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Rofmia backpack thoughts, part 1

A Rofmia backpack v1 (40L) and v2

The 2019 discovery of Rofmia in many ways represented the culmination of all my prior backpack hunting. After years of traveling with the North Face Base Camp Duffel and the Outlier Rolltop rolled up inside, I’ve transitioned to a true one bag solution with the Rofmia Backpack. As I have both v1 and v2, this is a review of both models. The v1 I have is the 40L size, and although Rofmia has take down the images there are some good reviews on Reddit here and here. The v2 has been thoroughly reviewed here as well. My thoughts, then, are a supplement, rather than a replacement for those notes. As such, let me begin by saying it’s a pleasure to review a simply-named item. Rofmia barely brands their products and uses a simple naming scheme. After years of long and inelegant product names, I feel great delight at reviewing a backpack called simply “backpack”.

We bought the 40L v1 in person at the shop in Minokamo in the fall of 2019. That sentence explains much of the reason I no longer read bag reviews. I’ve spent twenty years in manufacturing, learning how things were made, and for years that knowledge has led me to value things made in the US or in places I live or have lived, by people I know. For years I’ve valued the world we are building by buying things as much as the things we are buying. Money before words, as my GR1 review, now a decade old, states. The Rofmia backpack is sustainable in that the human endeavor required to produce it will support the producer. This may be the only thing that matters.

As for the v1, after that purchase we have carried it around Japan many, many times, to Vietnam, Ireland, Taiwan, and Thailand, as well as across the US a half dozen times, if not more. The v2 was purchased on release in 2020, and has been around used in Hong Kong extensively, as well as across the US, Japan, and on several shorter trips to China and Taiwan.

Any conversation about these bags has to start with dyneema and a philosophy of travel. Re-reading my review of the Outlier bag, I realize I perhaps haven’t discussed the first aspect enough. As documented across this site, I’ve been trying to travel with less for years. I’ve also been trying to live with less, when on the road and at home. In some situations that has lead to spending quite a bit of money on bags, and I recognize the inconsistencies. For those who’ve never had a dyneema bag, the value is hard to explain. Dyneema feels unlike any other material, and its properties are quite different than anything else I’ve used in bags. Unlike the TPU laminate of the North Face Base Camp Duffel, it isn’t abrasion resistant. Unlike more common cordura or nylon, it doesn’t stretch at all. And unlike all of these, it’s very loud, crinkling like a stiff paper bag when rolling and closing. The tradeoff is that it’s solid, strong, and light. Comparing the dyneema of the Outlier Ultrahigh or Rofmia bags to the cordura of the GR1, for example, is like comparing an F150 to a bicycle, or a house to a tent. They feel like entirely separate objects. The GR1 has a durability that can’t be disguised, and is wonderful. It’s also heavy, for a backpack. The dyneema bags feel like a thin tarp, or a thick paper bag, in some way both utilitarian and temporary. The Rofmia and Outlier have more in common with the blue Ikea bags than cordura ones, albeit with better hand feel.

My first dyneema bag, the Outlier Ultrahigh Rolltop, remains one of my favorite items of all time, and for years was the best bag I’d ever used. It still may be. The Ultrahigh was my first experience with a bag that I wanted to carry empty, just in case, because carrying it empty didn’t affect what I was comfortable doing in any way. That’s the difference between heavy things and light ones. Heavy things, eventually, affect what we’re willing to do while carrying them. As someone who always wants to walk, who is constantly looking to climb things, to run, and to go just a bit farther than I’d meant to, the lack of weight in my belongings sets me free. Having lightweight bags and fewer items also allows me to carry things for others, without feeling overburdened. The Rofmia backpack v1 is the ultimate embodiment of this philosophy, and in many ways feels untouchable. Consider, briefly, this table of bag weights and sizes that I’ve maintained in Notes for years. Please don’t consider the kind of person who maintains such a table.

