Best Bags of 2020. My top 5 Backpacks.

[@chacon53]

I have to say, I was wating for this video since "My favorite backpacks 1.0". Thank you so much for it.

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks, Sebastian ✌️😉

[@fredrigaudeau]

My preferred bag of 2020 is the AER City Sling, prefect for my street photography sessions with minimal gear.

[@jim_bocho]

Had my eye on that for quite a while but then went for a Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L as it’s also an ideal size for taking it on a plane. Now with no time on planes in 2020, something a little smaller like the City Sling would be great.

[@Youknowthebo]

The City sling is amazing. I have the aer x oshman collaboration, which is basically the same. Great sling bag. Which camera do you carry with it?

[@fredrigaudeau]

@@Youknowthebo I use it to carry my Fuji X100v

[@Youknowthebo]

Good choice 👍

[@Youknowthebo]

Good choice 👍

[@lukepaulson3428]

Thanks for all the content Bo! Still loving my Civic Half Zip, but that Alchemy bag looks great!

[@poweredman]

I can absolutely vouch for the Alchemy Bag. I've had it for 3 years now and it's just as great as at first. Though I got the AL022 and the black inner colour definitely complicates things, it's the perfect bag for me. Super rugged, very spacious, weatherproof, great zippers, great comfort, it always maintains it's shape no matter how full it is, tops up in the upper part (so the weight is distributed and doesn't fall on the lower part of the bag)... I just absolutely adore it.

[@cwarfield]

Happy holidays! Thanks for keeping the content coming this year despite lockdown. My most used bag this year was the Evergoods MPL 30L v2. Great update to that bag, and useful in the city and in the mountains. Also agree on the Wandrd being an awesome hybrid camera/travel bag.

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks, Chris. Happy holidays to you too. Looking forward to test the v2 versions from Evergoods as well.

[@heroicmonkey714]

Bo, as always wonderful vid. Between the peak and wandrd, I too leaned towards wandrd prvke

[@epretto]

I never thought I would enjoy the Evergoods CHZ 22. I bought it as a birthday gift and I was not able to deliver it on time. So I have kept it for my self. Funny thing is that I would have never bought it for me. It is so so simple.... But here I find my self using it every day, on my urban civic days , just as it was designed to be. Good Designers!! Go figure :)

[@trafton00]

I’ve had a similar experience...looks simple but is so functional.

[@Youknowthebo]

Yes. Great bag. I actually considered that bag as well in my top5. But I prefer the cpl24 even more. Nevertheless, incredible backpack

[@928ruf]

I’m daily using the first Nomatic Backpack, Kickstarter edition. I love its amount of internal organisation, the expand ability so useful when travelling, less the average zipper quality. Alongside, I have recently bought a Wandrd Prvke as a backup and camera backpack. I was looking to the Black Ember Forge to replace my Nomatic but I would love to have the black one using the same 500D Cordura material used in the Multicam edition.

[@Youknowthebo]

I haven't tested the nomatic yet unfortunately. But I love to in the future

[@chjos]

@@Youknowthebo I am very interested in!! 😍

[@pauldack5129]

Another outstanding video! I always know your vids will be modern,slick and great to look at as well as informative.

[@Youknowthebo]

Thank you very much, Paul

[@blaineballard8100]

Happy Holidays Bo. My list (in order) : #1 Mystery Ranch Carryology Assault, #2 Triple Aught Design Axion 24 V2, #3 AER Limited Edition Flight Pack 2, #4 GoRuck Huckberry "Slick", and #5 Alpha One Niner Evade 1.5.

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks for sharing your top 5 list. Sounds like a great list, although I haven't had the chance to test all of them yet

[@AMoret]

I knew AER was rad but 2020 is the year of their Day Sling with 4.5 L capacity. This sling is a true game changer! The-always-ready-to-go EDC sling. Capacity for EDC items includes- AirPods Pro with Twelve South snap case + Tile Pro, Baron and Fig pocket notebook, pen, wallet, EDC knife, spare mask, gloves, hand sanitizer, case with an alternate pair of glasses, Bellroy key cover plus, and iPhone 12 pro max. The best sling for any scenario.

[@Youknowthebo]

Agreed. That sling (I have the aer x oshman collaboration) is amazing

[@etherlite7]

Happy holiday, Bo! Just bought Black Ember Citadel R2 last month replacing my old timbuk2 command2 while still using peak design edm v1 13" as my camera bag and peak design sling v2 6L as my side bag.

[@Youknowthebo]

Happy holidays to you too. The citadel is awesome. Good choice

[@joeyschnepel]

What is that red thing at 16:13 on the back of the Blackember Forge?

