A forensic look at the Uniqlo Multi Pocket Backpack: what the 24L nylon daypack actually is, where it holds up, and who should skip it.
The short answer: is the Uniqlo backpack worth it?
If you want one honest verdict before reading further: the Uniqlo Multi Pocket Backpack is a genuinely good value daily carry for commuting, campus, and light day trips, and a poor choice if you are shopping for a travel backpack in the carry on sense. It is a 24 liter nylon daypack with strong internal organization and a low price, built for sorting your essentials and surviving light rain. It is not built to be your only bag on a trip, and the construction has a few spots worth watching. Buy it for what it is (an organized everyday pack), not for what the word “travel” implies.
Link to the Backpack if you are interested- https://geni.us/uniqlomultipocket
What it actually is, and who it is for
Uniqlo positions this as an everyday carry all with a clean silhouette, and that framing is accurate. The honest reframe is on the word travel. At 24 liters, with exterior dimensions of 18.5 by 11.2 by 5.5 inches, this sits squarely in daypack territory. For context, most one bag travelers are working with 30 to 45 liters of usable volume to clear a few days without checking luggage. This bag is not that. It is the pack you carry to the office, to class, or out for a day of walking a city while your main luggage stays at the hotel.
So who is it for. People who want organized daily carry without paying a premium brand tax. People who already own a real travel bag and want a comfortable second pack for day use. Students and commuters who need a laptop to come along reliably. If that is you, the value math here is hard to beat.
Who should skip it: anyone hunting for a single bag travel solution, anyone who routinely overloads a pack with heavy gear, and anyone who needs serious weatherproofing rather than light rain resistance.
| Backpack | Capacity (liters) |
|---|---|
| Osprey Daylite Plus | 20 L |
| Uniqlo Multi Pocket Backpack | 24 L |
| The North Face Borealis | 28 L |
| Bellroy Transit Backpack | 28 L |
| Peak Design Everyday 30L | 30 L |
| Patagonia Black Hole 32L | 32 L |
| Cotopaxi Allpa 35L | 35 L |
| Aer Travel Pack 3 | 35 L |
| Osprey Farpoint 40 | 40 L |
| Nomatic Travel Bag | 40 L |
| Tortuga Travel Backpack 40L | 40 L |
Materials and construction: what the spec sheet tells us, and what it leaves out
This is where a forensic read matters, because the marketing copy and the materials tag say different things.
The shell body is listed as 100 percent nylon. That is a meaningful choice and a point in the bag’s favor. For a given thread thickness, nylon generally beats polyester on abrasion resistance and tensile strength, which is exactly what you want on the outer face of a bag that gets dragged across floors, slung onto trains, and scuffed against walls. The mesh, the internal filling (padding), and the lining are all 100 percent polyester, which is normal and sensible. Lining and padding do not need nylon’s abrasion numbers, and polyester is cheaper and holds shape well.
Here is the first honest gap: the denier of the nylon is not published, and I am treating it as unverified. Denier is the single most useful number for predicting how a fabric will hold up, and without it you cannot fully judge the shell’s robustness. A 100 percent nylon face tells you the fiber is good. It does not tell you how thick or tightly woven that face is. Treat any confident claim about this bag’s toughness (including from other reviews) with suspicion if it does not cite a denier, because the brand itself does not.
The second gap is the zippers. The product listing describes a back panel slide fastener and zippered compartments but does not name a zipper manufacturer. On any bag, the zippers fail before the fabric does. A YKK slider is a different lifespan story than an unbranded one. This is unverified, so I will not claim it either way. If you can inspect the bag in store, the zipper pulls and sliders are the first thing to check. Look for a maker’s stamp on the slider body.
Two more details are stated and worth weighing. First, the water repellent finish is explicitly described as not permanent. That is unusually honest labeling, and it matters: a durable water repellent coating wears off with use and washing, and once it does, untreated nylon wets out. Plan to re treat it periodically if you want to keep the light rain protection. Second, the care instructions are do not wash, do not dry clean. Spot cleaning only. That tells you the construction and the coating are not built to survive a laundry cycle, which is common for structured packs but worth knowing before you stain it.
The structured shape almost certainly comes from a foam or board back panel rather than an internal frame, since no frame is mentioned. The curved shoulder straps are described as shaped to sit securely, but the strap padding material and the presence of any bottom panel reinforcement are not specified, so I am leaving both as unverified. On a daypack carrying daily loads, neither is a dealbreaker. On a pack you intend to overload, unpadded straps and an unreinforced base are the two places that tell on you first.
| Backpack | Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| Uniqlo Multi Pocket Backpack | $49.90 |
| Osprey Daylite Plus | $75 |
| The North Face Borealis | $109 |
| Patagonia Black Hole 32L | $159 |
| Osprey Farpoint 40 | $185 |
| Cotopaxi Allpa 35L | $200 |
| Aer Travel Pack 3 | $259 |
| Bellroy Transit Backpack | $259 |
| Peak Design Everyday 30L | $290 |
| Nomatic Travel Bag | $300 |
| Tortuga Travel Backpack 40L | $350 |
Real capacity and the six pocket layout
The headline feature is organization, and the spec backs it up: six compartments. The main compartment includes an interior laptop sleeve rated to fit up to a 15 inch device depending on the model. That 15 inch ceiling is honest and useful. A 16 inch laptop may go in but will sit tight, and you should measure rather than trust the inch number alone, since laptop footprints vary more than screen sizes suggest.
