Yeti now has an expansive range of backpacks. Far from being a retailer of coolers and coolers alone, the American outfit now has a backpack or case to fit nearly any type of adventure or need. One of the latest is this – the Cayo – which draws inspiration from the Panga and brings it into a more everyday setting. 

The only issue with Yeti’s success is that we now put an even finer-tooth comb through any new product it creates. With such a reputation for rugged dependability, Yeti’s products now feel like they have to do even more, which is why there’s plenty of pressure mounted on the Cayo. We’ve been trying it out to see how it gets on. 

Sphere Score

For

• Rugged design
• Zips feel strong
• Handy bottle pocket

Against

• Primary material is stiff 
• Zips can take some getting used to
• Just about fits a laptop

Tech specs 

• Price: from £200
• Weight: 1.6kg
• 15, 25 and 35-litre sizes
• Weather resistant 
• PU-coated zipper
• Removable chest and waist straps 

What does the Yeti Cayo have to offer?

To look at, you could think that the Cayo is just a mini-Panga backpack. However, there are some key differences. While the Cayo does get a durable DryHide shell, it is only water-resistant, rather than completely waterproof like the Panga. Of course, the Cayo’s design means that it’s unlikely to leak during even a heavy downpour, but you won’t be able to completely submerge it. So if you’re heading off for more water-based activities, we’d recommend the Panga instead. 

But don’t discount the Cayo just yet, as it’s equipped with loads of great features that help it to shrug off conditions that would defeat ‘normal’ backpacks. Alongside that hard-wearing interior, you’ve got PU-coated zips for better wet-weather protection, and the RF-welded seams help this further. 

The Cayo also gets removable chest and waist straps to help distribute the weight of the backpack more evenly. There’s a mesh back panel, too, which aids airflow and will help on those warmer days. When you do need to stop and take a water break, there’s an integrated front pocket which can accommodate one of Yeti’s Rambler bottles – it’s much larger than you’d expect, in fact.

Inside the bag, you’ll find mesh storage pockets and an interior sleeve that can hold a two-litre water reservoir for those more demanding days on the trail. It’s also available in 15-, 25- and 35-litre capacities, with our test bag coming in that middle size. We found it just spacious enough to accommodate a 13-inch laptop with a bit of a squeeze. At present, the Cayo is available in two colours – black or Olive, as you see here. 

Wearing – what is the Yeti Cayo like?

On first approach, it’s easy to get a sense of the Cayo’s rugged design. As we found with the Panga, the Cayo’s hard-wearing exterior doesn’t offer a lot of give and on our initial few goes with the backpack, the zips did resist quite often and needed a fair bit of persuasion to operate. That said, once they’re clicked into place, the zips do feel reassuringly tight and help to give the impression that this backpack will manage well in a downpour. 

The exterior skin of the backpack means that getting larger items in and out can be a struggle. For instance, if you need to try and put a laptop inside, then you need to bend the top of the bag slightly to provide enough of an opening. However, we found that as time went on, the Cayo did start to loosen up slightly. A by-product of this is that the exterior of the Cayo is very hard-wearing and you’re confident that wherever you put it, be that by the trailside or on rocks, there’s very little chance of it taking on any damage. 

Being this robust means that the Cayo feels on the heavier end of the backpack spectrum, but those chest and waist straps work very well to disguise that weight. Once fully loaded, it does feel weighty, but thankfully, the primary straps are extremely well cushioned, and that mesh back panel helps to keep you cooler. 

Storage-wise, the Cayo does very well. The handy top pocket is ideal for your keys or passport, or anything else that you need to get to in a hurry. There’s also a small clip inside which you can affix your keys to in order to keep them extra secure. The primary storage area of the bag does get some handy mesh dividers, but it really is best seen as one main pocket. We’ve yet to try out the hydration reservoir but, as mentioned, it’s okay to be used for a laptop too. 

The front pocket really does help to level up the Cayo. As you can see, there are no dedicated bottle pockets on the outside, but this front storage area makes up for it. Without bottle storage, we’d struggle to give a bag a strong score, but this helps the Cayo to swerve this criticism. Again, like the primary pocket, it can be stiff and tricky to access, but this eases up with time. The interior of the bottle pocket feels as though it’s lined with a more waterproof material than the rest of the bag, too, which could help it to protect the interior of the Cayo from any accidental spillages. 

To finish

It looks like Yeti is on to another winner with the Cayo. As we’ve mentioned, if you’re after a completely waterproof solution, then the Panga will be your best choice but since that only comes in larger sizes, it’s not as portable as the Cayo. Plus, for most people, we expect that the water resistance that the Cayo offers will be more than enough. 

Combine its genuine usability with a stylish and relatively undercover design, and the Cayo makes for a very dependable backpack indeed.