32 MACWORLD JUNE 2019
MACUSER REVIEW: RHAKE VX WEATHERPROOF LAPTOP BACKPACKlove this design. It allows for a popular
feature without uglifying the Rhake’s
hiking-meets-tacticool aesthetic, and it
also keeps the pocket from filling with
water when it rains.
The least handy pocket looks as though
it should rank higher. It’s a zippered slot that
runs along the Rhake’s bottom, and it’s a
great space for holding power bricks and
items of the sort. Problem is, you’d better
hope you packed it before you stuffed the
main compartment with clothes, books—or
a store’s worth of MacBooks, in my case. If
you didn’t, the weight of everything else in
the bag smushes this compartment, making
it challenging to stuff in items later.
HOLDING IT IN
You can get around this by
laying the Rhake on its back
and rummaging inside as
though you were performing an
operation. This appears to be
by design, as it’s also the best
way to get into the two
“medicine cabinet”
compartments stretching across
the front. Though already
secured with zippers with a
water-resisting coating, they’re
also bound by two buckled
straps. The plastic buckles open
easily enough thanks to a
toggled buckle, but it’s still a
bizarre extra step. If you feel like
dropping an extra $60 on this $365 bag, you
can also buy some $60 metal Cobra buckles
that simplify this process further.
I like to think of these compartments as
the “toolbox,” as they’re good for small
items like medication or small flashlights.
The left one unzips to reveal small mesh
zippered pockets of varying sizes, two of
which have little sleeves behind them. The
right compartment has no petite pouches,
but does it sport a little flap that keeps
larger items from tumbling out. I saw one
guy saying he uses this right compartment
for storing diapers for his kid.
Fair enough, but I can’t say I’m much of
a fan of these slots. As a carless SanPacked to capacity.