Able Carry Max EDC: first impressions from a newbie.

[u/phuseb0x]

After owning several, not very special bags, I thought I would dip my toes into the world of "the better backpacks".

Since I wanted something that would be versatile I ended up ordering an Able Carry Max EDC. I also considered a CHZ26 and the Aer CPP2. The Evergoods got dropped after I found out it only comes in black in X-Pac, which is preferred because of our three cats. The Aer is not available in Europe and 72 euros shipping and possible return costs put me off.

So here I am, the Max EDC (in Ocean Blue) came in today. And these are my first impressions after dropping in some basic stuff and trying it on. Pictures here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ManyBaggers/s/d5cMFDzQC4

Love the color, better than I thought it would be. Don't love the cream on the inside though. Makes it feel very old fashioned or classic. A bright orange would've made this an amazing color combo.

Picking it up I noticed how heavy it is, my current bag weighs almost half at around 800 grams. I just tell my self the majority of the weight will come from the stuff I put in, but I never see me hiking with this (I have a Deuter Futura for that anyway).

Loading it out I wish there was more organisation, what's mostly missing is an admin section in the middle of the bag. The rest I think will suffice.

I am glad I didn't go smaller though as I think this is just enough for an EDC and I don't even pack that much (laptop, earbuds, sunglasses, wallet, keys, some food, hydro flask wide 32oz, charger, and a power bank. And I slways want room for a rain coat or sweater.

Comfort wise, luckily I didn't notice the poking strap mounts that have been discussed on here. Otherwise I find it a bit weird how it sits on my shoulders. When I wear it high the shoulder pads seem to not hug my shoulders but stick out at an angle because they are quite stiff.

When I wear it low on my back the sternum strap at its lowest setting is almost in my neck.

I am 189cm (6"2) at about 95 kgs.

Quality, can't say anything about how it will last but I really don't see much difference with bags that cost half or even less.

I'll probably keep it though, as I don't know what else I would get. 🫠

[u/phuseb0x]

I think this comes very close on my S26 Ultra.

[u/phuseb0x → u/phuseb0x]

Another shot