While identical in capacity to the Backtrack 50 Adventure Travel Backpack, The North Face Doubletrack 25 is a rolling travel bag with a detachable 950-cubic-inch daypack. It uses a stowable technical pack suspension that easily tucks away when you're ready to check your bag and board the plane or train. The Doubletrack 25 doesn't have all the padded harness features (or pack rain cover) found on the Backtrack 50, but the curved lumbar area, canted hipbelt and lightly padded shoulder straps do give you more options than some travel carry bags that merely tangle you in a bunch of thin webbing. When you arrive at your destination, unclip the detachable 950-cubic-inch daypack for your short excursions and city tours. The daypack has tuck-in shoulder straps that firmly integrate the designs into the pack, so you're less likely to worry about the smaller pack breaking loose in luggage cargo holds (it would have to disconnect at four separate points). Inside the small daypack you'll find The North Face Universal padded sleeve, a removable compartment that can be used for a small laptop or a hydration reservoir (The North Face states that their Universal Sleeve will accommodate a 16-in. laptop--but your results may vary depending on the technology that you're packing). The Doubletrack 25 has an 'ambidextrous' handle that's easily accessible and can be comfortably towed in either hand. A braided cable running through the top carry handle gives the Doubletrack 25 better security for locking, although it's up to you do decide how you want to protect the zippered pockets and daypack. Inside you'll find a large main pocket for pressed clothing or paperwork, plus internal compression straps and a mesh divider to hold contents in place. There's also an internal elastic daisy chain that The North Face added as a 'clothing organizer' but this feature might take so pre-pack planning to figure out and properly utilize. If you're headed for remote urban destinations and you plan on having a weekend or more for downtime, the Doubletrack 25 travel bag with detachable daypack is a great travel component for work and play. |