[@monitofca]

probably is a bike light

[@Youknowthebo]

Yes. It's a bike light. Sorry for the late reply

[@joeyschnepel]

@@Youknowthebo All good! I got my Black ember Forge Max about 3 weeks ago and love it. Fantastic recommendation

[@expatadventureturkey9324]

Great content, enjoyed your selection and in depth honest opinion of the bags. Although I was sad my BellRoy Apex bag didn’t make it...haha its ok your selection is very nice.

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks, mate. The apex was also in consideration. Really like that bag, the other ones just were more memorable to me

[@filmjkk]

probably because of the price ehem. But I still love that bag too haha

[@boonchinyap5979]

Good review mate. Cant wait for you to do a collab with aer or BE, first in the line to buy!

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks, mate. A collaboration bag in the future would be awesome

[@cptainaut579]

I got myself the first Blackember Citadel Minimal (not the R2) based on your review video and still no regrets. Been using it for years and still going strong. Forge didn’t appear to me as much and I always see it looking messy with everything hanging out. Although It is definitely on my list for the future because of all the functionalities like you mentioned. Just wanna say thank you for all your beautifully edited videos and critically calling out the pros and cons with each review. Cheers

[@Youknowthebo]

Thank you for watching my videos. The citadel is a great choice. I can see that all the stuff on the Forge seems a bit "messy", but you can take all of that of for those times when you don't need it.

[@Alchemyequipmentperformance]

Hi Bo. I hope you are doing well? Pretty chuffed that you dig the 222. Must be time for a re-issue😉

[@Flyingredcactus]

Hi AEL team ! I daily commute, travel and go outdoor with my AEL 222 since December 2018 and it still rocks ! The bag has just bleach out with the sun. But the rest of the bag is in great shape. I would love to send you pictures of it.

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks for watching. The bag is great. Really looking forward to see what you will create in the future

[@bastianwur2957]

Hi, great video! My all time favourite is the black ember forge (Man, I have too many bags 😂). Most of the time I use it in briefcase mode.. and in combination with the peak design duffle its great for travelling.

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks, Bastian. That's a great combination of bags

[@luisaguilar6347]

Love your videos!!!!! Keep it up!!!! My Top 3 are the Wandrd PRVKE (My Travel Bag) , Boundary Supply Errant (My Work Bag) and Topo Designs Rover Pack Tech (My Gym Bag).

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks, Luis. Cool collection 👍

[@mrliamw1996]

Love your videos bo , could you do a review or compliation of your jacket collection ?, the ones you wear in your videos look great and would like to know more about them 😉

[@Youknowthebo]

Thank you very much. You can see two of my jackets in this kzbin.info/www/bejne/fl67pIScgq1ln5o and in this kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaemfXuYpdV3Z7c video

[@jm77_josemanuel]

Very interesting video. That Arcido looks quite good, as the AER one. This year I haven't bought any, as fas as I own already some good bags. In the beginning I was interested in the PD Everydaycarry but, as you say, perphaps it is too much camera gear oriented. By now I am quite happy with my Minaal Daily for casual use and the GR1 for the gym. The Evergoods CPL24 is being heavily used daily by my mother to work; she likes it, but she says it is smaller than it looks like.

[@Youknowthebo]

That's a pretty cool collection. And its awesome to hear that your mom uses the cpl24. That's amazing

[@Windingify]

Fun selection Bo. I am the "transformed to Toploader" guy, so the MW Rhake is still my top choice. the craftsmanship and fit is near perfect for me. . I like the blend between hardcore look and everyday usage on a bicycle commute. For some reason, it also carries way more than one would think. Also, the idea of keeping to one bag, and thus not overconsuming is one I like more and more. Carry on bags; Being a user of old school DE razors, I have stopped using a carry-on, as old school razor blades are a no-go in airplane cabins. Another choice between what hurts less, climate-wise; bring less gear or use less throw-away plastic stuff. So there.

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks, Peter. The rhake is hight on my list, but for this selection it didn't fit in the time frame. I just looked at the bags from 2019 to 2020. If it would have been in there, it would have been in my top 5

[@InktronicsBlog]

Thank you for all the work you put into your channel. As I can't afford most of the bags you review, I live vicariously through your channel. 😂 I do have a few bags but 2020 has had me using my ebags Pro Slim all year long. I just like the organization it has which is probably why I am drawn to the black ember forge. Maybe if I sell off some of my other bags I can get it eventually. That is the goal for 2021.

[@niclasgotze3316]

its a really amazing bag and i kinda regret selling mine on the other hand the amount of slots and compartment can be really overwhelming.

