LBC Just Reviewed the Y-CO 3. Their Verdict: Excellent
The UK's biggest talk station took the YOMP Y-CO 3 on a two-week trip with nothing else. Here's what they found, and what it means if you're looking for a serious rucking backpack with load weights in the UK.
When a journalist from a national media outlet takes your backpack on a two-week trip, uses it for everything: travel days, day carry, work, dinners out, and comes back saying they'd do it again with nothing else, that's not a review you bury. That's one worth reading properly.
In June 2026, LBC published an independent review of the YOMP Y-CO 3 Backpack. No sponsorship. No gifted placement. Just a writer, one bag, and two honest weeks on the road. Their conclusion: the rest of it is excellent, and yes, they'd use it again.
If you're weighing up a rucking backpack with load weights and want to know what independent hands-on use looks like beyond training reviews: this is it. Here's what the piece said, and why we think it matters.
"The YOMP Y-CO 3 feels like a serious bag made by people who understand that backpacks are tools, not accessories. It can do rucking, commuting, travel, gym kit, work gear and everyday carry without feeling like it has been compromised too far in any one direction."
Read the full review at LBC.co.uk →What the Review Actually Said
The reviewer took the Y-CO 3 in Coyote as their sole bag for a two-week trip. They weren't rucking with it. They were testing whether a backpack designed primarily for load carriage and training could handle real-world travel, and whether it would look reasonable doing it.
The short answer was yes on both counts, with one caveat we'll get to.
On build quality, the review was direct. 1000D Cordura, bartacked seams at every stress point, box-stitched handles and shoulder straps, YKK Aquaguard zips throughout. The reviewer described it as feeling "properly tough": the kind of bag you don't baby because you don't need to.
"This thing feels properly tough. The kind of tough where you are more worried about what it will do to the wall than what the wall will do to it." (EJ Ward, LBC, June 2026
On organisation, the interior got specific praise. Multiple storage pockets, a side-access laptop compartment that takes up to a 15-inch laptop, and one detail that surprised them most: high-visibility orange mesh lining on the internal pockets. A small thing until you're trying to find something in bad light and it suddenly isn't small at all.
On comfort, the review singled it out as the area where the bag "really earns its keep." The 10mm EVA back panel, 20mm padded mesh zones, and airflow channels kept heat and sweat manageable across long movement days. The removable hip belt, included as standard rather than sold separately, was noted as making a real difference when the bag was fully loaded.
The one criticism: no external water bottle pockets. The reviewer understood the design logic (cleaner profile, no snagging), but still wanted them for warm-weather use. Noted. If that's a non-negotiable for you, a MOLLE water bottle attachment solves it.
What This Tells You About It as a Rucking Backpack
The LBC review wasn't a rucking review. But that's almost the point. The Y-CO 3 was tested in the most demanding way for an everyday carry bag: constant switching between use cases, fully packed, across two weeks of real movement, and it held up without compromise.
For rucking specifically, the bag does things the travel test didn't even touch. The internal plate pocket sits flush against your back and accepts weight combinations up to 70lb, close to your centre of gravity, which is exactly where load should sit for efficient, comfortable training. The hip belt that impressed the reviewer during travel becomes essential during a loaded ruck, transferring weight from your shoulders to your hips and legs. The sternum strap locks the whole thing in place during movement.
These aren't features borrowed from hiking or travel design. They're the result of building the bag first for load carriage, and discovering that it transfers remarkably well to everything else.
Full Specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Material | 1000D Cordura |
| Dimensions | 11.5" W × 18" H × 5.5" D |
| Max load (with weight plates) | Up to 70lb |
| Access | Top-loading + full front zip-down panel |
| Laptop compartment | Side-access, up to 15" |
| Zips | YKK Aquaguard throughout |
| Back panel | 10mm high-density EVA + 20mm padded mesh + airflow channels |
| Shoulder straps | Mesh-spacer lined, box-stitched |
| Hip belt | Removable, included as standard |
| Sternum strap | Included |
| Front panel | Laser-cut MOLLE + full hook-and-loop panel |
| Interior lining | High-visibility orange on all mesh pockets |
| Seams | Bartacked at all stress points |
| Colours | Shadow Black, Coyote |
| Price | £189, free UK delivery |
What Works. What Doesn't.
What Works
- 1000D Cordura, built to last under genuine use
- Internal plate pocket rated to 70lb
- YKK Aquaguard zips throughout
- Dual access: top load and full front panel
- Side-access laptop compartment
- Hip belt included, not an add-on
- EVA back panel keeps load stable and cool
- Orange interior lining, genuinely useful in low light
- Versatile across training, travel, and daily carry
Worth Knowing
- No external water bottle pockets. MOLLE attachment recommended.
- Premium price tier. This is a considered purchase, not an impulse buy.
The Y-CO 3 vs the Y-CO 1: Which One Is Right for You?
The Y-CO 1 at £129 is the dedicated rucking backpack. If your primary goal is training: structured sessions, building under load, carrying weight plates, it does that job cleanly and costs £60 less.
The Y-CO 3 at £189 is for the person who wants that same rucking capability but also needs the bag to function as their everyday carry, travel pack, or work bag. The dual access panel, side laptop compartment, more advanced back system, and hip belt make it the right call when the bag needs to pull double or triple duty.
Both are 1000D Cordura. Both are built in the same tradition. The difference is what you're asking the bag to do outside of training.
