Today we’re taking a look at the Quechua NH500 20L backpack. I did a review on the 10L version of this bag and they also make a 30L version too. So taking a look at a couple of the features of this bag its fairly lightweight at 810g (1.7lbs) and it has a lot of pockets and features that we’ll get into.
Starting off with the front of the bag it has several elastic loops where you can attach hiking sticks or other accessories. I just use it for my Heroclip carabiner. There’s a slip pocket on the side and a larger front pocket which inside has two mesh pockets and a small zippered stash pocket with a key clip. There’s two water bottle pockets on either side with an adjustable strap to secure items put in there. On the side you’ll see a zipper which gives you access to the padded laptop pocket. You can also access this from the top zip.
Taking a look at the back of the bag you’ll see its got the same nice comfortable padding at the NH500 10L and the same comfortable straps and built in sternum strap. However the grab handle at the top was something I didn’t like on the 10L version and I don’t like it on this one either. I found it digs into my back while wearing the bag and prevents it from being worn higher or more securely across my back. On the bottom of the bag you’ll find the built in rain cover that stashes into its own pocket. Great to have because although the bags material repels water a bit, it won’t withstand heavy sustained rain on its own. The rain cover will allow you to wear it in heavy rain without a problem.
Inside the main compartment you’ll see a mesh pocket on the inner flap. And you’ll also see a nice padded laptop sleeve with additional side zip access. The adjustment strap on the water bottle pocket makes it a bit annoying to access the laptop from the side though. Because you have to unclip it to get full access. This laptop sleeve is padded on all sides too, even the bottom so laptops should be safe in this compartment. It should fit up to a 15″ or 16″ laptop without a problem. I only tried it with my 13″ MacBook Pro. Theres also two clips at the top which are designed to attach a water bladder and there’s a slip hole in the side where the straw of the bladder can go through if you wanted to use this bag for long hiking trips.
In terms of what I was able to pack into this bag. I was comfortably able to fit my usual clothing cube, tech pouch, toiletry kit and even my camera cube without any trouble. It was starting to feel quite full at this point though. But there was still room to squeeze stuff in if I needed to.
Overall a great 20L backpack thats not too heavy or expensive at US$35 (AU$49). I think it would make a great beginners travel backpack or a great hiking backpack for the weekends.
