Topo Designs Rover 16L Backpack for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

Topo is such a unique brand that gives quality items such as backpacks and bags. As they continue to grow, I hope they expand their inventory with more styles and sizes. I am always impressed with their products and will continue to buy from them

I picked this pack up for work and easy travel trips and I've been pretty satisfied. The top zip packet is perfect for keys or your passport when you are getting ready to go through security. The laptop section is great, but be warned that it only works for very small computers or tablets. The only downsides to this pack are that the side pocket for a water bottle is very small, but it will hold a small plastic bottle. The other downside is that there is no sternum strap. Luckily Topo makes a sternum strap that you can easily attach, and you can find it on their website.

I like Topo Designs... A lot. I own several garments from them that I REALLY love. I like their Made in the USA ethos, and am a CO native, so I also like supporting my state's local businesses. I bought this bag directly thru them, and not from our beloved Backcountry.com. However, this bag, while quite handsome and very nicely constructed, has some significant design oversights. I cannot agree enough with Holly H's review. The side "water bottle" pockets are essentially useless. while I can cram a skinny little water bottle in them, they are too tight and awkward to remove or insert a bottle while wearing the pack. Any bottle in the pocket just displaces the space inside the pack. So, if you utilize the laptop pocket, you really can't put ANY size bottle in them with said laptop inside. The side compression straps look cool I guess, but that's about it. This bag is already so skinny and really doesn't need to be further compressed, IMO. I guess they let you lash a real water bottle to the side? Not including a sternum strap is fully ridiculous as well. this bag is expensive, so paying extra for a sternum strap is an insult. I have been waiting months now for an email from them telling me the black strap will actually be made again... but no word. so double fail on Topo Designs.

This backpack is on the smaller side, but that makes it perfect for daily use. I use it everyday to carry my things to and from work. The sleeve in the back snugly fits a 15-inch MacBook Pro. I like the simple design of the pockets, especially the two exterior ones which are sized just right (don't bring things you don't need!) The zippers themselves are big and tactile and fun to open and close. The drawstring design lets me stuff an extra sweater into the pack without a problem. The side compartments are narrow and make accommodating a fatter water bottle difficult, but this streamlined silhouette gives the backpack a minimalist aesthetic I love.

I was so excited to receive the pack, and really loved the quality of the materials, zips, cords, etc. It is a really classic styled and good looking pack. Right off the bat, though, I was super bummed out that the side pockets/bottle holders were virtually nonfunctional. They are essentially flat, not made to accommodate anything more than a cellphone or notepad (without bulging inward to the inside of the pack). I would estimate that the largest bottle that could realistically fit in one of those pockets is about 2.5 inches diameter. You could probably fit slightly larger, but it would be really pushing it. It is a smaller size pack, therefore, the interior space is valuable. Bulge from side pockets is a huge minus, for me. They could do a little better at managing the space on this pack. That all being said, the front pocket and lid pocket both function pretty well, and were lined with a bright color for good visibility. For a more lifestyle-designed pack, it feels like it could hold up to some light abuse on the trail. I was also bummed that they sell the sternum strap separately. Its a very expensive little day pack, and I don't want to be nickel and dimed when I'm spending that much (especially on a basic rucksack). Topo should just include it, and let me remove it if I don't want t use it.