Some backpacks try to be a suitcase, a gym bag and an office at once, and they end up bulky at all three jobs. This one keeps the brief simple. Simple carries better.
The Settlement in Raven Crosshatch is $62.99 on Amazon, sold by Amazon, down from the $90 list price Herschel sets for the bag. Thirty percent off a design this plain and this proven is the kind of deal that does not need a holiday, a coupon code or a countdown clock attached to it.
Built for the daily loop, not the airport
At 17.25 inches tall, 11.5 inches wide and 6 inches deep, the 23L body lands in the sweet spot for a commute. It swallows a laptop, a charger, a paperback and a light layer without turning into luggage you have to negotiate with.
I like that it still looks like a backpack you would grab for coffee on a Saturday.
The grey crosshatch fabric reads neutral with everything in a normal wardrobe, from a black coat to a faded denim jacket, and the small woven label keeps the branding to a whisper. There is no parade of straps, webbing or dangling hardware competing for attention. For a lot of us, that restraint is the feature, because a bag you can wear anywhere gets worn everywhere, and a bag that only suits one outfit stays in the closet.
It also passes the office test. Plain enough for a meeting, casual enough for the train home.
A laptop sleeve that earns its padding
Inside sits a padded sleeve sized for a 15 or 16 inch laptop, which covers most work machines and plenty of school laptops too. The sleeve keeps the computer off the floor of the bag, away from the zipper teeth, and separate from the charger brick that otherwise scratches at lids all day.
The straps carry EVA padding, so a loaded walk across campus or a standing train ride does not dig into your shoulders by the second stop. An expandable side pocket takes a water bottle on the days you bring one, then tucks back flat when the bottle stays home, which keeps the silhouette clean in a crowded car.
Up front, the organizer pocket holds the pens, cables, badge and lip balm that otherwise sink to the bottom and vanish.
A key clip lives in that pocket too. Small thing, big quality-of-life upgrade at the front door.
It photographs grey, and in person the crosshatch leans a touch darker, which suits it. Rain jackets, black sneakers, a white tee, a work blazer over the top on the walk in. Nothing in a normal closet fights this color, and that quiet flexibility is a big part of why the Settlement keeps selling year after year.
Recycled fabric, plain trade-offs
The shell and the liner are both 100% recycled 600D polyester. It feels sturdy in hand, shrugs off daily scuffs from bus seats and locker floors, and gives the grey crosshatch its slightly heathered texture, the kind that hides wear instead of advertising every scuff.
Keep expectations in line with the shape, though. This is one main compartment and a front organizer, not a travel system with a dozen homes for gear, and there is no separate shoe garage or hidden passport pocket waiting to be discovered. If your carry needs a dedicated slot for everything you own, you will outgrow it fast.
For the laptop, lunch and layers crowd, the layout is the appeal. Nothing to learn, nothing to fuss with.
Who should grab the Raven Crosshatch at this price
Students heading into a new term, commuters replacing a bag with one strap hanging on out of habit, and anyone who wants a single backpack that covers workdays and weekends without looking like hiking gear. That is the Settlement’s crowd, and it is a big one.
One color note, because it decides the price. The $62.99 figure sits on Raven Crosshatch, the grey in these photos, and Herschel’s own store matches it at $62.99 against the same $90 regular price. Other colors run higher or sit out of the sale entirely, so the grey is not a compromise here. It is the deal itself.
Gift buyers should clock it too. A $63 backpack from a name people recognize, in a color that clashes with nothing, solves the hard-to-buy-for problem quietly.
At $62.99, down $27 from list, the Settlement is an easy yes. Buy it for the commute, keep it for everything else, and let the louder bags fight for someone else’s attention.