The Côte&Ciel Isar Backpack Review
My love & hate relationships with the côte&ciel Isar that I might have called the best backpack out there if not for the two functional flaws.
I’ll start with the love part first.
The bag works pretty simply. You have the protected compartment that’s located close to the back and a separate adjustable ‘luggage’ compartment.
The protected compartment has a soft sleeve closer to the back, two elasticated mesh pockets, one zip pocket, and a full-height free area. The sleeve reliably holds a laptop inside (even when in its own case) and you can stuff a couple of books in there as well if you want to. The mesh pockets are very handy for the things you want to keep at hand. In my case, it’s a notebook, a pen, cables, a hand cream, and other miscellaneous stuff. I use the zip pocket for small valuable things that I know are always in there. Lastly, I use the free area for books and my film camera. I don’t know what else one might need but côte&ciel has upgraded the compartment even further over the years.
In my day-to-day, I use the second compartment for groceries or to put my jacket away if I need to. When not in use, I simply tighten it with the two thick adjustment cords and it drapes nicely.
Travels is where this compartment really shines. Think about it like it’s a duffle bag. You lay the bag on its back, free the adjustment cords to the max, and pack whatever you have in there. I was surprised when I was easily able to put a shoebox in there, but that was just the beginning. On my recent trip, I loaded so much stuff in there that I was barely able to zip it. And then, at the airport, I bought a bottle of wine, and some food and somehow managed to fit them in there.
The heaviest thing in the bag was my laptop which weighs 1.4 kg. The overall weight of the bag with all my stuff was 15 kg. So you can imagine how much I was able to fit in.
Seriously, if Metro Boomin wants some more he should definitely consider this bag.
A huge part of the magic happens thanks to the top-notch zippers. I own several items with Riri and Lampo zippers that are considered to be the finest in the world. But I like the ones in my cote&ciel Isar more. They run smoothly from the very first use and they have never ever even hinted a separation no matter how full were the compartments.
I know a lot of people find the design avant-garde, to say the least. And I get where this comes from. The whole côte&ciel branding is based on this futuristic aesthetics of the modern urban commuter that’s constantly on the move and thus needs to be as functional and mobile as possible. Before gorpcore came to reign the scene, there was this concept of urban tech ninja as well. Many of them used côte&ciel products to carry their belongings.
But you know what? I don’t really care how the product is perceived or pictured online. I find the look of the côte&ciel Isar backpack to be universal. In fact, what you see on one’s back is just a beautifully draped piece of fabric with a vertical zipper. It’s like a blank canvas that can take different forms depending on the rest of your look.
When I’m wearing my beige field parka by Engineered Garments with brown cords, my olive Isar just blends in smoothly with this earthly-toned outfit. Or I can put it over a denim jacket with sherpa lining so that the bag gives just enough contrast in terms of aesthetics to make the whole rig look interesting, not fleshy.
I admit that it’s a matter of taste. I just find that it’s working for me.
Now to the hate part. I’ve used the bag for 5 years and the main drawback is that the straps had literally screwed. With time the padding inside the straps got screwed in kind of a tube. So instead of making the weight behind my back feel softer, the straps now cut my shoulders.
I suppose there are two reasons for that. I use the bag a lot for traveling without checked-in luggage. It might be that because of that weight the padding screws naturally over time. I keep wondering why côte&ciel didn’t just stitch the straps across to have the padding in place.
The other drawback is that the bag doesn’t have both a chest strap and a waist strap. When your backpack is heavy those two straps can significantly ease the load on the shoulders. It’s such an easy and proven solution that I just can’t believe côte&ciel missed it considering how much stuff you can put inside the Isar.
If not for these two issues with straps, I would call the Isar simply the best backpack out there both for day-to-day use and for travels.
Luckily, many of the latest iterations of Isar come with a chest strap. Or a least the shoulder straps have mounts to attach a chest strap on your own.
This has already been quite a lengthy review, even though I intentionally skipped a few smaller points. But if you have any questions I would be happy to answer whether you’re considering a purchase or just wondering.