

Black Ember SHADOW 26 | The design is sleek. The rest of the plastic hardware is from Woojin and operates as well as expected. It’s easy to attach and detach and doesn’t get in your way. The sternum strap hardware is a MagLock magnetic buckle. The pulls are long, easy to grasp, and feel like Hypalon. Because of this, it’s a good idea to put them in the same place all the time, so you know where they are. The main compartment opening runs close to 85% of the way around the pack, and it can make finding the zipper heads hard.

Those on the exterior are AquaGuard models, which give you some added protection from the rain. We’ve got YKK zippers throughout this daypack. We dig the matte look, but if you have a pet with white fur, this might not be the pack for you. It picks up dust and hair relatively easily but cleans up just as quickly. The material feels and looks like waxed canvas. Black Ember SHADOW 26 | We dig the matte colorway. According to Black Ember’s site, this material “produces 83% fewer GHG emissions, consumes 82% less energy and uses 57% less water,” which is an excellent sustainability shout. That’s a drawn-out way of saying that the primary pack material is recycled nylon with extraordinary durability. The exterior of the pack is crafted from CORDURA® re/cor™ RN66. Let’s dive in and find out! External Components However, we’re curious how useful some features will be while traveling. We’ve also got recycled materials to work with, which we love to see.

The Black Ember SHADOW 26 has a lot of bells and whistles and a sleek design, to boot.
