as a hiking pack and want to bring extra water (more on that later). Secondly, there are two drop pockets—one on each strap—that easily fit a phone. The strap on your left side also includes a band inside the pocket that connects to a Peak Design Capture clip if you want to hold your equipment on your shoulder strap. That clip is sold separately, as is the Outdoor Hip Belt. While the hip belt includes a few convenient stretchy pockets and adds support if needed, we didn’t miss it through everyday use. They stow away behind the back panel when you don’t want them, or you can remove them and leave them at home.

Two thin sternum straps connect to very shallow loops running on the insides of the shoulder straps. You have to choose which loops best suit your body, and it can be hard to see where there’s a loop and where the Cord Rail is attached to the bag, so it’s not the most granular system. Your mileage may vary, but we didn’t tend to use them at all and didn’t miss them. You can either remove them entirely or tuck them into the shoulder strap pocket to be out of the way if you agree, or use them if you don’t.

Fit Notes

While the back panel is extremely stiff, the nice amount of padding on it and the shoulder straps make this an overall very comfortable bag. We have no issue swinging it over one shoulder or two, and we think the extra padding will really come in handy if you load it up with heavy camera gear, a 3L hydration pack, or anything else you want to carry.

As for looks, well, this is designed to be an outdoor bag, and it looks like it. There are straps hanging around, different loops to attach things to, and a ripstop nylon exterior that isn’t going to blend in on the runway. However, it has a clean front, and you can cinch it down for an even slimmer silhouette if you want, so it looks nicer than many other options in the outdoor arena. The TPU coating makes it easy to wipe clean, though if you’re often going to be setting it down on dirt or the forest floor, you may want to opt for a darker colorway. Or not. You do you.

Inside The Pack

If you’re going to be exploring for a while, you’ll want places to put gear, and the Peak Design Outdoor Backpack 25L has you covered.

We’ll start at the front, where there are two vertical pockets. They’re identical open drop pockets, except for one thing: one has a key clip on a stretchy leash, and one does not. Which one has it is up to you; it’s removable, so you can pick which pocket you prefer to access when you swing the bag to your front with it on one shoulder. That means that, whether you’re a righty or a lefty, you can have your keys handy to open your door without completely taking the bag off your back. Just as you loop the Gear Loops and External Carry Straps through the different Cord Rails around the bag, you do the same with the key leash to a loop inside the pockets.

We used this area for a small toiletry bag, tissues, and other small travel essentials, but remember, if you’re putting something more personal inside, the exterior material on the Cloud colorway is translucent, and everyone will get a good idea of what’s inside these pockets. It’s probably not a good spot for your passport, extra cash, or unmentionables, if you get our drift.

Then, on both sides of the bag, you’ll find very tall, stretchy side pockets. We’ve been using them for water bottles and have no issues with a Hydro Flask sliding out accidentally. They’re also great for a tripod, travel umbrella, hiking poles, or whatever other tall and skinny object you want to bring along.

When you open the front panel using that Hypalon loop we talked about earlier, you’ll see that these stretchy pockets share space with a kangaroo pocket where you can toss more gear. More Cord Rails line the edges of this compartment if you want to hook something into place, but we’ve been using it as a drop pocket for glasses, a packable jacket, and more. If you have nothing to put inside, it just lays flat and gives you more space in the main compartment.

Speaking of which, now that we’ve opened the front pocket, we’ve also revealed the rolltop to the main compartment. Before we dig in, take a moment to notice the rectangular panel centered on the rolled-up top; it’s a pass-through for that hydration tube we mentioned earlier. You can feed it through either side and then down either strap for convenience.

Heading inside, you’ll see a pouch along the back panel with a stretchy tab covering its top. That’s where you can slide up to a 3L hydration pack if you want extra water on your hike, or use it for up to a 16-inch laptop. The sleeve lacks padding along the front, but it is suspended off the bottom of the bag and well-padded along the back panel for device protection. That stretchy tab connects to the front of the sleeve with a hook-and-loop fastener to hold your computer in place, even if the bag tips or upends.

The only other internal features to mention are a few tabs sticking out each side of the bag. They give you a place to connect a camera cube. The Outdoor Backpack 25L is designed to work with the X-Small and Smedium Peak Design Camera Cubes (V2), with the Smedium sitting narrow-side-down on the bottom of the bag and the X-Small on top. If you’re not a photographer, there’s plenty of space inside here for a few packing cubes to bring clothing on a weekend trip, a small cooler, or whatever other travel accessories you want to pack.

Despite our nitpicking, we think the Peak Design Outdoor Backpack 25L may work well for you, especially if you have other Peak Design camera gear. It’s really designed to work with the brand’s other products and accessories, and it is lightweight and comfortable to carry. We appreciate the two-way access into the main compartment and the nicely padded harness system, we just wish some other bag features were accommodated differently than with copious straps on a bag this small.