The Stubble & Co Adventure - Review 2023

Overview

The Adventure Bag by Stubble and Co is one of the most versatile travel bags in the market today. Its Kickstarter campaign seemed to appeal to rugged professionals in their 20s or 30s, but our testing revealed it works for people of a larger stature. On the other hand, it worked well for almost everything including camping and even as an office/gym bag combination.

People of a narrower stature, under 5’10 tall might find it slightly too bulky because of its width (14.5”), but any body size above that and it wears like a normal backpack. A comfortable (adjustable) one at that.

The removable waist belt, sternum and shoulder straps are adjustable in all the right ways to customize comfort based on the weight of the cargo. It takes some experimenting, finding the right settings, but it reaps some nice rewards.

With a clamshell design, this bag is like a suitcase that you can carry on your back. It can also be transformed into a duffel bag–whether it was intentional or not. At 42 liters there’s room for a lot of clothes and gear, but everything at once.

There are 9 different compartments, including one for a bottle of water on the train or whisky by the fire. But with a 25 oz bottle there and shoes in the compartment at the base, it will limit the amount of heavy clothing you can pack. But it’s easy to access while traveling.

But the Adventure can be compressed quite a bit with both 4 tightening straps and two notches on each. Though the G-clips are nice and metallic and easy to lock, it can seem clumsy fumbling to open them at first.

These types of clips are becoming more popular on premium bags like Jack Wolfskin’s Expedition Duffel. They’re more robust and more elegant than plastic clips, but they also take a second more to fasten/open.

It’s size and compression straps mean it fits in the overhead bin of most cabins. Made for check-in too, with a shoulder strap cover. Reflecting the smart design, the trolly sleeve opens horizontally for mounting while the shoulder straps are covered.

The sideways mounting also takes into account smaller luggage, allowing you to avoid checking any baggage.

Made using heavy-duty, recycled materials, it’s built to meet the demands of every adventure you take.

The product description says 3.9 pounds, but we discovered that’s the case without the removable waist strap. With the belt, it’s still only 4.28 lbs.

Stubble’s Adventure Bag is light and comfortable. It comes with a padded back panel and shoulder straps with the standard anti-wicking mesh.

We liked how adjustable the straps were too. We also liked the way the excess strap folds into a Velcro lock to prevent it dangling.

And it was also nice to see a trolley sleeve wide enough to fit bags like the Rolling Thunder. And surprise, surprise we discovered the hidden zippered pocket on the inside of this sleeve. Cool for cash and passports.

This is a stylish bag for every kind of trip.

A Sleek and Smart Design

This bag is designed for adventure. Combining style and functionality, it makes traveling as easy as possible.

Crazy lightweight, the Adventure bag weighs only 3.9 lbs (without waist strap). It still packs a punch with a capacity of 42 L. Depending on your kit, you can almost pack a week’s worth of clothes.

This bag is ideal for traveling, but it’s really good for glamping and all sorts of activities in between too. For more rugged hiking it’ll also get the job done.

We took it overnight into the wilderness and it was great. It seems to be resistant to mud stains but just consider whether or not it’s sleek, black sheen is something you want to maintain.

The elegant design also does a good job of hiding all the compartments. It has an easily accessible card pocket on the shoulder strap for one. This is ideal for a commuter, gym or bank card.

For your laptop, this bag has a well padded 16” side-access pocket at the back, which is great pulling out on the fly and good against theft. It’s big enough for a slim laptop, an eReader and writing pad too. And like all compartments, but especially valid for this one, the semi-sealed zipper seams keep water out in the rain.

The only issue with this pocket, indeed the only issue with this bag really, is that at the bottom of the laptop sleeve, there’s a line between padding that’s less protected. This is a weak spot in the event of a hard impact when putting the bag down on concrete.

This is the same issue that Stubble & Co’s Roll Top bag has too, but we remedied it by laying a sock in the crevice and that worked just fine.

It also comes with a shoe compartment, which you can access directly from the outside. You can store and access your footwear without having to open the main compartment. It’s completely enclosed, so no mud mixing in with clothing.

Since the Stubble and Co Adventure Bag is intended for travel, it has a clamshell design. You can easily pack and access all your stuff because it opens like a suitcase. There are two sections separated by a zipper-fastened mesh.

Definitely one of the best designed travel backpacks out there.

As Versatile as it is Robust

Known for its versatility, this bag can be compressed with its soft sides and compression straps. It has no rigid features, so it can be as compact as possible depending on its content. You won’t have difficulties meeting the baggage requirements of any airline.

Like any Stubble & Co product, Stubble & Co The Adventure Bag is made with robust recycled materials. These materials have met the highest performance standards, so it has been engineered for tough and long-lasting performance.

The main body is waterproof. Meanwhile, the zips are water-resistant. The seals have been taped durably, too. With these features, this bag can brave any weather.

This bag is also designed for comfort. The cushioned back panel offers breathability. With strap adjusters, this bag has a nice and comfortable fit. Then, the grab handles allow you to carry your bag without a hitch.

Conclusion

This bag is a bit pricey. But we really like using. It was great for flying, for camping, for a hotel weekend.

It is a practical travel backpack that has as much functional performance as it is life-style cool.

Durable and long-lasting, the Adventure Bag by Stubble & Co is a Kickstarter project that succeeds on so many fronts.

Designed with all-weather performance in mind, it is built with compelling, tried, and tested recycled materials. Even the packaging is made of 100% recyclable materials.

All features have been carefully thought out, too. These features maximize the functionality of a sleek 4 pound-ish bag. The different compartments are specialized intelligently.

No matter how heavily you pack, this bag will still fit in most cabins’ overhead compartments. If you don’t have that much stuff, you can also compress it easily using the compression straps.

Stubble & Co’s Adventure Bag is versatile enough for every occasion. It can be your go-to bag even in tough and demanding adventures.