While the bags vary in some significant ways, they do both share a few noteworthy similarities. For starters, they both boast the same rugged, reliable external fabric: 500D Cordura nylon. This is the same fabric trusted by everyone from The North Face to the U.S. Military, so it’s a material you can certainly trust in an EDC context.
The bags also have YKK zippers with classic outdoor-inspired zipper pulls, mil-spec hardware and webbing, and more. Interestingly, one of the big additions — useful for daily commuters and frequent flyers alike — is that both bags have laptop (or tablet) compartments.
Urban hikers
Now, for the differences. Firstly, their sizing is quite distinct. The Checkpoint, which is larger as a base bag, can hold up to 27.8 liters — and it meets TSA carry-on requirements. The base Echo is smaller, offering 21.79 liters (which is also TSA-compliant.)
However, the Echo also has an expandable compartment, which grants it an additional 8.19 liters, bringing it to a total of 29.98 liters, making it a couple of liters larger than the Checkpoint. However, the Checkpoint also has another little secret.