[@InktronicsBlog]

@@niclasgotze3316 the more organization the better, at least for me. I don't know why I am fascinated by bags with tons of organization.

[@niclasgotze3316]

@@InktronicsBlog damn i thought exactly the same when i got it. U definitely gonna love it one day. i would say its a bag safe to buy second hand as well if u gonna stumble upon one.

[@Youknowthebo]

Hey you two. Yeah, I can see that the amount of compartments can be a love or hate thing. Usually I'm on the same boat as Niclas and find too many compartments overwhelming. But I didn't find this to be the case with the Forge. And if you finally get a Forge, please let me know how you like it 😉

[@timblass4811]

With you Bo! Black Ember's Forge is legendary. Backed it on Kickstarter as well as their latest Shadow model. I hope 2021 gives more EDC opportunities to put them through their paces!😃

[@Youknowthebo]

Cool. Please let me know how you like the shadow once you have it in hands

[@TheLegend-yn3ft]

Just got the shadow 26L looking for the forge or the modular now

[@Meraadj]

Amazing video, Bo! Thanks for the overview. The Black Ember Forge looks great and quite similar to the Taskin ONE, a kickstarter back I got in September. It's ideal for work and EDC, and can easily expand to hold clothes or other gear while traveling. Have you compared it to the Forge?

[@noctilucent7396]

You ever use your goruck gr1 anymore?

[@MrLlama999]

My quarantine bag is a GR1. It shipped my last day at the office. It’s been great for the apocalypse.

[@Youknowthebo]

Good choice 👍👍

[@relaxDr]

Great video Bo, justa have a question what's the small red light you put on the forge?

[@mrcvry]

I do not know what he is using but Olight has an interesting bike light. It has a smart mode where it lights up if you are braking.

[@relaxDr]

@@mrcvry thanks a lot

[@Youknowthebo]

That's just a cheap bike light that I got from Amazon.

[@benhow47]

I've been loving my Black Ember Citadel Modular (also, big respect to Black Ember's customer service, which quickly, generously, kindly, and very effectively resolved my issues when my hypalon started peeling off my first Citadel). I've been eying Black Ember's latest offerings, including the Forge, but the Citadel is still in such good shape it's hard to justify adding another similar looking pack to the collection just yet. How about the Bellroy Apex? It just looks like such an elegant, high-quality backpack that seems comfortable.

[@jeffone]

How heavy is the Forge? The website does not list the weight. Max 7kg carry on weight allowance so this is important.

[@67celticghirl]

How much dose that last backpack for the uk price

[@armandohashimoto2346]

Hello, I have been looking for months for an everyday backpack that can carry a DSLR and two lenses but has easy access to everyday things AND the camera and doesn’t look too much as a camera bag. I understand you are recommending de wandrd prvke as the best for 2019 and 2020. What is your best recommendation?

[@Youknowthebo]

Hey Armando. For what you are describing the Wandrd Prvke would be my top pick.

[@armandohashimoto2346]

@@Youknowthebo thanks a lot! . Do you think the access to the everyday things by unrolling is easy enough? (That is the main issue that stopping me from buying it). Thanks in advance, I really appreciate your advice.

[@Youknowthebo]

It definitely takes longer and requires two hands compared to a zipper. However, during my travels I found the expandability very useful. The speed of opening and closing is definitely a downside. Do you need an expandable main compartment?

[@DaBomb5309]

would be nice if the ael 222 would be rereleased

[@daggel]

Sooooo - what is your favorite bag of all times?

[@softycrab6267]

Take what he says with a grain of salt. He claims to be unbiased but writes articles for carryology.

[@Youknowthebo]

I respect your opinion. However, please let me clarify. I am a contributer to Carryology. That means I do not receive any money. I only send over my videos and they decide if they post the video or not. They have no word in any of my videos as you can tell because for instance I do not use Carryologys rating system in my videos.

[@salonmoune9283]

Bye all. hahaha

[@daggel]

Would still like to know your all-time favorite backpack for work

[@hann87]

For me the best and my favorite is Osprey Tropos. Super comfortable.. Hybrid city and outdoor bag.

[@Youknowthebo]

Haven't had a chance to test an Osprey yet, but I'd love to do so in the future

[@bikecommuter24]

Nice review. LOL I kept getting ads for the Brevitē Jumper Camera Backpack, which I bought recently and use for my daily bag. Anyway I can see having a backpack that converts easily to be something to have on a trip. PS I got the Orbit Key Organizer a week ago and so far I'm liking it, it fits fine in my pocket and is easy to use to get to my keys, I only got three items on it my front and back door keys and a key shaped USB flash drive

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks, Donald. I have seen those Brevite ads. Looks like an interesting bag. And happy to hear that you like the Orbitkey 👍👍

[@bikecommuter24]

@@Youknowthebo It’s not very technical compared to say my Think Tank Photo backpack. But for every day use it’s nice I bought it because I don’t have a big kit anymore and it’s has a top compartment for assort items and you can take the camera part out and make into a day pack.

