Boundary Supply’s Errant Pack was highly backed on Kickstarter because it presented great value – good functionality, top-quality materials accompanied with affordable pricing. The Errant Pack was delivered in February 2019. On Kickstarter, the Errant Pack was priced at just US$120 (~S$165), but as of Oct 2022, the price has now significantly increased to S$345.
Tech Specs
| Dimensions | 48cm * 31cm * 18cm |
| Weight | 1.5kg |
| Capacity | 24 litres |
| Materials | Nylon, Hypalon, Eva foam, Nywool, YKK zippers |
Build quality
Boundary Supply used pretty good materials on this bag. You can check out the full list of materials used below here:
I used the Errant to many of my travels such as London, Paris, Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo, Hanoi, and Bali, and have brought it through some rough conditions. But I’m pleased to say that the Errant is still holding up very well and I am impressed by the build quality of the Errant.
Be it putting the Errant down on muddy ground, gravel, wet pavements – I was not worried at all. I had no issues with rain as well. The 5000 Kodra and Nylon, 420 HT Hypalon together with the YKK zippers used kept the interior dry.
Design
The Errant has a sleek and minimalistic look, with a matte and clean hypalon used across the body of the bag. The Errant utilises a top flap system. Instead of employing buckles, Boundary used magnetic fidlocks which I feel are way faster than buckles.
Depending on the shape of the bag, the fidlocks can sometimes not latch back properly. Having said that, I do prefer the use fidlocks on the Errant as the speed of opening and closing the flap is really fast once you get used to it.
Let’s start with the positives. Fidlocks are simply a breeze to use. It is super easy and fast when opening the top flap. Less than a second and I have opened the top flap and ready to access whatever I want in the bag. Compared to the old days when I had to zip open my bag, I prefer using the fidlocks.
But then we have the slight negative, which is closing the top flap. The fidlocks sometimes do not snap well because they aren’t well aligned. If that happens you kinda spend some time aligning them properly to close the top flap. Having said that, I still find the use of a fidlock top flap a positive because I find more benefits of it compared to the occasional “unable to close”.
Along the top flap, you’ll find zippers to securely zip it. However, if you zip the top flap all the time, then it kinda defeats the purpose of a quick-access top flap. For me, I leave it un-zipped. But this brings to the next point – rain protection. If it’s raining and you want the best rain protection, you should definitely zip the top flap zip.
Apart from the top flap opening, the Errant can also be opened clamshell mode, like a luggage. This makes it easy to pack and access your items.
Comfort of carry
We’ll take a look at the harness system together with other support features such as sternum strap.
Harness system and back panel
The straps are thick and very well padded. Initially when I first received the pack, the straps are a little too dense but after breaking them in, it’s softer now and more comfortable to use. As for the back panel, it’s ridged and contoured to provide better airflow and fit.
Sternum straps
Having said that, it is not as comfortable as I thought when carrying the Errant. It felt like the weight of the pack was pressuring down on my shoulders, and that my back wasn’t really rested against the back panel. However, once I added the sternum strap, I felt that the weight on my shoulders are reduced, and that the weight is better distributed.
The sternum straps are removable. They are attached to the harness system through pass through hooks. I have read comments online that people have complained about their straps falling out easily. It has happened for me, but so far once in the span of five months. The sternum straps uses magnetic fidlocks as buckles which are a breeze to use. This is definitely a better choice than traditional buckles.
Overall, I will say that it is a comfortable carry. But if I’m planning on carrying a heavy load, I will definitely use the sternum straps.
Features
Let’s talk features by talking about the exterior of the pack, then getting inside the pack.
Exterior
On the harness system, there are two nylon loops that you can use to attach additional accessories. For me, I hook a ND filter pouch on the nylon strap so I can easily access my ND filters.
A the base of the bag, you have a wet/dry storage. However, it isn’t very big. So if you have big shoes, it might not be able to fit. For me, I use that compartment to store my umbrella.
At the sides, you have a quick access pocket and a water bottle pocket.
The water bottle pocket is deep enough to fit most bottles, and if you’re storing a gimbal or tripod there there is a nylon strap at the top to secure it.
The quick access pocket features two pens slots, two wider slots, a lash point, and a female fidlock attachment. The quick access pocket is located on left of the bag (when carrying). This means that if you want to access it, you have to swing the bag on your left shoulder. This took me quite a while to get used to as I always swing my bag on my right.
The female fidlock attachment is especially great for hooking your keys there. If you don’t wish to buy the HT key clip that Boundary sell, you can just DIY your own. This is my DIY key clip – made from an old lanyard and a male fidlock attachment:
On the back panel of the bag, there are two compartments on the sides. One is a velcro opening to store the luggage pass through strap, the other is the passport pocket. The passport pocket is accompanied by a weather-resistant YKK zipper. The passport pocket is quite deep and I found it very handy for keeping my passport securely during my travels.
