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In all honesty, I'm not really a backpack person. But if my goal is to review all things Everlane (find all my Everlane Reviews here), then I would be remiss not to even try out their popular modern zip backpack. In general I'm a fan of most of Everlane's accessories, like their Petra Tote and their various shoes (Everlane Modern Point, Modern Loafers, and Street Shoes). But long story short, I'm not as much of a fan of their Modern Zip Backpack.
I purchased the Modern Zip Backpack in mini. The mini isn't that much smaller than the large. It's only about 0.25" less in width and about 2" shorter in height (measures 11.5"L x 6"W x 15"H). But compared to the large modern zip, the mini doesn't come with outside side pockets or a laptop pocket inside.
But here are the things I did like about this backpack:
-the style is simple but gorgeous. I love the contrasting black leather with white zippers and light colored canvas (the color I purchased is called Stone and it's the lightest of the bunch).
-the backside and straps are lightly padded, as all backpacks should be, to make for a comfortable fit
But this is why I ended up returning the backpack:
-the backpack felt like there was more style over substance. I tried wearing it with various heavy books inside, and it just doesn't feel as sturdy as my favorite Fjallraven backpack (but to be fair, Fjallraven is meant to be "durable gear").
-the mini size, like I mentioned above doesn't come with a laptop compartment inside or outside side pockets to hold water bottles (it only comes with the larger size), which I feel like are necessary on all backpacks (so really, I would say with the minimal size difference, but great difference in features it might make more sense to just buy the larger size instead of the mini).
-these are minor annoyances but because the straps are part canvas, adjusting the straps are a bit difficult (and impossible while wearing the backpack. I guess I'm just used to being able to adjust the straps while wearing it because I grew up doing that with my Jansport backpacks with their nylon straps). Also, the square zip pocket in the front is hard to open and close quickly because of the pocket corners and also the zipper isn't the smoothest.
I think if you're looking for a stylish backpack that's more form over function, this will work just fine for you. I think for me, if I'm going to be wearing a backpack, over say a Mansur Gavriel bucket bag or lady bag, then I really need to carry quite a lot of things. And this is why stylish backpacks just aren't my style. For this reason I probably won't be doing an Everlane Petra Backpack review.
Other reviews of the modern zip backpack (all on the larger size): review of the large modern zip, review on reddit, and another review about the larger size.
For my other Everlane reviews the links are listed on the right if you're on a computer, or scroll to the bottom if you're on your phone (all reviews are done with items I've purchased for myself and are not sponsored).