I bought the Max and the Max WP, and sent back the Max. While the WP material has a slightly crunchy sound to it, the bag is lighter and the straps are made of a less bulky material. After being out of the shipping bag and compression straps loosened, the WP material filled out and the bag holds a boxy shape that allows for easy access to the main compartment; I doubt the regular Max material would hold shape like this. The zippers aren’t any stiffer than any other fully waterproof zippers I’ve used and I suspect users with complaints in other reviews have never used a bag with them. Keep them occasionally lubricated with the provided liquid and you should be fine. The color is a very dark grey, almost black, that blends well with anything. The only downside is I wish they would have made one of the interior pockets with a zipper (non-WP) to secure my passport. Overall, very satisfied with the bag and glad I pulled the trigger on it after looking for six months.

Overall this is a great bag but it wasn’t exactly what I had hoped it would be. I really like the way it distributes the weight of what’s in it both with and without the stabilizing strap. The zippers keep the water out and help the bag keep its shape well. I like that the zippers are secure but there isn’t a great way to hold onto the bag when zipping. There are loops where you can attach something like a carabiner to create a better holding position, but it would have been nice if it was already there instead of something I had to find a solution for. My biggest problem is I am finding that it is much smaller than I expected and I have a hard time fitting the same amount of everyday items than the bag that I replaced it with. Would recommend as an everyday bag if you just want to carry a laptop and a notebook but a little too small for an everyday adventure bag.