Dagne Dover vs Quince: We tested the viral backpack and an affordable alternative to see which is better

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Whenever I fly, I always bring a backpack as my personal item. Most will fit under an airplane seat, and I like having my hands free when I run through an airport. But not any backpack will do: mine needs to hold a lot, since I rarely check a bag if I can help it. Beyond that, the straps need to be padded enough so that I can comfortably wear it for hours at a time. Bonus points if it looks nice — that way I can use it as a work backpack, too.

All my needs pointed to the Dakota Neoprene Backpack from Dagne Dover, a brand we love for its intuitive organizational systems. The Dakota backpack kept popping up on my TikTok feed, so I was tempted to give it a try. However, its $210 price tag gave me pause.

So, I tested it against an affordable lookalike: the All-Day Neoprene Backpack from Quince, a brand we love for its affordable basics and one notorious for replicating designs. Its version of the Dakota has a similar storage system, and better yet, costs over $100 less.

I compared both in terms of quality, comfort, and how well they carry my usual packing list. The Quince backpack was a strong contender, but a few key details earned the real Dakota backpack a spot on my next flight.

Quality and style

Both backpacks look similar out of the box, but a few differences immediately stood out. While they're each made with a vegan neoprene material, the Dagne Dover Dakota Backpack is a shade lighter and feels softer to the touch. The Dakota is also more structured and holds its shape better than the Quince version (though this wasn't too noticeable once both bags were packed).

See more details in our full Dagne Dover Dakota backpack review.

Their zippers are almost identical, but while Dagne Dover's glided smoothly every time, Quince's hit a few snags. Typically, this isn't something I would pay much attention to, but if you're stuffing your bag to the gills or standing in a TSA line and need your bag to unzip seamlessly, you can tell the difference.

Storage

The real test for these backpacks was to see how much they could hold. Looking at the empty backpacks, the Dakota is slightly wider than the All-Day backpack, and while both backpacks have similar internal storage features, there are a few differences.

Both bags feature the same padded laptop sleeve, front exterior pocket with a key ring, two external and one internal water bottle pocket, rear luggage sleeve, and zip-up pouch. In addition to all of this, the Dakota has two extra zip-up pockets inside its front flap, a shoe bag, plus exterior zip-up pockets on either side. The Quince backpack instead has just one.

If you're packing for a longer trip, see our guide to the best travel backpacks.

To test their capacity, I packed both bags as if I were packing my usual list of personal items. I was able to fit everything comfortably, but as the Quince bag grew tight, the Dakota still had plenty of room to spare. Its added features, like the shoe bag and flap pockets, also made it easier to stay organized. With the Quince backpack, I had to dig to access my smaller items, like my AirPods or chapstick.

Comfort

I expected the Dagne Dover backpack to feel heavier, given its slightly larger size. It had seemed that way when both bags were empty. But once both bags were packed, I didn't notice that one felt heavier than the other.

Despite filling each backpack to the brim, both felt comfortable to wear off-and-on all day. Their adjustable straps made it easy to secure them in a place where it wasn't straining my shoulders or back, and neither felt unwieldy thanks to their compact sizes.

The only slightly noticeable difference was that the Dakota straps have slightly better cushioning than the Quince backpack straps.

Value

The Dakota backpack's weakest point is still its price tag. It has more of a "luxury" feel than the Quince version, but $210 feels like a more appropriate price for something made of leather or suede. That said, the Dakota does everything it advertises (and more) in terms of storage and comfort. I expect to wear mine for many years, so it's more of an investment piece.

The bottom line

While both backpacks are high quality and would make a great choice for work, college, or travel, Dagne Dover's Dakota Backpack will be joining me on my future trips until further notice. The details that set it apart from Quince's All-Day Backpack are small and honestly might not matter to you, depending on how you use the bag. But for situations where every bit of storage and comfort counts, Dagne Dover is the winner.

Shop all Dagne Dover and Quince backpacks here.