[@justinrenard8768]

Hey wie wäre es denn mal mit Reviews von PinqPonq und Aevor Rucksäcken? Diese sind auf KZbin kaum bis garnicht vertreten und würde mich sehr interessieren. Unter dem Aspekt der Nachhaltigkeit sind die ja recht attraktiv. Habe selber einen PinqPonq Cubik und habe mir jetzt einen Aevor Travel Pack bestellt. Hätte ich vor dem Kauf über ein umfassendes Review der Produkte sehr gefreut. Wäre ja vielleicht mal eine Idee für ein Video.

[@Burritosarebetterthantacos]

Had the Peak and hated it. Straps were worst of all my bags. Got the wandrd and its so good. I wish it had ballistic nylon instead of tarp but whatever.

[@Christopher-today]

Hey Bo, happy holidays. :) You and I are on the same page. I looked at soooo many bag videos and a few struck me as ok but there was never the perfect fit or as close to it as you’ll ever get... then I saw the Forge and got in in the 1st pre-order and I couldn’t be happier. I remember when you did your review of it you already had picked it as the best bag to date. My primary complaint is basically the same as yours, the weight, especially when travelling (sigh) on some of the budget airlines in Europe with their crazy weight restrictions. Additionally I’m also shorter than you so I try and keep things s lite as possible. Funny note, when travel was an actual thingI tried to convince the checkin person at a certain airline that because I weigh so little I should be allowed a heavier bag since I’ll have the same gross weight, lol, she didn’t go for it. ;) I also wish there was a tiny quick access at the top so when it’s in backpack mode I can quickly grab the various essentials (phone, power bank and glasses) without going into the existing side quick access. It took me a while to warm up to that pocket but because I switch mode a lot (or I did before we got locked down) I came to appreciate it for the same reason you found. The last one is just an annoyance that has nothing to do with the bag but with the Canadian dollar... after exchange, duty and taxes this bag was EXPENSIVE. Still I don’t expect to ever need another bag like it so over it’s lifetime it’ll pay for itself. It’ll be nice not too buy 3+ bags a year trying to find the right one. I also know it’ll last because it’s build like a tank with materials to match. I’ve actually well hated the rest of the Black Ember lineup so this was a revaluation. I also kind of dig their new sling and if I used one a ton I’d consider it but on that front I’m super happy with my Code10 sling. It’s weatherproof, low profile and just big enough for when you need a few more essential EDC items on a given day. Here’s hoping we get to use it soon. ;s Cheers, Christopher

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks for sharing your experience with the bag. Yeah the weight definitely is an issue. But that will be something I will try to work around once we can travel again. One solution could be to wear a jacket with a bunch of pockets. And before check in just throw all the heavy stuff like charger in the jackets pocket and carry the laptop in hand. That should make the bag significantly lighter just before they weigh the bag

[@Christopher-today]

@@Youknowthebo lol. That might just work. :)

[@SaintBroken]

Hey bo! Amazing review as always! Some inclusions surprised me (especially the AEL 222), although they are all awesome bags! Since I also live in Germany, I was wondering if you could recommend me any sites that sell bags from awesome bag companies such as Black Ember or AER. As far as I know, very few awesome bag companies have a warehouse based in the EU which would require less hassle on taxes and custom clearances, which in Germany ... as you probably know... can be a real pain in the ***! Having to send a bag back that does not fit me or is uncomfortable and having to go through all of the annoying paperwork is just too much of a gamble for me. So, how do you get your hands on these awesome bags, aside from them being sent to you for reviewing purposes obviously? :) Thanks in advance!

[@Youknowthebo]

Thanks, mate. Yeah, shipping and customs in Germany is definitely very annoying and expensive. On my Carryology meetup I got to know Thomas from the keus store in France. Nice guy and as far as I know they have blackember as well. No ad, but just based on him being a huge bag enthusiast that travels from France to Hamburg just to attend a meetup and a nice dude to talk to I would recommend to check out www.keus-store.com/en Cheers, Bo

[@arthurnixcontractor2818]

I love XPAC material. The duffel pack looks interesting.

