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It finally happened: my Adidas backpack that I’ve been using for nearly two decades is finally done. However, this opened up an entirely new genre of products that I’ve gotten interested in as I find a replacement for my long-used school backpack. After quite a bit of research into brands, one of the companies I found interesting was Able Carry, who was thankfully willing to gift me a sample of their Thirteen Daybag.
Now, I also got quite a few other backpacks from other brands during this period, and this one right here has become my go-to bag (passing up other, more well-known brands). So, in this article, after spending nearly a month with the bag, it’s time to share what I like, don’t like, and who this minimalist backpack is for!
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What is the Able Carry Thirteen Daybag?
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- It’s the right, compact size for a daily bag
- The magnetic chest strap is awesome
- I enjoyed the internal water bottle pocket
- The included rear pocket makes a lot of sense
- It’s definitely a smaller backpack
- Dirt and dust show really well
- Capacity: 13 Liters
- Materials: Cordura, YKK Zippers, Duraflex Hardware
The Thirteen Daybag (Paid Link) is one of the smaller bags in Able Carry’s inventory. The whole idea behind it is a minimalist backpack! It’s meant to stay clean and look clean. It’s made of “X-Pac or Cordura Ripstop 210D” and is a 13-liter capacity bag.
The bag comes with plenty of pockets on the exterior, including in the shoulder straps (for small items like credit cards or bus passes) and in the rear of the pack (for larger items that you access regularly). As for the interior, you’ll find a high-up pocket for cords, a padded pocket for a laptop (up to 14″), a smaller tech pocket for tablets (or my Supernote Nomad), a pen pocket, and, of course, the general usage bag portion of the bag.
You’ll also notice the absence of a water bottle pocket on the exterior of the bag, as they have moved it to the interior of the bag to keep a clean profile. This bag was also recently updated with more padded shoulder straps (which are quite comfortable).
What do I like about the backpack?
1. It’s the right, compact size for a daily bag
Ever wondered why the Thirteen Daybag is called the Thirteen Daybag? Well, it’s simple. This is a thirteen-liter capacity bag – and I’ll let you deduce the rest. However, that more compact sizing has allowed this to be my go-to bag almost daily!
It does a fantastic job of staying small and out of the way when you don’t need it, but carry more than you normally would be able to with something like a cross-body bag or your pockets (obviously). The compact bag can still easily hold laptops, cords, drawing tablets, and any other random things that I want to throw into it without many issues.
Of course, it’s not going to hold anything more than your daily essentials, though, as it is definitely not meant for multi-day trips (which is where the “Daybag” part of its name comes into play).
2. The magnetic chest strap is awesome
I’ve never been more impressed with a backpack chest strap than this one right here; in fact, I’ve never really thought much about this strap until now. Much like any other backpack, the strap does a great job of relieving some of the weight of the backpack off your shoulders and onto your chest. However, unlike most other bags, it has an impressive magnetic latch mechanism.
Most backpacks have your standard latch; where you insert it, it clicks, and you are good to go. However, it generally means you have to hunt for both sides to insert them. This bag, on the other hand, uses magnets to help it find its way to being latched (kinda like how Groove Life does it with their belts), meaning you just have to get the two ends close together, and they’ll do the rest.
When you are ready to remove your bag, you just rotate the two ends upward, and the bag releases itself.
3. I enjoyed the internal water bottle pocket
One thing that I generally keep on me whenever I leave the house is my Yeti Rambler Water Bottle (you can read that review here). However, many backpacks struggle with keeping large and heavy water bottles in their exterior pockets. It’s generally too top-heavy and can fall out of the bag pocket if the backpack is laid on its side or in other weird positions.
However, Able Carry moved the water bottle pocket to the interior of the bag, which is quite genius (and something I’ve never seen before). This means that no matter what position my backpack is in, it never falls out of the bag. The other huge benefit of this is that it keeps the bag compact, and I don’t have to worry about the bottle catching on things as I put it under seats or lean it up on things. It’s a small but awesome feature.
4. The included rear pocket makes a lot of sense
One of the biggest downsides of keeping things like your phone in a backpack is ease of access. It generally means you have to pull the backpack off, open a pocket, grab the item, and then close it back up and put your pack back on.
However, this Thirteen Daybag is an awesome feature; it has a slim, zippable pocket on the back of the bag, meaning you can keep things like your phone, wallet (if you need one, I have an awesome article here for that), or anything else you might need easy access to.
This just takes a quick motion (similar to getting into your pants pocket) to the bag of the bag to it. This means you don’t have to keep things in your pockets anymore, especially if you are someone who regularly keeps a backpack on your back regularly.
What do I NOT like about this Able Carry bag?
1. It’s definitely a smaller backpack
Now, the thirteen-liter capacity of this backpack is both a huge upside and can also be a significant downside as well. If you need a backpack that can do it all, whether it be going to classes in college or taking a multi-day trip, this bag probably isn’t it. The thirteen-liter daybag’s capacity (Paid Link) truly keeps it to only hang onto items that you are going to be using in a single day.
You start adding in things like toiletries, clothes, and more, it’s going to fill up quickly. If this is going to be your only backpack, and you do travel on multi-day trips, you might want to look somewhere else.
2. Dirt and dust show really well
The backpack I am reviewing in this article is the Cordura Ripstop Black, and while I very much enjoy the styling, color, and material, it definitely shows dirt and dust on it extremely well.
If you bump into something that is dusty, set it on the floor where there might be dirt, or just sit on your car’s floorboards, you likely will start to see that dust and dirt on the bag. Of course, it’s easy to remove the grime with a few wipes of your hand, but it’s going to show it considerably more than a lot of other materials and colors.
Who is the Thirteen Daybag for?
This compact minimalist backpack is the perfect backpack for someone looking to cut down on the mass that many backpacks offer. It does a fantastic job holding everything you need on a daily basis, including your laptop, tablet, basic outerwear, and some books.
It’s great for the professional who needs a simple bag for getting things to and from work or for someone who needs a small backpack to take their materials to class. Essentially, anyone who might need a high-quality bag for single-day usage.
However, as I mentioned earlier if you need something to contain anything for multiple days, the thirteen-liter capacity is not quite going to cut it. Instead, you might want to look at some of Able Carry’s larger options (which I haven’t had a chance to test yet).
Where should you buy it?
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