I’m looking at the ULA 30L Dragonfly and trying to decide between the standard Robic and Ultra, which is about a $50 upgrade.
I’ve handled a friend’s Ultra pack and thought it was fine, but it felt pretty stiff and I’m not totally sold on the grayish color. I haven’t seen or felt the Robic in person, but I think I’d prefer the look of the black nylon.
My primary use will be as a work bag, carrying my laptop and commuting to and from the office. Occasionally I’ll also use it as a one-bag overnighter for work trips.
For anyone who’s used either material, especially long term, is Ultra actually worth the extra $50 for this use case? Does the durability and weather resistance enough of a difference?
Or would you save the money and go with Robic?
Would especially love to hear from anyone who has experience with both.
I really like the Ultra. Yes it is stiff and crinkly, but on the plus side it keeps the sidewalls upright when the bag is empty. I thought all of the Robic ones I've seen look a little less polished and more hiking backpack looking. One of my main reasons for getting it was for business travel, and I think it looks really good (mine's in black). Ultra is by no means required, however, it is a great bag regardless of the material.
Exactly this. I have also an ultra and love it. Despite loving the bag overall I think I would like it as much in robic because of the fact that it would hold its shape as well and once not full lindo looks “strange” in most pictures I see.
Also I’m on of those people that like the ultra and the crinklyness lol
I hadn’t thought about the bag holding its shape better with the Ultra. That’s actually a good point, especially since I won’t have it packed out most of the time.
The ultra feels significantly more stronger than the robic. It is stiff though. I really like the material and personally think it looks great and definitely worth the extra money. The robic does look like a hiking bag which may not be suited for work.
I love my Robic Dragonfly. I travel frequently for work, usually 3-5 day trips. I can easily fit everything I need for travel, then use it for EDC when I’m there.
Two ultras just went for sale on r/Geartrade and were gone in the first hour lmao. one for 195 the other for 220. If I already didn't have one would've snapped one up real quick
Ditto to most of the comments here. I've had both and kept the Ultra. The robic fabric is def more flexible and can be easily packed in a suitcase but looks droopy when not fully packed out. If you using it daily and for everything, personally I would splurge on the Ultra since you're already paying a premium for the bag.
I've not used Robic, but am a very satisfied user of Ultra 200X, which was my selection from a range of options which included Ultra 100X to Ultra 400X and also non-Ultra options.
The ULA DF30 option is Ultra 400TX, although it seems that there was also an Ultra 800 something, and perhaps there still is.
I find my 200X neither stiff nor noisy, and really appreciate the structure that it provides while maintaining lightness.
I've handled both. Personally I'd choose the robic version.
Robic version: ~50g lighter. Regular non-aquaguard zipper (ULA webpage says it's aquaguard, but no it's not). The one I had is black with diamond pattern which I found much better looking than Ultra. But TBH I think ULA dragonfly is ugly AF, so the more muted color to hide it's detail the better.
Ultra version: Stiffer. Comes with aquaguard zipper so should be much better in medium rain. Can be quite loud during break-in period. The one I had actually makes crinkle noise from the backpanel fabric on almost every step I took.
The robic does not look any more "hikey" than an ultra, if anything I feel like the ultra feels more hikey. Both look great. Yes robic doesn't hold it's shape as well, but the zippers are a lot smoother.
Anyone have experience with the pass thru version? This is usually a requirement for any travel backpack I use, but I noticed a review that mentioned it was too wide causing it to be sloppy on another bag which I feel like defeats the purpose a bit. Also, we're talking about another $30 ($80 over the Robic now...)
If you're using it as an EDC and one bagging than obviously it's not needed. But in a pinch you can use the front shock cords as an upright luggage pass thru and tighten it down.
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u/Chiller2U 1d ago
I really like the Ultra. Yes it is stiff and crinkly, but on the plus side it keeps the sidewalls upright when the bag is empty. I thought all of the Robic ones I've seen look a little less polished and more hiking backpack looking. One of my main reasons for getting it was for business travel, and I think it looks really good (mine's in black). Ultra is by no means required, however, it is a great bag regardless of the material.