WANDRD Duo Daypack review (After 2 years of Use)

By Roberto (Updated Nov 22)

⏱ 4 min

It’s been 2 years since I received my WANDRD backpack from Kickstarter. After these months wearing it in ALL terrains and conditions, I want to provide an honest WANDRD Duo Daypack review.

Motivations to buy the WANDRD Duo Daypack

In the summer of 2019 I was looking for a multipurpose camera backpack, because I was moving to Australia at the end of the year. I was going to buy the WANDRD PRVKE 21L, when suddenly this WANDRD Duo Daypack appeared. This new model had everything I wanted: good materials and look, different compartments, awesome rain resistance and the ability to open it completely which – I will explain why – has been really useful.

The very basics of the WANDRD DUO Daypack

In addition to the materials, the main purchase reason is its versatility, due to the infinite zipper and the amount of internal pockets. Inside, there are two main compartments ideal for lenses I have in my gear. Except a big tele lens, you can fit almost everything. My Sony 12-24 mm ultra wide lens, fits in there, and also the (not so small) Tamron 70-300 mm.

On the left side there are two expandable pockets that feel a bit meh – one with zipper – but are useful for snacks, batteries, or chargers.

The right side, offers two more meh-pockets, and two cord organisers, that look nice, but are a bit tricky to use. At the bottom, there is the Pop Camera Cube, which I think is the most useful tool in here. You can “activate it” to guard your camera, or more lenses, or put dirty shoes in to keep the rest of the bag clean.

There is another internal pocket, one exterior and one on the top. I recommend you checking the official page if you want more info.

Overall performance of the backpack

I was thinking of buying a camera backpack for ALL the things I was going to do in Australia: for commuting, traveling, going to the uni with my laptop and much more. And after buying it… I ended up using it for everything, carrying most of my photo equipment when needed. The year in Australia was so complete in terms of hikes, adventures and road trips and the WANDRD DUO Daypack really helped me a lot. The backpack converted into a backpack I used for university, for urban shoots, and became a hiking camera backpack for daily walks, and I even did a two-day intense hike with it!

How good was the performance of the WANDRD Duo Daypack in these circumstances? Well… for being an urban camera backpack, it was great. I would say a 8 over 10 if you’re a number’s person. It felt very comfortable on regular walks and provided decent comfort even in a long hike! It’s true that on hot and long walks, the back panel starts to get wet if you sweat and it doesn’t come with waist straps, which help a lot on long or walks or while carrying heavy loads.

Functionality of the WANDRD Duo Daypack

For accessibility, the backpack is superb. Thanks to the infinite zip – as they call it – you can easily access everything you have inside, without taking everything out from the top part. The interior compartments are useful to organize the different items, batteries, wires, snacks, whatever you want to carry.

In addition, other advantages of opening the backpack like a closet, are optimization – to set up everything as you want – and cleaning. The latter is more important than it seems, because you can easily clean the bottom, not like a regular closed backpack.

Collateral damage after 2 years of use

After using the WANDRD Duo Daypack in ALL my daily activities, I saw that nobody’s perfect. I have zero doubts that in urban conditions, the backpack would have suffered close to no damage, but in my case, I would have like it a bit more durable. The backpack is perfect for commuters, to ride a motorbike, to go to your studio, to take urban photos and even for going to work everyday – as I keep doing.

In my case, the backpack suffered several scratches on the front part, no damage on the bottom – the reinforcements really do their job – and noteable damage to the following parts:

The hole at the back part, could be well deserved by the hard use, but the backpack peeled in three points: bottle/tripod pocket, and both upper corners, without a real reason. I would have liked these parts to be as durable as the bottom is. Additionally, the only drawback about the functionality of this backpack is, that in many cases, the zipper requires a special way to be closed on the corners, and you need to use both hands. Otherwise, it gets blocked.

Bonus point for WANDRD Warranty

By the end of October I contacted WANDRD and asked them about its Wander More Worry Less policy in case I could be eligible for a replacement. After explaining everything and providing some pictures about my case. Not only they answered super fast, but also they approved giving me a new backpack after some weeks.

This is a perfect example about their warranty and compromise with clients. Something I highly appreciate and I would buy again from them.

Conclusions

• I would really recommend this backpack for anyone looking for an URBAN camera backpack. And yes, it can be your daily backpack, from photographers to commuters, yet not to travelers or adventurers.
• On the contrary, I wouldn’t recommend it for adventure photography or trips outside of urban areas, due to experiences I’ve mentioned in this WANDRD Duo Daypack review. It’s simply not a hiking backpack (they do have other options for that).
• Their warranty policy is certainly a plus factor. They are a trustworthy brand with impeccable customer service.