The Chrome Industries Rolltop Packable Daypack has been discontinued and is no longer available.
Check out the updated Chrome Industries Cardiel Roll Top Packable Backpack. This new and improved version of the best selling packable daypack offers stronger material, slightly larger capacity, a structured base for easy packing, and adjustable padded shoulder straps.
Read about all the updates on the Cardiel and why its better than the original packable daypack. Plus, it's currently on sale!
Review Summary
Overall Rating: 8.7
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Look |
The pack has a distinct minimalist look that’s sleek, clean and low profile. It tends to be wrinkled for a while if it was recently unpacked from the carrying case. The material is slightly reflective and because there’s no support structure it often appears a bit formless. For a packable daypack it's a really good looking option, but it doesn't compare to a traditional daypack backpack. It will never look out of place but you won’t win any fashion contests. |
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Function |
The usability and function of this backpack perfectly fit the intended use. The pack boasts an incredible amount of packable space into a backpack that compresses down into a carry case that fits into any bag. It perfectly toes the line between organization and convenience features while staying lightweight, compact and low profile. The bag is tough, durable and versatile making it any easy choice for all kinds of daily exploring and adventuring. |
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Value |
We’ve been absolutely blown with the quality of the pack after originally being concerned. The bag is ultra lightweight and the external material even feels a bit thin, but after testing we realized this material is tough! It’s incredibly puncture and abrasion resistant and given how often the bag will get used, thanks to its versatility, it is well worth the price. |
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| This bag is ultra light and compact, allowing you to easily pack it into almost any suitcase or travel backpack. | The bag is a bit formless when it is not fully loaded. |
| There is plenty of packable space for daily adventures and the roll top allows you to adjust the size of the bag to fit your needs. | There is no sternum or waist strap and no padded or breathable back panel. |
| Durable nylon ripstop allows this bag to take a beating and keep on going, making it an easy choice for just about any daily adventure. | Shoulder straps are lightweight and somewhat breathable, but are thin and are not padded. |
Who is this Backpack Ideal For
The Chrome Industries Rolltop Packable Daypack is perfect for travelers who live the carry on lifestyle; packing light and staying space conscious with their luggage. A travel backpack is often not the ideal daily driver once you get to your destination, but this can allow you to bring an extra daypack backpack with you inside your travel backpack without sacrificing space.
This bag is certainly at its best when urban exploring, hitting the beach or heading out on quick excursions. It has plenty of room with 22 liters of packable space to fit daily essentials as well as some extras like a towel, hat, speaker, etc. The nylon ripstop material makes this backpack ultra lightweight and easy to tote around town, while maintaining durability.
This bag is not optimal for strenuous activities. If you’re looking for a pack to take on a thru hike or to help you summit the mountain you may want to consider one of our other backpacks that contains more comfort features and more structure in the pack.
Shop the Chrome Rolltop Packable Daypack
Full Review of the Chrome Packable Daypack
Chrome Industries
Inspired by the energy of the city and dedicated to building durable and useful gear for their customers, Chrome Industries is known for their high quality design and durably constructed bags. Check out the full Chrome Industries travel gear collection here.
The Chrome Packable Daypack is no exception to this and holds its own as a go-to for quick and easy day excursions where the 22 liters of packable space are needed, but a lightweight and durable pack is necessary.
External
This roll top packable backpack is an extremely light 11 oz, roughly the weight of 2 cell phones. This ultra thin and ultra light material allows the pack to compress down and fit into a compact carrying case that is 6” x 5” x 1.5”. For reference that is slightly larger than the size of a fist and easily fits into any backpack or carry on. Even though the material is thin and lightweight there's no skimping on durability here. The ripstop nylon construction is high quality and weatherproof to keep your gear secure.
Unpacked, the packable daypack expands into a 17" H x 11" W x 4.75" D backpack with 22 liters of packable space. The nylon ripstop material is nonporous making the bag largely weatherproof and incredibly easy to clean if you end up with sand or mud on it.
The external material does feel a bit thin to the touch, and can leave objects inside the bag protruding oddly if they’re not carefully packed. This can be a big pain if, for example, your keys are poking you in the back when wearing the pack. The thin material also shows its wrinkles if it’s recently been packed into its carrying case, but smooths out after being worn. Despite this, the pack is incredibly tough proving after months of testing to be very puncture and abrasion resistant.
