Topo Designs Commuter Backpack Review

The Topo Designs Commuter Backpack is a small but versatile pack from a trusted brand. Topo Designs utilizes durable materials, reputable hardware, and fun colorways, all present here. Let’s dive in and see how they come together in this iteration!

External Components

The pack’s exterior utilizes 400D recycled nylon and 1000D recycled nylon, offering a unique blend of materials that provides stability where you need it and flexibility where it counts. The pack has a PFC-free DWR coating, so your gear will stay dry, and harmful chemicals can stay out of the environment. The pack eventually got soaked in heavy rain, but it took about half an hour of steady rain while cycling through the city. In light rain or short jaunts, it won’t be an issue.

The zippers are from YKK, a brand we have extensive experience with. They are big, beefy, and highly durable. They’re smooth, and we haven’t had any issues with them.

Similar to the zippers, the buckles and plastic hardware are from another familiar brand: Woojin. The buckles are snappy, and the adjusters are easy to use. They might not be as noteworthy as YKK zippers, but Woojin is still one of our top favorite hardware brands.

The pack has a top handle, which is par for the course for a daypack, but we always appreciate the inclusion. In our experience, you don’t notice how much you use a feature like this until you have a pack without it. This pack’s handle is minimal with no padding or aeration, though it works well in a pinch.

There’s a daisy chain running horizontally across the front of the pack so you can attach gear that won’t fit inside the bag. We’ve attached shoes, a Bluetooth speaker, and a towel here.

In typical Topo Designs fashion, this pack comes in multiple colorways, and muted options are also available.

Fit Notes

The back panel is well-padded but lacks structure. It feels comfortable, though it may not be for the long haul if you wear this pack for hours. Typically, we prefer structured padding for bags we’ll wear for extended periods, which this pack doesn’t have. Still, this pack was designed for commuting, and your commute usually won’t last five hours—or, at least, we hope not. Generally, the bag is pretty comfortable.

The back panel absorbs water from sweat or rain and hangs onto it for a while. On a few extra hot days, the back panel got dampened with sweat on the bike commute to work, and there was still a hint of moisture on the ride home a few hours later. While this isn’t terribly uncommon, we wouldn’t recommend this pack for a frequent cyclist for that reason.

The shoulder straps have a light curvature and some padding, which we dig. They feel more structured than the back panel, which strengthens the carry. There are a few attachment points on the straps, too, so you can attach gear here.

The sternum strap is on a ladder and has elastic to offer some relief if you’re moving quickly or cycling. It’s comfortable and easy to use, which is about all we can ask for from a sternum strap.

Overall, the harness system is comfortable for general commuting. Still, if you’ll be wearing the pack for longer uses or trekking around, you might want something with more wholesale comfort.

Inside The Pack

The laptop pocket is on the side of the pack and fits up to a 16-inch computer. In testing, we used a 15-inch model, which fit but was a little tight to get through the opening. A larger computer would likely fit, though it might take longer. The compartment is well-padded and offers safe storage for your laptop.

The pack has two stretchy water bottle pockets. The elastic is snappy and can accommodate larger bottles, and we haven’t noticed the pockets losing their snap in testing.

The front pocket has a horizontal zippered closure and a lot of space for gear storage. Bulky items can bulge out of the pack’s front and make it look awkward, so flat items do better here. Still, you can fit a lot inside.

An admin pocket with lots of organization lets you keep your gear segmented and easy to find. Two medium-sized zippered pockets offer a solid place to store smaller gear you don’t want bouncing out of the pocket. The lower iteration is harder to access because of where the compartment’s zipper stops. There are two small liner pockets and a larger one, suitable for stowing items you want quicker access to. There’s a key leash, too, which is handy.

The main compartment lacks organization but has plenty of space for larger gear. In testing, we could stow large packing cubes, a camera cube, shoes in a shoe pouch, and other larger items.

It isn’t a huge pack, but we like that you can place larger items into this compartment if need be and still have room in the other compartments for a computer, tech, and extras. This makes the pack more versatile, and we’re here for that!

Though we appreciate the wide variety of gear you can fit inside the pack, it’s worth noting again that the pack is often quite sweaty and not the most comfortable after an extended period, especially with heavier gear inside. For light commutes, it’s fantastic, but we’d look elsewhere if your commute is a trek!