Disclaimer
I bought the Osprey Arcane with my own money. The opinions in this review are entirely my own. None of the links are affiliate links.

Me sitting on a bench in the Osprey Arcane on my back. — Me sitting on a bench with the Arcane on my back.

Introduction

Osprey is an American brand that has been around since 1974. It is famous for its hiking and travel gear, focused on being practical and comfortable. Osprey’s hiking heritage has been seeping through to its everyday gear, but the Arcane line is targeting potential newcomers to the brand (like myself) who are looking for lifestyle gear with a timeless look.

The Arcane Large Day is a 20-liter backpack designed for full-day commutes. Made with Bluesign-approved 500D recycled polyester packcloth, it stands out from the crowd of ballistic nylon backpacks with its cloth-like material that feels different. Quality metal hardware and chunky YKK zippers add to the experience of using this bag. Organization is just enough to be useful without getting in your way. But the comfort and the fit of the Arcane is not gonna be for everyone.

Coming in at around 110 USD—often with deep discounts on Osprey's website or Amazon—and featuring Osprey’s lifetime guarantee, the Arcane is an excellent value.

Experience

Coming from more niche (“craft”, if you will) backpack companies like XD Design, Tomtoc, Bellroy, and Lojel, I wanted to see what more established companies had to offer. The Osprey Arcane got my attention—interesting material, a subdued look without lacking personality, streamlined organization, and priced at 70 USD on discount—I had to give it a try.

My initial impressions matched my expectations, so I started using it as my EDC. I took it to work out of coffee shops, on long walks in the park, shopping, and even on an easy hike.

The Arcane worked for me in many ways, but not when it came to comfort.

Aesthetics

My version of the Arcane is called “Stonewash Black” and is a weird mix of black, gray, and green that I love. It works wonders with the cloth-like material and metal silver hardware, creating a universal aesthetic that fits a variety of situations—from commuting to school or work to traveling with a group of friends.

The big white patch with the Osprey logo on the exterior of the bag is slightly controversial. I see how it might seem out of place here, but I personally believe it adds to the overall vibe of the bag.

Adding to the aesthetics is the silhouette of the bag—it's slim and sleek. Perfect for urban commutes.

Organization

There are two compartments in the Arcane and some smart additional organization features, including a stretchy water bottle holder and a transport card pass on the shoulder strap. The main compartment is accessed with a three-quarter zipper opening, providing a generous view of the bag’s interior. The only organization in the main compartment is in the back; there is not pocket in the front of the main compartment.

Let’s starts with a laptop sleeve, which is well padded, has a soft microfiber-like inner lining, and a decent false bottom—great laptop sleeve. Following the laptop sleeve is a tablet or documents sleeve without any padding at all, so you might want to keep your tablet or Kindle in a case.

Below those sleeves is the zippered pocket. The left half of the pocket is made from a stretchy, see-through mesh material—perfect for a bulky charger or power bank—while the other half does not stretch but has two outer pockets—one is a pen slot, the other fits phone-sized items.

There is also a short red key leash that I find quite functional; even when fully packed out, your keys won’t fall to the bottom of the pack, while not taking any pockets and being easy to fish thanks to the bright color.

The other compartment is a quick-access pocket in the front of the bag. It has a soft inner lining, which should make it a nice place to store scratch-prone things (like a phone), but since there is no interior organization to keep things in place, they might bounce around and hit each other—not a definite drawback, but something to keep in mind when you think about what to put there. Also note the lining is black, which might make it difficult to find stuff, but the pocket is not deep—it runs to about half the height of the bag—so fishing stuff out by touch is not a problem. The flap covering the zipper of the compartment is a miss, in my opinion. It definitely contributes to the clean look of the backpack, but it makes quick access less quick, as the zipper gets stuck on the flap quite a bit.

The water bottle holder on the Arcane is unique compared to other bags. It’s designed to completely swallow your bottle and is accessed from the side. It’s a bit fiddly at first and takes some getting used to. As for the size, my 700 ml Muji tumbler fits tightly, so it is safe to say that water bottles larger than that won’t fit.

