North Face Vault Backpack Review – The Perfect Day Bag/Rucksack

My North Face Vault backpack has been with me most days, and it has travelled many miles over the past 4 years. It is a sturdy, comfortable day bag suitable for everyday use. They advertise this as a 26-litre bag; I find it spacious and able to fit plenty in for a day’s walk.

It even holds three 2-litre bottles of water with room to spare in the main section of the bag. The rucksack also fits easily into other high-capacity bags that I carry for longer trips.

The bag retails at £65 in the UK; however, it is sometimes available at a discount depending on the retailer.

How is the North Face backpack advertised?

The North Face Vault advert, word-for-word from Millets, with all the important features mentioned.

With a range of features for comfort and practicality, the Vault Backpack from The North Face is ideal for storing school essentials or packing up for a weekend away. The FlexVent™ suspension system comes with a padded mesh back panel, a breathable lumbar panel and moulded shoulder straps to ensure a comfortable journey. Complete with a padded laptop sleeve, internal storage for pens and pencils and various other compartments, the pack will carry all your belongings in one. And to be visible when it’s dark, the Vault is also equipped with reflective detailing.

Backpack Comfort

The Vault daypack is very comfortable, with nicely padded straps and a fully padded back. This adds a lot to comfort, especially when carrying anything lumpy. They made the straps easily adjustable, and they also padded them.

Storage

This bag has a capacity of 26 litres, making it ideal for day trips with the dog. It is also the right size for me to stay away for a few nights in a hotel or hostel. The laptop section you slide a notebook into with ease means I can use the rest of the main compartment for clothing or shopping. The design means the laptop can slide in and out without removing anything else.

Side Pockets

The main supplemental back pocket has internal pockets, ideal for keeping important items you need access to. One such pocket has a zip within a zip, ideal for tickets or anything you need ultra handy. Next to this are holders for pens, paper notebooks, tools or a pocket knife.

There are two pockets on the side; they fit 500 ml water bottles for the dog with ease, as well as a small bowl. This makes it handy to keep the dog hydrated without risking leaks within the main compartment.

The other side usually has a can of beer easily accessible for the walk; these are elastic, so they hold drink containers firmly. Thus, I have never lost a drink by slippage over rough terrain.

What About Flying?

I used the North Face Vault as a personal item on a few Wizz Air flights. It had a few essentials and fit perfectly under the seat in front. They warned me at check-in that it was too big; however, removing my hoodie sorted that out.

North Face Vault In Action

I hadn’t planned on blogging about the Vault bag, so I rarely include it in photos; here are a few.

The bag was also present on my adventure to the Danube Delta in Romania. It was big enough for clothes and kit for a weeklong visit.

Sometimes in small crawl spaces the backpack needs to come off, as in this Roman tomb in Hisarya in Bulgaria.

At over 4 years old, the bag is still going strong and works well as a carry-on under-seat bag for flying. This photo is from a Christmas trip to London, where the bag carried loads, including sightseeing at the Palace of Westminster.

Review of North Face Vault – Great For Days Out

Overall, this bag is fantastic and has stood the test of time with me. I’ve used it for interrailing, camping, and city breaks. However, I’ve used it for every shopping trip in those two years to carry all the heavy things home hands-free, without carrier bags. The bag is comfortable for me and carries four 2-litre water bottles home from the shops. Which is over 8 kg.

If they look like that, they will discontinue this bag. I would order a spare for storage. However, I will consider their complete range of bags before deciding.