D-Robe 20L roll-top backpack review: a stylish dry bag that works for commuters and adventurers alike

D-Robe 20L roll-top backpack: first impressions

At first glance the D-Robe 20L roll-top backpack (available from D-Robe) just looks like a really smart commuter bag. So much so that from the moment I showed it to him my partner has been regularly dropping hints about wanting one for himself! But this is a bag with a whole host of clever features, not least that it’s incredibly waterproof. This makes it suitable for cycle commuters, but also for hikers, wild swimmers, paddle boarders, and anyone else who has to brave the elements on a regular basis. For me it stands out as one of the best dry bags out there right now.

There’s an exterior, waterproof 14in laptop pocket, with an IPX5 rated waterproof zip closure, which means it will keep out ‘a low pressure water stream’ (ie rain), and this performed effectively on test. There’s also an internal 16in laptop pocket, another zipped inner pocket, a small mesh pocket inside (none of these are waterproof) and a small front pocket with a waterproof zip.

Many dry bags have an open top that rolls shut and fastens with a clip. The D-Robe has this construction too, but the top zips shut for extra security before you roll it down (or not), a feature I really appreciated as it felt I could trust it more to keep water in or out.

The interior is black, which is an incredibly common choice, but I do wish companies would rethink this for smaller bags - it’s not so easy to find things lurking in a black interior!

There’s an exterior, waterproof 14in laptop pocket, with an IPX5 rated waterproof zip closure, which means it will keep out ‘a low pressure water stream’ (ie rain), and this performed effectively on test. There’s also an internal 16in laptop pocket, another zipped inner pocket, a small mesh pocket inside (none of these are waterproof) and a small front pocket with a waterproof zip.

Many dry bags have an open top that rolls shut and fastens with a clip. The D-Robe has this construction too, but the top zips shut for extra security before you roll it down (or not), a feature I really appreciated as it felt I could trust it more to keep water in or out.

The interior is black, which is an incredibly common choice, but I do wish companies would rethink this for smaller bags - it’s not so easy to find things lurking in a black interior!

 D-Robe 20L roll-top backpack: in the field 

I was primarily interested in trying the D-Robe 20L roll-top backpack because I thought it would be a good option to take wild swimming, as long as I wasn’t hauling too much kit. So it had two jobs to do - keep my belongings dry at the river’s edge, but also keep my wetsuit from soaking my back post-swim. It managed both tasks beautifully, and when I left all my wet kit in it overnight, as I often do after a long swim, there wasn’t a drop of water underneath it the next day.

Here's more on how it performed:

Waterproofing

The outer shell is made from recyclable, biodegradable TPU, and feels like it will stand up to a lot of abuse. The top zips shut, and then can be rolled down and fastened with a buckle. There’s also a compression valve on the bottom edge that will allow you to reduce its size further if you’re trying to save space. The seams are welded, so this just isn’t going to leak. 

If you want to use this bag for wet kit then you can only really use the small front pocket and the exterior laptop pocket for things that need to stay dry. But if your primary interest is in keeping water out, then you’ll be able to use every single pocket as it feels incredibly weather-secure once the top is zipped and rolled down. The smooth surface of the outer is easy to wipe clean if you get mud on it, as I did when I accidentally left it on an oozy spot by a river.

 Harness and handles 

 The harness on this backpack really stood out for me. The straps are wider than I’ve come to expect for a bag this size and are well padded, meaning it’s comfortable to wear, even when it’s full of heavy wet kit. There’s also a grab handle at the top, which is also slightly padded, and a chest strap, which is height adjustable, another nice touch. To add to the comfort factor, the reverse of the bag is padded, which lifts it away from the skin a little, encouraging airflow and delaying how long it’ll take for you to get a sweaty back. 

Design

The look of this bag really does make it stand out from the pack (excuse the pun), but its sleek feel partly comes from its narrow shape, which does make it a little harder to get things in and out of than a chunkier 20L daypack. 

I also wished the small front pocket had been larger. I managed to squeeze a card wallet and keys in it, but it couldn’t really cope with more and certainly wouldn’t fit a phone. The small size of the pocket and the stiffness of the outer fabric seem to work against each other, as the stiffness makes it harder to get things in and out of an already tight space. The fact all the other pockets on this bag are a generous size made this seem doubly odd. 

I liked the solid metal D-ring on one of the straps, that I'd probably clip a water bottle too - there are also a couple of webbing loops underneath the main buckle closure.

Eco credentials

 While the TPU outer of this backpack is both recyclable and biodegradable - an improvement on standard TPU, which is hard to break down at the end of its life, it seems a shame that no recycled materials have been used in the bag’s original construction. It does come delivered in plastic-free packaging, and I do also think it will last for many many years, thereby reducing its impact compared to a lower quality bag that will give up the ghost after a season or two. It’s worth noting though that TPU is not UV-resistant, so prolonged exposure to sun will have an impact.

Sizing

 This felt surprisingly capacious for a 20L bag - I actually thought I might have been sent the 35L bag by mistake and had to double check! I think the outer and inner pockets have got something to do with this. You can fit a laptop into each of these and still have room for plenty of other kit. I stuffed in my swim wetsuit, a microfibre towel, neoprene vest, boots and gloves, and some other bits and pieces, with room to spare, although I couldn’t roll the top down without using the compression valve first. 

You could potentially fit in a lightweight changing robe like the Finisterre Tego as well or a waterproof jacket but it would be a bit of a squeeze. I took it when hiking out to a swim spot on the River Esk in the Lake District in the UK, and it felt very comfortable to carry, despite my relatively heavy kit. On the way back, with my wetsuit soaked, I was glad to have the chest clip. A waist belt is probably overkill on a 20L bag, but with my heavy wet kit inside, it would have been a bonus to be able to spread the load further. If you’re using this bag as a commuter I think you’ll be impressed. It looks smart enough for the office, but has been designed to really keep out the elements effectively. It’s not the cheapest out there by any stretch, but it has a quality feel.

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