Adidas Backpack - Foundation V

I needed a general purpose backpack to slot between my casual Jansport and my Dakine hiking bag.

I had five basic requirements:

Black color
Polyester material
Larger than 26 liters
Utility pouches for water bottles
Internal compartments for a laptop

There were several choices and I was liking the Adidas - Striker II selling for $20, but couldn’t find any in black so I opted for a black Adidas - Foundation V.

Both the Striker and Foundation look very similar, with the proportions of the Striker being slightly smaller.

My options

Jansport Superbreak 501 - $17
Adidas Striker II - $20
Adidas Foundation V - $27

Size - 33 Liters

Overall, I’m liking the Foundation V, it’s a bit larger at 33 Liters compared to my 26 Liter Jansport 501.

Compartments - 4

It has four compartments with a laptop sleeve in the primary and a mesh zip pouch in the secondary with key leash. The third pouch is padded for sunglasses and fourth pouch for small utility items. That is double the compartments on a Jansport 501.

There are also two utility pouches, one on each side.

Padding

Straps are similarly padded and comparable to the Jansport. Similar loop on end of the straps for easy pulling to tighten the straps.

Back is slightly more padded on the Adidas than the near flat on the Jansport.

Problems with Adidas

There are two issues I have with the Adidas. The first are the zipper tracks are exposed while the Jansport has a cover over that helps improve water resistance.

The Adidas zippers are also noisy and rattle when you are moving with the bag. At times they sound like jingle bells. I’ll try wrap them in something to soften the sound.

Overall

For $27 the Adidas is a great deal. The cheaper $20 Striker is likely an even better deal. You still can’t go wrong with a Classic 501 Jansport and newer models add a utility pouch for a water bottle and sell for $17.

But I felt it was time to try another brand.

Comments

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