Black Ember FORGE

The Ultimate 3-Way Pack for Travelers

Today, I want to talk about the Black Ember FORGE, a 3-way pack that transforms to a backpack, a shoulder bag, and a soft briefcase in seconds. I've been using this pack for a few weeks now, and I'm impressed by its design, functionality, and versatility.

I’ll start by saying, I’m not typically a “3-way” bag person, but this bag is the closest to no compromise. I love how the backpack straps “hide” so quickly and easily and how well it works as a briefcase and a backpack or shoulder bag.

The hiding straps tidy’s up the bag for placement in the overhead bin or on your luggage.

Black Ember had been around for many years. I purchased their first ever backpack as a Kickstarter project and since then they have been cranking out packs. This is my first since that original Kick Starter campaign and I was intrigued by both their Forge and their more traditional Citadel Pack.

I put some miles recently on the Citadel 25 and just came back from my first trip with the Forge 20. While I liked the Citadel 25, I realized that I really dislike having my pack be sideways when I’m traveling in airports and have it on top of my roller bag using the bag strap. For long haul trips this is the default location of my pack as I almost never carry it on my back. It was then that I realized that the Forge was probably going to work out much better for my use case. And it turns out, it does.

Design

The Black Ember FORGE is a sleek and minimalist pack that looks great in any setting. It's made of durable and weatherproof materials, CORDURA re/cor RN66, hypalon, and anodized aluminum.

I really like this fabric. It feels awesome and rugged albeit it does attract a bit of lint.

The pack has a clamshell opening that allows you to access the main compartment easily.

The main compartment has a padded laptop sleeve that fits up to a 15-inch laptop, a tablet sleeve, and several pockets and organizers for your essentials. The pack also has a front pocket with a magnetic flap, a side pocket with a key clip, and a hidden pocket on the back panel for your valuables.

You can use it as a backpack for comfortable and efficient load carry, a shoulder bag for business, and a soft briefcase for casual carry. The straps are stowable and adjustable, and the hardware is magnetic and easy to use. The pack also has a luggage pass-through on the back panel that lets you attach it to your rolling suitcase.

The pack has a 20-liter capacity that can expand to 30 liters when you need more space. The pack has a zipper that runs along the perimeter of the main compartment, which allows you to expand or compress the pack as needed.

I personally have no need for the expandable feature but chose to get this model because it is big enough to fit my new Apple Vision Pro and access it easily.

There is also an optional water bottle holder, which is not the greatest design, but works.

Why I Got This Bag

I got this bag because I was looking for a pack that would meet my needs. Here are some of the reasons why I chose the Black Ember FORGE:

• I needed a bag that would fit my Apple Vision Pro, my MacBook Pro 14, Bose Headphones and other items. The Black Ember FORGE has a spacious main compartment that can accommodate all of my gadgets and accessories, with a padded laptop sleeve that protects my devices from shocks and scratches.

• I wanted a bag that lived on top of my roller back when traveling so that it was easy to access my gadgets. The Black Ember FORGE has a luggage pass-through that lets me slide it over the handle of my suitcase, making it convenient and secure to carry. I can also switch to the shoulder bag or the soft briefcase mode when I need to grab something from the pack or go through security checkpoints.

• I wanted a bag that was easy to remove items during airport security and during a flight. The Black Ember FORGE has a clamshell opening that lets me open the pack flat and access the main compartment without hassle. I can also use the front pocket or the side pocket to store my passport, boarding pass, phone, or headphones for quick access.

Here are some photos of my bag in action: