The Adept Roll-Top Backpack wasn’t dreamed up from scratch. It grew out of two years of daily commutes, countless miles with an Addax 30 prototype, and the small things you start to notice when you use the same bag every day.
José, our designer, knew what the Addax did well: the flexible volume of a roll top, exterior pockets that keep essentials close, and enough protection to shrug off the persistent rain of the PNW. But while consistently using the Addax, he kept a running list of the things he would change if he ever got the chance: A second point of access, a more intuitive closure, better weight distribution when fully loaded, and, of course, prioritizing comfort and technical features that make schlepping around a 26-liter backpack feel like nothing.
The result is the Adept: an evolution of the Addax that keeps the ideas that worked, while addressing frustrations that only reveal themselves after you’ve practically lived with a bag. We’re excited to share the thinking, testing, and design decisions that brought the Adept to life.
A big thanks to José for sharing these notes from deep in his sketchbook.
Where It Started
“The evolution of the Adept began with my own experiences using the Addax and going over feedback from our customers. I spent two years commuting with an Addax 30 prototype daily, eventually transitioning to the X-Pac production model I use today. It served its purpose very well; the exterior pockets kept my essentials within reach, the roll top offered volume flexibility, and it effectively shielded my gear from the persistent PNW rain."
“While I maintained a personal running list of potential refinements for a future iteration, I wanted to ensure we were solving real problems for our customers. By combining customer reviews, field tester notes, and my own experience with the bag, a clear roadmap for the new design emerged:”
- Incorporate an additional access point.
- Refine the roll top closure.
- Optimize the weight distribution when fully loaded.
- Add a dedicated grab handle.
What We Changed
Second access point
“The most frequent customer request for the Addax was a secondary entry point. It took me a while to decide how to approach this; I wanted the zipper to give you as much access as you needed. I took some inspiration from the Techonaut lid entry. I liked how it looked, and I thought it would work well to provide us with a second point of access. With this new opening, you can reach inside quickly or have full access to the interior when packing. The front lid also features a welted zipper pocket with an interior zipper pocket, and the back side has a zipper pocket with mesh. A second quick access pocket can be found on the top of the right side panel of the bag.”
Since we added the horseshoe-style opening on the front panel, adding pockets here proved a more difficult task than anticipated due to the added pocket layers on the hatch, but we knew these exterior organization points were essential. So, after trying a few different variations, we decided to go with a vertical recessed double-zippered pocket which is nestled in the front panel of the bag — like a pressed origami fold. This allowed us to maintain the sleek, minimalist appearance of the Adept, but still offer plenty of external organization. Just as importantly, the recessed construction kept the horseshoe opening from bulging when the pocket was packed.
As if one hidden pocket wasn’t enough, we also wanted to add a pocket for your smaller essentials — like passport, wallet, keys, and earbuds — the kind of things you like as close to your person as possible. So, we experimented with a small hidden pocket, 7.5” x 6” to be exact, which is tucked along the side panel and virtually invisible if you’re not looking for it.
At this point, it became clear that we weren’t simply refreshing the Addax; we were building something new. That realization opened up a whole new set of possibilities — and meant the bag needed a name of its own. So, we hit the drawing board.
We went through the archives and found the original name list for the Addax. The first name that came up was Atlas — which was actually the original name for the Addax! However, after some deliberation, Atlas was scratched because many backpacks share that name, and we wanted ours to stand out from the crowd. A few more ideas floated around: Roam, Nue, Cadence, Adonis, Antelope… and finally, Adept: A skilled user. And this bag felt quite adept, so it stuck.
Roll top closure
“To improve the roll top closure, I changed the closure from using two quick-release buckles to a single center buckle. The buckle is new to us; it uses a magnet with a quick-release button. This makes it easier to open and also to close; less futzing is always a good thing.”
We deliberated on the buckle for weeks. We thought of using our traditional Side Release Buckles, like the ones we use on the Cafe Bags, Marathon Messenger, and Addax — but we felt that the Adept was as good a time as any to try something new. We fiddled around with a handful of different options — some buckles being too easy to open, some practically needing a manual to operate. Finally, we ordered a sample of quick-release magnetic buckles, and after a few samples and plenty of testing, it just felt right. Secure yet easy to use, it was a no-brainer.
“For more security, the top of the roll top features a flap with 3 female snaps and 3 male snaps at the body on a “lip” that makes it easy to snap together. The webbing that holds both sides of the new buckle is longer on purpose, in order to keep things closed and secure when the main compartment and the roll top extension are completely full; The webbing on the side with the adjustment tucks neatly behind the luggage passthrough when not in use.”
