Mountainsmith Colfax 25 Backpack

Even though in a personal level this is a 4-star product because of some details I'm not sure if I like, it's still a well made and cool looking backpack either for daily travels or short trips.

I'm 5'7 150lb with a normal body (not thin or fat looking) and this looks normal/small on me. I was expecting it to look big being a 25 liter backpack but it's actually a really nice size. Not sure if I love this size but that doesn't mean is has little space inside. I bought this for daily activities but mostly for short trips and even though I haven't taken it on a trip yet, it has a lot of storage space on both the back and front slots and with the security straps on the sides it looks like it can hold even more stuff and keep everything tight so it's easy to carry around.

POCKETS: There is no pocket for a water bottle but it does have an exit port on the main pocket. Small side pockets on both sides that could carry wallets, cell phones, keys or any small object around that size. There are two slots: front and back. The front pocket is quite big, it has small pockets made for pens, etc but even though it's the front slot, it goes to the bottom of the backpack so you could fit a lot of stuff in there. The main (back) slot is huge for the size of the backpack. On the inside there is a small padded slot for laptop/ipad and on the other side a small hanging zippered pocket, not too small or big. Both slots have a "small hanger" (don't know what it's called) to place your keys.

LAPTOP/iPAD: This for me was an important point and I'm surprise of the storage and weight when you have a laptop or ipad. I have a HP dv6 15.6 laptop and if fits, really tight but it fits. In my opinion, if you don't mind you could easily put a 17' inch laptop since with mine I still have like 3 or 4 inches to reach the top of the backpack, but it wouldn't fit in the padded compartment so it's just a suggestion. The iPad easily fits in the laptop compartment and still have space for books. I was surprised that I was able to fit the iPad in the front compartment, it gets a little tight but can easily put it there and have the back slot for clothes and stuff.

WEIGHT: In general it is really light and that for me is great. Even with the iPad and Laptop inside it doesn't feel heavy. The padded area on the back is not too bulky and in combination with the slightly padded straps, it's REALLY comfortable. And like I saw on a video, you can take the belt strap off, super easy and quick.

CONS: Not actually a complain, more of a dilemma. The only thing for me that doesn't really work is the chest strap that's attached to the main shoulder straps. The height of them can be adjusted which is great but so far I haven't been able to get them off. I don't use either chest of waist straps for daily activities so I would like to take both off but I haven't been able to find a way without feeling that I will break them in the process. If somebody can help me out with this I would really appreciate it, otherwise I'll just have to brake them since there if no pocket or way to store them and not have them hanging all the time.

EXTRA: There are several places where you could hang stuff in the front of the backpack and on the shoulder straps although I don't know if they are made to be used or are just there for visual reasons.

CONCLUSION: Looks really cool, lots of space for several days of travelling, light, feels durable and very well made and I can't wait to have fun with it. I think is waterproof, which is extra cool.

ps. I ordered the black one, looks like the picture.

pps. Not sure if I could say it's worth the price but I really liked it and after sometime, I had extra income so I just went for it. If I get to travel more, I would definitely buy another one for my girl.

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