Great everyday bag
A great everyday bag is a consummate all-rounder. Keeping gear close at hand through access and intuitive organization. Delivering the kind of durability that takes the daily grind in its stride. And offering that oh-so-important versatility to adapt as your loads and environments change. A bag that can flex from the commute to weekend adventures. Our Best Everyday Bag finalists all deliver the above in their own distinct ways.
But which finalist truly excels as a flexible companion you can trust day-to-day? Choose your top pick below.
Triple Aught Design Axiom 24 Pack
Triple Aught Design's Axiom range is fast becoming an icon in the EDC world, taking the gold in Carry Awards 5, and notching a finals spot with each new iteration, as TAD pushes to take their range a notch higher with every new release. And the Axiom 24 Gen 2 does just that, welcoming 13 new updates, while retaining its clean silhouette. Updates focus on dialing in the organization, ranging from a redesigned admin compartment, to two separate zippered compartments on the back panel for storing tech, documents, and magazines. The main compartment's Helix Attachment points and PALS matrix let you customize carry setups to changing needs, while compartment-specific zipper pulls and plugs make it easy to quickly identify the bag's many compartments. The pack is crafted in the USA with a VX-21 Ripstop shell and YKK AquaGuard zippers, providing a weatherproof build for daily urban and outdoor adventures. Of course, a solid everyday bag needs to be comfortable too, and TAD deliver with a channeled closed cell foam back panel, wide and padded shoulder straps, a sternum strap, and load lifters for comfy all-day carry.
Alpha One Niner Evade 1.5 Full
Bag design is often a one-way street, with designers creating packs and customers presented with a finished design which may or may not be to their tastes. But when you have a passionate customer base and a brand founder who really wants to meet their needs, you get pieces like the Alpha One Niner Evade 1.5 Full. The pack is the latest iteration of a design honed through intensive back-and-forth feedback between the brand and its customers. Founder Helmie Ashiblie has drawn on the combined experiences of a military background and product design to create a bag that performs when it needs to and offers an intuitive user experience without being overtly tactical. Sure, it nods to military aesthetics, but with a more stripped-back look that makes it easier to weave amongst an assortment of settings. Plus with a variety of fabrics and colorways on offer, you've got flexibility in the looks department too.
The 25L pack provides customized organization courtesy of hook and loop panels, webbing attachment points, and a variety of compartments and pockets. So you can really tailor your setup just how you like it. Additionally, the Full version includes a 15"laptop compartment (the Lite version has no laptop compartment). A combination of load lifters, a sternum strap, and ventilated padded back panel also contribute towards a very comfortable carry experience. With its adaptability for everyday use and short/overnight travel, it's an undeniably versatile piece to have in your carry quiver.
Bellroy Apex Backpack
Bellroy's take on designing a concept car? The Apex Backpack brings together a decade of design insights with craftsmanship and patterning designed to push the brand to its boundaries. And what a result! An incredibly clean and refined design gives the Apex an ultra-flexibility to glide from work to play and weekend adventures alike. This pack is all about access, with a universal zipper that opens up the entire main compartment or in varying degrees when it matters. Thoughtfully designed organization including a toolbelt positioning of the pockets around the sides keeps smaller items tidy and out the crush zone while leaving space for bulkier items too. And additional features such as magnetic buttons, a key clip, and adjustable volume all enhance the adaptable, user-friendly design. The Australian B Corp strives not only for quality, functionality, and style but sustainable construction too. And the Apex is crafted with a specially developed recycled Baida Nylon and premium, environmentally certified leather that not only look good but will provide many years of reliability to get the most out of this pack.
Osuza Canvas Backpack
A lot of everyday bags will carry your tech, gym clothing and even weekend getaway essentials. But what happens when your carry requirements become a little well unusual? A chair perhaps? Large packages? Bulky computer monitors? This is where the Osuza Canvas Backpack steps in, easily taking care of day-to-day setups while packing some serious flexibility when your carry gets a little crazy. The lay-flat design expands from 20L to 40L, staying compact for small loads but easily hugging big or awkwardly-shaped ones when the need arises. The pack provides top and side access and a host of organization options including a 17"laptop compartment and numerous pockets and webbing attachment points. Plus you can even partner the pack with optional pouches and straps for additional carry organization. Pretty much as close to morphing carry magic as you can get, the Osuza Canvas Backpack lets you carry almost pretty much anything you want, from minimalist to maxed out as duty calls.
VORMANN FRT Rucksack
VORMANN is a rare beast on the carry scene, exploring the intersection between outdoor, streetwear and EDC while bringing their expert craftsmanship to the fore through a combination of standard and highly customized offerings. The brand designs and crafts gear in their Dortmund-based workshop, with premium components and build quality ensuring you'll be holding onto their gear for a long, long time. What really captures the attention of the savvy carry enthusiast is the FRT Rucksack, available in a wide variety of configurations. The multiple custom options range from fabric and hardware to pockets and more, ensuring this is a pack you can really make your own.
GWA Citadel Gen 2
Never finding a bag that's "just right"is a bit of a curse when you're as obsessed with gear as the designers and gear reviewers at GWA are. So they did what they had to do: made their own. Seven years in the making, the GWA Citadel Gen 2 was tested and fine-tuned to create an adaptable pack for everyday and travel use. The pack is made in the USA with American materials, featuring a rugged 1000D Cordura body and mil-spec construction that will take a beating and keep on going. The pared-back tactical aesthetic and functional design salutes military utility while remaining compact and low-key enough to move between environments. A clamshell main compartment reveals a Velcro-lined internal back panel for use with tear-away pouches. And the organization continues with a mix of interior and exterior pockets, PALS webbing, and a separate padded laptop compartment. The carry-on compliant pack also offers multiple grab handles, excess webbing management, and a padded ventilated back panel. All resulting in a tough, well-considered bag that easily adapts.
