Six Moon Designs ADC Review

More on the Six Moon Designs ADC

What I like

• 45L at about 2.5 lb, the most capacity for the weight of any travel backpack I know
• The harness is unreal, I carried it on a long hike through South African wilderness and the comfort held up
• Fat hip belt with a big buckle that cinches down solid, and the internal frame cable puts the weight right on your hips
• No frills inside, so the main compartment is a massive box with room to spare
• Ultra material is tough and waterproof, all zips water sealed including the laptop spot. I walked a full day in a downpour and my stuff was fine
• I'm more comfortable setting this down in mud than a ballistic nylon bag. I think it'll outlast you
• Big front stretch mesh, massive water bottle pockets on both sides, hip belt pockets, load lifters, luggage pass-through
• Front quick access pocket is perfect for tech, and the admin panel runs all the way down
• Swappable strap system with different sizes for different bodies
• Surprisingly one of the best values when you factor in capacity and weight

Watch for

• Organization is simple, you've got to be comfortable living out of a big box
• The admin panel goes so deep you'll want a pouch in there to keep small stuff from sinking
• It's soft sided and floppy, and the laptop can catch on the frame going in. I'd use a light laptop sleeve
• 45L is max carry-on for domestic flights but can be trouble in Europe or Southeast Asia. I recommend the 35L for most people
• The Ultra version is expensive, the Robic nylon version costs less but doesn't have that same shell feel

Specs

• 45L (shown) and 35L
• About 2.5 lb for the 45L
• Fabric options: Ultra, Robic nylon, and others
• ADC stands for All Day Carry

Where I've covered it

• 31 Travel Backpacks Compared! at 17:42
• The 15 Best Lightweight Carry-on Travel Backpacks at 9:51
• Six Moons ADC (Adventure Travel Backpack) at 0:00 (full review, prototype; Six Moon Designs partnered with me on the test trip)