Bags owned Volume Weight Note
Rofmia Tote (v1) 15L 235 g Dyneema tote
Ghostly x RPMG dyneema 12L 298 g Dyneema rolltop backpack
Outlier Ultrahigh rolltop 20/28L 526 g Dyneema rolltop backpack
Outlier Nexhigh rolltop 20/28L 600 g X-pac rolltop backpack
Rofmia Backpack (v1) 40L 600 g Dyneema rolltop backpack
Rofmia Backpack (v2) 35L 830 g Dyneema rolltop backpack
Peak Tote (v1) 18-20L 900 g Heavy tote
North Face Base Camp S 50L 1230 g Lightweight duffel
Goruck GR1 26L 1451 g Cordura backpack
Peak Travel Backpack 35-45L 2041 g Super heavy, can’t use, given away

Clearly the Rofmia backpacks (both, but especially v1) stand out for the combination of weight and capacity. It is twice as big (closed) as the Outlier and weighs less than half the North Face duffel I’d been carrying. Coupled with the collapsable design that enables the bag to be used in place of both (expanded for travel, cinched down for meetings and daily carry around town), and the Rofmia is unparalleled.

In the interest of staving off questions, yes, I have a list of other bags I’ve looked at but not purchased, for one reason or another, for comparison. Those are below.

Bags of interest Volume Weight Note
Able Carry XPac Daily Backpack 20L 900 g X-pac backpack
Arctery’x Veilance Nomin approx 20L? 930 g Lightweight material?
Bellroy Shift 22L 1250 g Unknown material
Freitag F303 Hazard 19L approx 1500 g? Feels larger, unique colors, heavy
Arctery’x Blade 28 28L 1460 g Normal backpack materials
Arctery’x Granville 16 16L 750 g Lightweight material, flap opening

The obvious next question is “why do we also have a v2?”

An answer is that there are two of us.

Another answer is the changes. The Rofmia backpack v2 adds the following features I appreciate: fidlock closures (instead of clips), a zip-opening for the laptop slot, two external water bottle holders, and a sunglasses/cellphone zip pocket on top. There are also a half-dozen other improvements, like the internal compression and a nicer arrangement of the internal front pocket areas, that are interesting but not why we own both. The trade, of 5L of storage for 230 g, makes for a much nicer daily bag around town. Having water bottle slots, a place to quickly store a phone, and most critically a way to access the laptop slot without unrolling, are all great changes. Fidlocks make for a faster, nicer experience. The bag is still wonderfully expandable, and can hold a ton of groceries or whatever surprising gear needs arise.

However, for long international travel with one bag and little gear, the v1 still reigns supreme. In 2022 I went on solo trip of the kind that used to dominate my pre-covid life: a whirlwind ten days in Ireland, New York, and San Francisco. This trip required work clothes, casual clothes, cold weather gear, hot weather gear, a laptop and a variety of other nonsense. Because I was flying solo, I had the pick of v1 or v2, and v1 provided the extra capacity that was critical by the return flight. In terms of the method, for readers who have not tried true one bag travel, it is unparalleled, assuming physical mobility.

The ability to carry on in all situations is absolutely worth the volume constraints, as I leave airports up to 45 minutes prior to fellow passengers, and am never concerned about transfers, delays, re-bookings, or similar issues. I also never wonder what bag anything is in. The tradeoffs, of having to carry everything at all times, are acceptable, and incentivize a lighter lifestyle. On the above occasion I spent my nine free hours in Dublin (after taking the bus into the city immediately on landing) walking, covering some 20 km while carrying everything I had brought. While definitely a burden, the ability to carry all my gear allowed me to enjoy my free time in a new city in a way that would not have been possible with a suitcase or even multiple bags. With my old duffel set up it would have been possible, but less comfortable. For nine hours of walking, every gram matters.

The v1’s compromises, mostly of no laptop slot and no water bottle holders, are well worth the weight trade off. The internal compression, while cleaner, is less flexible, and I’d stick to the v1 external style. The phone/sunglasses zip pocket is wonderful, but not necessary. And the fidlocks, while nice, aren’t enough nicer to be worth the weight. The only change I’d truly fight for is the laptop slot, but after five years, I can say it’s ok without. I can also say I’m very curious about the v1.5 Rofmia built for a custom release for Lister, which seems to match my feedback, and is probably the type of thing I’d request custom if I ever need another.

