Samvær City Camino Backpack

The Samvær City Camino Backpack is a good looking and lightweight backpack, but it is a little fiddly to use and doesn't feel the most robust.

• Pros: Good looking, plenty of storage, additional pockets
• Cons: A little fiddly to open, some of the finishing could be better

It's a fashionable and aesthetically pleasing bag, with significant similarities to designs with a Danish influence from companies such as Fjällräven. It has two main compartments with a large roll top compartment and a smaller front pocket. There are also three fabric pockets inside the primary compartment and a small external pocket on either side of the bag. These all add up to more than enough space for most trips and I used it several times while commuting and it could hold everything I needed for the day.

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Securing the roll top is done through two straps which each have a clip that attaches to a steel loop above the front pocket. They hold everything securely, although one of the buckles had a tendency to overextend slightly, which meant it it occasionally came loose. It was also a little fiddly to unclip two clips, then unroll, to get something out of the bag. The front pocket is secured through a robust-feeling zip which seems to work well.

The bag is made from British Millerain Waxed Cotton and is fairly water resistant. I didn't use it in really heavy rain, but in the showers I did encounter it kept the majority of the water out, although the zip design would let rain through in particularly heavy downpours.

The straps are relatively comfortable and secure, but they aren't particularly well ventilated. Aesthetically, they have really pleasingly well made metal clips and loops that look good and make adjustments easy.

There are some cycling-specific design choices, with high-vis strips added to the bottom of the bag and on the loop at the top, which is a nice touch for low light conditions.

Riding with the bag is okay, but because it is a relatively packable construction, there aren't really effective ventilation channels, so riding with it in hotter conditions often meant I got a sweatier back than I would with something more explicitly designed for cycling.

The finishing quality isn't the best either – I can't help feeling a little more care could be taken. Although the build quality is generally good, there are a couple of niggles such as a buckle that comes undone and some fraying at the end of material.

It's not as if it's cheap, either. With an RRP of £109, it's quite steep for what it is, with few technical elements. It is a good looking bag, though, so if you're looking for something stylish then you might consider it a fair price.

> Buyer's Guide: 14 of the best cycling rucksacks

To compare, the Shimano Tokyo 23 urban daypack is £10 more but is considerably more robust and has a lot more features. Also, although not a backpack, the M-24 Messenger bag comes in at less than half the price but is more durable and holds around the same amount of kit.

The Samvær comes in this one colour – yellow – which I quite like, although it does have a tendency to get dirty fairly quickly and isn't that easy to clean.

Overall, I think it's a really nice little bag for casual city riding. It looks good, has plenty of storage, and the main elements are built to last, but it is slightly let down by some of the finishing on the non-core elements and it is expensive.

Verdict

A stylish bag that carries everything you need for the day, slightly let down by finishing touches and price