Interior
One thing that got me backing the Kickstarter project was due to its interior organisation. Opening the bag in clamshell you’ll that there are two main areas – (1) workspace, and (2) main area.
Let’s talk about the workspace first.
The workspace has a laptop sleeve which fits a 15″ MacBook Pro snuggly and a tablet sleeve. The tablet sleeve is secured by a round magnet while the laptop sleeve by a magnetic fidlock. Personally I found the fidlock to be a hassle to use every time I want to take out my laptop. The magnets also a feel a tad too strong that you have to use quite some force to split the magnets to access your laptop or tablet. But the magnets do come in handy if you really want to keep your tech gear secure in place. You will be glad to know that the laptop sleeve has a false bottom which means the base of the laptop sleeve is not the base of the bag (so your laptop will not be hitting the floor when you put the bag on the floor).
Moving on form the laptop and tablet sleeves, you’ll find two stretch mesh pockets which hypalon pull tabs to easily access your things. These pockets are really great to because you can securely place things such as power banks, calculators, lens, charging cable, mouse, etc. The mesh pocket can be easily accessed by opening the bag through the top flap or zipping it open.
Now let’s focus on the main area.
The main area has a large mesh pocket at the top, with a huge space behind it that comes with two side mesh pockets. The large mesh pocket at the top is a thoughtful compartment – for you to put any items you do not want to be be mixing around in the main space and get missing. Also, it by using the bag’s main zippers you can easily access it.
The side mesh pockets are great if you pack towels or have spare bottles. Again, Boundary has given you a lot of organisation flexibility with the interior of this bag. People who like to keep their bag contents neat will love what you can do with this bag.
Let’s move to the front of the bag.
After lifting the top flap, you can see a zipper which leads to a small pocket. This pocket is lined with nywool which is meant for you to store more delicate items like sunglasses.
User experience
I’ve use the bag for five months now in multiple usage scenarios, so I’m going share my user experience with it.
Positives
I really like the minimal and sleek design of the Errant, and the quality of materials Boundary used to construct the bag. It does feel very durable and sturdy. Despite my rough use during my travels, it still feels new and will last a long time. It does feel good to know I can walk in the rain with my Errant and be confident that my things inside will stay dry.
The internal organisation is well thought out and great for packing. The top flap access is also very convenient and quick when I want to take something out of my bag. The DIY key clip together with the fidlock attachment in the quick access pocket has become my favorite combo to use everyday. Overall, the bag is a great value for money.
To give a sense of the space I used, let me break down how I used each compartment:
- Main space: Two single-camera camera bag (one of top of the other), tripod part of the Feiyu A1000 gimbal secured by the side mesh pocket
- Large mesh pocket: Boya camera microphone, Panasonic 25mm f.17 lens
- Workspace: 13″ HP laptop, iPad Mini, Xiaomi 20,000mAh Mi Power Bank 3 Pro, charging cables
- Nywool pocket: Creative Outlier Air
- Quick access pocket: Pen, tissue papers, wired earphones, DIY key clip
- Passport pocket: Passport
Also, I’d like to share a quick tip to bring your Errant to the next level. Boundary is actually quite thoughtful by adding many lash points at the front of the bag. These lash points are actually really helpful if you buy a stretchable lace and tie it along the front like this:
Once you have the lace tied up at the front, it becomes a “hold-all” area. You can strap anything you can’t fit in the bag, right at the front (eg. a jacket).
Negatives
One issue with the Errant is that using the external compartments eat into the interior space. That is probably a drawback of the sleek design. For example, if you have a lot of things chucked in the quick access pocket, then you will have lesser space in the main area. So this means the 24L as advertised will be less if you do use a lot the exterior compartments.
Next, I feel that weight distribution may not be the best if you carry heavy load and not use the sternum straps. The entire weight feels pressed against my shoulders. However, this could just be a personal opinion as I have seen people speaking of the good support that the Errant provides.
X-Pac Version
There is also the X-Pac version which is the more expensive model due to a more premium fabric (X-Pac) used which has Kevlar fibers for reinforcement and slash resistance.
Conclusion
Errant is not a perfect bag. And I think it is hard to find one. However, Errant does check many of my boxes when finding a tough, sleek, versatile bag to use for work and travel. The benefits that the Errant provides far outweighs the cons I have about this bag. The top flap is surprisingly convenient to open for me as well. I really enjoy the internal organisation of the bag. What the Errant does well is its organisation and modularity if you invest in Boundary’s ecosystem of accessories.
Where to buy
StreamCast Asia is the official distributor of Boundary’s bags. You can buy them at Boundary’s offical LazMall store.