Osprey Arcane Tote  – Great Minimalist Tote

Kate Agathon

The Osprey Arcane tote bag (MSRP $70) is a minimalist tote with just the right number of features to make it useful, but not overdone.


Arcane Tote Bag- Osprey Packs Official Site

 

Constructed from recycled polyester fabric and finished with PFC-free DWR, the Arcane tote is built to withstand wear and tear from a daily commute. Simplicity personified, the Arcane tote carries a laptop, tablet, and papers with ease.

 

Compared to the now discontinued YETI Crossroads 16L tote bag (19x 13 x 6.25), the Osprey Arcane is slightly smaller (16.54 x 12.2 x 8.27) and its slim design more suitable for the office and its size better for someone of my petite stature.

 

While the YETI Crossroads tote included a generous amount of features including shock absorption, pockets for everything including water bottles, and expanded to accommodate a large amount of items, sometimes it was just too much.

Arcane Tote Bag- Osprey Packs Official Site

 

The YETI Crossroads tote was a great bag (and good for traveling to multi day conferences), but I needed something similar that was more refined, and not mistaken for a diaper bag for my everyday work.

 

Enter the Osprey Arcane tote. Like the YETI Crossroads tote, I was given a sneak preview of it at Outdoor Retailer. And, like the YETI Crossroads tote, I liked what I saw.

 

However, after having used both totes, I prefer the Osprey Arcane tote for its simplicity. Thoughtfully designed, the minimalist Osprey Arcane tote has just enough necessary features to do the job.

 

Key features of the refined Osprey Arcane tote include: easy-to-grab dual webbing handles with just enough space to carry comfortably on your shoulder without gaping too much; 15” padded laptop sleeve; internal storage (including a zippered pocket along the side and handy key clip); zippered main compartment top closure; and a handy side panel horizontal pocket.

 

I also appreciate its minimal depth (I’m not a fan of seemingly cavernous totes where I search for a missing item, can’t find it, only to have it resurface later). Overall, it’s a great bag and does exactly what it was designed to do- no more, no less.

 

While I’ve been a fan of Osprey for years and have used its technical packs for mountain biking, bike commuting, multi-day backcountry camping, and day hikes, I was delighted to see the same thoughtfulness was put into its foray of lifestyle bags with the Arcane Collection.

 

The final word? Bravo, Osprey. Bravo.

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Kate Agathon

Dr. Of Stoke

Freelance writer, bicyclist, outdoor recreation enthusiast, social justice advocate, and mom to her furbaby, Utah the Adventure Dog.

 

A Colorado native, Kate considers the outdoors her mother ship. She brings her passion for bicycling, the environment, and issues of diversity to her writing. Her primary outdoor recreation activities are mountain biking, fat biking, snowshoeing, camping, peak bagging Colorado’s 14ers, road cycling, and Nordic skiing. After suffering two major knee injuries within four years, Kate hopes to return to alpine skiing next season.

 

Kate earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Colorado State University and later an MSEd and Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Purdue University. In addition to her education, Kate’s background serving on the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and experience working for non-profits and bicycle sales well position her to bring depth and understanding to the complex changes currently taking place in the outdoor recreation industry.

We also heard she has a (slight) obsession for blue heelers.