Premium build, excellent design. Pricy.
Well, after waiting over two weeks to receive this bag - from China to Canada - I finally had it delivered via Yun Express. I wanted to put that up front so my fellow Canadians know what might be expected here. As highly revered as these bags come, not unlike their competitors such as AER, who has my order at my front door in usually three to four days via Fed-Ex, Able Carry’s logistics are not nearly as smooth. In fact, the shipping and tracking hardly bestow the premium reputation they have. However, I can’t get to sample Able Carry products locally so I have little choice in the matter.
With that out of the way, I received my bag whole, regardless of the immense journey it took from the other side of the world. It almost, ALMOST, seems appropriate for such a product to get broken in this way, whether in spirit or otherwise. The fine people at Able Carry packed my bag in a decent shipping box and the bag itself comes wrapped in a stylish dust bag. Quite a nice touch and provides an upscale feel.
I chose the gold rip-stop colour, mostly as a warm weather companion. Yes, in southern Ontario, we aren’t all igloos year round. It gets stifling hot in the summer and we may not reach the level of California for bright hues in fashion throughout the entire year, but there’s plenty of summer haberdashery that changes to light, easy going colours on the eyes. We are already mired in a stifling heat wave in June/July (2026). I thought the colour might represent some seasonal flare, as I’ve read allot about how this material changes its colours in different lighting (a feature every user seems to like allot) and almost has a glimmer in strong direct sunlight. Then being more muted in the shadows or at night. This intrigued me, as almost all my carry bags including backpacks are black, or navy blue. Black goes with everything, but I think many of us sometimes get tired of its dominance in carry bags. As such, yes this colours is a nice pigment chosen by the brand and in low light, it is muted, but sunshine gives it a very impressive pop.
Quality and workmanship:
This bag maker has a reputation. Luckily a good reputation, for making top-tier stuff. I have allot of back packs, some are dedicated to carry heavy photography gear and some for general outings, mostly requiring EDC stuff. This bag is light and easier to be mobile with. I find it interesting that in my extensive research, Able Carry and AER constantly came up in the best backpacks one can buy for EDC and/or travel. And as such, I also find they utilize many similar design traits. Unlike a brand like Osprey, also a great bag maker, who I find has quite different design philosophies. I will say, Able Carry doesn’t compromise on quality. Use of materials and engineering are top-shelf under my examination. As mentioned, the similar design traits really help with muscle memory if you are a user of both AER and Able Carry. I sometimes switch out my bags and if it’s been a vastly different design, I tend to forget where I put things in general, as I have a kind of template I use for my EDC stuff. This is not an issue here. And with high quality zippers, and a host of pockets it’s easy for me to configure my Max EDC to my preferences. Overall, the bag is made well. I need to make mention of two important things that stand out. One is the A-Frame design, spreading the weight evenly with the harness system and geometry on your back. It’s quite comfortable even when loaded. The other thing that’s quite apparent is unlike cordura fabric, Rip-Stop is a little ‘slouchy’. The bag does hold its form though, but panels, or different places on the bag bend and/or sag a little. It’s not a deal breaker as this isn’t an extreme problem aesthetically, but in probably any colour aside from black, more apt to be noticeable. For example, placing a bulky item in the very front outer most pocket such as shoes, shows the creases of the bulge more easily than would maybe be preferred. Conversely, a cordura backpack doesn’t seem to have such characteristics, being a thicker feeling and a little more structured fabric.
Value for money:
I find Able Carry to be on the higher end of the price spectrum. I felt quite ‘spendy’ having ordered this, as many competitors come in at considerably less money after all dollars are spent to satisfy those involved to make and deliver this bag into my hands. Whether it’s worth it will depend on how it makes me feel using it and how it compares in the durability department. Only time can answer this. But, one can certainly spend less for a bag of this size and still obtain a well made product. This is a personal choice I suppose. The shipping cost alone to Canada is a bit to swallow.
Final thoughts:
I can’t speak to how this bag will fare years from now. I do know that it doesn’t have a reputation of giving out on users early and I think every report I read spoke highly of longevity. I’m generally careful with my stuff, so barring an accident, I expect many years of service here. What I find appealing about the brand is they do offer different colours for their bags aside from just black. I especially like their blue, which I fell weak for in the Max model and now that it too is in my rotation, I try not to think of what I spent money wise, but the use I’ll have for years to come.
I do recommend the product. It’s well designed, seems well built, keeps all the stuff I need with me and is comfortable about town. There are even more details about the bag I haven’t mentioned, but really they are positive traits to its function. If you can spare the change to mate yourself with the product, it’s doubtful you would be disappointed here.
