The backpack
A backpack for over 100 euros isn't cheap.
But a backpack made in Europe, especially in Portugal, isn't exactly common. To lower its price, we'd have to pay the people who make it less: nearly all backpacks on the market are imported from Asia, where factory wages aren't enough to live with dignity.
And yet, you'll have a hard time finding a sturdy, locally produced backpack as affordable as ours. If we can sell it at this price, it's because we save on lots of things that seem unnecessary to us: no advertising, no sales, no collections... and no greedy shareholders demanding ever more profit.
Released in July 2022
Released in October 2023
Switched to a thicker, sturdier fabric: from Cordura 500 to Cordura 1100.
Straps that slide more smoothly without slipping.
New, stronger magnetic closure.
Reinforced seams where the straps and handle attach.
Switched to a ripstop lining that's more tear-resistant.
Volume: 17 litres with the roll-top rolled down, up to 23 litres when unrolled.
Measurements: height 42 cm (56 cm with the roll-top unrolled), width 27 cm, depth 14 cm.
Cordura fabric, reinforced seams, no flimsy zip.
The canvas is woven very tightly, then coated to make it waterproof. The roll-top closure creates an extra layer of protection against the rain.
Nearly all the backpacks on the market are made in Asia, where factory wages fall well below what NGOs call a "living wage" or "subsistence wage". By choosing to produce in Portugal, we make sure the people who make them earn enough to live with dignity.
- Dimensions: 42 cm high (56 cm with the roll-top unrolled), 27 cm wide, 14 cm deep
- Inner pocket: 34.5 cm high, 27 cm wide, for laptops with screens up to 15 inches
- Weight: about 730 g
PS: Making clothes is manual work. So these measurements may vary by give or take 1 cm.
The techniques behind the quality
Cordura® 1100
The main wear and tear on a backpack comes from the holes that form in the corners at the bottom. To prevent this, we chose a Cordura 1100 fabric: a particularly strong fibre woven in a very dense way. According to our resistance tests, this fabric holds up twice as well as polyester ones, which are commonly used for this kind of bag (see the test results).
Cordura® 1100
Roll-top closure
Straight zips
Reinforced seams
Roll-top closure
The top of the bag closes by rolling down the fabric and securing it with a sturdy metal hook. No risk of a broken zip with this system.
Cordura® 1100
Roll-top closure
Straight zips
Reinforced seams
Straight zips
Zips are weak spots on backpacks (remember those Eastpaks from school...). We only use two on this bag, and we've made sure to use straight zip tracks, without curves, to avoid tension and therefore the zippers going off track over time.
Cordura® 1100
Roll-top closure
Straight zips
Reinforced seams
Reinforced seams
The straps are sewn to the bag with cross-stitching: they won't be letting you down any time soon.
In our tests, the shoulder strap withstood a weight of 1676 Newtons. In other words, you could put 170 kg in your bag before it would break (see tests).
Cordura® 1100
Roll-top closure
Straight zips
Reinforced seams
For work or a walk
For this backpack with a clean look, we chose a "roll top" closure: it's elegant, it avoids zips that break, and it does a better job of keeping out the rain. Its Cordura 1100 canvas ensures overall durability (and in particular, resistance to holes). Side pockets for your water bottle (or a snack), a carabiner to clip on your keys, an anti-theft wallet pocket, a laptop compartment: we made sure it's practical, with no useless features. The result? A versatile backpack for heading to work or the gym, going away for the weekend, or setting off on a walk.
Measurements: height 42 cm (56 cm with the roll-top unrolled), width 27 cm, depth 14 cm.
In detail
Roll-top closure
17-litre capacity when rolled up, up to 23 litres when unrolled.
Small outside pocket
To grab your wallet or phone, there's a zipped pocket on the side of the bag: just slip off one strap to reach it. Because it sits along your arm, it's also hard for pickpockets to get to.
Clip-on strap
The secret to never losing your keys. It's located inside one of the water-bottle pockets.
Padded compartment
Dimensions 27 cm x 34.5 cm for laptops up to 15 inches.
Inside pocket
Perfect for papers you don't want to lose.
Two "water-bottle" pockets
You can also fit an umbrella or a leek in there.
Metal magnet
To help close the roll-top properly.
Weight: 730 grams
Cordura offers an excellent weight-to-durability ratio.
How to wear it
A few ideas if you're stuck
Composition
100% polyamide
Origin and certifications
- Cordura fabric: Germany
- Inner lining: Portugal
- Zips: Portugal
- Straps: Portugal
- Manufacturing: Portugal
How this product will age
How do we know? We ask our customers what they think of the product one year after they've bought it. And if the product is less than a year old, we give you our predictions based on some spontaneous feedback and on our experience with similar products.
According to feedback from our customers, this bag ages well and needs almost no maintenance.
Worth noting: from being set down on the ground so often, the bottom of the bag can get scuffed, but so far, no holes have been reported to us in that spot.
Care instructions
If you find your backpack a little dirty, you can put it in the machine. But be aware that repeated washing can strip the coating off the fabric and therefore make your backpack less waterproof. If you want your bag to stay exactly as it is, wash it with soapy water and a brush, then rinse it with warm water. And whatever you do, no tumble dryer.
Reviews for this product
The standard practice is to send review request e-mails a few days after the purchase. We wait a month, the minimum time needed to form a well-informed opinion
Customer review policy
When do you ask customers for reviews?
We send you a review request one month after you receive your order. We reckon that's the minimum amount of time needed to have worn and washed a garment several times and to really form a well-informed opinion. After that, all your reviews are published within the week, whether they're good or not.
Do you ask for reviews on 100% of the products customers order?
We used to do that at first, then we realised we were starting to send far too many emails to some people who buy from us regularly. In short, we were spamming a bit. On top of that, it was starting to take up way too much of the team's time to reply to reviews - since we want to reply individually and privately to almost every person who leaves us a review. Today, we no longer ask for reviews on products that meet the following two criteria: 1/ There are enough reviews shown on the site for people who want to buy to form a well-informed opinion about the product 2/ We've read enough reviews within the Loom team to understand how to improve the product for the next generation.
Hold your horses: what proves we don't tamper with reviews by slapping 5 stars everywhere?
Honestly: nothing, we're just giving you our word. Same as for everything else, by the way: where we manufacture, where our wool comes from, our lab test scores, and so on. The only times we might touch what you write are if your message contains spelling mistakes (and even then, quite a few slip past us) or if it's racist, homophobic, and so on (but that's never happened so far).
Asking for a review after a month isn't enough to know whether the clothes really are durable, is it?
You're right, which is why we send you another review request email a year after your purchase – we even ask for a photo to see how your garment has aged. The answers help us improve our clothes and provide information about "how this product will age" on our product pages. To avoid bothering our customers needlessly, we don't ask for these reviews on 100% of the products ordered: as soon as we have enough data to understand the areas for improvement, we stop asking for the one-year reviews.