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Sherpani Camden vs Dispatch

Posted by (Massachusetts, USA) on

I am trying to replace my personal item bag on which the strap finally broke on my trip last month. It was a free tote from work that I've had over seven years so I can't complain. However, it was perfect for my needs and I have spent hours researching similar bags online and on this forum. The dimensions were 14w x 13h x 4.5d and it had a front pocket I used for small items I wanted easy access to (without needing to remove the bag out from under the seat) such as my kindle and wipes as well as two mesh side pockets for a water bottle and my eyeglass case. With the dimensions, I never had to worry about it easily fitting under the seat or not meeting airline size requirements.

I've narrowed down the search to the two Sherpani bags above which are both on sale for fantastic prices right now. I am leaning towards the Camden, but am not fond of backpack style bags. The Dispatch also has backpack straps, but it says they are removable, I'm just concerned this bag might be a little small. I know the Camden straps are not removable, but does it have a place to tuck the straps in when not in use? I have an old Patagonia MLC I still occasionally use, that has this feature.

I'm also open to any other suggestions. After the size, my top wishes are the two outside water bottle pockets and a front pocket for easy access.

Thanks!

Posted by
113 posts

Joann, I had a similar struggle to decide last year during prime days.
I purchased both the Dispatch and the Soleil thinking I would return one.
I ended up keeping and loving both! My daughter and I each used the Soleil for travel when we needed to carry a macbook.
We used the Dispatch for lighter travel and my daughter now uses it as her daily bag for work.
Both have outside water bottle pockets and easy to access front pockets.
We will have to flip a coin to see who gets which bag for our trip in July. :P
Both have the same capacity but the Soleil has wider shoulder straps which makes it better for heavier loads.
The Camden looked awkward to me.
Let me know if you have other questions.
Jules

Posted by
422 posts

Thanks Jules, you convinced me! I just ordered the Dispatch. Most of the time I do not bring my laptop with me, but I will keep my eyes open for a sale on the Soleil for when I do.

I checked the price on Amazon and it was actually $12 more for the Dispatch than on the Sherpani website, including shipping. You never know.

Thanks!

Posted by
7874 posts

Hi, I have the Camden, and I love it! My carry on is a Cotopaxi backpack, so I didn’t want or need the backpack straps on the Camden. When it arrived, I carefully cut off the backpack straps with no issue. I use the slot where the backpack straps could be stored to hold the crossbody strap when I want to just carry it with the tote handles. I used it for a month of travel in Europe last year, and it still looks new.

There are two water bottle slots. I like the magnetic close deeper front pocket for any papers I want to be handy, or something I want on the plane. I used them last year to hold my Ziploc bag of masks. The smaller two zipper front pockets held my mints & Purell sanitizer, and my eye mask for the flight, etc.

Posted by
422 posts

Hi Jean, Good to know that you can "hide" the backpack straps. That was a concern as I don't usually use backpacks, but use the crossbody feature.

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