Besides your phone, your wallet and your house key, we reckon that an everyday carry backpack is also a pretty essential item, right?

It is the one large carrying case where you can dump all your other essential items such as your favourite book, your iPad, your thousand ringgit headphones and your laptop that you can carry around with you wherever you go, so we say a functional backpack is really important.

If you're in the market for a stylish, lightweight yet functional backpack, here's one you should look at: the Gaston Luga Splash.


You're not alone if you've not heard of the brand before (we did not, too, until they reached out to us and asked if we would be interested to review their latest backpack).

Gaston Luga is a brand from Sweden, and their aim is to design backpacks that bridge the gap between fashion and function.

Their latest product is the Splash, a weather-proof backpack that Gaston Luga claims will become our travel companion that we can take everywhere, thanks to its functionality and its uber-stylish design.

So, we accepted Gaston Luga's challenge, and we used the Splash for a period of two weeks to see if it can replace our trusty old laptop backpack. Here's our honest review:

Build quality

Unlike canvas bags, the Splash is made out of really premium materials. Like, the moment when you touch it, you can already feel how premium it is.

According to Gaston Luga, the Splash is made out of polyurethane, so it is water-resistant and very easy to clean. The material is also smooth to the touch, almost sort of rubber-like.


However, the only downside of a polyurethane backpack is that unlike leather, the bag could disintegrate and loses its flexibility after a few years. We guess we will just have to wait and see if this happens.

Overall, we like how structured and sturdy the Splash is. No matter how many things we put inside, the Splash would still retain its shape. The bag will also stand straight up if you place it on the floor, and won't fold and crumple like how some backpacks would.

We are big fans of sleek backpacks, and the Gaston Luga Splash is one of them.

Storage space

The Splash is a tapered backpack, so you'll find it slightly thicker at the bottom compared to the top. And because the Splah has a tapered fit, you won't find any side pockets, which could be a deal-breaker if you prefer to store your water bottle at the side.

Instead, you'll get two front pockets. The pockets are deep enough to store your little knick knacks, like your car keys, wireless earbuds, packets of tissue paper or access cards.


Speaking of pockets, you'll also have a small zippered sleeve on the inside for you to store small items...and that's about it. As we often carry around a lot of small items, the lack of pockets on the Splash means that we had to get creative on how we store said small items.

We definitely wouldn't mind having an additional few more small pockets in the bag, to be honest.


As for the laptop storage space, our 13-inch Macbook fits in pretty well and snug in the laptop compartment. The slim profile of the Splash ensures that your laptop stays in place and will not move around.

But, we feel we have the need to point out that the bag doesn't have a false bottom, so be extra careful when you're putting your back down. Also, we would prefer a little bit more padding at the back, because we can sometimes feel the heat of the laptop seeping through the back panel of the bag.

Overall, the storage place is adequate for an everyday carry. If you're the type of person who doesn't carry around a lot of things, the storage space will be enough for you.

Functionality

As the Gaston Luga Splash is a slim bag and a big storage space is quite a luxury, they came up with a few clever tricks on how to maximise storage space.

The Gaston Luga Splash uses a hook-and-latch system with a front flap design. The hooks hold down the flap, making it hard for people to reach in and take stuff from your bag without you knowing.


The biggest advantage to the hook-and-latch system is that the Splash provides you with three different latch points, which is good news if you suddenly find the need to stash a lot of things at one go (like when you're running away from your boyfriend, for example).

Depending on how packed the inside of your Splash is, you can hook it at the highest latch point to give you that extra space.


Speaking of extra space, the side of the bag also features two button clasps that you can unclasp if you need more space. If you don't, you can just button it up and maintain that slim profile.

Very clever, Gaston Luga.


Also, the Gaston Luga Splash features a rollable top flap which you can roll up if you need more storage capacity. Granted, it won't give you a lot of space because the flap is not exceptionally long, but it is, however, long enough for you to store a towel or a jacket.

Comfort

Thanks to the material Gaston Luga used to make the Splash, the bag feels sturdy enough to carry around.

Unlike other leather-ish fashion bags, the straps on the Splash are adequately padded. However, we do wish that the straps are slightly wider, because we felt that after we carried the bag for a while, the straps kind of dig into our shoulders due to the weight.


The bag also does a pretty good job staying in position on your back, which is slightly above your hips.

VERDICT:

Overall, we would say that the Gaston Luga Splash is a pretty stylish and solid everyday carry.

The build quality is premium and it wouldn't have a problem lasting you a few years, it is a very trendy and lightweight backpack, and the storage space is adequate for every day use.


If you're looking for a 'performance' backpack with lots of tiny storage space and compartments, the Gaston Luga Splash is not for you.

But if you want a great quality weekend backpack that you can use to carry a book, an iPad, a pair of sunglasses and a pair of headphones, you'll never go wrong with the Gaston Luga Splash.

The Gaston Luga Splash is available in six colours and retails for RM499. Head on over to their official site on Lazada to get yours.