Initially, I had buyers remorse after purchasing this bag due to it's hefty price. I considered canceling the order before it shipped and purchasing one of those Swiss laptop backpacks that I see all my fellow Metro Rail riders wear. What kept me from following thru was that nagging feeling that I was just going to fit in with the herd and regret not going with my gut reaction after falling in love with the Kitchen Sink once I saw it on Amazon.
Just received my package from Luggage Base (free shipping a plus) on Monday and everyone, including my neighbor who received it for me from the delivery guy was amazed. We all were impressed by the sheer presence the bag has alone. It definitely looks like a mans-mans kind of bag. I began transferring all of my messenger bag contents into the Kitchen Sink to see if it was more form over function.
Here is the break down of items: 2 text books and pad folio full of notes in the laptop section. A large Stanley thermos (1.1 qt), a Zojirushi Classic Bento Vacuum Lunch Jar in the main compartment. A 27oz L.L.Bean stainless steel water bottle in both side pockets. All of my pens, markers, high liters and correction tape went in the front pocket. My Gerber multi tool slid in perfectly into one of the rigid pockets inside as well as my portable digital storage devices. The hard undershell top case holds my shades, of course, as well as my ear plugs for my iPhone. I need to mention that every thing I stuffed into the bag still left me room for more. I'm considering using the wet pocket that zippers open from the bottom for more water bottles since I try to stay hydrated enough to pee clear (sorry if TMI).
Now to test out how comfortable it is to lug all this on my commute to/from work. Let me first mention that I decided to remove the padded strap that goes around the waist. Didn't feel comfortable having that thing dangling and the buckle clanging around. The bag already draws enough attention. It easily comes off by the Velcro attachment point behind the sleeve (you'll see). Now on to the function part: I take a rapid commuter bus with small aisles between the rows of seats. Somehow I didn't need to take the pack off to walk down the aisle with both straps around my shoulders. I take this bus to the Metro station and ride up one stop where I transfer to another line and ride that to the end of the line. The verdict: I love this bag!!! I barely feel the load because of the suspension system in the chest and shoulder strap combo. I wonder how much better it would've been with the waist strap... I also love the attention the bag gets even from other Oakley bag owners (Not Kitchen Sink). I still haven't seen one yet on my commute during rush hour btw. My only gripe is that you have to unclasp the cool hook thingys that secure the top flap in order to access the main compartment. I only have to open it once when I get to work to unload my thermos and lunch container though since my pad folio and books are accessible through the side zipper. Other than that I see why the Kitchen Sink is all that and then some. Push 'Buy Now' and enjoy forever!
Pros:
I had been looking for a replacement bag to replace a High Sierra backpack I have owned and used almost every day for the past 7+ years. I read all the reviews on this bag and I am glad I went with it. It has a heavy gauge construction exterior and the zippers, snaps and buckles are of excellent quality, I should get many years of service from this backpack. It has a ton of room inside and lots of extra pockets to hold all your favorite gadgets including a padded laptop section. I have personally had over 50lbs. in the pack and it was still comfortable to carry. The straps are wide and padded for your comfort. There are several adjustable straps that allow you to tailor fit this bag to your body type. All I can say is "Awesome" glad I went with this.
Now the Cons:
A little bit pricey, but after you get it you will see why. Top notch materials and craftsmanship. This bag should easily outlast my last one.
The hard storage pocket in the top flap of the bag is a little heavier material and has a tendency to make the bag fall over when it is less than 1/3 full. What I did is make a wire cage frame inside the bag out of 1/8" steel rod (Purchased at Lowes for less than $10) that went from corner to corner and around the top flap on the inside of the bag and now it stand completely upright just like the picture shows, even when its completely empty. I think they should take my idea and incorporate it inside the bag. The cage didn't even add 1/2 lb. to the total weight and it in no way hindered the bags performance, in fact it looks like it belongs there. I was able to tuck it in the creases; it's almost invisible unless you really look for it.
All in all I love it!!!!!!!!
Buy Oakley Men's Kitchen Sink Now
I carry a laptop, IPad, cables and books for work. Daily I bring a bag into a customer's facility, throw the bag in a car or an airplane compartment. This bag carries everything, and with room to spare. Tons of little pockets and compartments to store everything you need, from a portable HDD, a flashlight or some tools. The only thing it was missing was a ring to hang a quick release to store keys, which I quickly threaded on their. Problem solved!