The most honest statement I can make about the Rofmia Backpack v1 is what I said at the beginning: I stopped reading about backpacks after getting it. Five years later it remains one of my favorite objects of all time, and I no longer look for alternatives.

Given the length and positive nature of this review I should acknowledge some remaining points briefly.

First, price. Dyneema is an expensive material. In addition, bags hand made by people in developed countries that I personally have met are expensive products. For these reasons, and due to the odd and temperamental nature of Dyneema, I don’t point friends in the direction of these when I am asked for my backpack suggestions. Instead I suggest some of the bags of interest, hence that portion of the list above. I fully understand that our use case, of wanting to fly internationally with only a carry on, and have that carry on then usable as a day bag, is both esoteric and unnecessary. Still, it remains part of both of our personal and professional lives, and is a great experience. Beyond desire, I understand budget constraints and the inherently lower value sometimes placed on hand-made items. I have always placed a large value on knowing who made things. It’s a huge part of why I’ve spent the last twenty years in factories, and as part of global supply chains. In many ways I am willing to pay more for that knowledge, and visiting Rofmia in Minokamo, recounted in this post, was wonderful, and is exactly why we travel.

Second, durability. Dyneema is not a forever material. It will wear out, or shred, slowly becoming ever more ephemeral until there are holes. Many bags at similar price points promise “purchase once use forever” or similar slogans. Durable enough to be handed down to the next generation, for me, is of value in watches but not in backpacks. I also am well aware that selling one item to a customer per lifetime makes for a difficult business, and will be ok with whatever happens in five years or ten, when my time with this bag is up. This does however stop me from recommending dyneema bags to any and all.

Lastly, as my partner recently exclaimed, “these bags are expensive, fine, but they’re always sold out!”. It’s true. Outlier no longer makes a dyneema bag. Rofmia usually sells out new stock within a couple of days. And the Ghostly x RPMG bag listed here was made twice and probably never again, in small runs both times. This is the nature of expensive boutique items with odd markets, and I am not surprised. I do understand that it makes for a difficult recommendation.

Ah well. Perhaps given the difficulty of acquisition this review will be of use. To those, then, for whom backpacks are an open category of research and purchase; to those people still in search of a perfect bag: the Rofmia v1 backpack is that.

At least for me.

North Face Base Camp Duffel thoughts, part 1

Two well-used North Face Base Camp Duffels

This review is more than half a decade old. Perhaps it has been waiting for some unknown inspiration, or perhaps I simply forgot. The oldest of the three bags mentioned below was given away to a friend heading to Berlin years and years ago, in San Francisco. Otherwise every word holds true, and I publish it now for future reference. 

I’m on my third. This is a statement of luxury and trust, because they haven’t died. The first one sits down in the garage, filled with cleats and hats, water bottles and discs. It goes with us to tournaments and is so often covered in dust that the black surface is permanently lightly textured.

The second one, also black, isn’t mine. It’s Tara’s, bought for a trip I can no longer remember. They’re not the same, these two black duffles with large silver logos on the ends. The newer one is the 2015 model, with no carry straps across the opening and smaller webbing handles and loops around the edges. It has an outside zip pocket at one end, which is transformative as the old version has only clip-on features on the exterior. Being able to stash keys, a transit card, headphones, a power cord, and an inhaler without opening the duffel makes it a much better backpack, and a much better single carry on. This goes hand in hand with the better backpack straps and the removal of the top carry handles which either dangled one on each side or rubbed in the middle of the back when the old one was used as a backpack. Filled loosely, as the one now used for cleats is mostly, that’s fine, but when traveling sometimes the bag is packed tight, and the carry handles made the shoulder straps harder to use. After a decade of promoting the bag for all purpose use the North Face designers decided to focus and optimize for the backpack carry rather than the single arm carry, and the bag is much stronger for their decision.

