Black Diamond Demon Backpack
Review written by: G
Just about every time we’ve been in transit (which is pretty often), I’ve been compelled to tell Ray emphatically again and again how much I love our bags. They fit in almost every overhead storage bus compartment, they are easy to climb into a rickshaw with, they are easy to stash under a train seat, they are small and streamlined enough to keep with us in a tiny sleeper bus compartment or sleeper berth on a train and still be comfortable.
It is big enough to hold what we need and small enough to keep us from buying what we don’t. Some people who live out of a backpack on a long trip like having a zipper to make it like a duffel, but there have been countless times that I have been happy that I don’t have to worry about securing any more than one zipper, both for security and strength of the bag (fewer zippers=fewer chances of them breaking and your stuff ending up all over the street or the floor of the train). One small combination lock on the top lid and I don’t think twice about my stuff being safe.
It’s got the straps on the side as you can see, which are perfect for rolling up my jacket and attaching to the side, saving room inside the bag and making it easy to unsnap for a pillow or jacket for the bus, then easily put back on before we hop off. They can also be used (with some engineering) to secure a waterbottle temporarily, or even shoes.
The orange thing that you see on the back of it is velcro, ordinarily to hold trekking or rock climbing gear, as its actual intent is a climbing bag (so you know it’s gotta be durable!). It can be removed, which I did, and it leaves a loop which you could snap or tie something to if you want to, though I usually don’t, but instead sometimes use as a quick small handle for lifting it up.
The hip pads are comfortable and can easily be wrapped around the back and kept in place by the side straps, which I do for airplane checking to keep it as sleek as possible. The shoulder straps are adequately padded while still being thin, light, and practically non-existent. Most of the time when I’m carrying this thing fully loaded, I don’t even realize I’ve got anything more than a regular daypack on. I can assure you, I have NEVER felt that way about a backpacking backpack before whether for camping or traveling. This thing is amazing.
It is comfortable, ergonomical, doesn’t make me sweat, and I don’t hit people with it every time I turn around or climb onto a crowded bus. I feel and look like a traveler who knows what they’re doing, and after a number of other travels with cumbersome wheeled suitcases or bigger, bulkier, flashier backpacks, I finally am. I love this bag and after 5 months, 3 countries, 23 train rides, 46 bus rides, 98 rickshaw rides, 5 boat trips, and miles of walking with it to test it thoroughly, I can confidently say that I would never take a long-term backpacking trip through Asia with anything else.
Bring or don’t bring?: BRING
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Nice review.
This is the only review I could find where this pack has been used for travelling rather than climbing. Understandable though, as it is a climbers pack!
I had ordered the 32l version before seeing this, and will be using it for travelling as I was after a top quality, no frills bag which I could take as hand luggage on planes (means much, much cheaper flights!). I’m really looking forward to using it, it sounds like it will do the job brilliantly.
Who needs to travel on more than 35 l anyway?!
Dead useful, thanks for posting.
Hi Ben! Thanks very much for the comment and I’m glad you found it useful. Even though we actually haven’t used it as carry-on luggage for flights yet, it has still been so worth having and I still love it, after more than a year of use and abuse. Let us know how it works for you!