Under Armour Hustle Sport [Review]

The Under Armour Hustle Sport Backpack is a budget-friendly backpack that’s purpose-built for school, sports and gym sessions.

But is it worth buying? In this backpack review we will take an honest look at the pros, cons as well as explore how water resistant UA Storm Technology really is.

Video Review

The Rundown

What we like

• Roomy 26L capacity is large enough store a change of clothes and a basketball or school notebooks and binders.

• Available in lots of colors for a personalized look

• Ultra lightweight construction

• Affordable price

What we don’t like

• Laptop compartment is not padded

• Back panel is just one big piece of padded polyester with no breathability. Not great in hot weather.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 18.5” (H) x 12.6” (W) x 7.4” (D)

• Capacity: 26L

• Materials: 100% Polyester

• Laptop Sleeve: Up to 15”

• Tablet Sleeve: None

Where to buy

Buy on Amazon

Similar Backpacks

Who is this backpack for?

• School: The roomy 26-liter main compartment is perfect for storing large notebooks, binders and books. Affordable pricing is great for those looking school backpack on a budget.

• Sports and Gym: Lightweight construction makes this a great backpack for sports and gym sessions. The bungee gives you additional storage for stuff like shoes, a towel or jacket. 

What fits inside the Hustle Sport?

Unlike the larger UA Hustle 5.0 backpack, the Hustle Sport which features 3 major compartments, the Hustle Sport only has one - the main compartment. Inside is where you’ll find the 15” laptop sleeve as well as a couple of extra slip pockets for smaller items.

The 26-liter main compartment is the perfect for daily packing. If you plan on using the UA Hustle Sport as a school backpack, you’ll be able to fit a generous amount of large binders and notebooks in addition to a laptop. For athletes, the main compartment is also large enough to fit a full sized (size 7) basketball in addition to a change of clothes.

Although the 15” laptop sleeve has a generous false bottom to protect your device from drops, it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to overall laptop protection. The laptop sleeve on the Hustle Sport is just a thin polyester sleeve with no padding outside of the padding it shares with the back panel. It also does not include any fleece lining to protect your laptop from scratches.

Two additional slip pockets can be found inside the main compartment for smaller items. These slip pockets can fit items like a sunglasses case, small pencil case or laptop charger.

Exterior Pockets and Bungee Storage

On the outside of the UA Hustle Sport, you'll find a pretty large fleece-lined valuables pocket for items like sunglasses, a phone, and other tech. We found it to be just large enough to fit a pair of over-ear headphones.

Two additional mesh water bottle pockets can be found on each side of the backpack. These pockets are large enough to fit 32oz and 1-liter bottles perfectly fine.

Unlike other Under Armour backpacks, the Hustle Sport doesn't include additional MOLLE webbing or daisy chain loops for exterior attachments. Instead, the Hustle Sport provides you with a bungee cord for attaching bulkier items.

We found the bungee was able to fit a light jacket or workout shoes (up to a Mens US 12) but the bungee is also too small to fit a full-sized basketball.

Materials and Comfort

The Under Armour Hustle Sport is made of polyester material, which makes it incredibly lightweight. There isn't anything special with the construction; it has simple stitching throughout, and the material itself is pretty thin. The zippers on the Hustle Sport are as smooth as butter and the metal zipper pulls are nice touch.

Regarding comfort, the padded shoulder straps are the star of the show and provide excellent weight distribution and ample comfort even when the backpack gets heavy. Under Armour always does a great job with their shoulder straps and the Hustle Sport is no exception.

However, the back panel is where the Hustle Sport starts to suffer. Although padded, it's thin, and this causes oddly-shaped items to poke through when wearing the backpack, making for an uncomfortable situation. Moreover, the back panel isn’t nearly as breathable as we would expect a backpack designed for athletes to be. It's essentially one large piece of polyester with two tiny air channels - this spells trouble in hot weather.

Is the UA Hustle Waterproof? UA Storm Technology Tested

UA Storm Technology is essentially a water-repellent coating on the polyester that allows water to bead up and roll off the fabric when wet. The fleece-lined valuables pocket in the front of the bag is also equipped with a water-resistant zipper that does a good job of keeping moisture out.

Although UA Storm Technology offers some water-resistant protection, the Hustle Sport is far from waterproof. Unfortunately, the seams and main compartment zipper are not water-resistant, and this creates weak points for water to sneak in after repeated exposure. 

During our testing, we found that repeated exposure allowed water to leak into the main compartment through the top stitching of the backpack.

What does this mean for you? The UA Hustle Sport should be okay during a walk home in a light rain, but you will have significantly less protection walking home during a rainstorm or surviving heavy splash (think of being on the unfortunate pedestrian end of a car driving through a puddle on a rainy day).

Final Thoughts

Buy on Amazon

At the end of the day, the Under Armour Hustle Sport is a budget backpack for those who want a good value-to-price ratio and the Hustle Sport really is a great value when you tally up the specs.

You’ll get a water-resistant construction, a big roomy main compartment that's great for sports and school, plus a super useful bungee that expands your storage by quite a bit.

If you want a major step up in quality, we recommend you take a look at The North Face Jester or Borealis. These two bungee backpacks have much better laptop sleeves, more pockets for organization, and much more breathable back panels. However, these backpacks are not as budget-friendly as the Hustle Sport and we think this is where the Hustle Sport really shines.

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Matein Travel Laptop Backpack [Review]

Rated as one of the most popular backpacks available on Amazon, the Matein Travel Laptop Backpack (15.6 inch version) is an affordable option for everyone from students and commuters to travelers alike.

This backpack can be divided into three major compartments: the main compartment, the front organizer compartment, and the rear laptop compartment. The main compartment is where you will find the bulk of your storage, and we found that you can easily pack bulkier notebooks, binders, and textbooks into this compartment or a couple of days' worth of clothing and toiletries.

The second major compartment is the front organizer compartment, which features smaller pockets for items like pens, a phone, and small notebooks. There is even a detachable leash for your keys. In the rear is where you'll find the laptop compartment, which features a padded sleeve for a laptop up to 15.6 inches, plus an additional non-padded sleeve for a tablet. This rear compartment is also roomy enough to pack additional notebooks or for a second laptop inside a laptop case.

The quality of the Matein Travel Laptop Backpack is surprisingly good for the price, with a mid-weight polyester exterior and metal zippers. Not to mention features like an exterior USB charging port and great pocket variety that punches above its price point.

However, it doesn't come close to the quality of a more expensive backpack, and you will start to see that in the small details. For example, the water bottle pockets are made of cheap mesh and are a little too shallow to securely hold tall bottles, and the interior lining is on the thinner side, which questions its durability after heavy use.

Despite its flaws, for $30 you really can't go wrong with this backpack, and we definitely recommend it for students, commuters, and travelers looking for a reliable laptop backpack on a budget.

What we like

• Affordable price makes it perfect for students and travelers on a budget

• Three compartments so you can organize your carry into different packing zones

• Integrated USB charging (bring your own power bank)

• Lots and lots of pockets for organization

What we don’t like

• Lining and stitching on the inside is pretty flimsy and we question it’s longevity. However, the overall quality is about on par with bags in this price point.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 18” x 12” x 7.8” inches

• Capacity: Unspecified (we would guess around 25L)

• Weight: 1.56 lbs

• Materials: Polyester

• Laptop Sleeve: Up to 15.6”

• Tablet Sleeve: Up to 12.9” iPad Pro

Where to buy

Buy on Amazon

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Reebok Active Enhanced Backpack

The Reebok Active Enhanced Backpack is a versatile gym bag that can also be used for school, travel or work thanks to its laptop compartment and front pocket for daily essentials. One of our favorite features is the bottom compartment that can store a pair of shoes or laundry. This neat feature keeps all of your clean and dirty items separate for peace of mind on long days.

What we like

• Ventilated bottom shoe/laundry compartment in the bottom keeps dirty items separate.

• Simple design doesn’t scream “gym bag” Versatile enough to be used as a daily carry backpack for work or school.

• Can’t beat the price: $50 MSRP

What we don’t like

• Although the quality is good for the price - it does feel like a polyester backpack. If you are looking for a premium gym backpack, look somewhere else.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 17.5” H x 12.5 W" x 8.5" D

• Volume: 29L

• Materials:  100% Polyester

• Laptop Compartment: Up to 15”

Where to buy

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Burton Prospect Backpack

The Burton Prospect backpack is a small capacity backpack for those who need to just carry the basics. Although this won’t be your go-to book bag for busy days at school, it’s perfect for days out on the town or work commutes where you need to just carry the basics.

What we like

• We like this as a small daily carry commuter backpack for those who don’t need tons of storage room.

• Tons of color and pattern options.

• Laptop sleeve with separate tablet sleeve in main compartment.

