By Most of our readers will be familiar with Vanquest. They are a tactical and outdoor gear company that have been producing hard wearing, highly organized bags since 2011. They are typically known for their overbuilt, intensely pocketed designs that are easily recognizable given military colorways and loads of PALS webbing. But what happens when a company like this wants to build something more discreet? They build what they call their Urban Line. These bags are built around grey and blue fabrics (though they do dip into Multicam Black) and are void of most of the common visual features that are typically seen on their products. The results of a more sleek, discreet bag for use in more metropolitan environments. Today we’ll have a look at one of these offerings, the Addax 25.
Tech Specs
| Imperial | Metric | |
| Height | 18″ | 45.7 cm |
| Width | 12″ | 30.5 cm |
| Depth | 6.5″ | 16.5 cm |
| Capacity | 1526 cu. in | 25 liters |
| Weight | 2.7lbs | 1225 grams |
Dimensions Taken from http://www.vanquest.com
Primary Fabric: 500-D Mil-grade Cordura® fabric
Quality & Comfort
Vanquest is known for building solid packs, and there are no surprises here. In terms of material selection, the 500d exterior fabric appears solid and ready for most uses, the mesh on the back panel appropriate to the usage and the coil YKK zippers are as expected- Vanquest even used an Aquaguard zipper on the laptop compartment. The interior materials are similarly sturdy and ready to be pressed into service.
The Addax carries well. The straps are padded sufficiently without being excessive. The back panel does not feature a rigid frame sheet, but does appear to enclose stiff foam. This is adequate to give the pack some shape, keeping it upright and transferring weight correctly. A removable, adjustable sternum strap keeps everything centered and there are luggage pass through straps at each side of the back panel for travel situations. For urban, EDC-type roles, the bag should do well.
Organization
The organizational features of the Addax are abundant. Starting at the top, front of the bag, there is an admin pocket. This contains elastic loops, a zippered, semi-transparent pocket, removable key-fob and a more hidden rear flat pocket secured with hook & loop. Both this pocket and the one below it feature their own volume to prevent robbing space from other areas.
Below the admin pocket is another larger pocket. This features three open top pockets with elastic at the top. These worked great for bulkier items like an oversized multitool. This would be a great area for a charging brick or similar, somewhat awkward items.
Looking inside the main compartment, the front and back walls are loop lined for accessories. There is also a zippered pocket on the front panel, and two bottle-type pockets on each side wall with elastic tie-downs.
The rear compartment of the bag features multiple dividers for a laptop, files and a small notebook. The laptop area is loop lined, conceivable to allow use of hook-backed accessories. The entire compartment is raised up off the bottom of the bag and the laptop area well padded.
What’s Perfect
- There is plenty of organization available and each area has its own volume. Many overlook this.
- The organizational features collapse down well when not in use. They did not negatively affect my experience when empty.
- I appreciated the segmented, compartmentalized design of the pack. A place for everything and everything in it’s place.
- The bag will stand on its own. This is important in city settings where surface contact is to be minimized.
- The colorways are appropriate and attractive for urban use.
- I value a bag that carries well. The Addax does this just fine within its intended usages.
- Great zipper pulls and little details like webbing keepers are indicators of the thought that went into these bags.
- The bag comes in at $165-$180. That’s a smashing price-point for the feature set seen here.
What’s Not
- The bag suffers somewhat from “Floppy Bag Syndrome,” though it’s not as bad as some others. This means that when items are loaded into all the accessory pockets, the exterior of the bag bears most of the weight, and if the interior of the bag is not loaded up, the exterior will flop about. It’s not a huge deal with the Addax 25, but it’s not ideal.
- It’s subjective, but I find the Addax a bit boxy in the aesthetics department. It just sort of lacks that ‘wow’ factor.
Wrap Up
With an excellent build, thoughtful compartmentalization, versatile organization and enjoyable carriage, the Addax 25 was a great pack to spend some quality time with. There are many upsides and just a few quirks. It is a bag that is sure to keep agile and organized on its next civic adventure. Give it a look.
Disclaimer: the ADDAX-25 was supplied by Vanquest for use in this review. The content of this review was not shared with Vanquest prior to publication. Our reviews are impartial and never altered to keep a brand happy.
Additionally, the NU07 LE was supplied by Nitecore to be featured on the website. No guarantee of endorsement was given, products are included based on the reviewer’s judgement.
The Perfect Pack 