A Review of the Daybreaker by Able Carry

The Daybreaker by Able Carry offers a new, refreshing, and lightweight way to carry. We like it, and we think you will too. Not everything is perfect, but it checks a lot of boxes. This is the Daybreaker, by Able Carry. 

It’s minimal.  The Daybreaker lacks the built-in internal and external organization compared to bags comparable in size, but we think this is far from a drawback. The large and unobstructed interior lends itself to carry larger items with ease and makes it work well for those who use pouches and smaller bags to organize their daily carry. You can thank the simplicity of the design for the featherweight nature of the bag, which inherently makes it ideal as a packable daypack for one-bag travel. Aesthetically, it is also simple, which struck us from the beginning. 

It’s functional. We mentioned that it lacks built-in organization, which it does; however, without having to open the bag’s main compartment to access the open atrium, you still easily can grab your smaller essentials, whether they are stored in the side quick-access compartment or the water bottle pocket. We find this to be enough, especially considering that this bag has another quick-access pocket greeting you once you open the main compartment. Finally, there is one last hidden pocket where the frame sheet is. This could be used to store your passport, cash, or folded sensitive documents while navigating through crowds, or anywhere for that matter. 

The top-loading design emulates hiking packs, designed to carry the most - most efficiently. The design makes sense, and it works well. It’s similar to the style of the Everyday Zip by Peak Design, without the insecurity of having a zipper track at the bottom of the pack. The removable foam frame sheet can be accessed from the zippered compartment where the hidden pocket lies. The panel adds lots of flexibility for the user. Because the panel disperses the weight, it allows more weight to be carried. The wide shoulder straps distribute weight across the chest, while still remaining fairly thin to maintain a flat profile and low weight. The included sternum is simple, straightforward and frankly, it just works. Unlike Goruck bags, this sternum strap won’t take you 5 minutes to wrestle off. In addition, subtle exterior branding isn’t too flashy.

It’s built well. With materials that are equally as tough as they are weather-resistant, either XPAC or a 200D ripstop nylon weave canvas kept our daily essentials protected. 

The premium YKK brand Aquaguard zippers didn’t break on us and kept our stuff dry. The Hypalon zipper pulls feel high-quality, and Duraflex hardware buckles allowed for easy adjustments. Able Carry’s proprietary A-Frame weight management system on the bottom of the backpack did a good job of preventing any sag in the bag - even when it’s full. Reliable bar tack stitching around lots of high-stress and contact points in the bag offers structural peace of mind. The seatbelt-style exterior grab handles and accents seem durable in use, even when lacking padding. You will feel confident when interacting with the bag throughout day to day use. 

There’s a lot of great things to say about this bag, but we think there are some aspects that could be better. To begin with, there is no real laptop sleeve in this bag. What is offered is less than optimal for carrying a computer or tablet without additional protection due to the nature of the thin nylon elastic sleeve that isn’t suspended above the bottom of the pack.  The top and both side handles aren’t padded. If carrying for prolonged amounts of time, the minimal nylon webbing will dig into your hand. In use, you will notice that while the quick access pocket at the top of the interior of the bag does in fact fit a good amount of smaller pocketable daily carry items, it does not fit a hand to easily reach in and grab items. This is something you might be bothered by. While the exterior water bottle pocket can expand via an integrated elastic band, it cannot easily fit a standard Nalgene bottle. Finally, while the lack of an internal lining fabric allows for a lighter pack, it’s absence lacks protection for the outer-shell material. 

All in all, we think that if you dig the aesthetic, don’t mind the simplicity, and can do without a protected laptop compartment, you should definitely take a look at the Daybreaker by Able Carry. 

Pick up a Daybreaker in XPAC (shown) or Ripstop Nylon.