Video Review: OGIO Ascent 21.3 L ($120)

Introduction

As I have stated in a previous post, despite finding a crossover daypack that works well for me (ECBC Lance reviewed here), I have not stopped looking. The goal now is slightly different in that I am looking at packs through the lens of comparing packs to what the ECBC pack has to offer. If there is a better pack for me, then I will move on to that pack.  The OGIO Ascent, is the next candidate in the battle to displace the ECBC incumbent. Does it?  Read on to find out.

OGIO is U.S. company that is perhaps better known for their golf bags than daypacks.   However, in looking at their packs, it is clear that they have smart, thoughtful people in their design group. I purchased the Ascent because the photos and specs make it look like it is a viable contender. Take a look at the following video tour of the Ascent below:

So, as usual, let’s approach this from the The Good, The Bad, and The Indifferent for the OGIO Ascent.

The Good

- Variety of compartment options. At a minimum, a good crossover daypack offers an organizer compartment, a main compartment for big stuff, and a separate compartment for your laptop or tablet.  The Ascent also includes two organizer pockets in the main compartment, a pocket for sunglasses (see text below), and a secret pocket (see text below).

- External access (separate) laptop compartment.  This is vital.  If you need to go into the main compartment and fight through your fleece, lunch, and camera to pry out your laptop it can be a real pain.  Having a dedicated laptop compartment greatly simplifies access to and repacking of the most oft used item in my pack.

- Place for sunglasses. This is amazing!  It’s not just a pocket, it’s a built in sunglasses case.  The shape perfectly fits a pair of face-wrapping Oakleys.  The “pocket” is reinforced with a stiff yet flexible foam-like material often seen in…sunglass cases.

- Organizer panel in an outside pocket. Easy access to the most used things in your pack is a must. The Ascent’s panel has a lot of options from a place for your iPad to a place for your pens.

- Beefy main zippers. The zippers on the computer compartment and the main compartment are some of the largest I have seen on a daypack.  These things will still be functional long after the rest of the pack has rotted away.  There are also zipper pulls on these big zippers that give you additional leverage to grab and unzip like a Sasquatch.

- Shoulder strap lash loops.  I like to clip my keys and key card to the shoulder straps of my pack since I am constantly opening locked doors and buzzing through secure doors.  Like the giant nerd that I am, my keys are attached to a retractable leash.  I have no shame.  Having a place for my keys in a place that does not require me to take off my pack is vital.

- Fabric choices. The nylon chosen is clearly heavy duty and it is also rip stop throughout.  The bottom of the pack is even heavier duty to take the added abuse of contact with the ground.  The water bottle pocket is made of a stretchy polyester that stays flat and trim-looking against the side of the pack when not in use (as opposed to loose and flappy as is often the case with mesh water bottle pockets). These are all smart, sensible decisions.

- Sits upright when filled.  This makes it easier to access your gear and load your gear.  You would be shocked by the number of packs with angled bottoms that may look cool on the showroom floor, but are terrible in terms of functionality.

- Secret pocket. Instead of having two water bottle pockets on either side of the pack, OGIO smartly decided to make one of the pockets a security pocket with a hidden zipper that opens along the side (adjacent to your back).  This is a perfect place for my wallet as it is easily accessible and yet secure.  Now I want all packs to have this feature!

- Large water bottle pockets. I am someone who usually carries a coffee mug in one of these pockets throughout the day.  The Ascent pocket can fit the largest of water bottles.  However, even if you are not a beverage drinker, these pockets are great for car keys, gloves, etc.

The Bad

- Failed zipper.  I do think this is a manufacturing defect on this pack alone and not the result of the Ascent design, but I can’t be sure.  It is near impossible to open the sunglasses pocket because the zipper hangs up on the edge of the protective foam.  Even if you work at it, it is near impossible to open.  Clearly, I need to ask OGIO to send me a new pack and I will update this post accordingly.

- Suspension system.  Alas, I do not think that this was tested on a 180 pound 6 foot tall Asian.  The shoulder straps dug into my rib cage, the sternum strap, though adjustable in length, is still too short, and the padded back panel is hot.  If you look at modern suspension systems on this level of pack, they near universally have panels with large gaps to allow for air flow.

- No zippered mesh pocket. This is a surprise given how much thought went into other pockets on this bag.  A mesh pocket is key in that you can easily see what you are looking for as you fish around for, say, a quarter for the meter.  In general, there is no internal zippered or Velcro-secured pocket in the bag that would prevent small loose things from jumping out when (inevitably) your pack flips upside down.  This is an odd oversight.

