PAKT ONE BY PAKT: REVIEW
Disclaimer
The Pakt One was provided by Pakt as a sample for review purposes, the content of this review was not shared with Pakt before publishing.
My goal is to share an honest, unbiased review that is not tailored to keep the brand happy.
At the time of this review, I've had the bag for 3 months and have taken it on two trips. Unfortunately, COVID-19 did impact my travel frequency but I believe the experience I had was sufficient for the review.
FOREWORD
Pakt is a relatively young brand founded in 2017 to provide unique, sustainable, animal-free products to satisfy the needs of the most demanding travelers.
As with many promising young brands, Pakt’s success was due to a Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign which helped raise over $2 million with nearly 7 thousand backers. The interest in the campaign was fueled by the critically acclaimed 2016 documentary “The Minimalism” (featuring the duffel). Not bad for a first campaign, right?
With the overwhelming success of its first campaign, the Pakt brand was propelled to the heights of well-known and established manufacturers with decades of market presence.
The question is: does the Pakt One deliver? Let’s find out.
ABOUT THE BAG
Let’s get the specs out of the way first:
* PRICE: $275 (with current limited time offer of 20% off - making it $220)
* DIMENSIONS: L 20" (50.8cm) x W 10" (25.4cm) x H 11" (27.9cm)
* WEIGHT: 3.25 lbs
* CAPACITY: 35 L
The bag is offered in three different colors which also differ in materials:
* Black / Black - 420D nylon dobby; water-resistant exterior zippers; durable black hardware; grey 150D polyester interior
* Grey / Pewter - PU Coated polyester canvas exterior; durable pewter colored metal hardware; grey 150D polyester interior
* Navy / Bronze - PU Coated polyester canvas exterior; durable brass colored metal hardware; gold cotton interior
There is a famous saying “clothes make a man” and to some degree, it can be applied to the packaging of the bag where your initial impression begins.
Pakt One comes in a neat flat rectangular box. Upon opening it you are greeted with simple yet beautiful paper cover with the design sketches of the bag and a simple PAKT sticker in the middle that holds the wrapping together. It looks like a gift from someone who cares.
Moreover, there is zero plastic used in the packaging reinforcing the brand's commitment to sustainability.
Overall, the first impressions are extremely positive. More companies should take a cue from Pakt on tasteful, environmentally friendly packaging. First impressions do matter.
After unpacking the bag, the first thing that came to my mind was that this was finally the piece that said “OK, I am a grown-up.” With predominantly backpacks hanging on my wall and used for travel /EDC it was refreshing to get a bag that is geared to someone mature :)
I loaded it up with some packing cubes, my tech, and dopp kit; I had no second thoughts that this would be a perfect companion on my next business trip.
QUALITY & COMFORT
The bag is made out of quality, reliable materials. The PU coated polyester canvas exterior used on my Navy version of the bag offers a pleasant tactile feeling and is also quite durable and water-resistant.
I had zero issues with external stitching and a few loose threads on the inner liner which was not a big deal.
I was very glad that no cheap plastic was used, only metal hardware across the board. Of course, this added some weight but also made the bag feel more premium and reliable. It is a fair trade-off if you ask me.
The inner liner is high visibility (a big win in my books) golden fabric, very nice to the touch. Apart from a few loose threads I mentioned already, I have to admit I was a bit worried about the fabric getting dirty if liquid contents of the bag happened to leak. As someone who does not like to be gentle with my bags, the concern about the inner liner remained throughout my experience with the bag.
The zippers are YKK across the board. The middle zipper is a very nice, silky smooth number 10. The two brass colored zippers on the sides were unfortunately a source of much frustration. Let me elaborate.
The zippers used on the Pakt One are different depending on the color you choose. My Navy review unit with nice bronze accents on the top access zippers and the strap hooks.
As much as I enjoy the aesthetics of this option, while using the bag I was constantly fighting the zippers used on the side access compartments. When open/closed and a slight angle, they do not slide as smoothly as I would have preferred; this often made me adjust my grip and angle of operation. The issue is more prominent when you try to access the compartments while wearing the bag. Due to the bag curving when being pushed against your body the zipper rails are curved as well. There are a few ways to work around this:
- Pack you bag to the brim to a point where it does not bend at all
- Be mindful on the angle at which you pull the zippers (this is a bit annoying)
- Choose the black version of Pakt One which has a different, AquaGuard zipper that could work better (I haven’t had a chance to test this assumption)
Considering how often those zips are used I found this to be a noticeable issue that did take away from overall pleasant experience using the bag. I did appreciate that both the center zip and the top access compartment zips are two-sided so I could open and close the bag from either side (or leave both zips in the middle for even quicker opening)
Now to the comfort.
