I got the Cotopaxi Luzon Del Dia (an 18l, sack style backpack) as a gift for my dad, who needed a small, compressible backpack for an upcoming trip. I choose it for three main reasons:
1. Cotopaxi's products fund sustainable poverty alleviation
2. The Del Dia version of the Luzon's colorway is completely controlled by the specific employee making it, leading to each pack being 100% unique (and some pretty cool color combinations)
3. I think the llama logo is cute
In short, I didn't buy it because I thought it was especially functional. I just thought it was an interesting conversation piece that contributed a little bit to charity and was suitable for travel; more of a memorable gift than something built for real, heavy, outdoors use.
When I took it out of its plastic sheeting to wrap it, the first thing I noticed was how thick the ripstop nylon was and how well stitched the whole pack was. The workmanship really surpassed my expectations. In fact, the stitching on this pack is noticeably better than on my Osprey Talon 44. The nylon (which is also thicker than my Talon's), as noted before, looked like it could really take a beating.
My dad really enjoyed the gift, and since we were traveling as a family I got to use it a fair amount (especially when the duty to lug all of our water fell on me), and ended up taking it with me for some pretty rugged hiking and climbing. After we got back, I kept using the pack, and I can honestly say, I'm still surprised how convenient and durable this pack is. It's become my go to short hike pack, and when I have a base-camp I typically roll it up into my main pack and bring along as a day pack.
As a pack, it's designed to be minimal. It only has a cinch closure on top, meaning you can never really completely close it. This means, even in moderate rain, some will leak in. This can be easily fixed by putting your rain shell on the very top of the pack (I even poke mine out a bit to keep any water from getting in). The nylon has held dry in moderate rain for around half an hour of continuous exposure, but I honestly wouldn't trust it for any longer, and wouldn't want to be wearing this pack in anything more than a short summer storm that passes quickly if it's carrying anything valuable. The shoulder straps and hip belt aren't cushy (in fact, the hip and chest belts are just unpadded nylon bands), nor does it have any bells and whistles. It's pretty much just a really pretty, durable, well made sack (with a smaller sack for a hydration bladder, a front zip pocket and a hook to hold it by).
Positively, The formlessness of the pack means you can roll it up smaller than half a Nalgene and stuff it in a bag's water bottle pocket or in a pot and the lack of top closure means everything in your pack is always handy and there's no excess weight from a hood. Something kind of strange about it is that when fully packed, it assumes a trapezoidal shape with the bottom significantly slimmer than the top. I haven't noticed any discomfort, even after carrying it for a long period of time, but it means bulky things (for example, a tupperware full of food) will have to be stored on the top of the pack. As someone who doesn't use a hydration bladder, I was happily surprised that the hydration bladder pocket opens wide enough to store water bottles upright and comfortably.
The Cotopaxi Luzon Del Dia hovers in a strange place: it's minimal, but not ultralight. It won't come with anything particularly fancy (no outside gear attachment loops, no built in whistle, no padded hip belt) but it's not some type of space age material either: just very, very durable nylon (I've scraped it on quite a few rocks and it's still unmarked). But, the unique colors and charitable aspect of the pack make it a great gift or choice for someone looking for a minimal, rugged daypack. One more thing: don't assume because of the photos on Cotopaxi's website you'll end up with a pack in super flashy colors, mine is nicely neutral in tone. I'll sum up with a short pro/con list:
Pros:
All in all, I'm very happy I bought this pack and much prefer it to my Osprey Talon 44 for any hike shorter than five hours. It's great compressibility means there's no reason not to take it with you when traveling but it's durable and well-made enough to use without fear it'll split in the middle of a trip.
1. Cotopaxi's products fund sustainable poverty alleviation
2. The Del Dia version of the Luzon's colorway is completely controlled by the specific employee making it, leading to each pack being 100% unique (and some pretty cool color combinations)
3. I think the llama logo is cute
In short, I didn't buy it because I thought it was especially functional. I just thought it was an interesting conversation piece that contributed a little bit to charity and was suitable for travel; more of a memorable gift than something built for real, heavy, outdoors use.
When I took it out of its plastic sheeting to wrap it, the first thing I noticed was how thick the ripstop nylon was and how well stitched the whole pack was. The workmanship really surpassed my expectations. In fact, the stitching on this pack is noticeably better than on my Osprey Talon 44. The nylon (which is also thicker than my Talon's), as noted before, looked like it could really take a beating.
My dad really enjoyed the gift, and since we were traveling as a family I got to use it a fair amount (especially when the duty to lug all of our water fell on me), and ended up taking it with me for some pretty rugged hiking and climbing. After we got back, I kept using the pack, and I can honestly say, I'm still surprised how convenient and durable this pack is. It's become my go to short hike pack, and when I have a base-camp I typically roll it up into my main pack and bring along as a day pack.
As a pack, it's designed to be minimal. It only has a cinch closure on top, meaning you can never really completely close it. This means, even in moderate rain, some will leak in. This can be easily fixed by putting your rain shell on the very top of the pack (I even poke mine out a bit to keep any water from getting in). The nylon has held dry in moderate rain for around half an hour of continuous exposure, but I honestly wouldn't trust it for any longer, and wouldn't want to be wearing this pack in anything more than a short summer storm that passes quickly if it's carrying anything valuable. The shoulder straps and hip belt aren't cushy (in fact, the hip and chest belts are just unpadded nylon bands), nor does it have any bells and whistles. It's pretty much just a really pretty, durable, well made sack (with a smaller sack for a hydration bladder, a front zip pocket and a hook to hold it by).
Positively, The formlessness of the pack means you can roll it up smaller than half a Nalgene and stuff it in a bag's water bottle pocket or in a pot and the lack of top closure means everything in your pack is always handy and there's no excess weight from a hood. Something kind of strange about it is that when fully packed, it assumes a trapezoidal shape with the bottom significantly slimmer than the top. I haven't noticed any discomfort, even after carrying it for a long period of time, but it means bulky things (for example, a tupperware full of food) will have to be stored on the top of the pack. As someone who doesn't use a hydration bladder, I was happily surprised that the hydration bladder pocket opens wide enough to store water bottles upright and comfortably.
The Cotopaxi Luzon Del Dia hovers in a strange place: it's minimal, but not ultralight. It won't come with anything particularly fancy (no outside gear attachment loops, no built in whistle, no padded hip belt) but it's not some type of space age material either: just very, very durable nylon (I've scraped it on quite a few rocks and it's still unmarked). But, the unique colors and charitable aspect of the pack make it a great gift or choice for someone looking for a minimal, rugged daypack. One more thing: don't assume because of the photos on Cotopaxi's website you'll end up with a pack in super flashy colors, mine is nicely neutral in tone. I'll sum up with a short pro/con list:
Pros:
- Very compressible
- Extremely durable nylon
- Cool, unique color scheme
- Nylon holds dry in rain longer than expected
- Contributes to a good, charitable cause
- Top can't be fully closed
- Purchaser cannot choose any aspect of the color scheme
- Straps aren't padded
- Has to be packed with bulky items on top
All in all, I'm very happy I bought this pack and much prefer it to my Osprey Talon 44 for any hike shorter than five hours. It's great compressibility means there's no reason not to take it with you when traveling but it's durable and well-made enough to use without fear it'll split in the middle of a trip.