The third one, which sits above me in the economy class overhead on this flight to Shanghai, is gray with pink straps. In many ways it’s the accent piece to my travel gear, which is otherwise mostly gray, black, or dark blue. I have a bright orange Patagonia jacket that I mostly wear for ultimate that serves the same purpose, being by far the brightest thing I own. It’s immediately visible in a sea of players at a tournament, which is the point. Recognizable. The new bag is the same, bright and flashy while still essentially being a gray bag. It was a present from Tara in early 2016, before the spring travel season. I’ve checked it once, but mostly use it as a single carry bag, with pack-it cubes. Right now it’s filled with Amazon purchases for a friend in Shanghai, my wool hoodie, a spare pair of pants, and two cubes of t-shirts and underwear. On the way back it’ll be lighter, meaning I’ll conform to the rule of saving 10% for the journey, at least in one direction.

In a lot of ways this review then is about packing style rather than the bag. The details, the rough sketch of the bag, are important though: it’s very water resistant, and very dirt resistant. Most scuffs can be wiped or rubbed off with a dirt cloth. This is important when traveling in a lot of different circumstances with a bag on one’s back. If it looks beat to heck then so do I, because it’s as big as my torso. All 3 of our bags are the small size, 50 liters, which is really plenty for a couple of weeks on the road. If they were bigger I’d take more crap which would make them heavier which would make me want to travel less. The absolute number one rule I’ve learned these last few years is carry less stuff when on the road. It makes life a lot better, makes me more likely to explore, and makes me happier once I have done so. Backpack style travel enables faster transitions and better motion than wheeled luggage, with the trade off of one’s spine supporting whatever’s in the bag rather than the wheel. This is a good trade off in general, as it’s easier to change plans, to handle obstacles, and to blend in, but it’s a trade off that rewards packing light, as back pain makes me reluctant to climb stairs or explore alleys that I otherwise would want to.

The mesh pocket on the opening flap of the bag is great for pens, change, transit cards, and other quick access stuff. In the older version I used to leave my inhaler in there, which isn’t a good idea as the outside of this pocket is pressed against the center of the back when using the bag as a backpack. If the bag is full this meant the inhaler would jam into my lower spine. In the newer version the inhaler goes into the top zip pocket, which solves that problem.

The shoulder straps on the new version are wider, thicker, and spaced more naturally apart. They can also be used as a carry handle, grabbing both of them as a poor replacement for the old dedicated carry handle. Whether this is useful is a matter of opinion, but it’s not horrible. The side and end handles on the 2015 version are far superior. They’re slender, and there are handles on all four sides now, instead of just two. This makes a huge difference trying to get the bag fully loaded in and out of taxis, tuk tuks, and truck beds.

The big downside to this bag of course is the huge North Face logo. I’ve tried removing it, on my oldest bag, with very limited success. If anyone has a secret recipe that works and doesn’t damage the bag’s surface or waterproof nature, I’d love to hear it.

For those interested in the subtler color ways, there’s a genius black version that I’ve only seen in person in Bangkok but must be available elsewhere. It’s black, with a matte grey logo that blends in much better than the standard US version’s silver. Even better, the whole bag is lightly sparkled, looking like a star field at night. It’s just a tiny bit of flair on an otherwise very black bag, and a really wonderful effect.

I’ve gone with the pink and gray instead, because I mostly use this bag on work trips or on vacation, and it’s great to have an easily-visible piece of luggage after years of near-identical black gear.

All in all this bag is a steal at $120 US recommended retail, and I highly recommend it if this style of travel suits you. I’d get the newer 2015 version even if there’s a price difference, because the backpack straps and zip pocket are that big an improvement. And then I’d take it somewhere that it needed cleaning after.

Which is entirely the point.

Patagonia Stormfront Roll Top Boat Bag thoughts, part 1

For the past few years I’ve been packing ever less and traveling ever more. In this new life travel comes down to three things: what you need, what you have, and how annoyed by lugging it around you are. The challenge lies in minimizing the last while equalizing the first two. The key to all three of course is to minimize the first, need, which makes the resulting jenga algebra easier.