The rear side entry for quick laptop removal make it worth it alone if you fly with a bag. I haven't taken advantage of the wet clothing bag feature, but I can imagine this would work just as described.
The hardened storage up top is great for your sunglasses so they don't get banged up. It stores so much I would actually caution you to try not to fill it, unless you have a very strong back.
Awesome product.
Read Best Reviews of Oakley Men's Kitchen Sink Here
The looks:
The backpack has no rivals in tough design. I've read a few reviews saying it is not a comfortable backpack, but i've found it to be one of the better packs that I've owned/tried on at stores. The metal handle up top sounds like a great idea, but it's not, it's less then comfortable and kind of small (not for those with larger hands) if you plan to use that handle at all. I often used that handle on my Swiss (Wanger?) backpack to lift it before putting it on. Not a big deal as i killed that habit after a few days.
The straps are nicely shaped. If you are hiking a while, I found the straps to create a more comfortable fit (especially the top strap). If you're just walking from your car to work then straps would just be silly.
The large hard front pocket at the top is rather nice for my essentials i don't want crushed (sun glasses, portable hdd, etc).
Two side pockets are nice and zippers are easy to use with two hands, but with one hand you may just pull the backpack towards you instead of opening. That is actually a positive as i've had similar zippers get caught on stuff and open up the pocket without me knowing it. So the zippers don't get stuck, they are just a little tighter then say a normal zipper. I noticed another review complaining about the zipper being to tough. I guess if you want an easy open zipper, get a LLBean.
The middle front pocket is not easily accessible, you'll need to undo the metal clips on right and left to reach the zipper (unless you don't close it all the way). This pockets is a pretty good size and has several compartments mounted inside for you to put your cell, etc.
The front large compartment is 2 sections, laptop and other (book?). Great news is that the laptop section can be easily accessed without undoing the metal clips, unfolding the top pocket and then undoing the zipper. Oakley put a zipper on the side so you can easily slide your laptop/tablet in and out of the backpack (a great idea in my opinion as otherwise it would be too much trouble to undo everything every time i need to get my device for the day.
The bottom pocket is great for wet clothes. It is made of waterproof material and extends into the 'other' pocket next to the laptop pocket (if you needed that extra space). The entire bottom pocket is isolated from the 'other' pocket with waterproof lining, so no worries about your stuff getting dirty. The bottom container also has drainage holes which again comes in handy when you have wet stuff/shoes in the bag.
The bag is a little pricey at full price. Amazon had it for 169 when i was buying it and they had extra 20% off which i had trouble using until i contacted their customer support (total paid just under $133).
Headphone port the description mentions a headphone port, which i keep hoping will be an actual port to plug your headphones in... no such luck, the backpack has a slit on top of the hard pocket so you can slide your headphone wire through. A little concerned with how well that slit on top will do during rain. I think I may close that hole so that i don't have to worry about my stuff, placing your device into the backpack while hiking in my opinion is silly because you can't change the song, but that's another story.
Overall the pack is very sturdy and looks great.
Cons: A little pricey, but it's a rather nice pack so i think it's worth the money. It is the first backpack that has people asking about it and commenting on it. Not really the goal here, but it does look good.
The top handle is my biggest gripe as it is a small thin metal handle. Not comfortable by a long shot if you had to lift the pack, especially if it is already loaded. The thin metal puts a bit of uncomfortable pressure to the hand the previous (Swiss) pack did not and since the hold for the hand is small too, then it's even harder to grab if you normally use this.
Front pocket takes a few seconds to open up. So if you want quick access to that pocket, i suggest you look at other models. If the laptop pocket is enough for your quick access, then that is covered. That's all i needed, so i'm good.
None of the gripes above were enough for me to take a star as they don't really effect me, but they may be things for you to consider before buying.
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This is the best backpack I have ever had. It really lives up to it's name. With my work I abuse backpacks going through at least one every few months. This one can handle any punishment it is thrown at it.
If you made this bag about ten times its size, so it would hold stuff except for what would go in a man purse, I would like it. In fact it would be awesome. But its not.
