So… I’ve been known to review a few backpacks over my time here at TheMacFeed. Today’s a little bit out of my comfort zone. When I first saw Archival Clothing’s Rucksack, I thought it just looked cool. It’s not really a backpack that I would review, mainly because it has zero to do with notebooks. Perhaps that’s a stretch. It’s just not made for notebooks. That being said, it’s not like it can’t hold notebooks. So the cool people at Archival Clothing made my day and sent one over…

Out of the Box

It’s cool, but still not cool enough for some goodies in the packaging. It’s pretty much the same old, same old: backpack in a box. They did include some cleaning material for taking care of your Rucksack, but that’s about it. Once again, I plead for a backpack maker to include some sort of free 99 cent toy you’d find at Chuck-E-Cheese to make experiences more exciting. Sigh, but life moves on, oblivious to my request.

Design

It’s glorious. At this point, I’ve reviewed plenty of bags of quality, but few of character. The Rucksack has something more than just a look, it has personality. The plain-faced twill dominates the bag, screaming “hipster.” It’s rugged, yet soft to the touch and takes wear gracefully.The straps, only slightly lighter in color, provide a beautiful contrast. A glance at the front and the leather strap that divides the bag into symmetrical halves while clearly dispelling any thoughts that this is just another attempt at vintage bags and giving assurance that the simple word “quality” is the definition of Rucksack.

That bag measures 18″ x 13″ x 5″ making it able to carry a 17″ MacBook Pro in some sort of soft sleeve and a couple of essentials. Despite a tiny depth, the bag sits pretty large on the average person, perhaps because of its bold uniqueness. A shoestring that looks like it was borrowed from a pair of Doc Martens allows you to close the bags contents, while the top portion is secured by leather held in place by brass hardware. The straps are made of thick cotton, World War I surplus anyone?

Storage

My understanding is that Archival Clothing should have a bag made for 17″ notebooks out later this month, personally… I can’t wait. Unfortunately it’s going to be a limited run at first, which is a real shame. Anyways, this features three pockets: the main pocket and two medium-sized pockets in the front. Like I said, the large pocket can fit a MacBook Pro no problem. I managed to get a legal pad, notebook and a single textbook, but that’s pushing it. Alternatively, a DSLR, pair of full-size headphones and water bottle can fit pretty easily. The front pockets can fit MagSafe adaptors, but I mainly used them for drinks, earphones and pens. (Just not the same pockets) While the main pocket uses a string to close, the pockets each snap in via a button.

Protection

It’s a bit of a stretch to be doing this, considering this isn’t made for notebooks. By itself, I say the bag is okay for light use. I put my notebook in the bag sans case a couple of times, but was extra careful about putting it down, because there’s no soft padding. The woven waxed twill is thick and dense, but it’s not so… cushiony. (Shocked by what spellcheck says is a word sometimes) The bag claims to be water repellent. It’s Texas and it’s July (now August), I didn’t have many opportunities to test this, but the two times there was ounces of water, it worked flawlessly.

Comfort

The straps are plain and simple. There’s no cushioning, but it’s actually pretty comfortable. Archival Clothing implemented a semi-rigid back (this also means the bag just sort of sits up when not in use) to prevent the bag from flapping around on your back. This in combination with the leather strap that allows you to condense the weight down into a singular package means that in a lot of ways the bag sort of becomes one with you, in a non-spiritual sense, more like a physical sense.

In the End

If Archival Clothing hadn’t told me they were doing a notebook bag, I’d be begging for one. That being said for those that use Incase’s Neoprene Sleeve or Tech21′s Impact Wrap (the latter of which I recommend over the former), you are fine. Still… knowing what they’ve done here, I can’t wait to see them change that portion of the backpack segment. There isn’t anything I’d change about the bag, except for the price. At $240 it’s going to set some of you back in your seats, but… if you want to start looking around for quality bags made with high-end materials, like Horween Chromexcel leather or military-grade anything, it comes at a price. Archival Clothing’s online store just launched and you can order your Rucksack there in either Black or Ranger Tan with a Gray twill coming in September. Oh yeah, 4.5/5 stars, by far the best looking bag I’ve reviewed to date.

Image via GearPatrol