This review is about one way to do all three.

Duffels have made a comeback the past few years, often in the guise of a weekender. The premise is simple: a bag to hold some stuff for a short trip that doesn’t require much carrying. This means no hiking, though some duffels have backpack straps. This means no wheels. And, most essentially for the category, this means not much bag structure.

The poorly named Patagonia Stormfront Roll Top Boat Bag 47L focuses on this last element. The entire bag consists of a TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) coated nylon that is cut and welded into shape. The handles, shoulder strap attachment points, zipper pocket, and carry loops are all welded on. This is a common construction in the boat/wet outdoor market, and all the bags in the Stormfront line feature the same base materials. Sea Line also makes a great line of bags using similar styling and a wider range of colors.

The Roll Top Boat Bag (hereafter boat bag to save words) is unique to this line in both size (47 liters) and lack of structure. When empty it can be folded or squished completely flat. There is a stiff plastic plate at the bottom, which is very useful to keep some shape when packing, but can be removed as needed. There are two simple mesh zip pockets internal and one external. There are two loops for attaching sandals, towels, hats, or jackets that were probably intended for more specific fishing gear. And that’s it. Empty, the bag folds almost flat, and is incredibly easy to stow in a closet, a major benefit in small apartments.

The best feature of this bag is also it’s great weakness: the roll top. The roll top provides a simple, waterproof, and variable size closure system. The last part is the key. Open, this bag becomes a holding cube, able to contain and hide huge amounts of gear. It is ideal when staying somewhere for a few days, as it can be opened up and used as a staging area, like a set of drawers, for all one’s belongings. Better than a small suitcase in this regard. Two of us have operated out of one for a week, without much re-packing during that time. It’s cavernous when fully expanded, as the pictures on Patagonia’s site demonstrate.

Needless to say this style of bag requires pack-it cubes. The specific style doesn’t matter, but in a bag without structure, items need to be grouped to prevent everything becoming a stew at the bottom of the bag. And that stew headlines the second part of this review, the problems with this kind of bag structure.  First, roll top bags require a lengthy opening. Especially in the minimal style of the Stormfront, which features only one tiny exterior pocket, this means every interaction requires unclipping and unrolling the entire bag. This wouldn’t be such a burden if not for the second problem, unique to roll top duffels: shouldering it causes the closure to shift and gradually work it’s way open. This happens because when carried by the shoulder strap the two ends of the strap exert compressing pressure from the bag’s ends, which crunches it to the middle. The result is that the flat roll top becomes arched, and is no longer held flat and tight across the bag. Under this pressure the rolled portion, without something to secure it in the middle, will gradually work its way open. This is especially problematic when moving quickly while carrying the bag on one shoulder, but happens over time regardless of position or speed. Also, because the TPU coating on the Stormfront is quite slick, it loosens especially easily. Without some kind of anchor or strap though, I believe any roll top bag of this size will open eventually. On the Stormfront it means carrying the bag is an exercise in rearranging, as the top will gradually shift, which allows the contents to move. Without pack-it cubes, the entire bag becomes a stew of items. With them, it retains the structure of the cubes’ exterior, but slides uncomfortably on the back.

Thus, after a lot of use, this is an excellent bag at the destination, but a difficult bag to carry to one. If transit involves primarily driving, boating, or short airplane rides where it doesn’t need to be checked, this is an excellent bag. The light weight, collapsibility, and cavernous interior are strong recommendations. Given the lengthy name, this is precisely the market Patagonia is targeting, and probably a correct one. Unfortunately the roll top that gives it such amazing storage when open is incredibly finicky when closed, and requires patience to carry for any length of time. This makes the bag much less useful for long walks or active sports, which are my primary use cases. The rather poor shoulder strap on the boat bag does not help, as it is thin and shifts around during use.

Overall this is a very well-built bag for specific uses, and we love it for short flights or weekend trips to friends’ houses.

