Radius Backpack

What I was looking for was a minimalist quality backpack with a zipper closure. The Radius has fit the bill so far.

I really like this backpack for weekend trips. Due to it's boxy shape it feels more spacious than it's stated capacity. I have even taken it for a overnight backpacking trip and it pretty easily fit a hammock, a tarp, a summer sleeping bag, some clothes, a minimalist cookware setup and a couple of litres of water in it. The size of the zipper opening sometimes makes getting to the stuff in the bottom pretty challenging but it has been manageable so far. The side bottle pockets are great as they are pretty tight and they store a bottle, rain jacket or a mini U-lock easily. A bottle is accessible without taking the backpack off, which I love. The little mesh pocket in the main compartment and the smaller front pocket are nice and sufficient for my use.

I like the feel of the backpack when it is more or less full. When the bag is empty I don't love it. While the plastic internal frame sheet gives nice structure when loaded it kind of just squirms there when the backpack is empty.

I went with the Cordura partly because of the cheaper price and partly because of the more "formal" look but I don't know if the X-Pac would have been better after all. The Cordura seems to collect smudges and dust pretty easily which was stressing me out in the nature and I have even managed to get sunscreen on it. Nothing too disturbing though but I would imagine that X-Pac could be more care-free. However , I kind of like it's current more rugged look after six months of use.