I have this in the waxed canvas variety and I love it way more than I thought I would. Just to note, I have a 15" thicker gaming laptop - and it does not fit. I would not recommend this for anyone with a 15" laptop wanting to put it in the laptop compartment. The quality and comfort of this bag definitely converted me to a Goruck fan. (subsequently purchased two more Gorucks!)
Thanks for this breakdown, this pack looks more intriguing than I’d initially thought, as a longtime GR1 wearer. The side access and water bottle pouches look amazing.
I've had every versions of this bag, but I like the Robic the most. I bought the Tidal Blue because it was the least expensive. The 21L holds as much as the 26L GR1.
To me the most distinctive feature of the bag is dual access with the zipper. The video just talks about it briefly and seems to spend more time talking about how you got it mixed up with the other pocket. I get that's your experience, but my experience was the review seemed disorganized and fixated on tangential details.
This is typical of Pack Hacker reviews. They miss the forest for the trees when it comes to backpack design. Another example. This pack massively expands and the only blurb was "youre not gonna get that much"...
"large for it's size" is only relevant in comparison to what it can fit. Like is the bag 21 l and very large for 21 l. Or does it fit a lot more than 21l? Because that's an important distinction. Would have been nice if you made that. Also how long did you talk about not remembering the pockets? Like how is that relevant? They are on opposite sides. Not right next to each other.
