Remote Equipment Alpha 31 Review
"Legend."
Easily one of my favorite bags for serious urban and outdoor daily carry. The Alpha 31 from Remote Equipment is a delight to use and will remain durable for years and years.
- Built extremely well… this thing is a goddam delight from detail to detail and every panel in between. Durability for days, and a few nice touches in stretchy materials as well.
- Unique aesthetic… to me this is the backpack Elon Musk chooses for his personal militia.
- Utterly comfortable straps and back panel… squishy enough, rigid enough.
- Solid external access… tenderloin pockets, quick access pocket, excellent water bottle pockets.
- Does not stand up… the bottom is designed for distributing weight for carry, not for standing up next to the table at the cafe.
- Spendy tho… it’s not cheap. So you gotta ask yourself if you deserve it.
More on the Remote Equipment Alpha 31
What I like
- Built extremely well. The original used X51 three-layer fabric; Version 2 uses Challenge EPX 600 sailcloth and X-Pac with YKK AquaGuard zippers. Dirt just wipes right off.
- Holy harness. Thick, rigid-but-soft straps, padded back blocks with breathability in between, and hip straps that actually put the weight on your hips.
- Roll-top with a beaver-tail flap. Surprisingly easy to get into the main compartment.
- Big tenderloin side pockets, a quick access pocket and excellent water bottle pockets.
- A unique techy look. To me this is the backpack Elon Musk picks for his private militia.
- A serious do-everything bag. I traveled with it.
Watch for
- Stiff zippers, especially when it's packed tight.
- The tenderloin pockets can dump stuff if you unzip all the way. Zip them halfway.
- The laptop isn't protected on the front side, so watch what hard things you pack against it.
- The rain flap sometimes gets caught in the zipper.
- It doesn't stand up on its own. And it's spendy.
Where I've covered it
- ALPHA 31 by Remote Equipment at 0:00 (full review)
- Everything Backpack: Remote Equipment Alpha 31 Version 2 at 0:00 (full review, Version 2)
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