Onebag: Thule EnRoute 20L Backpack
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Bear with me while I sound downright geriatric reminiscing about the good ole days when minimalism was a fringe fad just starting to grace appropriately sparse blogs hawking ebooks on this revolutionary new idea. 21st Century gurus of decluttering posed with their paltry possessions arranged in neat, photogenic piles. In reality, this era was barely ten years ago, and minimalism is nothing new in human society.
In our Western realms of consumer excesses, however, small online forums were rediscovering how most people used to live and how many still do. We need surprisingly little to be happy. A consumerist shift from a lot of cheap goods to a few high-quality ones gained steam. Pretty soon, words like "onebag" and "everyday carry" were plastered under Instagram ads of items that looked like sleek set pieces from a sci-fi flick.
Naturally, you need an equally sleek bag to store all of your bespoke gadgets. I've cycled through quite a few everyday carry bags over the years. I loved my Fjallraven Kanken Maxi, but I sadly left that behind in China when departing just before COVID. Well, I love bags, so leaving most of my stuff behind presented an opportunity for geeking out over bag research and picking up a new one. Let's welcome the Thule Enroute 20L to the bag family!
Thule offers quality construction at a fair price.
The Enroute is not my first Thule product. I own a few Thule Subterra PowerShuttle tech pouches for wrangling various cables and other tech stuff. I was very impressed with the solid build for the price compared to some other popular options that are often suggested by the onebag and EDC communities. That build quality to price ratio put Thule at the top of the pack for my next bag search, and here we are.
At $90 on Amazon, the Thule Enroute boasts a rugged 330D nylon mini-ripstop shell with a 600D polyester interior. For the uninitiated, ripstop fabrics are extremely tough and woven in such a way that if you do get some kind of abrasion, it doesn't spread - hence the name "ripstop". I've had this bag for well over a year now, mostly dragging it around cafes, and not a single thread is out of place. Not replacing gear all the time makes my wallet and the environment smile.
A flexible loading system fits your needs in different situations.
Bag organization can be a subjective preference. I don't like rummaging around the event horizon of a black hole for a small item I need immediately. It can feel that way with certain bags that have bare-bones organization. Some people like that for some reason, and I will point them in the direction of the Fjallraven Kanken for the chaos they crave. Thule's Enroute is a better fit for people that like to give an accessible home to items they don't want to spend time tracking down.
“Thanks for not going the way of so many other popular EDC options and eliminating the bottle holder for some reason, Thule!”
The slender and tapered form factor of the bag already limits the amount of mindless stuffing you can do in the main compartment. I usually store a journal, tripod, pencil pouch, rain cover, stuff sack for miscellaneous items, and the Thule Subterra tech pouch here with some room to spare. There isn't much room left for a jacket, but we don't need it. That takes us to the unique way this backpack opens.
Most bags conform to either a toploading or clamshell design. The Enroute's hybrid design uses a top flap that snaps closed with two adjustable straps. If you undo these buckles, you can flip up the flap and completely open the main compartment with two zippers that meet at the top left corner of the bag. This system opens up more than a toploading pack but isn't a true clamshell. If you're on the move, you can just open the side zipper to quickly access items in the main compartment without undoing the buckles.
These buckles don't just hold the top flap down - their adjustability makes them great for storing a rolled-up rain jacket. I love the thoughtfulness that went into the slim form factor and pack access. It gives you options for different scenarios. Fully opening the pack is great for arranging your items just the way you want, while the side zipper gives you quick access on the go. You can also store your laptop in a sleeve accessible in the main compartment with the bag fully open and later use a separate side zipper to grab it without undoing the top straps. Ample padding with space between the bottom of the compartment and the bottom of the bag prevents expensive accidents.
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The Enroute brings superb organization to your cafe workstation.
The flexible loading system already makes the Enroute a winner in my book, and that's without considering its many other organization features. First off - a bottle holder! Thanks for not going the way of so many other popular EDC options and eliminating the bottle holder for some reason, Thule! Hydration is important, folks. Also on the outside of the bag is a vertical row of daisy chain loops stealthily hiding under a thin flap. I keep a carabiner here because, well, you just never know when you need a carabiner. I like that these loops are tucked away, avoiding the "tacticool" appearance of many EDC bags.
Inside the bag are a couple of zippered compartments for storing small items like a passport, snacks, cables, and gadgets. You may be blinded when you open up the otherwise neutrally hued Enroute for the first time. The gray version is completely lined with a fiery red-orange so that it's easy to quickly locate items in your pack. I love the logic behind this, and Thule is certainly not the only one doing it. However, the bright colors inside may not be for everyone, so I thought I should mention it. The top flap of the bag that snaps shut also has a small outside zippered compartment. I use it for things I need quickly, like pens, tissues, gum, etc. There is nothing arbitrary about this bag. You can tell a lot of thought went into every small feature!
Commute comfortably with the Enroute.
No amount of cool features or style can compensate for comfort. The slim form factor and low 20L volume of this pack make it very difficult to overfill. Most of the weight is close to your back rather than pulling you down at the front of the pack. The shoulder straps have decent padding and ventilation but can get a little sweaty if you're walking for a while. The foam around the edges prevents the straps from cutting into your shoulders if you end up carrying a lot of weight. While the straps are nothing special, the foam padding at the back provides great ventilation with a gap in the middle and grooves for airflow. It's more than adequate for walking or cycling a couple of miles, but I probably wouldn't take it out for a long hike.
The Thule Enroute 20L is my favorite commuter bag so far.
The Fjallraven Kanken is an iconic classic with unquestionable timeless style, but the organization and features are very lacking. As much as I miss my old bag, there's no doubt the Thule is much more efficient. Thule's Enroute 20L may not have that rugged G1000 construction, but it can still take years of abuse. Much like Fjallraven (they are both Swedish), Thule manufactures its products responsibly, working toward ambitious targets of 100% of electricity from renewable sources and 65% fewer CO2 emissions since 2014. This bag epitomizes utilitarianism and streamlines the life of any nomadic keyboard jockey without requiring four installments to be a reasonable purchase. Add it to your mobile workspace today! ◉
Written by Seth Barham
