Thule EnRoute Blur 2 Daypack

While waiting for the Huawei Smartwatch to arrive from Amazon here, another item that I ordered got delivered in the interim. A new backpack for work and the upcoming Melbourne trip – the Thule Enroute Blur 2 Daypack and from an eBay reseller.

That’s admittedly quite a mouthful. Over the years, I’ve had a number of backpacks that I carry to and fro work, on account that the backpacks routinely hold one (or two) notebooks, my larger than normal-sized coffee tumbler, and a bunch of other accessories. Each backpack routinely gets used for about 3 years before they have to be discarded for one reason or another; sometimes because the zippers break or the bag gets too badly stained from spills from the tumblers. Several years ago, Ling bought from Amazon for my birthday a Thule EnRoute Blur daypack and that lasted for a good while, until the woven side-pouches developed small holes from wear and tear. Over time, the holes have grown fairly large. So I figured it was about time to get a replacement.

Thule is a well-regarded Swedish manufacturer of consumer good, though unlike brands like Samsonite, Lowepro or Targus, one tends to find just a small range of their bags carried in local stores. Like many of the other items from bag manufacturers here, they tend to be sold at recommended retail prices at most stores (camera shops being the possible exception as they seem more willing to offer in-store discounts). The EnRoute line has seen a couple of new updated models, and the most recent iteration being the Enroute Blur 2 daypack. This particular backpack is sold at a couple of stores – including Isetan and The Wallet Shop – in just a few colors, and for what seems to be the RRP of $179. Amazon US does not ship the item direct to Singapore. But I found an eBay reseller who was offering the item for substantially less at $133 and including shipping. The reseller is also, apparently, a husband/wife team who run a brick and mortar shop in Kansas specialising mostly in outdoor and biking gear, including many of Thule’s other non-bag products. The bag did take slightly more than a fortnight to arrive, but arrive safely through registered post it did, and in the same condition as one would get buying from a local store.

First impressions – I’m very satisfied. The bag is ever so slightly larger than the EnRoute it’s replacing, slightly more voluminous at 24l than the previous 23l, offers additional compartments, and is of exactly the color – Drab/Green – I wanted. And best of all, at $46 cheaper than if I bought it in Singapore. Not chump change!

Pictures and comments.