User Review: Arc'teryx Spear 24

Just received a black Spear 24 I'd purchased online. I had to search quite a few stores to find a black Spear 24, must be a popular color.

- Had been trying to replace my old Arc'Teryx Volt Daypack. That was my first Arc’Teryx product and absolutely the best urban daypack I’d ever had.

- Latest Arc'Teryx daypack choices were underwhelming and none resembled the old Volt urban day pack capability or interior bag organization.

Asked Arc'Teryx about their selections and they responded to my e-mail questions promptly. They suggested the Spear 24 as the most similar to the old Volt pack.

- The Spear is advertised as an urban day pack. It is a very poor model for one.

- Small zippers on the pockets that are not easy to find and zip up, but “they are waterproof.”

- Two exterior and one interior pocket that are too small.

- The two exterior pockets have no depth so if you fail to zip up the pockets completely whatever you have in them will (not may) fall out.

- All three pockets are located on top of bag making it top heavy.

- Carry handle is too small, could only get three fingers in it.

- Pack material seemed less durable than the old Volt.

- The front area below the two exterior pockets has some sort of pad to stiffen the lower front part of the bag. Kept looking for a secret zipper or Velcro closure around the lower part of the bag because it seemed like an obvious place for another lower exterior pocket to be located to balance the bag out. But it’s just wasted space.

- Inner CD pocket very small, might hold an MP3 sized player.

- There is an inner “key holder” pocket inside the CD pocket that closes with Velcro. Hard to open and definitely not convenient for taking keys in an out.

- Interior CD pocket covers top of hydration bladder pocket. Assume you’re supposed to run the tube out and around CD pocket then out the tube outlet on top of bag. Seems like sloppy/poor design.

I hate shopping on line.