The roll top closure allows the bag to expand and compress based on the space needed. Interior snap pads provide a secure closure and then the bag can be rolled down and clipped to the adjustable side straps.
There is one external zipper pocket on the front of the pack that is quite spacious and can easily fit a phone, wallet, keys, sunglasses and more. On the sides of the pack you’ll find two expandable water bottle pockets. These pockets are surprisingly elastic and can fit a very large bottle like our 34 oz Fifty Fifty Insulated Bottle.
On the backside of the pack, the bag is very minimalist. There is a simple nylon grab handle up top and two thin and lightweight, adjustable shoulder straps. The bag is noticeably missing any kind of padded or protective back panel. Additionally, there is no sternum or waist strap to improve weight distribution, which due to the somewhat formless design of the bag can be a challenge.
Despite the impressive 22 liters of interior space, this packable daypack backpack seems smaller and more compact than other similar volume backpacks due to its minimalist design and thin material. The bags 4” depth helps keep the center of gravity closer to your body and the roll top closure allows the bag to compress down to only the space you need. The slight lack of comfort features is largely overcome by the fact that this bag is just incredibly lightweight and low profile on its own. A padded back panel or more padding in the shoulder straps would add weight and make the backpack less packable. At this weight and profile, the bag is comfortable to carry without those features.
True to its Chrome Industries roots, the packable daypack certainly feels more at home in the city, but that doesn’t make it out of place elsewhere. The high gloss black nylon ripstop material has a distinct reflectiveness to it. The look has an unmistakable minimalist feel, but the material is tough and easy to clean, making it an easy choice for beach days or excursions out and about.
Inside the Packable Daypack
Inside the Chrome Packable Daypack, you will find plenty of room for daily essentials and single day excursions. The 22 liters of packing capacity are jammed into a single bucket style compartment that shares the same ripstop nylon material and color and is sealed with a roll top closure.
There is a single interior zippered pocket perfect for valuables like your travel wallet, passport or change. This pocket also doubles as the carrying case.
Besides the single pocket, the interior of the pack is extremely minimalist. There is no back padding, no bottom padding and no laptop sleeve to protect your contents. Additionally, there is no interior organization to keep your items separated when packed into the bag.
When the pack isn’t in use it is incredibly easy to pack down into its compact carrying case. Simply take the interior pocket of the bag, unzip the zipper and flip the pocket inside out. From here, begin compressing the pack into the zipper pocket taking special care to fill the bottom corners and to get the straps into the pouch as soon as possible so they aren’t dangling out. The pack fits nicely into the carrying case and is not difficult to pack away and zip up. To transport this pack to your destination in a backpack or suitcase, or if you simply don’t need it for the day’s transport anymore, pack it away and throw it into a bag and forget about it.
Testing & Ownership
This bag is amazing at its intended use. This bag is not a replacement for your travel backpack or laptop backpack. You don’t want to use it as your overnight hiking backpack. But when you’re out exploring a new city, when you’ve hopped in an Uber to explore a cenote, or when you’re biking down to the beach, this bag gets the job done. It fits all your valuables that you’ll need like your wallet, sunglasses, phone and keys. It stashes multiple water bottles (even larger ones) and leaves plenty of space for snacks, gifts you pick up along the way, a towel, an umbrella or a change of clothes.
Any time we’ve boarded a plane, or needed to be space conscious on the way to our destination, this bag has been an auto-include. It takes up so little space and weight in our luggage that there is very little cost to bringing the bag along. Then once we’re at our destination we always find ourselves in a situation where this pack is the perfect solution.
The pack is incredibly versatile. The roll top closure allows it to expand and compact to the appropriate size, and the exterior material is tough and nonporous. Sand, mud, dirt and grime are no problem and just wipe right away. Despite the lightweight and thin feel of the material the ripstop nylon is incredibly puncture and abrasion resistant and shows absolutely no sign of wear and tear after months of testing.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a tough and versatile daypack that can easily fit into any backpack or luggage the Chrome Industries Packable Daypack is one of the best packable daypacks available. Urban exploring, beach trips and day excursions will be a snap with this compact and lightweight pack carrying all of your gear. If you’re looking for a waterproof packable daypack check out the Peregrine Koa. If you love the style of the Chrome Packable Daypack but want something more compact, the Chrome Packable Waistpack is a great alternative.