What we don’t like

• Side pocket doesn’t stretch out as far as we would like. Can be hard to fit larger water bottles in the side pockets when the main compartment is full.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 19” H x 11.5” W x 7.5” D

• Capacity: 21L

• Materials: 600D Polyester

• Weight: 1 .5 lbs

• Laptop Compartment: Up to 15”

Where to buy

Buy on Amazon

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Dakine Wonder Backpack

The Dakine Wonder is a stylish daypack that packs a lot of punch in a small package. Features such as skateboard straps, a fleece-lined sunglasses pocket and mesh water bottle pockets makes the Wonder perfect for days when you just want to explore the city with a light load.

Note: The Dakine Wonder backpacks comes in two sizes; 15 liters and a larger 22 liter version. The specs here are for the 15 liter Dakine Wonder backpack.

What we like

• Inexpensive. You can grab one under $50.

• Small capacity is perfect as a light daypack.

• Fun color and pattern options.

• External bungee allows you to cinch extra items like jackets and shopping bags to the outside of the backpack.

What we don’t like

• Lack of organizers and pockets inside the main compartment. No pocket for laptop or tablet.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 18” H x 12” W x 6” D

• Capacity: 15L

• Materials: 600D Polyester

• Weight: 1 lbs 2 oz

• Laptop Compartment: None

Where to buy

Buy on Amazon

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Kaukko Outdoor Backpack

Another day, another cheaper Herschel Little America alternative. Kaukko heavily borrows from the popular Herschel backpack down to the red and white striped fabric lining and branded woven label placement. We once heard that imitation is a form of flattery.

But the Kaukko Outdoor Backpack is actually a pretty solid deal. At under $50 you get a medium sized rucksack with a laptop compartment, plenty of pockets and countless color options. And the backpack is actually pretty comfortable even when loaded thanks to its padded shoulder straps and back making the Kaukko Outdoor Backpack one of the better cheap “vintage rucksack” style backpacks out there.

What we like

• Cheaper backpack for those who don’t want to spend the money on more expensive brands.

• Side pockets and compression straps are a nice touch.

What we don’t like

• It feels “cheap” especially when compared to higher quality backpacks.

• Fake leather straps aren’t the best quality.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 18.5” H x 11.8” W x 6.3” D

• Capacity: 22.4L

• Material: 600D Polyester

• Weight: 2.1lbs

• Laptop Compartment: Up to 15.6”

Where to buy

Buy on Amazon

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Vaschy Classic Rucksack Backpack

There is no point in tip-toeing here so let’s call this backpack what it is; a cheap backpack for those who like the Herschel look but don’t want to pay Herschel prices. Vaschy introduces a competitively priced Herschel Little America alternative with their Classic Rucksack backpack and it surprisingly doesn’t suck.

So what exactly do you get with such a cheap backpack? Surprisingly, more than you would expect. The bag’s main compartment has a slightly bigger carrying capacity than the Herschel Little America. It also has side pockets for water bottles, smaller pockets inside the main compartment, and a mesh pocket inside the front pocket - all things that the Little America doesn’t have. Although you shouldn’t expect a “quality” backpack here, the Vaschy Classic Rucksack backpack is decent enough considering the low price.

What we like

• Cheaper backpack for those who don’t want to spend the money on more expensive brands.

• Side pockets and internal mesh pockets are a nice touch.

What we don’t like

• Cheap construction and stitching proves that you get what you pay for.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 18” H x 12.8” W x 7” D

• Capacity: 26.5L

• Material: Water Resistant Polyester

• Weight: 1.59lbs

• Laptop Compartment: Up to 15.6”

Where to buy

Buy on Amazon

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Vaschy Classic Daypack

Vaschy is a brand that is relatively new to the scene of backpacks and bags. With their Classic Daypack, Vaschy takes a bite right out of the designs of more expensive bags such as the Herschel Heritage backpack and the JanSport Right Pack. Simply put, it’s a more affordable option for those who don’t want to put out the extra cash.

The bag itself is filled with surprising features that you don’t get with more expensive backpacks of this style. For one, the Vaschy Classic Daypack features two side pockets for water bottles or an umbrella, something that is painfully missing from Herschel’s Heritage backpack. The Vaschy Classic Daypack also features a laptop sleeve in the main compartment, various small-item pockets and even a water resistant exterior. Not bad for a budget backpack.

What we like

• Cheaper backpack for those who don’t want to spend the money on more expensive brands.

• Side pockets and internal mesh pocket for small items is a nice touch that you don’t usually see with backpacks of this style.

What we don’t like

• Quality isn’t terrible, but it can feel cheap. You get what you pay for.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Dimensions: 16.9” H x 11.8” W x 5.9” D

• Capacity: 19.35L

• Material: Water Resistant Polyester

• Weight: 1.3lbs

• Laptop Compartment: Up to 14”

Where to buy

Buy on Amazon

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