Are you a gal that swaps the populated sidewalks for dirt trails on the weekend? If you do, then you need a pack that can hold everything you need while allowing you to move swiftly in total comfort. And wouldn’t it be nice if that pack was tough enough for your adventures without sacrificing a feminine touch of style? Enter the Acadia backpack from Overland Equipment.
Where to begin…. there is much to tell!
Details Make the Difference…
Tough zipper pulls, padded shoulder straps and a sternum strap to help stabilize the load when it is particularly heavy: Every detail taken in at first glance tells you that this pack is crafted with quality and enough feminine wiles to stick it out with you and your journeys for the long haul.
When it comes to my accessories, basic black isn’t quite my style. I like a little flair without ostentation. OverLand delivers the subtle flair I want with a color scheme described as “peacock”, and an interior color “sprout”. The color differential makes all the difference in the world when you’re searching for that lost goodie. The interior color virtually highlights the interior contents rather than forcing you to search for them in the midst of a black hole.
In addition to its two main compartments, the Acadia has a separate sleeve on the back panel for a laptop. The laptop sleeve will accommodate a 15″ laptop, and it is highly padded ensuring your computer stays safe whether heading to your local Starbucks or rushing to catch that last minute flight to work-land. And speaking of airports, having a separate laptop sleeve is especially convenient when passing through security… not only is it a time saver, it kept me from the dreaded TSA tussle.
The grab handle at the top of the bag is nice and wide, relieving pressure on the hands when pulling the bag out of the trunk or slinging it into an overhead bin – no digging and burning in your palms while lugging it around.
After a long work week, should you decide to reward yourself with a walk in the woods the cushy, stitched foam back panel softly rests on your back while allowing some fresh air ventilation to keep you cool.
1680 Ballistic Nylon with 210 Ripstop Nylon protects the pack from Mother Nature’s tangles on the trail and ensures the pack is ready for all your adventures. Granted, a rip or tear might appear if you take a butcher knife to this pack but then I ask, why would you ever want to do that? But I digress… back to the fabric, while not waterproof, the material was not only durable but managed to keep the inside contents dry when I found myself caught in a rain shower a time or two.
The larger pocket on the backpack is pretty common compared with other standard backpacks, with the exception of a few noteworthy details. First, stitched into the back panel is a webbed zippered pouch. While on the slim side, it’s the perfect size for stashing CD’s. Admittedly I’d like to see the OverLand design team engineer a felt or fleece sleeve that could hold a couple of CD’s, but that is only to up the functionality factor, it’s not critical to the performance of the bag. The second detail worth noting, and this is a big one for me, is the phenomenal stitching detail, both on the interior trim and the interior liner, it is superb.
The smaller pocket contains several different organization pockets, both with and without zippers for a nice variety, all done in a webbing material that allows you to see what you’ve stashed where. Even nicer, two of the pockets are fleece-lined for more personal items such as cell phones or sunglasses that are prone to scratching. For additional convenience, there is a separate padded, fleece-lined zippered pouch near the top of the bag for sunglasses or a cell phone that allows for the easiest access of all.
And don’t let me forget the bottle sleeve on the side of the pack…it’s adjustable! There is a toggle and bungee cord that allows for more or less slack depending on the size of the bottle you want to throw in there. It doesn’t seem like much, but consider the difference in size between a 32-inch Nalgene bottle and a 16-inch water bottle. The sleeve accommodates both sizes and any other size in between – all of which once again proved to this tester that Overland Equipment has paid attention to the details.
Bottom Line…
Reliable performance and intelligent details make all the difference when you’re searching for the perfect do-everything product. With the Acadia Backpack from Overland Equipment, travel from school, to work, and then to the trailhead without switching packs all while maintaining your feminine style. Gumption gal tested… gumption gal approved.