In the refreshed version of the Arcane, the bottle can be accessed from the top as well as from the side.

Worthy of mention is a transport card holder on the shoulder strap. It is extremely useful if you use public transport regularly.

One notable issue is the lack of strap webbing keepers. It seems bizarre that even on a commuter bag Osprey would not add strap keepers. It is especially frustrating considering the straps are narrow (add size later), which might make it difficult to get aftermarket keepers.

Another more thing you should know is the lack of external attachment points—there’s nowhere to clip a carabiner except for the top handle.

Overall, the Arcane has good organization with a unique water-bottle holder, a well-executed laptop sleeve, and a handy transport-card holder. Annoying things are the flap on the zipper of the quick-access compartment and the lack of shoulder-strap keepers.

Things I carried in the Arcane for this review. — Here is everything I carried with me while taking photos for this review: 15" MacBook Air, umbrella, wind jacket, hand sanitizer, medications pouch, wallet, tissues, wet wipes, power bank, pen, A7 notebook, card holder, packable tote, 700 ml water tumbler, Traveller’s Company full-size notebook with pen attached.

Materials, Hardware, and Build Quality

The main material is 500D recycled polyester packcloth which might not be as durable and abrasion-resistant as ballistic nylon but provides unique aesthetics and has a cotton-like feel; to the touch its almost like a pair of jeans.

All zippers are non PU coated YKK zippers with the star of the show being the chunky number 10 zipper for the main compartment. They feel nice and solid but are a bit loud.

Strap wedding adjusters are made of metal but I have not had any issues with them being slippery; well-executed and premium feeling hardware.

The overall build quality is great. Stitching is immaculate, and there is reinforced stitching on the stress points, with no loose threads in sight. One minor issue-and kind of a nitpick-is that the zipper pull inside the main compartment pocket is flimsy. It’s something that can be easily replaced if needed, but with the overall build being so good, it stands out.

Comfort

I feel like comfort is the only controversial part of the Arcane. Let’s start with the top handle.

The handle is nicely padded but very narrow. Even my small-ish hands barely fit, so I reckon people with bigger hands won’t be able to use the handle at all.

The shoulder straps are attached with a yoke, which might not feel right. The Arcane is my first backpack that features the yoke, so I didn’t know how it would fit me, but trying it out I can definitely say that it’s not for me. The extra piece of fabric is something I quickly got used to, but I felt like it got in the way of the straps fitting properly.

The straps themselves are well padded, but the padding is not ventilated at all, which proved to be an issue in the hot Thai weather. Speaking of ventilation, the back panel features ridges that are supposed to improve ventilation, but in practice they turned out to be rather poor. Osprey really should have used their AirScape tech on the back panel of the Arcane.

Also note that the bag tends to curve. That caused the bag to have a pressure point on my lower back, which further detracted from the comfort of the bag.

All in all, I feel that how comfortable the Arcane is largely depends on who is wearing it. If the yoke fits you well and you live in a colder climate most of the time, the Arcane should be comfortable enough. But if proper ventilation is a requirement and you are planning to carry this bag for longer periods, look elsewhere.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Excellent value. The base price is 110 USD, but the Arcane can often be found on discount for 50–70 USD.
Standout cloth-like material.
Minimal but functional organization with handy features.
High-quality materials, hardware, and construction.
Lightweight at only 0.64 kilos.

Cons

The flap on the zipper of the quick-access compartment is annoying, as it often gets in the way of opening and closing the pocket.
Lack of webbing keepers.
Poor ventilation on the back panel and shoulder straps.
Tendency to curve may cause discomfort.

Conclusion

The Arcane can be a great EDC companion that will work in a variety of situations and won’t break the bank. Unique in its materials and lightweight while still featuring excellent build quality, it has a lot going for it. But controversial comfort and poor ventilation stop me from universally recommending the bag to everyone.

Review: Osprey Arcane (20L)