Standard Luggage Co. Daily Backpack Review

Versatility is tough to find in most work bags. More often than not, you get a classic briefcase, a backpack, or a messenger—but what if you could have that all in one? Well, we’re happy to announce that this does exist and we’re confident that your work commute will never be the same. Although a bit too box-like in shape, Standard Luggage Co. has managed to create a bag that is versatile enough for anyone at your coffee shop office to sport some envy.

This bag is stylish, organized, and functional. With a comfortable fit, a multitude of compartments, and a sleek look, we have enjoyed trekking through the concrete jungle with the Daily Backpack.

Material & Aesthetic

At a quick glance, this backpack speaks to clean lines and a sleek profile. All the edges of the backpack are fitted, tight, and stylish. The pack retains its upright and rectangular shape regardless of whether or not it’s filled. This is great if you need to carry some heavier items, as the firm shape allows you to feel balanced in it’s weight distribution. On the flip side, there’s zero compressibility so when you’re carrying a lighter load, the bag still takes up extra space. Not great if you’re crammed on a rush hour train and now take up the physical space equivalent of two humans, just by carrying your slim laptop in a large bag. Standard only offers this pack in one color option, which is a grey and black combo. We appreciate how unassuming this bag is, which seems to represent the organization and simplicity it offers. No big brands, bright colors, or snazzy add on features. Standard lets the bag’s function do the talking, which we’re all about.

The exterior material is a 310D polyurethane sealed nylon, which is known for it’s high water resistance while still maintaining soft flexibility. The bag is water resistant from everyday drizzle, however if it starts pouring, the pack comes with its own rain cover for extra peace of mind. This coating also allows for easy cleaning—simply wipe the exterior down with a damp rag and you’re right as rain. (See what we did there?)

The interior material is made of a 210D nylon lining. It can be difficult to imagine the difference between a 210D nylon, to say a 600D nylon. In general, a higher denier will be more durable (depending on the fabric), but also heavier. In our experience, the 210D nylon featured in the Daily Backpack is sturdy enough to support multiple laptops in the back compartment, without fear of tearing. In our book, that means it’ll get the job done—although it’s not the most durable out there.

The design team over at Standard has kept the quality consistent across the board, YKK zips, buckles, and snap hooks. Clearly they are proud of their product and have taken the time to select the best materials for the relevant use case. If you have any issues, Standard stands behind their bag, offering a lifetime warranty and satisfaction guarantee. We haven’t had any need to put this to the test, but it’s nice to know you have the option.

Looking at the inside structure and internal storage, the Daily Backpack offers an overall capacity of 18L. It is important to remember there are two pockets which split or share this capacity, although the rear pocket is much larger. As far as backpacks go, 18L is about medium-sized—a bit larger than your average daypack but quite a bit smaller than what we’d consider capable for one bag travel unless you’re a super minimalist. This thing should be more than fine for a weekend trip, but anything more than that and you’d likely want to opt for something a bit bigger.

External Components

From the outside, you’ll find sleek features which maximize function without affecting the clean styling of the bag. First, you’ll notice a few small zippered pockets—three, to be exact. They all sit flush with the bag, riding smoothly along existing seam lines. For things like a slim wallet, phone, keys, or passport, these compartments offer effortless access when you’re zipping through the airport.

As we mentioned above, this bag has the ability to swap between carrying styles. There are a few rings for you to snap the messenger strap on and off, and a compartment for you to store the backpack straps away. Both of these components will let you transform the bag from backpack to briefcase to messenger bag. Normally, we wouldn’t recommend this with a larger travel backpack but the Standard Daily size is just right for this type of feature.

You can also use the clip rings to tack on accessories with a carabiner or tie, which is especially useful for things you might want at a moments notice. If you find yourself in desperate need of tunes while running through the airport, you can just grab the wireless headphones from the case that you conveniently clasped onto the exterior rings! #brilliant

The Daily Backpack also has a simple water bottle pocket, however we’ve found that it’s a little too narrow to properly hold most bottles or mugs. Unfortunately, it has no stretch or elasticity toward the base of the compartment—unlike many other water bottle pockets out there. When not in use, just zip the pocket closed, collapse it against the side of the pack, and you’ll go right back to that sleek and flush exterior profile. When in the collapsed position, we’ve found that an iPhone fits comfortably into the pocket and offers even easier access beyond the zippered compartments.

Just below the briefcase handle, you’ll find a small plastic nub which hides a USB port. It might seem random to the unknowing eye, to have a big black chunk of plastic on the side, however it serves a legit purpose. This small feature gives you a place to charge your phone without having to hold your portable battery pack in your hand. You can simply place the battery pack inside the bag, plug it into the included cable within the bag, and then connect your phone’s charger to the exterior facing port. We found this to be ingenious because it securely holds the connectors together, ensuring that it wont get knocked out of place when you’re on the go.

Finally, this bag also has a luggage sleeve that allows you to slide the backpack over your roller handle. To be honest, we found using this to be a bit of a struggle. Overall, it was just too tight against the pack and was difficult to get on and off the roller luggage handles. Your mileage may vary.

Inside the Pack

Starting off with the rear opening, there are two laptop pockets. There is a large pocket which is suitable for a laptop up to 15 inches. This sleeve fits a 15” Macbook Pro (circa 2016) perfectly, although when we threw on a case it became too snug. Immediately attached to the large pocket is a smaller sleeve-style compartment, suggested for a tablet, however we were able to fit a 13” Macbook in with ease. Both compartments are secured with a strap and velcro closure.

In the rear section near the laptop compartment is the battery bank sleeve, which is integrated to the exterior USB port that we mentioned previously. Just next to the battery bank sleeve is an additional pocket with light padding that is perfect for a small camera or camera lens. Either pocket is also suitable for storing a heavy computer charging cable. The light padding is perfect for a charger like the classic, heavy white brick MacBook charger.

In the front zippered compartment, there are two sleeves for papers or a small notebook. This pocket is perfect for holding documents that need to stay crisp and flat. You can also clip two pens onto an elastic strip sewn along the top edge of the document sleeves. This front pocket seems well suited for items that are smaller, or will be accessed more frequently.

Additionally, there are three interior mesh, zippered pockets. Two sit against the very front pocket, with the third along the top of the rear compartment. These mesh pockets are perfect for a wallet, small headphones, USB charging cables, or anything else small and unruly. Your valuables would be most safe here because it would take a thief two zipper sets and some awkward angles to get at these pockets.

Durability and Testing

This bag can take a beating. After three months of daily use, it is still in virtually the exact same shape as when we started using it. This thing has been dropped (on accident), dragged along dusty floors, used as a foot rest on planes, and worn through a downpour. We’ve noticed a bit or wear around the top handle, and some scuffs along the zipper pulls and exterior USB port. But overall, the folks over at Standard have done a fantastic job of merging style, function, comfort, and versatility into an everyday work bag. Even when pushing the limits and forcing a laptop into the tablet sleeve or stuffing the compartments full for an overnight trip, this bag held up without a hint of stress.