- No separate laptop pocket.  Make sure you understand what I am saying here.  There IS a separate laptop compartment, but inside that compartment, there is no pocket for your laptop.  This mean that the compartment can only be use to store your laptop.  This a shame as I like to used this area for file folders, cables, or my iPad.  I am not saying that you can’t still do this, but reinserting your laptop into this compartment without crushing anything else you might have in there would prove to be tricky!

- No waist strap.  I don’t use a waist strap often, but when you need one it is invaluable.  Waist straps stabilize you pack.  A sternum strap keep your pack on your when you are moving fast, but a waist strap prevents it from bouncing around off your back when you are moving fast.  This happens when you are cycling across campus and swerving to avoid traffic (both vehicular and pedestrian).  Waist straps can be designed to tuck away when not in use, so really, there is no downside here.

- Not TSA friendly.  The laptop compartment’s zipper (which, by the way, only opens in one direction unlike most other packs that have a two-way zipper for this compartment), only unzips from 10 to 2.  It would not have taken too much to lengthen the opening to allow the laptop compartment to open completely so that you could lay the pack open with your laptop still protected (providing there was the aforementioned pocket) as it all went through the x-ray machine. (If you don’t know what I am talking about, look at the photo below of my ECBC.)

- Looks.  While I understand that this is subjective, hear me out.  As a crossover daypack, I need a pack that can move between the boardroom and the trail with ease.  That's the point.  It can’t look like my ten-year-old’s school pack (Adorned with Creepers from Minecraft) and it also can’t look like I just came in from a week hiking the Appalachian trail (ice axe loops and compression straps galore).  Overall, the Ascent has done the sports yet understated look well except for one glaring issue: the 90-point font, vertically set “OGIO” silk screened on the front.  Subtle it is not.  It makes me feel like a walking billboard. 

The Indifferent

- The compression straps.  Normally I hate compression straps on daypacks as I think they serve no function whatsoever.  No one takes the time to cinch the load when walking from the subway to the office.  Particularly because you then need to loosen the straps when you need to pull out your files.  Additionally, one is never carrying the kind of load that requires the use of compression straps to stabilize the pack.  (If OGIO really cared about stability when moving fast while wearing the Ascent, they would have been better served include a waist strap.)  Clearly the compression straps are there for fashion over function and since the Ascent compression straps do not impeded the zippers in any real way, I can ignore them.

- Padding in funny places.  There is padding in the upper front panel and padding in the wall between the organizer panel and the main compartment.  There are places where I don’t think one needs padding.  If they were going to insert something into the walls anyway, I would have preferred it if OGIO placed a stiff plastic frame sheet behind the suspension system.  Oh well, a man can dream.

Conclusion

I really wanted to like the Ascent.  Clearly, a lot of thought went into the design of this bag as it does do many things well.  Unfortunately, the highest priority for designers has to be the suspension system and this was so clearly not the case for OGIO with their Ascent.  At first glance, it looks good!  However, once I put it onto my entirely generic body, it was clear that, even if the Ascent ticked all other boxes, it would be doomed to collecting dust in my closet.  It was just plain uncomfortable under a reasonable load.

I think OGIO needs to contact me when they redesign this pack.  I have suggestions that would not mean increasing the production costs by much if at all.  Sometimes I think that the designers aren’t really users of the products they create.  Alas, until I start my own pack design company, I can only dream of being a consultant.

I do think if the zipper to the sunglasses pocket were functional I would have given this bag a thumbs up for really narrow people (i.e., those for whom the shoulder straps would not be an issue, perhaps).  Unfortunately, the Ascent simply has too many oversights and quirks to allow for it to receive a positive judgment from this, admittedly demanding, critic.

  

Addendum:

I just contacted OGIO about the zipper defect on the sunglasses compartment.  I have to fill out a warranty form and then wait 3-4 weeks to get a new pack.  Ugh.  FYI, I recently had an issue with a FitBit, I called them, and within 10 minutes, they sent me out a new FitBit second day air!  Similarly, I had an issue some time back with a Patagonia pack and they offered to send me out a new pack that very day!  Here is the disappointing conversation I had with OGIO.  To be fair, perhaps if I had put up a stink, they would have expedited the process, but I don't think one should have to put up a stink as a consumer with so many other options out there.  Know that I filled out a survey after and indicated that I would be posting this to social media: