Alite Designs Hikari Pack

Great pack. Comfy straps; they're really smart about weight distribution to ease up on shoulder or back strain. Love the different compartments for organization. The only downside is the drawstring top. It's very secure, and your stuff will not easily fall out. However, it makes for awkward loading of large or rigid items (jeans, shoes, iPad, etc).

I have soft tissue damage to my shoulders, neck and hips, so my Physical Therapist prefers that I use a backpack for most of my day-to-day errands so that I balance my weight across my entire back, instead of throwing myself off balance. After a much-beloved and ancient LL Bean pack died earlier this year, I started researching new packs.Since I live in a downtown neighborhood and take public transportation frequently, I prefer a top-loader bag - I find them easier to use, and they don't tend to open up as much on their own. I also wanted something that was going to be a little more waterproof than my canvas bag, without having to resort to Scotch-Guard - it didn't need to be perfectly waterproof, but something that could take a little bit of exposure to snow and rain without me worrying about my phone getting too wet on the inside. This pack seemed like a nice option, and I have used it steadily for just under 3 months.I'm going to start with the cons, but there are pros to this bag, too.First, the drawbacks. After only 12 weeks of day-to-day use, the drawstring is already starting to fray. This is noticeable since it seems to be reinforced with plastic threads, and they are not comfortable on the hand. Also, upon closer inspection, I noticed that the seam that holds the folded over lip to make the channel for the drawstring is also already parting.Perhaps this is a one-off in production, but I'm not all that hard on my things, and I don't even use the bag every day - some days I use a different tote bag that's a little dressier, so this bag hasn't even seen daily use. So taking that into consideration, I find these issues problematic.Also - as the other reviewer noted - the straps are problematic. I don't find them that uncomfortable, but I don't generally carry overly heavy loads (or if I do, it's not for very long distances). But because they are so thin, I am now finding in winter weather that they can easily twist as you are pulling the bag over a heavier coat. For as easily as they twist inside the guide that supposedly keeps them straight, it takes quite a bit of work to straighten them back out. Also, I'm not that big a person, but I'm not finding the straps to be all that roomy. It was less noticeable in warmer months when I wasn't wearing heavier layers of clothes, but now that it's winter in the Upper Midwest, heavy coats are necessary, and these straps make the bag awkward - if not difficult - to take on and off over such a coat.Another downside to the straps is that if you are trying to fit something wider into the bag, while the skirt will open up completely, the straps - which cross over the top of the bag - can get in the way, making it awkward. They simply are not long enough to slacken easily to drape over the sides of the bag. (I never bothered with the cross-body strap, since that wasn't the point of the bag.)The other major problem I'm having is with the laptop/tablet compartment area. I don't usually take my laptop or tablet with me on errands, so it's usually empty. It is very easy to slip items into this compartment if you haven't remembered to latch it back up securely. I had a moment or two where I was convinced I'd lost my phone or my wallet, when really, they had slipped to the bottom of the laptop compartment. A little bit of velcro to help keep the compartment closed when not in use would not go amiss here.Now for the positives:First, for the relatively small size, this bag can hold a lot. I took the bag out to dinner this weekend, and on top of the day-to-day items in the main compartment (which aren't much - mostly glasses, wallet and phone), my husband and I both crammed our scarves, gloves, hats/earmuffs in the bag with plenty of room to spare. I've put a bag or two of groceries in there without a problem. The small zipper pouch is the perfect size for a smartphone, as well. (I'm not sure about a "phablet" sized phone, but my more standard-sized phone slides in and out quite easily.) It really is a little black-hole you can carry on your back.Second, the outer zipper compartments are great. They are deceptively roomy, and the little organizer pouch is great - I like the fact you can secure it either upright, or turn it 90º so all the openings of the organizer face the opening of the pouch (instead of upright). The minor quibble is that the key-strap is inside this organizer and a little flimsy - I'd like to see a sturdier one that's easier to reach in the primary pocket itself. (I frequently put my walking-around-the-neighborhood keyring through the velcro strap that holds the organizer - it keeps the keys secure and easier to reach once I get back home.) But I have all sorts of things in these larger zipper compartments - tissues, lip balms, an iPod Nano in a hard case, sunglasses, commuter card. But looking at it from the outside, you can't tell how much I have in there. And the zippers are really sturdy and stay in place.I don't use the webbed side pockets for drink bottles, but they seem like they aren't overly large. But that's not necessarily a negative - sometimes standard bottles aren't secure in bigger webs, and this obviously isn't a pack designed for trips where you need to haul a huge supply of water with you anyway. However, each one is more than large enough to hold two of my folded Envirosax grocery bags - maybe three if I smushed them. Makes them easy to get to when I'm at the grocery store or Farmer's Market.I love how light this bag is. As noted, I have neck, back and hip injuries. It was nice to find a good-sized rucksack that wasn't canvas or a cheaper looking nylon. I also like the material - it's really attractive and not at all cheap-looking. And I like how the colors are vivid without being obnoxious. (I have the "Presidio" green bag with the orange accents.) I like a bag to be visible - it makes it harder for someone to potentially walk off with your bag by accident or on purpose if it's not your standard dark colored bag - but that doesn't mean I want a neon colored bag. These are simply bright and cheerful colors. I also like the bright colored interior fabric - it makes it easier to find things inside.The skirt also cinches down almost completely - there is only a very small opening at the top once you close it completely. I have had no problems with items inside the bag getting wet in a light rain or snow in walking distances up to a 1/2 mile.I like the small strap on the front where you can attach a bike light. I have one attached there for when I walk after dark - though I've found that the cinch string can get caught on the light, a minor annoyance. I don't think Alite can really fix that, since otherwise, they'd have to shorten the string, which means you can't get the top open. But it is worth noting, considering the fully-cinched drawstring is the length of the bag - if you don't want something that long hanging off of your bag, you need to take the time to tuck it away somewhere.I will be saving this pack - it should be good if I'm going on a long walk in the summer time and just want to carry some basics with me without weighing myself down too much. But for day-to-day use, I'm finding it has some flaws that simply can't be overlooked. I am going to contact Alite to see if there's something we can do about the drawstring and skirt seam, but the other issues are simply part of the bag design. I would really love it if Alite considered making this bag as a backpack with regular straps - I think it would solve a lot of the general usability/design problems. Sometimes function is more important than form.

I had the highest of hopes for the Hikari pack when I ordered it: since I'm a sucker for pockets and organization---& I wanted a convertible bag/pack---the Hikari seemed to hit the "sweet spot" for me.Unfortunately, it's missed the mark somewhat. It IS a beautiful looking bag: it's exactly the right size and color I wanted (the "Mayan Blue" is trimmed with a very nice turquoise piping and the zippers have great, high-quality yellow rip-cord pulls)......but the material it is constructed out of, while durable and water-repellant (& perhaps even water-proof, although they do not claim this), is a virtual stain magnet: just two days into using the pack, it's already smeary and stained.But that's a fairly trivial point, and something I can definitely live with. On the positive side: the Hikari is brilliantly designed. The outside pouch has two compartments: one simple one and one containing a detailed organizer that delights my anal-compulsive side......& both are zippered for security...thus enabling one to store all ones immediate goods (keys, wallet, phone, glasses, etc.) both in security but also available for grabbing at a moment's notice. There are also two side pockets in front that are perfectly sized for anything from a one-liter water bottle to an umbrella (or, as shown on the Alite website, a magazine). Then comes the real genius part: the interior. Closed with a rip-cord toggle, the interior section is protected from the elements. It's roomy as all get-out, and has three compartments: a side zip pocket, an enormous main compartment, AND a sort-of padded (there's light padding at the back) pocket that has a plastic closure wherein one can put a laptop or a tablet up to 17". Totally brilliant! Unfortunately---& I'm not sure if Alite did this in order to meet a price-point or if there was simply a fail in the design process)---the straps are completely inadequate. All of them. Part of the brilliance of the Hikari's design is its ability to convert from a cross-body pack to a shoulder bag to a backpack...& none of the appropriate straps are up to par. The cross-body strap---which, fortunately, is removable---is flimsy and thin; I immediately replaced it with a spare strap I had that is much beefier and that also has an adjustable pad. The backpack straps are only minimally adjustable and are not padded at all, and are extremely uncomfortable...and the so-called shoulder-strap/tote option is, actually, the backpack straps retracted into the body of the pack... ...and even at full extension, these straps do not enable one to put the pack over ones shoulder---only to hand-carry the pack. Frankly, I would vastly prefer to pay more money (up to double) to have top-quality straps on the Hikari that reflected the thoughtful design of the rest of the pack. It is really frustrating to see so much brilliant and innovative work circumvented by partial shoddy execution. The problems with the straps wasn't enough to make me return the Hikari---I still love too much about it---but I would really like to see Alite live up to its potential with the next version; ***I'll*** buy it!!! and I'll be watching closely, as well!!!