The Brown Buffalo Conceal Pack 21L Review

The Brown Buffalo Conceal Pack 21L is a unique pack in many ways. It features more hook-and-loop fasteners than any other pack we’ve tested, utilizes incredibly durable materials, and somehow manages to come out looking sleek enough to hit the boardroom or walk across the city to the trendiest coffee shop in town. All of that is fine, but does the pack function well enough to use it for all of those things? Let’s dive in and discuss.

External Components

At the time of writing, there are three material options, with different colorways available depending on which one you choose. The black model we have on hand is crafted from 1050D CORDURA® ballistic nylon. It’s incredibly durable, and we appreciate its subdued look.

Additionally, there is Challenge Ultra Black Grid, which is a little pricier than the model we have, and 1000D MultiCam Black, which is the most expensive. Their website claims all three bags weigh the same amount, but these materials often vary in weight, so we’d be curious to see if other versions save some ounces.

The Conceal Pack 21L utilizes YKK zippers, furthering The Brown Buffalo’s commitment to long-lasting, high-quality materials. YKK is known for its longevity, which is good news for anyone who purchases this pack because all the materials and hardware will last.

The buckles are from ITW NEXUS, another top hardware brand. They are easy to use and sometimes make an incredibly satisfying snap noise when you close them just right. That alone might be worth purchasing the bag for, right?

There are four side attachment points, two on either side. You can use these to add modular gear, attach a carabiner, or hang a Bluetooth speaker like the JBL Clip. There’s no water bottle pocket, but you can hang a bottle here if you get creative with a carabiner.

The pack’s logo is minimalistic and not super noticeable, which we appreciate. From a distance, it looks like an EVERGOODS bag because of the logo’s shape and similar materials. However, as a standalone pack, we think it has excellent and unique exterior design choices—we’ll see some of that continue inside.

Fit Notes

The back panel is well-padded and has thick, aerated mesh to keep things cool. The mesh isn’t soft, so it can rub uncomfortably if you’re wearing a tank top, though it isn’t going to leave a scratch. The back panel breathes well and has enough padding to remain comfortable for hours, whether trekking through the airport or across an unfamiliar city.

There’s a luggage pass-through, too. It runs horizontally across the back panel, so your bag will sit vertically on your rolling luggage. It’s quite high, allowing for a more secure attachment point to the telescopic handle.

The shoulder straps have the same thick padding and aerated mesh as the back panel. They can be a little scratchy, too, but again, this isn’t any reason not to purchase the pack. There are D rings on either side for adding gear, hanging sunglasses, or a carabiner.

The sternum strap is on a rail system so that you can make micro-adjustments. It’s tight, so it doesn’t slide around very easily, which we dig. The pack is large enough to warrant a sternum strap, though it’s removable if you don’t want to use it.

The shoulder straps have buckles on the bottom, so you can disconnect them if you want to. If you unclip them, you can stow the straps under the luggage pass-through. This is handy for when the pack is in storage or if you’re taking transit with many obstacles that the straps could get caught on. In testing, we didn’t find it very useful, but it doesn’t get in your way, so we can’t complain too much.

Compared to a standard daypack, we found that you have to wear the pack lower to be comfortable. It feels fine higher up, but a saggier fit felt more natural in testing.

The pack’s footprint is quite large, which affects its comfort for smaller frames. Shorter testers found the bottom of the back hit their bottom, which wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, but isn’t ideal for carrying around all day.

Inside The Pack

The inside of this pack is bare bones, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you like to utilize your own cubes and pouches. However, the hook-and-loop materials used throughout the bag are designed for modular accessories (sold separately), and though they’re not required for the bag to be functional, it feels lacking without them.

The front pocket is large and lacks organization, which is the theme of this pack. There’s hook-and-loop fastener material on the back wall, enabling the addition of modular gear inside the compartment. As is, you’ll have to load items in carefully and thoughtfully. If you don’t, everything will slide to the bottom in a heap. The pocket works well for large, flat items, like a book or folder, but it excels when you use modular gear. The only feature besides the hook-and-loop fastener is a key leash at the top of the pocket.

The laptop compartment has side access near the back panel. It has two zippers, which we appreciate from an access perspective. You can leave the zippers wherever you please and only open the compartment partway if you have a tablet stowed here, too. We fit a 15-inch computer here without issue, but anything larger than that might struggle to make it through the opening without some finagling. Again, there’s hook-and-loop material here, so you can add modular options if you wish.

The main compartment has a clamshell-style opening and has, you guessed it, an entire wall of hook-and-loop fastener material on the back. The rest of the liner material is high-vis orange, and it’s brighter than any other liner that we’ve seen. Without modular additions, this main compartment can be challenging to wrangle. That said, we love how wide open everything is, as you can load this thing up with packing cubes, a tech pouch, your toiletry kit, and a few extras to hit the road for the weekend. Or, if you have a lot of gear to bring to and from work, use pouches to make loading and unloading from your commute easier.

The compartment isn’t wholly devoid of organization, as there are some features on the pack’s lid.

On top, there’s a semi-transparent mesh pocket with a zippered closure, which is handy for small gear you don’t want to get lost in the party that is the main compartment. Plus, you can see what’s stowed here, so it works well for items you want to have eyes on, like your passport.

Below that, there are two large liner pockets. Seriously, these things are beefy. You can fit a large travel water bottle here, like a 32-ounce Nalgene, without issue, though smaller items tend to float around a little more than we’d like and can tumble out if the road gets rough. Still, we appreciate the ability to stow a water bottle somewhere in this pack, as it doesn’t have external water bottle pockets.

The main compartment works well for people who love adding modular gear or, at the least, using packing cubes and pouches to organize their lives. Without either of those options, it’s challenging to pack in this bag. Still, we greatly appreciate the durable materials and simplicity offered by The Brown Buffalo Conceal Pack 21L. Because it’s not designed to do any one thing, you can use it for almost anything, from travel or commuting to a picnic or as a gym bag.