A couple of weeks ago, Thule hosted a product showcase here in San Francisco. Held at Dogpatch Studios close to AT&T Park, Thule brought in the entire Spring 2019 collection, including some retro pieces like the original Thule rack fitted to the top of a gorgeous original Porsche. One of my favorite new collections for spring is the Landmark backpack line as it’s built with the adventure traveler in mind but doesn’t scream “backpacker.”
The Landmark series gives you two backpacks for the price of one — a smaller daypack secures onto the front of a larger backpack and can be removed for travel or for use when you arrive at your destination. Instead of loading from the top, the larger pack use a suitcase style opening so you can easily get at all your gear, with internal compression straps to secure everything in place during the journey.
The Landmark backpacks comes in three sizes — 70L, 60L, and 40L. The 70L and 60L sizes includes a removable 20L daypack, while the 40L size does not have a separate daypack and is designed to be used as a carry-on.
Each daypack includes a dedicated laptop pocket along with a hidden CashStash pocket to store money, your passport, and other valuable items. On the top, a hard-sided zippered pocket protects your sunglasses, phone, camera, or other delicate items from getting crushed when stuffed in the overhead bin or under the seat.
All zippers use a passive locking systems to deter would-be thieves from easily unzipping your pack. The zipper pulls are also lockable in case you want to leave the larger pack in the hostel or at the hut while you tour around. A built-in sternum strap whistle provides an additional level of safety and can easily be moved from the main pack to the daypack.
For easy, low profile movement through airports or on public transportation, the add-on daypack instead be attached to the front shoulder straps and hipbelt, enabling complete hands-free movement. Once you have unhooked the smaller pack to use as your carry on, a cover zips over the backpanel of the larger pack so that the straps and hipbelt will not get caught in the baggage system.
The Thule Landmark collection comes in gender specific fits and styles — two colors for men and two for women. The adventure travel packs will start shipping in February.