Having a backpack that can adapt to different environments helps manage responding to adventures with ease. Remote Equipment is a company on a mission to work with unique materials to make a pack for those adventures. With a pack like the CHARLIE 25, owners can go from being an urban commuter to an outdoor explorer without switching out bags.
Remote Equipment Charlie 25 Pack Overview:
CHARLIE 25 Pack Materials and Exterior Features
The CHARLIE 25 Pack is a feature-laden twenty-five-liter backpack both on the outside and the inside. The CHARLIE is made from recycled polyester from Challenge Outdoors. The polyester is waterproof and has improved abrasion resistance to help protect the gear inside the pack. The backpack’s webbing is made from nylon. Regarding the pack’s dimensions, the CHARLIE is twenty-one inches long, eleven inches wide, and six and a half inches deep.
“Whatever you need to stay connected to—the office, a flight schedule, or the weather forecast—the CHARLIE 25 is the backpack that keeps you organized and connected to the rest of the world.” ~ remoteeq.com
At the bottom front is a daisy chain for attaching a tail lamp. On the left and right sides are daisy chains with tool loops to secure hiking poles or a camera tripod. The daisy chains also have reflective bungee cords to hold the long tools. At the center is the YKK Aquaguard zipper. The Aquaguard zipper provides improved water resistance compared to a standard zipper. The backpack also has two elastic stow pockets for large bottles.
“Made to be nimble, the CHARLIE 25 uses 100-percent recycled ECOPAK™ fabrics from Challenge Outdoor that give the lightweight pack superior durability and waterproofness.” ~ remoteeq.com
The harness on the back starts with a polyethylene frame sheet that provides structure to the CHARLIE. The harness’s back panel is made of three dense foam pieces, with the middle section being lower than the top and bottom panels to promote air circulation when wearing the CHARLIE 25 Pack. The shoulder straps are made with dual-density foam, making the straps thick and wide to distribute the pack’s weight. The shoulder straps also have an adjustable sternum strap with a built-in whistle. Finally, the harness also has an unpadded waist belt made from wide webbing.
The CHARLIE 25 Pack differs from other “short trip” packs because it also has a removable brain. The brain has a stow pocket with a built-in lanyard to secure keys. On the brain’s bottom, there is a mesh pocket. To access the mesh pocket, a user must unbuckle the brain before accessing the pocket. I find the mesh pocket useful to store items I do not need ready access to but would like to have on hand, such as the waist strap and the compression strap.
CHARLIE 25 Pack Interior
The CHARLIE 25’s interior is built with organization in mind. Besides the main compartment, Remote Equipment installed two “hidden” dividers that give the CHARLIE 25 Pack three compartments. Users must note that using the water bottle pockets is difficult when items are in the two inner side compartments. Two large mesh pockets are on the dividers for storing small items such as cables, pens, or pocket-sided notebooks. At the interior’s back, there is a document sleeve to carry documents or tablets. Behind the document sleeve is an unpadded laptop sleeve. The laptop sleeve also serves as the hydration bladder sleeve for owners who want to use a hydration bladder. Above the laptop sleeve is a buckled loop to raise the bladder.
“It’s ideal for the daily commute, regardless of whether your trek is to the office, a coffee shop, or the trailhead.” ~ remoteeq.com
Remote Equipment also made the CHARLIE 25 Pack’s top a cinch top to allow users to carry larger loads, up to thirty-plus liters, for short periods. When the CHARLIE 25 is not packed to max capacity, owners can use the compression strap that runs from the top to the bottom to make the pack smaller. I removed the compression strap for everyday use and put it in the brain’s mesh pocket.
Remote Equipment CHARLIE 25 Pack Features & Specifications courtesy of remoteeq.com
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· Zippers YKK® Aquaguard®/YKK® RC coil |
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· MSRP: $269.00 |
Final Thoughts
After using the CHARLIE 25 Pack, I appreciated the durability of the materials that Remote Equipment used to make the backpack. One minor preference issue is that the pack has many features, so it took me several weeks to find and understand all of them. However, that is not a major negative issue. On another note, the harness also does an excellent job distributing weight when wearing the backpack. Additionally, I also like how easy it is to take the CHARLIE out on a day hike one day and then take around the city the next day.
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