LTT Commuter Backpack

I have a problem. According to my wife, I’m a bag lady. I love bags, organizers and backpacks, and I have far too many of them. And the number of bags keep going up.

But that’s not an actual problem. At least the way I see it.

No, my problem is that my bags tend to get pretty big. Why buy a bag that doesn’t fit anything, right? And since I have the space i might as well fill it up. So hoisting up my backpack tend to be the equivalent of a good gym exercise, or at least a fair warmup.

I’ve been wanting to try out the Linus Tech Tips backpack for a while now, but when I finally decided to do it was out of stock. Bummer.

But the smaller version, the Commuter Backpack, was in stock. So, why not take the opportunity to surpress my overpacking tendencies by getting a smaller bag? After all, smaller doesn’t mean I won’t fit the stuff I need, only that I will only fit the stuff I need.

Which is a lot of stuff, for sure, but maybe less than I would have otherwise.

So how does the LTT Commuter Backpack hold up?

After using it for some time now, I’m quite impressed. The quality is really solid, but from everything I’ve seen and read this is something I expected. Despite this being a smaller backpack than I usually use, it’s a perfect day bag, but it’s also very usable for 1-2 day trip. At least if what you need is mainly a change of underwear and a T-shirt.

The shoulder straps are really comfortable, and the padding makes them soft against the shoulders when carrying te bag for a long time. They also stay very well on my shoulder, which is not always the case. On a lot of backpacks the straps have a tendency to slide down and off if I don’t use the sternum strap. This doesn’t happen with this backpack. The shoulder straps have way more friction than other straps, However, that also means the backpack is a bit more difficult to take off, but the solution here probably involves improving my flexibility rather than changing anything about the backpack.

That also goes into my other gripe with the straps. Tightening the straps when the pack is on the back is not really an issue, but I personally have a hard time adjusting the little flap holders (official name, I’m sure) afterwards. Is this a me problem? Probably, but I also feel I’m a target audience for this. I will add extra stretching to my exercise routine (probably not), and revisit this point.

Inner organization is pretty good, with a mix of pockets in stretchy and non stretchy material. That being said, trying stuff all those inner pockets is not really an option since they will eat into each others space pretty fast. At least the non stretchy ones. That’s not unique to the LTT backpack in any way, but it is noticeable. I’m personally an pouch guy when it comes to organizing, so it doesn’t matter that much to me, but It’s convenient being able to just put the non daily stuff in there without it just ending up at the bottom of the pack. I do however love the screwdriver pocket and there is ample room for the precision set as well.

While not a travel backpack, I have dragged this baby as my only luggage quite a few times. Stuffing it in overhead lockers, under plane seats and generally bashing it around. the way you do. So far, it holds up really well.

In summary. Do I regret this purchase? Fuck no, this has been my daily bag since I got it, and I don’t see that changing. Would I recommend it to someone else? Already did, several times. I do miss the extra space from time to time, so I might swap it for the full size bag at some point. But right now? No, this is the best day to day backpack I’ve had.