Keen developed its Newport daypack to be a perfect fit for Fresh Air Junkies who can’t wait to get out of the office and into the outdoors.

If you’re a Fresh Air Junkie who can’t wait to get from the office and into the outdoors, then the Keen Newport daypack may be a great fit. The Newport is a lightweight and ergonommic pack for your laptop, water bladder and a change of clothes, allowing you go from office to trailhead as quickly as possible. It’s size, (20 x 12 x 8-inches) is large enough to fit plenty of gear, yet it’s slim and conforms to your body, making it great for mountain bikers and fast paced hikers.

Keen’s philosphy in making shoes that are lightweight and breathable, is definitely evident in the design of the Newport pack. The back panel features a breathable mesh and preforated foam panel that allows air to cool your back and keep sweat to a minimum. This makes it great for hot day hikes or long mountain bike rides. It also has additional padding on the back and shoulder pads, to make carrying heavy loads more comfortable.

The front expandable pouch is a great design that easily secures a bike helmet or any other gear that you want to access quickly. They’ve also added two water bottle pockets on each side of the pack that uses an elastic band to help keep them in place.

To prevent excessive wear on the bottom of the pack, Keen added a thick rubber bottom, that’s made from 100 percent recycled tire inner tubes. It works great to prevent you from accidentially setting your pack down on anything wet or muddy. Because the main body of the pack is made from lightweight Polyester Ripstop, the added weight isn’t noticeable.  But the bottom of the Newport pack isn’t the only piece made from recycled products. The pack’s interior liner is also 100 percent recylced, and all the hardware, including buckles and zippers, are made from recycled aluminum.  

While the Newport’s inner laptop sleeve is 15.4-inches deep it didn’t seem padded enough for our taste, but then again, we also carry lots of photo equipment so thick padding is something we’re used to.  The water bladder compartment is behind the lap top sleeve and features a hose outlet that can also be routed through to the mesh elastic on the shoulder staps. While both the water bladder and laptop sleeve can carry each item snuggly, we had reservations having our laptop so close to 2-liters of water.

Nevertheless, we found that the Keen Newport pack was big and durable enough to hold everything we needed. For a price around $100, it’s definitely not your average book-bag style daypack. Yet its lightweight and deep main compartment ,that easily expands to fit larger items, makes the Newport great for a day hike or an overnight business trip. For more information, visit www.keenfootwear.com.

Text And Photos By Dan Sanchez