Stubble and Company Roll Top 20L Backpack Review: A Smooth Operator That Makes Roll-Tops Easy to Love

Is this bag going to change my mind about roll-top backpacks? I’ve always loved the water resistance they bring, but the difficulty with access to my gear can be frustrating. With that in mind, let’s meet the Stubble and Company Roll Top 20L Backpack! It’s an eco-friendly daypack with urban style that makes some interesting design choices to balance that waterproofing against accessibility. It’s also crazy comfortable to carry. Is this the roll top backpack that wins me over? Let’s read more to find out!

Style, Materials & Build

The Stubble and Company Roll Top 20L Backpack boasts an intriguing hybrid style. The water-resistant skin & rolltop closure are reminiscent of dry bags and boating gear, but the structured profile & modern finishes elevate the look to a more urban vibe. This bag begs to be used in business casual environments, city wanderings, and day trips. There are a dozen or so different interesting color options you can choose from to match your style.   

The side view features a slim, sleek profile that complements the contemporary styling. The shorter rolltop length and compression straps further enhance the bag’s compact profile when it isn’t packed out. If you’re looking for something that stands out in a sea of black big-box store laptop backpacks, this will fit the bill nicely.

Stubble and Company is committed to using recycled materials wherever possible in their builds, and you’ll find a combination of 900D recycled PET in the exterior, a 210D PET lining, and recycled webbing/zips throughout. I appreciate the use of the light grey grid pattern on the interior. Not only does it contrast nicely with the exterior color, but it also improves visibility into the interior when you’re rummaging around for your things. That grid pattern also adds an upscale feel to the bag.

The assembly & finishing on the bag is very good. There’s generous application of black trim elements to reinforce the seams and to clean up the edges. Every zip is sealed for extra water protection. Adjustment straps have extra elastic loops to corral loose straps, and the hardware feels solid throughout. The finishing details are all aligned with the upscale urban vibe.

While the assembly is very good,  I do feel that the build in this bag is best suited as an urban commuter. I appreciate the upcycled zips, but the travel could be smoother. I don’t have any doubts about the overall water resistance, but the stylish finish isn’t suited to a bag meant for dragging through rocks and mud on off-road adventures. That’s not a bad thing, but it is something to keep in mind if you require a bag that can handle heavy punishment.

Sizing, Layout & Organization

There’s a lot of good functional design in the layout of the Stubble and Company Roll Top 20L Backpack that balances water protection with accessibility. I like this clean front pocket, for example. It’s plenty big enough to stash your quick-grab items and even a small notebook. I did note that it’s oriented toward the left side of the bag; however, right-handers will need to get used to swinging the bag around to the other shoulder to get in there while on the move.

The dual-side bottle pockets are deep and feature a reinforced elastic compression band to help keep your gear in place during high-speed maneuvers. You’ll be able to fit small umbrellas & water bottles in these pockets. I have an 18-ounce Yeti Rambler in the pics below, but my chunky 32-ounce Owalla also fits just fine. Note that bigger bottles will encroach on the main cabin space.

The laptop compartment is absolutely huge, with a full-length zip and ample padding. My 16″ MacBook Pro slides easily in there as you’ll see below with room to spare for a notebook or even a tablet. It’s a huge plus to have such easy access to your laptop, and the side-zip placement doesn’t interfere with the shoulder straps!

Now we get on to the main compartment. The roll top locks in place with a G-hook and a series of loops. The G-hook strap is also adjustable so that you can dial in the fit based on your packing needs for the day.

The rolltop adds a couple of neat tricks to help with weather resistance. The extra material adds about 6 inches to the length of the bag, and there is a magnetic strip that keeps the flaps closed. The magnets are not strong enough to prevent easy, one-handed operation.

You’ll also see that the sides have an extra bit of material that “pinches” the ends so that they don’t open up when you roll it down. The net effect of all of this is a nice, tight seal when you roll the bag up.

As you can see from the pic above, it’s a big ol’ space to work with that’s designed to pack vertically. The interior pocket design is one of my favorite features here. You have four layers of pockets here, starting with two square mesh pockets at the bottom, backed by two deeper pockets (one wide, one narrow), which are backed by yet another full-width pocket that runs the depth of the first two layers. Behind that is a zippered pocket for your loose stuff that runs about 1/3 of the way down the back of the bag.

The net result of this design is that you pack your larger, looser items at the front of the compartment while you slide your hand into the different organizational pockets on the back wall. It works very well for blindly rummaging in your bag, since the stacked pockets each have a clearly defined position and purpose.