[@denissitasc]

Really excelente video, your opinion is so importando to me, you mentioned that this aren’t your personal best backpacks, do yo have a video of your best backpack that you used daily. Thank you so much

[@JauLingChou]

RE Charlie 25?

[@antonetwas2415]

What are your favorite backpacks of all time?

[@monteybluez]

Just received my BE Forge Max 2 days ago. Great stuff!

[@Youknowthebo]

That's awesome

[@monteybluez]

@@Youknowthebo will be used in Hamburg Germany :)

[@-r4bbitzz-995]

I never heard (at least from what I remember) you talking about the bags from Douchebags. I really like their concept, especially the hook-up-system. Ever heard of them?

[@Youknowthebo]

Hey mate. I used to watch Jon Olson's vlogs regularly a few years. Back. So I am aware of douchebags. But I haven't had the chance to test one yet. Would love though

[@Balebceck]

I have a portable podcast work station. two mics, xlr cables, zoom recorder, headphones, macbook, ipad mini. anyone oof these perfect for this? thanks in advanced

[@thewhatbrandsg]

Awesome video! 👍🏼

[@Youknowthebo]

Thank you very much

[@davidhunternyc1]

Wow! What a great video but you have us wondering... what are your favorite bags of all time?!

[@mateinllc]

Your video is very cool!

[@Youknowthebo]

Thank you very much 😉 ✌️

[@Constax]

Black ember did not disclose the weight of their bag .. big red flag for me.

[@Wanderkauz]

Grüße nach Hamburg, warum bin ich als Rucksack Kranker erst jetzt auf deinen Kanal aufmerksam geworden? Weiter so

[@Youknowthebo]

Danke sehr. Grüße zurück :-)

[@chjos]

The final question is, what is your best/favorite bag over all?

[@berabjad]

Mantap, Bang!

[@matthewsimms907]

What's the bag at 11.03 please kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zmmbmp-VmbRmidE?

[@_vptr3021]

You should have a clean/professional category as well, think 'college/corporate'. Most of the bags that you showed look more suitable to wear on a 🏍️ than just walk around with, they are just too technical with many zippers/handles.

[@Youknowthebo]

That's a very valid point. However, I rarely to never wear any corporate clothes. Especially now that we are in the second lockdown. That is why I never had the need to test those type of bags. But maybe once I turn 40 next year this might change 😂

[@eidilify]

i'm simple.. i see bo i like..

[@Youknowthebo]

😂 Thanks, mate

[@Rraaup]

If anyone here has an AEL222 they’re selling, hit me up :P

[@GalacticBlader]

these are over hyped over priced trash ill just get a bag a Burlington for like 20$

[@Youknowthebo]

I respect your opinion. But I'd just like to know out of curiosity : if you carry a 2000€ MacBook pro or other valuable items, wouldn't you feel better carrying them in a high quality bag? I'm not saying that a 20€ bag wouldn't be able to do this. But you might agree, that we usually get what we pay for. A "cheaper" item can't withstand longterm abuse (eg. Picking up and putting down a bag with heavy items inside can can be considered stressful to seams and fabrics of a shoulderstrap). So I would argue investing in a bag that has good fabrics and proper stitching will give you some ease of mind that your expensive laptop won't fall to the ground (which has happened to me in the past). But let's say you don't care about the durability. And I get asked a lot why you would spend that much money "just for a bag". So most of these bags are around €200. That's a lot of money. However, this is an item you will use everyday for work and usually at least two years (some even a lifetime). Now I see many people buying shoes for €100 and more. But only wear them for certain outfits or maybe just for one season (eg. Sneakers). So I would conclude that the bag is a much better investment 😉 Again : I respect your opinion. And cheaper bags or items don't necessarily need to be bad. But higher priced items also don't necessarily need to be "over hyped and over priced trash" Thanks for watching my video anyways. Stays safe and healthy. Cheers

[@GalacticBlader]

@@Youknowthebo o yeah you make good valid points and I have been lookin at that nutsack bag. But dude it’s legit a lot of money and all I need my bag for is like my binders and mat tube and deck boxes for mtg and other tcg if I had a job that warranted me carrying my computer then yeah I’d for sure get a premium bag.

[@Youknowthebo]

That's also totally understandable. I wholeheartedly agree that it is a lot of money. And it's good to hear that you exactly know what you need and make it work. There is for sure no point in buying something expensive that you won't use to its fullest potential or is an overkill. Thanks again for watching and replying to my comment. Stay safe. Cheers ✌️😊

[@GalacticBlader]

@@Youknowthebo no thank you for being so polite. Most people would reply ima. Very uncouth manner which I honestly don’t fine to be all that great. You’re great keep doin you