TreeLineBackpacker

The Adrift 24 from Rab is designed to be a rugged, do it all backpack for hiking, biking, commuting, and travel. I’ve put it through the gauntlet to find out what it’s capable of, and have come away impressed. This is my review:

The Adrift 24 is a streamlined pack, designed to be light, small, and nimble. It features only the most important additions, such as two water bottle pockets, a workspace compartment with a 15″ padded laptop sleeve, internal tablet pocket, attachment loops, adjustable hip and chest straps, and a front grab handle. It’s constructed out of a variety of high denier nylons and polyesters, with the main panels being coated in a high gloss, water repellent layer for extra durability. The pack weighs just 0.662 kg / 1 lb. 7 oz, holds 24 liters (although a larger model is available), comes in four colors. It retails for about $80 and is available now.

I’ve been using the Adrift for several months now, for everything from work, to commuting both via vehicle and bike, and hiking. I’ve been dragging it around in a variety of weather conditions ranging from direct sun, to rain, and even snow. I’ve packed it to the brim and carried everything from tablets, to winter layers to biking tools, and have had a blast with it the entire time. So, this review is focusing on this pack as a multi-purpose item, as is it’s design, and less for a specific activity. However, if you have specific questions about it for biking or anything specific, just let me know.

Starting with durability, the Adrift has held up impressively well. The thick layered material is smooth to the touch yet provides exceptional abrasion and tear resistance. The outer panels, where the pack is most likely to be scraped along trees, rocks and all manner of urban materials, has barely shown any signs of breaking in, much less wearing down. The fabrics feel flexible, yet thick, with a slight waxiness to them. The glossy coating can show minor scuffing in some extreme cases, but hasn’t actually worn down in my testing and is still shedding water like it is new. I’ve dragged in through briers, in and out of trunks, hucked it down mountain biking trails, and nothing has fazed it. The stitching and zippers are also both holding up great as well, with sign signs of wear. The zippers slide great, are quiet on and off the trail, while the chest straps feel robust. I really have no points of contention here.

The materials also hold up quite well to the elements. While I’ve not had it in a torrential downpour (it’s not advertised as waterproof) neither snow nor rain has penetrated the main compartment yet. It does seem that the back panels could let water in during heavy rain or a dunk, but that seems reasonable given the focus of the pack. The Adrift sheds droplets, dries quickly, and doesn’t seem to have faded in the sun as of yet. The high glossy coating seems to help with that.

Comfort wise, I was actually really surprised here. The packs padding is quite simple, with little more than lightly padded should straps and a single density foam back panel, and yet, I’ve had no complaints at all. The pack is carefully shaped and contoured so that it wraps around the body and shoulders, with no real pressure points aside from a very slight pressure around the lower part of the neck, which is expected on any pack without a dedicated rigid frame. It holds shape well up to about 25 pounds, without sagging or folding in on itself. Be it biking, hiking, or just hauling work equipment, it hasn’t caused me any discomfort yet, even with heavier 20+ pound loads, full of food, water, and lots of winter layers.

Stability is a strong point here that I wanted to focus on. The pack sits close to the back, keeps the equipment weight right against the spine, and sits at a comfortable mid point that creates a very nimble, stable feeling. I was able to mountain bike, commute, and climb without every feeling like the pack wanted to move or shift. The straps pull the pack in quite nicely, without any wobbliness or slipping strap adjusters. It just stays in place and acts predictably, which is all I really want. As a plus, it also cuts through the wind nicely, which reduces pedaling effort on a bike while also improving stability in high winds while hiking.

Ventilation on the pack is a little limited, but it is sufficient. There is some light air channeling built in, but it’s minimal. It can build up a little heat across the back when climbing a mountain, but the breathable back panel does a good job of removing excess heat. It can gather up some sweat, but it dries quickly and hasn’t been problematic for me. I’m yet to test in the summer heat, but I’m not seeing any major issues here.

Internal organization is actually great. It has a large internal container for the big items, jackets and such, with a smaller internal mesh pocket that is zippered to keep smaller items organized. A small fleece lined external pocket is great for phones and other items that need to be quickly accessible, and two external mesh pockets can hold water, snacks, or other small items. A couple external straps can be used to clip on a helmet or other bulky items. Inside the main compartment, a small padded pocket for a tablet is hidden away, and a laptop can be inserted externally, via a dedicated vertical zipper. This makes tech easy to grab for a quick meeting or note, and slides back inside in seconds. I consider these the essential features of a commuter bag, and nothing more. I respect the designers of the pack for the thoughtful inclusions, without them going overboard with gimmicks.

Overall

The Adrift 24 is a rather unassuming pack. It looks simplistic, smooth, and at first glance, perhaps somewhat featureless. However, closer inspection reveals an elegant balance of features, performance and weight, with a restraint that is rare to see in high quality outdoor gear. The designers clearly had a goal and worked to achieve that, streamlining everything that was unnecessary or would add bulk. The internal organization is everything I need, nothing I don’t, and the feature set is full, without going over the top. It is constructed to last, backed by Rab’s warranty, and certainly achieves it’s goal of being the do it all bag, while still staying extremely cost competitive.

Highly Recommended

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