MobileTechTalk The best thing about a big backpack is the amount of stuff you can carry in it right? Well, I’ve been testing the Dicota PRO backpack for the past few weeks, and sometimes a bag might be too big for what you need to carry. Let’s go in-depth about everything I found out during the review period.
Disclaimer: Although Dicota did provide me (Jeffrey) with the backpack, they had no influence on the editorial outcome of the review. The backpack has been tested for about 2/3 weeks, 5 days a week while carrying all my books for school and other stuff.
- Material: Nylon
- Volume (liters): 21+4
- Eva Molded Slip Pocket (Smartphone/Tablet)
- Up to 17.3” laptops
- Weight: 1.4kg
The PRO Backpack is sturdier than I’d ever expected, the sides of the bag are made of a hard material to protect everything inside the bag from getting damaged. This does make it looks extremely big whilst you may not carry that much in it, but more on that later in this review.
The nylon Dicota used for the backpack feels like it’s going to last me, and everyone who’d use this backpack, a lifetime; after two weeks of intensively using the bags I’ve seen no wear or tear anywhere on the backpack.
The zippers Dicota used feel extremely solid as well, it gives you the feeling only expensive zippers give. There’s no way you’re going to break the zippers anytime soon. One thing I did notice was that the zippers were stuck from time to time on the top left side because of the hard shell of the backpack.
The inside of the backpack once again feels and looks extremely solid and premium; there isn’t a lot you can damage here, but it gives me the feel nothing inside of here is going to be torn anytime soon.
The first time I took the backpack out of its box my brother immediately asked whether I was carrying a suitcase on my bag. And after having looked at it for two weeks, that’s exactly what it looks like minus the handles and wheels. There’s nothing wrong with that though, let that be clear.
The backpack is made for the business-type people who need to carry a lot of stuff in a functional looking style. No, this isn’t your average school backpack to carry your books with to school (don’t look at me like I’m stupid… I know I took it to school. But there’s only one way to really test the bag.)
Looking at the target audience for the backpack, I think it’s perfectly fine. The black nylon doesn’t attract a lot of attention and the overall size is just where you’d want it to be. This just isn’t the average consumer targeted backpack, and that’s what you’ll see when someone walks around with the backpack.
The functionality of the backpack is the most important thing in my opinion, because who’d buy such a backpack if you don’t need to carry around a lot of things? And this is the point where the backpack shines; I haven’t ever had the possibility to carry around this much stuff inside the backpack.
Normally I need to squeeze in my books and papers because of the limited space, this time it was totally different. I needed to look for a way to make sure all my stuff didn’t move around in the backpack. This basically means that everyone needing to carry around their entire household in papers will be happy to know this bag exists.
The backpack also comes with two separate molded pockets to put in your electronic devices; one is for your smartphone (up to 5.5”) and the other is for your tablet (up to 10”). The molds make sure that your device is safe at all times, and nothing is going to damage it while it is in the mold.
The last zipper of the backpack hides the laptop compartment, which fits a laptop up to 17.3”. My old Dell Latitude e6410 had no issues with sliding in there so don’t worry about the thickness of your laptop. One great thing Dicota did with the laptop compartment is the ability to lock it, which makes sure your expensive laptop won’t be able to taken out that easily while travelling.
While Dicota doesn’t mention that the backpack is fully water resistant on their website, after testing and after being in contact with Dicota I did come to learn that the entire backpack is indeed water resistant; all the water simply rolls off the backpack due to the used nano coating. The Dicota PRO Backpack is tested under the ISO4920 standard which means that the product is compliant with the following: “ISO4920 specifies a spray test method for determining the resistance of any fabric, which might or might not have been given a water‑resistant or water‑repellent finish, to surface wetting by water.”
One downside of the backpack is that it just can’t stand upright on its own, it’s just downright annoying, it always takes (too) much effort to make sure it doesn’t just drop down on its face.
Are you a “normal” consumer, than this simply might not be for you. Especially if you take the current retail price of €99/ £83 into account. Who is this bag meant for then? It is meant for commuters travelling with a lot of stuff and who need a sturdy bag for that to go with it. For those who fit into that picture, it’s more than worth its price.
Dicota PRO Backpack 15-17.3
£86.57
Pros
- Sturdy build
- Lots of space
- Pricing
- Water resistant
Cons
- Not for everyone...
