Here is our review of the UAG 18L Rolltop Backpack with DRYOUT Active Moisture-Removal Technology.
Your backpack goes everywhere you do, and so does the risk of moisture. Whether you’re commuting through the rain, traveling in humid climates, or dealing with an unexpected spill, Rolltop Backpack helps protect your tech by removing moisture before it can cause damage. Slip your device into the designated sleeve and integrated DRYOUT® Active Moisture-Removal Technology™ gets to work, pulling moisture away and locking it into its super-absorbent core. Once dry, the panel resets with sunlight, direct heat, or forced airflow. Infinitely reusable and always ready, it’s the recovery system you’ll want within reach at a moment’s notice.
Features
- Compatibility: Fits laptops up to 16″, tablets, smartphones, headphones, cameras, cables, adapters, battery packs, and other similarly sized electronics.
- DRYOUT Technology: The DRYOUT-lined interior rescues your tech from sweat, rain, condensation, humidity, and more, helping prevent rust, corrosion, and shorted circuits. After light moisture exposure, leave your device in the compartment for approximately 3 to 7 hours. After full immersion, plan on 5 to 9.
- Pull, Trap, Release: DRYOUT actively pulls moisture from your device, traps it in its absorbent core, and releases it with sunlight, direct heat, or forced airflow. Follow recommended reset methods and times.
- Functional Design: Dual-sleeve design lets you store your laptop in one compartment and your iPad in the other, while a mesh zip pocket keeps essentials organized and a weather-resistant front pocket provides quick access. A slim roll-top silhouette delivers a clean, streamlined profile.
- Travel Ready: Luggage pass-through, quilted Airmesh back panel, and breathable padded shoulder straps for all-day comfort on the go.
- Premium Materials: PU-coated 600D polyester shell with fully seam-taped waterproof construction for all-weather protection.
What’s in the box?
There isn’t much to unbox here, and that’s kind of the point. You get the backpack itself, with the DRYOUT core already built into the lining, so there’s no separate rain cover, dry bag, or moisture packs to keep track of. Everything the bag needs to do its job is already sewn in.
A Closer Look
Final Thoughts
Pick the bag up and the first thing you notice is how solid the 600D polyester feels — it doesn’t have that flimsy, crinkly texture some weatherproof bags get. The rolltop closure is easy to operate one-handed once you’ve done it a couple of times, and it gives you a bit of flexibility on capacity depending on how much you’re carrying that day. The seam-taping is neat and consistent throughout, with no obvious weak points where water could sneak in.
Loading it up, the laptop and tablet sleeves are padded well enough that you’re not worried about knocks on a crowded train, and the separation between the two compartments stops cables and chargers from scratching a screen. The Airmesh back panel does a decent job of keeping air moving against your back, which you notice on a longer walk or a warm commute. UAG lists drying times of roughly three to seven hours for light moisture exposure, stretching to five to nine hours if the bag’s taken a proper soaking, and in practice that tracks with a sunny windowsill or a few hours near a radiator.
The front pocket is where you’ll end up keeping keys, a phone, or a transit card, since it’s the one spot you can get into without opening the main compartment. The luggage pass-through is a small detail, but it’s the kind of thing you only appreciate once you’ve had to hold a backpack under your arm through an airport because a bag lacked one.
The headline feature here is DRYOUT Active Moisture-Removal Technology, and it’s a genuinely clever idea. Rather than just keeping water out, the bag’s absorbent core actively draws moisture away from whatever’s inside it, whether that’s sweat from a gym bag, condensation from a cold commute, or a proper soaking in the rain. Once it’s done its job, you release the trapped moisture with sunlight, direct heat, or a bit of forced airflow, and the system is ready to go again. It’s not a one-and-done gimmick either — UAG says it’s infinitely reusable, which matters if you’re relying on it every day.
Around that core technology, you get a proper 18-litre layout. There’s a padded sleeve for laptops up to 16 inches and a second sleeve for a tablet, so the two don’t end up knocking against each other in transit. A mesh zip pocket handles smaller accessories, and a weather-resistant front pocket takes care of anything you want quick access to. The shell itself is PU-coated 600D polyester with fully seam-taped construction, which is a proper waterproof build rather than just a water-resistant coating and a promise. On the comfort side, there’s a quilted Airmesh back panel and breathable padded shoulder straps, and a luggage pass-through on the back means it slides straight onto a rolling suitcase for travel days.
The UAG 18L Rolltop Backpack earns its price by solving a problem most backpacks just ignore: what happens to your gear once moisture actually gets inside. The DRYOUT technology isn’t just a marketing line, either — it changes how you think about carrying electronics through rain, humidity, or a sweaty commute, since you’re not stuck hoping a splash-proof zip will hold up. Between the laptop and tablet sleeves, the weatherproof shell, and the comfort of the Airmesh back panel, it works just as well as a daily bag as it does a travel one.
The UAG 18L Rolltop Backpack with DRYOUT Active Moisture-Removal Technology is available now priced around £105.00 and comes in Black.
