Since I’m traveling today I realized I never posted about the best backpack ever. Earlier this year I was looking for a replacement for my Herschel backpack and ended up ordering the Sandqvist Ilon from the Sandqvist website. It looked cool, it had all the features I wanted and it wasn’t too expensive. But, it turned out to be the worst backpack I’ve ever owned. The bags canvas material was too rough and scratchy, the bag had no give, and the shoulder straps kept losing their set length every time I picked up the bag. After using it on one trip I decided never to use it again. I really really hated it.
In April while in London I decided to pass by the Sandqvist store. I don’t know why, I think I was hoping an employee would come up to me and ask me if I’ve owned a bag so I could then tell them yes and vent to them about how much I hated it and it was the worst purchase ever. The Sandqvist store small, I walked in, looked around and nobody asked me if I had a bag so that plan failed. But, while there, a guy walked in with a pretty cool looking Sandqvist backpack. I don’t remember how, I think I might have asked the employee there what bag that was and then the guy with the bag heard me and struck up a conversation about the bag. He couldn’t stop talking about how great the backpack was. He cycles a lot and told me how the bag was weather resistant and his stuff never got wet, and how the bag can hold a lot of stuff and was very comfortable to wear. He was really passionate about the bag, maybe as much as I was passionate in hating the bag I had gotten it. So he sold me on it and I ended up buying it, the Ruben 2.0.
He wasn’t wrong, this is by far the best backpack I’ve ever owned and I’ve owned a lot. The bag’s material is soft to the touch, has give so very usable when full, it’s light, fits a ton of stuff, looks great and has all the pockets I want (front pouch, pouch inside, laptop sleeve, and two side pockets on the outside to hold my water bottles). I ended up wearing it everyday while in London to carry my stuff and all the shopping I did. I then used it to travel with a few times and so far it’s been amazing. The material also seems pretty durable since I throw the bag around without care and there are no scratches or any blemishes at all. It’s also really easy to clean so I don’t worry about spilling anything on it. The one and only negative comment I have about it and I’m being really picky is that I wish the inside pouch was located a bit higher up the bag since I use it to put my passport in. Right now I have to dig down into the bag to get to it but that really is the only negative thing I have to say about it.
If you’re looking for a great backpack get this! I paid 62KD for it in London (£165) but it’s available for slightly less (58KD) on the Sandqvist website. Here is the Link.
