Browse any list of the toughest bags, the best “one bag” for travel, overbuilt laptop bags, or even the best bags for EDC, and you’re bound to run into the GORUCK GR1 somewhere on the list, if not topping it. Over the years it’s cemented its place in the EDC community with its simple, efficient, and overbuilt design, and is proof that you don’t need a lot of bells and whistles to make a great bag. Last year GORUCK teamed up with Huckberry to celebrate the GR1’s 10th anniversary with an exclusive version of the bag dubbed the “Slick,” a modified version of the bag with a sleeker outer design while retaining all the best features of the original’s overbuilt construction. The collaboration makes an encore this year with the Coyote Slick, a lighter colorway still packed with the original’s heavy-duty features.
The new Coyote color highlights how clean the GR1’s design is with the Slick collaboration. It takes a less-is-more approach when it comes to how you should carry your gear. It opens flat, giving you full organizational control thanks to a complete open space and three rows of MOLLE-compatible webbing on the interior for best arranging and configuring your pouches and modular accessories. Below that you have access to a wide drop pocket for securing flat, fragile items like notebooks, tablets, and documents. The inner side of the front of the pack provides more storage with a horizontal zippered pocket as well as a zippered mesh pocket under that.
There’s also a suspended laptop compartment on the back of the bag, accessible by flipping the shoulder straps and reinforced with a rigid frame sheet that keeps your computer off the ground and protected when you set your bag down. Last but not least, another zippered pocket for storing smaller, more frequently accessed gear on the front exterior of the bag sits tucked away under a flap of fabric that helps keep out rain while maintaining a discreet outer appearance.
Like on the original blackout Slick, that front pocket is the sole detail on the backpack’s front exterior. While the interior retains the webbing for expansion and customization, the rows on the bottom front, sides, and straps of the original GR1 design have been removed, as has the loop field above the zippered pocket. This gives the bag a completely sterile, sleek profile, letting it fit right at home in an office as much as on a weekend rough-and-tumble rucking session.
Other than aesthetics, the Coyote Slick’s complete 21-liter backpack (with a 26L option as well) functionality remains intact. This includes the durable, rainproof 1000D CORDURA nylon construction that can stand up to wherever you take it without being too heavy or uncomfortably rigid in structure. The shoulder straps also feature extra padding to maintain comfort even through the longest treks through the city or the woods. Future flyers can haul the Coyote Slick as their carry-on and comply with TSA requirements too. With a few packing cubes and pouches, the GR1 can pull double duty as your go-to travel bag for shorter trips.
No matter how you use it, the GORUCK x Huckberry GR1 Coyote Slick is built to last, with a decade-long legacy of construction and versatility that few bags have been able to live up to. If you missed you chance to pick up the original Slick last year, now is your chance to grab one of the limited stocks from Huckberry at the link below.
