When we get outdoors, WIRED’s gear-focused Review team writes about our favorite bags and EDCs. Today, reviewer Martin Cizmar she is excited about her Topo Designs bag. You can also check other Bag Check story where WIRE authors share all their choices.
Topo designs can just do it the best bags in the world. Denver brand gorpcore sells gear that looks great, lasts forever and has every feature a sane person wants in a bag without making the product feel overbuilt. If I ever win the lottery, I won’t tell anyone, but there will be signs—like me shipping groceries from Trader Joe’s for two. Mountain Gear Bags. (I currently use blue polypropylene bags from Ikea and shop at Aldi.)
In March, I took a spring break trip to Ireland and Scotland with a backpack and a Topo Designs Rover Trail pack as my personal item. I often try new bags, and I didn’t think much about the decision to commit to Rover for a week. I quickly learned that you know a bag well when you take it on seven flights and stay in eight different hotels in 10 days. By the time I got home, I was absolutely convinced that the Rover was the best bag I had ever used.
Photo: Martin Cizmar
Topo Structures
Rover Path Pack
Like the six or seven other Topo Designs bag models I’ve tested—and perhaps more broadly than any other—the Rover manages to cleverly incorporate the little features I’ve come to appreciate in other bags without the hint of pretentiousness.
At the top of the bag, there is a zippered compartment that opens to reveal a rucksack-style opening, which fastens with a strap. This is where I like to keep my keys, any important papers I may have, and sometimes my wallet. Usually, I find myself double and triple checking the zipper to make sure nothing is falling off. No need with the Rover, because inside that zippered compartment, there’s also a key clip and an extra zippered mesh pocket. This feature allows you to double carry anything you don’t want to risk falling—in my case, my irons and my daughter’s. When I went through the TSA line at the airport, I grabbed my car keys for a week, stuck my passport in the sleeve, and didn’t worry about losing either.
Photo: Martin Cizmar
