Latest Review
For those unfortunate souls who have found their way into my gear bins, you know that I am a gearhead through and through, able to easily outfit a family of five for a week-long camping trip in just about any weather condition. One particular area of weakness for me is in the bag category. Tote bags, sling bags, fanny packs, large backpacking packs, duffles, I believe they all serve their purpose and that you should have one for every scenario. Finding the perfect bag though can be an impossible task leading you to spend hours researching boutique brands only to be disappointed in the one lacking feature you need, accompanied by a significantly lighter pocketbook. So, when I spotted a dirty worn-in backpack with a unique silhouette gliding through a sporting goods store in Denmark, the hunt was on.
It didn’t take long as a few quick turns had me standing in front of an entire wall display holding an array of different designs from the new-to-me brand D__b__. Now, it was the early days of my trip and I did not have a lot of room in my luggage to spare, so I snapped a few pictures, residing myself doing downtime research into this exciting company. Despite its large global presence, D_B_ Journey does not seem to have made the push into the States, finding a small home inside of a select number of scattered retailers. This may be in part due to the crowded and hyper-competitive market, or potentially due to the recent forced rebranding stemming from marketing problems with the origins of the mysterious D_b_ moniker. Yes, this company used to be called Douche Bag, making the working title for this review “A Closer Look At The Douche Bag Hugger” and making me, well, I’ll leave that up to you.
Obvious by the photos, I ended up going with one of their more colorful offerings to contrast my otherwise monochromatic wardrobe in true Scandinavian fashion. What has transpired since the package arrived is nothing short of a love affair as I excitedly show it off to all who ask, making copious amounts of excuses for its very few shortcomings. As a recent New York transplant, I have found that the relationship between commuter and bag is a sacred one as we are forced to be constantly ready for any situation with only the tools on our person as if cast for an episode of Alone. Having lived with the Hugger 30L ($229) now for a few months, I can confidently say that it adapts well to my way of life, although your experiences may vary.
Let’s talk about the shape first as it is really what stole my attention to begin with. Slim yet tall, the Huggar has a flat back, structured vertical side walls, and a half-bell-shaped profile that when combined with my rotund belly creates the perfect aerodynamic water droplet shape. Through my research, I discovered that the shape of the pack does actually play a small part in aerodynamics lessening the drag coming from a person’s bike commuting, skiing, or any other sort of fast-paced activity. I am no high-performance athlete, but in my time bike commuting to and from the Worn and Wound offices not only did I notice a very slight drop in resistance but that the tall slender shape also does not block your line of sight when looking over your shoulder to see if it is safe to merge or turn. The very flat back panel also helps keep correct posture while protecting its contents from bending back.
The pack consists of two zippered pockets each with its internal organization. The main body has a clamshell opening utilizing the curve of the body to drop the front panel away from the pack giving you complete access to its innards. With two small zippered pockets on the front panel storing my cables, headphones, and pens, I find that it makes for an ideal workstation when swapping lenses on my camera or to set contents while sorting through my bag, keeping them safe from the surface underneath. Inside the main body, all four sides feature firm padding as well as ribbed structuring for added protection and increased internal visibility. On the right-hand side, two zippered mesh pockets run the length of the wall divided at the center and act as the only other organization built into the main opening. Thanks to its structured boxy shape, the Hugger 30L has been great at accepting other forms of internal storage such as a Peak Designs Camera Cube. When making a grocery run or preparing for inclement weather, it is easy enough to empty the main body leaving ample room for storage. It should also be noted that the padded laptop sleeve does not intrude on the main body and can easily accept a 16” laptop. There have been quite a few times now when I was inside the grocery store thinking about how heavy my pack was only to realize that I had forgotten to remove my laptop.
A portion of the 30L of volume comes in the way of a box-like structured dump pocket resting above the main body. Using its dedicated zipper entrance, the clamshell pocket opens up to reveal enough storage for any personal items as well as a small zippered mesh pocket on the flap for added organization. I have found that this is the ideal pocket to store simple things like sunglasses, breathmints, and headphones along with my Sea To Summit packable Ultra-Sil Pack Cover and collapsible travel umbrella. It becomes the pocket for receipts, snacks, business cards, and really whatever else comes my way that I don’t want to have lost in the larger body. On the front of this pocket is a unique flap handle, rigged with flexible structuring that caught me off guard at first but has quickly become the way I move this bag around the most. It has a better center point when the bag is full to the traditional grab handle and helps you lay the bag flat to open up the mobile workstation.
Fabric choice, zippers, stitching, and hardware are all heavy-duty and reinforced which will help this bag last a “lifetime”. D_b_ Journey does not specifically call out materials, only that they use recycled materials where they can and that the Hugger is a 100% Polyester Bluesign GRS constructed bag, but all of the touch points feel high quality with the body having a hand feel like a durable canvas and the hardware a well-machined aluminum. Speaking of hardware, D_b_ also utilizes a unique system to link its products together. The square buckles on the shoulder straps of this bag come unclipped and can then be slotted into the loops of a roller bag. The same can happen to the Hugger as its front pocket loops will accept a smaller day bag and so on. It is an attempt to keep the customer inside of the D_b_ ecosystem that works well from a practicality standpoint without being an eye sore of detail.
While I will admit I am still firmly in the honeymoon phase of ownership, D_b_ Journey has snagged a customer for life. I have already found myself skimming eBay listings for vintage offerings while trying to find any excuse to replace one of my other pieces with a new D_b_ just so I can clip them all together. It has performed well as the perfect commuter bag, the perfect camera bag, and the perfect grocery bag over the last few months, only being swapped for something different when there are size restraints. D_b_ Journey