Weight distribution
“Through testing, we identified that the bag was pulling away from the shoulders when it was packed full. We wanted to improve this and help bring the pack closer to the body; the answer was clear: Load lifter buckles. Load lifters are typically used on outdoor hiking packs when the load of the pack extends above the shoulders; they help bring the load closer to the body.”
“Not every bag needs load lifters, but for the Adept, where the load can go above the shoulders when the roll top extension is used, it was needed. Aside from load lifter buckles, the Adept also has a “teardrop” design similar to the shape of the Shadow Guide, but less pronounced. The shape at the base of the bag helps lift the interior load and brings it closer to your center of gravity.”
If you’d like to do some extended reading, here are Tom’s thoughts on load lifters. And if you’re wondering whether load lifters will be added to all our backpacks, the short answer is no. We don’t believe in adding features simply because they’re useful somewhere else. We want each bag to have the features that make it the best it possibly can be. Whether a bag needs load lifters depends on its construction, how much volume it carries, and ultimately, how it sits on your body — this being the most important.
For the Adept, they solve a specific problem: when the bag’s volume extends above shoulder height, the upper portion of the load can pull away from the body. Tightening the load lifters readjusts the pack so that weight sits closer to the body and center of gravity. Most of our bags already sit close to the body, and on those packs, load lifters wouldn’t provide much additional benefit beyond what the existing chest and hip belts already accomplish.
Grab Handle
“A small, but significant change. The top handle was the element I interacted with the most on the Addax. I used it to pick the bag up and sometimes to carry it while moving in tight spaces like the train or bus during my commute. The webbing handle worked, but the padded Poron handle made it more comfortable.”
What We Kept the Same
Though we realized this sample was becoming more robust than an Addax refresh, we really love some of the original features and wanted to be sure to keep them. The water bottle pocket and exterior pockets — specifically the full-length pocket and water bottle pocket proved necessary to keep, or at least keep some variation of. We wanted to keep the external organization, but make it a little more discrete. So, we kept the full-length pocket on the side and focused on reworking the two front zippered pockets.
We liked the versatility of the full-length zippered pocket, so we practically left it untouched — the same goes for the water bottle pocket, which is expandable and fits most bottles up to 32 Oz. Like in the original Addax, you’ll still find a luggage passthrough sleeve, laptop compartment for devices up to 16”, space for an optional internal frame, device sleeve, and of course, Edgeless shoulder straps for all-day comfort.
As we said, there were many things we loved about the Addax, and we wanted to maintain some semblance of the original design.
What We Had to Let Go
You may have noticed that the Adept has only 4 O-rings – fewer than were offered in the Addax. After sewing a few samples, we found that adding more O-rings caused the fabric to become thick and bulky, making the construction increasingly difficult to work with. We could have pushed ahead and added more, but it would have meant compromising the construction of the bag for the sake of adding a feature.
So, we let a few go. The four O-rings that made it into the final design give you plenty of attachment points without adding unnecessary bulk or making the bag more difficult to construct. It’s a small change, but one that reflects the larger part of the design process: Sometimes making a better bag means deciding what not to add.
Bringing it all together
“Developing a fresh iteration of the roll-top design has been a rewarding process. With the Addax, we ventured into uncharted territory, debuting unique features and concepts that were new to our lineup. The inherent versatility of a roll-top makes it a functional companion for many, and I’m pleased that it resonated so well with our customers. The Adept represents the next stage of that journey, taking those foundational ideas and honing them into a more polished experience.”
The Adept started with a familiar bag and two years of experience using it. From there, we tested, tweaked, added, removed, and occasionally went back to the drawing board. The Adept is an evolution rather than a reinvention — shaped by the people who use our bags, the people who make them, and the small details that become apparent when you live with a bag every day.
And, after two years of carrying the Addax, José finally got the chance to make the changes he’d been keeping on that list.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts once you receive your Adept Roll-Top Backpack. As always, we’re happy to answer any lingering questions you have about its design.
What was the thinking around putting a horizontal luggage pass through on a roll top!
Rolling the top towards the shoulder-straps would’ve looked much cleaner; and make the opening less obvious to those nasty pickpockets or luggage riflers.
Also for my underdeveloped design & aesthetics appreciation, the roll-top ends stick out and look weird, and they will catch on things…to me, just seems wrong….
Rolling the top towards the shoulder-straps would’ve looked much cleaner; and make the opening less obvious to those nasty pickpockets or luggage riflers.