Unfortunately the shifting and uncomfortable experience of carrying this bag for several hours has soured me somewhat on roll top duffels, and so I avoid all thought of more expensive ones like this seemingly awesome Outlier bag. I’d love to hear from other folk who carry roll top duffels, especially on a shoulder for any length of time.

Picharpak Travel Wallet thoughts, part 1

I’ve been looking for a travel wallet lately. I’d like something that will hold a passport, a couple of different transit cards, money, maybe a spare SIM, a couple of business cards, and still fit in a back pocket. Over the past year or two I’ve started traveling with my passport tucked behind my wallet in my back pocket, so I know a wallet sized for the passport would fit my use cases. What I didn’t know was how well, or where to get one. Money too has been a problem, as most US-made wallets don’t gracefully hold larger bills. As someone who spends a lot of time in China, where the 100 RMB notes are large, this is an annoyance that grates. So I was looking for a wallet that fit a passport, fit in a back pocket, held Chinese currency, and possibly had a SIM slot.

While there are plenty of blogs devoted to frequent fliers, milage points, hotel reviews, two week camping trips, and non-tent sleeping options, the parts of travel that matter to me are surprisingly lightly covered. Traveling light but not backpacking, carrying as little as possible, carrying it in a way that allows for inconvenient travel methods and locations, and yet still being presentable for business meetings seems to be an under-served market. Or just a small one.

The only wallet I found that seemed designed around my needs was Bellroy’s Travel Wallet. At $120, it’s still on my shopping list, or Christmas list. The video though perfectly encapsulated my use cases. I don’t particularly care about the pen, as I have a favorite cheap pen on hand at all times, but the rest? It’s got a SIM slot, a passport slot, spare card slots for transit cards, and is big enough to hold boarding passes! If that doesn’t sound exciting, I’ve proven how specific the use case is.

For the last two years I’ve carried a Yasutomo 2020 wa-ben cuben fiber wallet. Like so many people, this was inspired by William Gibson’s interview. As someone who spends a lot of time looking at outdoor gear, fibers, bags, and clothing, I have been talking to and watching Jason’s company, now Picharpak Workshop, ever since. He’s been building a broader product base, and during a conversation one night in Hong Kong, I offered to test new products. For Christmas I bought my fiancée one of his limited edition hybrid wallets. To my my surprise an early sample of a travel wallet showed up in the package!

Built on the same idea as Bellroy’s, Picharpak’s travel wallet features a couple of extra card slots in the back and two spare SIM slots on the passport sleeve. It also has an extra slot for a touch pay transit card behind the normal card slots. Otherwise it resembles the wa-ben, with the same two slots for bills or receipts and the same cuben fiber construction. Like my original wa-ben, the travel wallet prototype is made of CT9.5, and so won’t offer good abrasion resistance. Jason’s newer hybrid wallets have different outermost layers and offer much better abrasion resistance. From the turfed-up photos of my 2 year old wallet it’s clear this is a serious design improvement. Along with the limited hybrid, I ordered one of the newer woven fiber cuben hybrids, to possibly replace my old wa-ben and to check whether the transparent options had been improved as well. They have, and the new woven cuben hybrid retains the old look while offering a smother and more durable outer shell. I’m all for it.

Testing has taken some time. A couple of day trips to Mexico in January provided the first opportunity. The wallet was a relief from carrying passport and wallet in the same pocket, l as I’d supposed, convenient and simple. Swapping wallets prior to travel was the only obstacle. After the second trip I considered carrying the travel wallet as my regular wallet. However on the second trip I learned that the slick CT9.5 slips out of pants with stretch. Not ideal, but I’d expect a full version to feature the hybrid construction. At this point I also switched full time to the hybrid wallet, and now can’t see myself returning to the CT9.5 construction full time. One of the early concerns, that the SIM card would slip out its holder, proved unfounded. My China Unicom SIM, seen in the photos, has been secure for the past three months.

Travel wallets like this may be a small market, but they’re an excellent idea. For those of us who travel lightly, frequently, and yet for work, the simplification is worth the wallet-swapping. I can’t wait for a finished version.