A backpack is one of those ultra-useful items for anyone who travels. No matter how you go, a backpack can go with you. Over the years, Ogio has become synonymous with versatile and durable bags and backpacks.
One of their popular lines, the Renegade Collection, has recently been redesigned for the first time in over 10 years. Ogio refers to its Renegade Pro as its everyday carry model, and the limited-edition Tactical Renegade Pro LE is one of the company’s more unique offerings.
Tactical: Full-Featured, Plenty of Pockets
There’s always the question: what does tactical even mean? In many cases it’s more pockets, more MOLLE, and some form of olive or tan coloring. In that case, this backpack is definitely tactical.
The limited-edition Renegade Pro gets the tactical treatment thanks to a laser-cut MOLLE attachment system and a hard outer base shell that guards the pack from abrasion and tough terrain preventing punctures and tears. It features the company’s Mission Control Organization System with a whopping total of 23 total pockets.
This includes a large main compartment and three organizational panels with spaces for a phone, charger, earbuds, and more. There’s also an internal “tactical cargo pocket” with durable double-layered webbing and a carabiner.
A luggage pass-through can be used on a roller bag handle, and front daisy chain webbing loops add further cargo carrying capability. It also includes an orange cord loop for clip attachment. (Basically, it’s a clip-on orange piece of fabric.) The pack’s dimensions are 20” x 16” x 11” and it’s made from 600D recycled polyester with a 1680D recycled polyester foam molded bottom.
Style and Features
The black-and-olive motif looks clean and durable without looking overly “tacti-cool.” There are lots of easy-to-use pulls on zippers and the straps are wide with plenty of adjustability. All the zippers are easy to use and never get caught up. I am not sure why it includes the orange fabric on a clip. I took it off and put it aside.
While Ogio lists this as a 25-liter pack, it feels bigger. The main compartment feels cavernous, although the design tapers at the top. This prevented us from using our Peak Design Medium Camera Cube with it. Also, the hard compartment located above the main storage area intrudes on the main compartment, especially if you’re carrying bulky items within it. However, the hard compartment adds protection for fragile items like small electronics.
The two front pockets hold much more than I expected and are complete with a host of sleeves and places to put stuff. The laptop sleeve claims to carry up to 17” laptops, but wouldn’t take my 17” ASUS gaming computer. It easily swallows up my 14” Lenovo Think Pad, however.
Overall, Ogio has done a good job making this pack use space efficiently.
Putting It Through Its Paces: The SEMA Show
There are lots of ways to test a backpack but taking one to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas might be one of the better tests out there. I wore this backpack for up to eight hours a day for three days, taking it off and putting it on multiple times a day. It got stuffed with sweatshirts, papers, laptops, water bottles, snacks, and swag. It also got used as an airplane carryon.
Over countless miles of aisles (and two airline flights), the Ogio Tactical Renegade Pro LE was a tactical trooper. It was comfortable and, once adjusted to my frame, stayed in place very well. While the back is designed for airflow, I still got sweaty, but I don’t think any pack could prevent this at the SEMA Show.
When I did get hot, the side-mounted bottle holder did a great job carrying my wide reusable water bottle. So often, these bottle holders are too small for anything but tall, skinny bottles, but this one worked superbly.
The multitude of MOLLE areas were great for carabiners, too. We kept a bottle of hand sanitizer on one and moved its location a few times for variety. The pockets worked admirably to hold swag, snacks, pens, and notepads, too. Everything gets well organized and held securely where it’s placed. Overall, the backpack was a good choice for the automotive aftermarket industry’s largest tradeshow.
Limited Edition, Already Sold Out?
I was told this was a limited-edition backpack when the pack was sent. At the time of writing, it shows “sold out” on the website, but it may still be available in stores. If you can find one and are in the market for a versatile 25-liter pack, you likely won’t be disappointed. This is a great everyday bag whether for business, travel, or traversing tradeshows.
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