Imagine running through the airport trying to catch your flight. Would you prefer a backpack or a duffel in this scenario?
I think the answer is obvious. This is why I want to get this out of the way - no matter how well the duffel is designed and executed it is very unlikely for it to match a backpack when it comes to carrying comfort. Weight distribution, load balancing - the backpack by default is a better option with both shoulders taking on the weight of your belongings. Also, the back panel firmly pushing against the body is almost merging you with the bag and that is not the experience you can have with any duffel. However, if you are buying a duffel you are probably aware of this and it should not come as a surprise.
For a duffel, Pakt One was mostly a pleasant carrying experience. A wide somewhat padded strap was sufficient to carry on one shoulder or across the body and grab handles are a god-send when you want to save your precious suit and shirt from wrinkles (that quickly appear when carrying using the shoulder strap)
When empty the bag itself weighs 3.25 LB which does not seem much and falls well on the average side of packs, however that weight feels very different in duffel than in a backpack. Fully packed you will feel the weight on your shoulder and your hands when carrying it around. As a quick solution from home to car to airport to your gate it is fine but extended carry will result in fatigue.
Weekender mode.
ORGANIZATION
This is the part where Pakt One shines. Yes, there are many pockets in the bag (both externally and internally) but the main innovation lies in how Pakt reimagined what the duffel is and how you can pack and access your things in such a classic, timeless form.
The content of my Pakt (Fall edition): Uniqlo Cable Crew Neck Sweater, Uniqlo Turtleneck Sweater, Uniqlo Selvedge Jeans, Levis Work Jacket, The Brown Buffalo Pencil case (Dopp kit in my case), MacBook Pro 16, Xiaomi RFID Wallet, Knife, iPad 2020, AirPods Pro, Passport, Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Jacket, Kindle Voyage, Peak Design Packing cube (small).
Let’s go over the pockets (bear with me, there are a lot):
1. External
- 2 symmetrical zipper pocket on one side (excellent for quick access to smaller items such as your headphones, wallet, face mask, etc. One of the pockets conveniently has a key ring to attach your keys.
- 1 long magnetic pocket on a second side. It does not have a lot of volume but quite handy for a magazine or other flat objects
- 1 zipper pocket on the outside of the magnetic one. This pocket often faces your body so naturally more secure than the pockets facing outwards. I found myself using it for my phone, passport, wallet. It also contains a signature floating TSA pouch - a mesh zippered area that can be pulled out to store essentials while breezing through the airport security. The pouch has a red strip that serves as a reminder to get your things after security.
2. Internal
- 2 main sections separated. One is separated by a mesh wall, the second by the padded wall that also contains a laptop storage area (fits my MBP 16 like a charm)
- 2 long pockets inside each section for miscellaneous items
- 2 small mesh pockets great to store your charger, some cables, etc.
The number of pockets seemed almost overwhelming but as soon as I started using the bag it all came together. So many pockets also mean you need to spend time with the bag to adjust to all the variety of storage options it offers.
I was also pleased to see a black laundry bag included with Pakt One. It saved me many times from storing my dirty clothes in cheap plastic bags.
The genius of Pakt One is how you can pack and access your things. Opening up the duffel clamshell-style allows you to quickly see everything on each half of the bag and pack your things in a meaningful way. You can also pack and access your clothes from the top access zippers - I have not seen any duffels that offered something similar. Well done, Pakt!
WHAT’S HOT
- The build quality
- Focus on sustainability
- Professional looking
- Innovations in the classic form factor
- Beautiful color options, different liner color for each of the three main exterior colors
- Durable
- Simplicity and very minimal branding
- Rich external and internal organization
- Included laundry bag
- Lifetime Warranty
WHAT’S NOT
- The zippers used for top access were often difficult to operate and require a certain angle to open-close. This drove me nuts at times, especially compared with the middle zip that was very easy to operate.
- The full retail price of $275 is quite high, however, it is mitigated by a lifetime warranty
- The inner fabric is pleasant to the touch, but I have concerns on durability and stain resistance
- The bag is heavy and suitable for short distances, but you would not want to carry it fully packed for an extended period of time
WRAP-UP
If you are a die-hard backpack fan Pakt One will not be a replacement for your trusty friend. However, as a complimentary bag that can join you on a business trip or your friend's wedding – the Pakt One would be an excellent candidate. But if you plan to carry it for a long period of time, the Pakt One will add another companion to your trip - fatigue.
Overall, despite the issues, I faced Pakt One is one of the nicest duffels on the market.
I have to commend Pakt for the focus on sustainability (from packaging and materials used being 100% animal friendly) and hope that the future iteration of the bag would be lighter and offer better zipper experience.