The standout structural feature is the back panel slide fastener: a zipper on the side of the bag that rests against your back, giving direct access to the main compartment without opening the whole thing. This does double duty. It is a convenience (grab your laptop without unpacking the front), and it is a quiet security feature, because a zipper sitting flat against your spine is not one a pickpocket can reach while you walk.
The 24 liter figure is realistic for the footprint. The 5.5 inch depth is the honest limiter here. A shallow pack carries flat and looks clean, but it does not swallow bulky items the way a deeper bag does. You will fit a laptop, a layer, a lunch, a water bottle, and your daily small goods comfortably. You will not fit a packed weekend’s worth of clothing.
How it carries when loaded
With a typical daily load (laptop, charger, a layer, water, sundries), a 24 liter pack with curved straps and a structured back panel should ride comfortably and sit close to the body. The shallow depth helps here, keeping weight near your spine rather than hanging off your back.
The honest limit is load transfer. There is no mention of a sternum strap or a hip belt, which means the entire load rides on your shoulders. For daily weights that is fine. Push past a comfortable daypack load and you will feel it, because there is nothing to pull weight off your shoulders and onto your torso or hips. The adjustable strap range of 17.1 to 37.2 inches is generous and will fit a wide range of body sizes and layering, from a t shirt in summer to a winter coat.
Durability over time: where to watch
Combining what is stated with what is missing, here is the realistic durability picture.
The nylon shell is the bag’s strongest asset and should resist scuffing and abrasion well for daily use. The water repellent coating will fade and need re treatment, by the brand’s own admission. The two genuine question marks are the zippers (unbranded until proven otherwise) and the strap anchor stitching, which is the point where shoulder straps meet the body and the spot that fails first on cheaper packs under repeated heavy loads. Neither is a known flaw. Both are simply the places I would inspect on a new unit and keep an eye on over a year of use.
Where it falls short
Three honest weaknesses, stated plainly.
It is not a travel backpack in the way the listing implies. Twenty four liters and a shallow profile make it a daypack. Calling it a travel bag invites the wrong expectation.
The published spec sheet leaves out the numbers a careful buyer wants: denier, zipper maker, empty weight, and strap padding. The brand is honest about the things it does state (the non permanent coating especially), but the gaps mean part of the durability story is unverifiable on paper.
Load transfer tops out early. With shoulder only carry and no hip support, this pack rewards moderate daily loads and punishes overpacking.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Uniqlo Multi Pocket Backpack worth it?
Yes, if you want an organized, low cost daily pack for commuting, campus, or day trips. It delivers strong internal organization, a nylon shell, and a smart rear access design at a price well below premium brands. It is not worth it as a primary travel or one bag carry on.
How big is the Uniqlo backpack?
It holds 24 liters, with exterior dimensions of 18.5 inches tall, 11.2 inches wide, and 5.5 inches deep. That is daypack size, suitable for daily essentials and a laptop, not a multi day clothing load.
Does it fit a 15 inch laptop?
Yes. The main compartment has an interior sleeve rated to fit up to a 15 inch laptop depending on the model. Larger laptops may fit but sit tight, so measure your device before buying.
Is the Uniqlo backpack waterproof?
No. It has a water repellent finish that handles light rain, and the brand states the finish is not permanent. It will wear off with use and needs periodic re treatment. Do not treat it as waterproof in heavy rain.
How do you clean it?
Spot clean only. The care label says do not wash and do not dry clean, so machine washing is not recommended.
Where is it made and what is it made of?
It is made in Cambodia. The shell body is 100 percent nylon, with polyester mesh, polyester padding, and a polyester lining.
The verdict
The Uniqlo Multi Pocket Backpack earns its place as an honest value daypack. The nylon shell is the right material choice, the six compartment layout and rear access zip are genuinely smart, and the brand is refreshingly straight about the water repellent coating’s limits. The price makes the few unknowns (denier, zipper maker, strap padding) easier to forgive, because you are not paying a premium that would demand premium answers.
Buy it if you want organized daily carry, a reliable laptop home, and a clean profile for commuting or city days. Skip it if you are shopping for a travel backpack you can live out of, if you routinely carry heavy loads, or if you need real weather protection rather than light rain resistance. Bought for what it is, it is one of the better value daypacks you can put on your back. Bought for what the word travel suggests, it will disappoint.
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