Lightweight and minimalist are how I tend to prefer my gear so I was excited to get then new Celeritas roll top pack for review. I took this pack with me on a trip to Hawaii and it definitely lived up to my expectations. It was very easy to compress down into a very small package for packing in a bigger bag. It was also easy to fit all my clothing for a 5-day trip into the pack and still fit that into a larger pack with the added bonus that it provided another layer of water protection for my clothing. So, it definitely works as part of a larger packing system.
It also works well on its own. It rained part of every day in Hawaii. The Celeritas roll top pack kept a spare set of clothes for a few people dry over many outings in the tropical environment.
My only gripe is that the dedicated hole for the hydration straw to poke through is not sealable. This led to slight partial dampness on some of the clothing without a hydration bladder installed. The covering on the straw/tube soaked up the water and mitigated this problem on other hikes. In an absolute downpour, you’d probably get some of the contents wet. But in anything less, it should keep your gear dry for the duration of the outing. Even facing a complete downpour I’m sure I could rig something using shoe goo, scissors, and an old wet weather bag or poncho that would rectify the issue.
The inside is almost as minimalist as the outside. Instead of no pockets, it has 2. A dedicated hydration pouch that could easily fit other things and a zipper pouch perfect for keys/wallet/phone/etc. I can see this pack serving me for years to come as a gym bag and day hike bag. And If I need more out of it, it does have MOLLE for attaching whatever tacticool pouches I need. And that little bit of MOLLE doesn’t kill its ability to blend in since MOLLE has an, albeit limited, showing in mainstream bag design.
All of this makes for a pretty versatile pack for a good price. There are multiple ways to incorporate this pack into a system. The bag is just as comfortable hiking to a waterfall in Hawaii as it is sitting in a gym locker as it is carrying my laptop and other things into work. Minimal, simple, versatile. The Celeritas roll top pack is a good buy.
Author – Seth joined the Army in 2006 and went to Iraq a couple times doing LRRP work for the 82nd Airborne. After that, he played the Private Military Contractor game for a while until he decided to pursue a degree in economics. He now works as a data analyst and firearms instructor.