I should note that the 18.5″ by 12.6″ by 5.5″ size and 20-liter capacity on my test unit is the middle of Stubble and Company’s Roll Top Lineup, and an ideal size for a daypack. There are 15-liter and 30-liter versions available that lose (or gain) an inch or two in each dimension.

Additional Features

The Stubble and Company Roll Top 20L Backpack has a pair of well-designed compression straps at the top of the bag to cinch things down if you’re packing lightly. You could also use those to strap in taller items like a long umbrella that may be packed in the bottle pockets.

There’s a luggage handle pass-through on the back of the bag that is cleverly built into the lower lumbar support pad.

You’ll also see some sneaky attachment points throughout the bag. You’ve got several loops on the shoulder straps where you can hook stuff, and that g-hook strap on the front of the bag has a couple of extra loops for a bike light or other attachments.

How Does It Carry?

The Stubble and Company Roll Top 20L Backpack excels at comfortable carry to the point where it’s almost unfair. You’ve got generous ventilated foam padding on the back panel and shoulder straps, a beefy lower lumbar pad (shown above), and a wide channel between the back pads that promotes airflow.

This design uses a yoke-style shoulder strap setup, rather than sewing the straps directly into the body of the bag. Combined with the slim profile, this means the bag kind of wraps around your back and shoulders as shown below on my chunky frame.

It’s really comfortable for long-distance carry. The back carries wider than deep with a 12.6″ width (not including water bottles and such), but feels extremely maneuverable.

There’s also a sternum strap included in your kit that has some nice reinforced loop design that wraps around the shoulder straps. This means that it is relatively easy to slide up and down to find a good fit.

The top carry handle is a simple but sturdy loop that’s a little on the small size — I can just get four fingers under the low-profile assembly — but it’s fine for grab-and-go actions.

The Bag in Use

There’s a lot to like in the Stubble and Company Roll Top 20L Backpack as a daily driver. In my opinion, the laptop compartment is one of the strongest parts of the build. A generous entry zip and nice padding easily accommodate larger laptops like mine, with room to spare.

I can even slide a tablet in there to avoid having to go digging into the main compartment if I want. This is nice for grabbing stuff on the go.

The bag also has a little extra adaptable space! The 5.5″ depth isn’t super deep, and the internal pockets and external bottle pockets can encroach on that space. But the top 1/3 of the bag is wide open, and you can open up those cinch straps & that g-hook closure strap to pack a bigger thing in there, like a packed lunch.

The dual bottle pockets are a welcome addition for easy access to hydration and such. I keep my bottle on one side and a hard case for my sunglasses in the other. The elastic finishing does a nice job of keeping these items locked in so they don’t slide out with sudden maneuvers.

Like all rolltops, the main compartment requires some deep digging to reach your stuff. The good news there, however, is those stacked pockets on the back panel are absolutely lovely for organizing your high-priority stuff near the top of the bag. I’ll keep my power bricks and cords in the lowest pockets, for example, and my notebooks and pens in the higher pockets for quicker access.

You can also squeeze a tablet into that bigger internal pocket if you prefer (the one in front of the zipped pocket). Small stuff goes in the internal zippered pocket for secure items, and in the outside pocket for quick-access items like my work badge and keys. It’s very manageable on a day-to-day basis.

The overall comfort of the Stubble and Company Roll Top 20L Backpack is amazing, especially if you’re a cyclist or commuter that gets a lot of steps in during your trip to work. It’s form-fitting and carries lighter than the loadout, so it feels very nimble and agile. I’d have no qualms recommending this as a daytripper either, given the various layers of access and weatherproofing.

Conclusion

The Stubble and Company Roll Top 20L backpack really won me over for its easy-to-manage usability as a daily driver, unique style, and waterproof design. You won’t be able to carry a ton of stuff in there, but it’s plenty big enough for the daily essentials and some extras you may need for day trips and travel. If you’re looking to upgrade your daily carry without breaking the bank, this is a very reasonable (and stylish) choice. I’ll report back on long-term durability as I get to kick it around some more!

The Stubble and Company Roll Top 20L Backpack retails for $170; it is available directly from the manufacturer.

Source: Manufacturer-supplied review sample

What I Like: Waterproofing is excellent; Super comfortable for long treks; Nice pocket design adds accessibility

What Needs Improvement: While good for urban use, I’m unsure about long-term durability for rough-and-tumble adventures