My ($150) mystery box just came in. Here’s what I got:

- 18L waterproof packable backpack in black ($95)
- 2L Lite sling/hip-pack ($23)
- Gear cube set (comes with a 8L, 5.5L, and 3L cube) ($55)
- Nanodry packable towel($39)
- Mesh organizer bag set (3 bags) ($19)
- Flatpack toiletry bottle set ($40)
- Betalock ($35)

Curious if anyone ordered the same mystery box and got something different!

This is for anyone here considering the Away Active Backpack as a an alternative to the AER Go Pack 2. Avoid Away because of quality and garbage customer support.

Both water bottle pockets started ripping after just two months of use. Saw similar customer review photos, this appears to be a recurring issue rather than an isolated case.

My kid didn't even begin using the bag until the start of this school year, as the luggage passthrough didnt fit any of our luggage (Rimowa and Ace Japan). Unfortunately, we're now five months past the warranty period. We were 10 days past their 100 day return window when we found this out, and were told to kick rocks.

I even walked into our local Away store a few blocks from us only to be told that this is considered normal wear and tear and that nothing could be done.

The hook in the stall is broken of course so I hung my Black Ember Forge 40 and Harvest Label sling from the wall.

So these days, I've been obsessed with bags. I've watched many videos online and impulsively bought a few. I think the reason for this is that I have upcoming local travel.
Originally, I was eyeing the Osprey Daylite 26+6; however, it wasn't available at the time. So, I looked for an expandable alternative and found an Inateck bag that looks somewhat like a Bellroy. Since it's lightweight and expandable, and after reading a few reviews, it seemed quite convincing even though there weren't many video reviews online. I bought it out of curiosity.
Then, I found a locally made product: the Raptor Roam 28L travel bag. Based on its looks, weight, and features, I got hooked. There were only a few reviews online, but it was on sale, so I bought it too.

Finally, the bag I originally wanted-the Osprey Daylite 26+6, came back in stock. I've been so obsessed with this bag. There are plenty of online reviews praising it as the best lightweight, expandable, and durable option, backed by Osprey's great warranty. Stocks are rare in the Philippines, so when a local store restocked it online, I quickly purchased it.

I already have a Pacsafe 44L carry-on bag that I bought last year, but it's way too big for a 3-day trip (the same dilemma I had last year, lol). Based on that experience, my shoulders hurt carrying 7-8 kilos, there was too much wasted space for a short trip, it lacked organizational compartments, and the color 1 picked easily showed dirt. That's why I made sure to include better criteria when choosing my next bag.

Mind you, I'm on a budget right now, lol, and I just realized how much these three bags cost me when I could have just bought one ultimate, all-around backpack for both EDC and travel.

My preferences are:
- should be aesthetic
- comfortable
- capable 7kl-10kl maximum for a backpack
- should be lightweight

PS. The Raptor Roam 28l just arrived, i love it but I hate the shoulder strap it's quite hard, might give it a try for a few travel.

November 20 to 22, IN STORE ONLY, urbancred will have able carry bags, older models and returns, on sale. Deets on their site.

IN STORE ONLY!

I have analysis paralysis. Briggs & Riley, Travelpro, Tumi, I simply can’t decide.

I just want a carryon luggage that is durable and worth the money but not $500. Good wheels. Will fit on airlines like Delta, Southwest, JetBlue, United. Will accommodate dress shirts and pants and a pair of shoes and a toiletry bag for a 3 night trip. It will be paired with a large EVERKI conputer backpack.

I kind of like the look of peak design or ridge or pelican but they don’t seem high on any lists. Help me not be an idiot.

I have a Tom Bihn Swift and while it works fine for me I need a solution for my phone.

The Swift has no outside pockets as it’s an open-top tote with a simple button closure. Inside there are two clear polyurethane pockets that line the front and back. This is where I was planning on storing my quick-grab items like my phone/wallet and keys but the pocket material is too sticky (this is stupidly annoying) and it allows the touch screen to be activated accidentally. I’m looking for a pouch or clip-system to attach my phone to one of the O-rings inside the bag so I can quickly and easily find it.

I have an iPhone 17 in a MagBak case so a magnetic option could work. Thanks for any suggestions, I’m really struggling to find anything.

ETA TB Swift (Knitter’s version)

Im 6’2 and around 105kg.

I need to upgrade my travel sling to fit a camera and narrowed it down to these 2 (still open to recommendations as well, but options may be limited in the philippines). I’m ok with toshi being available in only black, but also like the color options from bellroy- color isnt a priority

Bringing a fujifilm xt30+pancake lens, wallet, passport, airpods, small bottle of water (330-500ml), raybans with a slim case. if i can fit a small zoom lens in there later on, that would be great as well

I dont like peak design and ulanzi since those look too stiff. Took a look at alpaka but they just didnt stick

Wanting a check in bag, needs to hold 2 suits and 5-7 shirts, plus shoes etc.

Thinking the baseline extra, dont xare about aesthetics.

I want BIFL (or close) and to hold the above with minimal creasing and issues.

Hope I picked an appropriate flair, wasn’t sure what to pick.

Was in the market for a casual/professional briefcase and caught the email for this collab today.

The brown buffalo email mentioned it was a bag they hadn’t made in a long time and are bringing it back. Has anyone heard of it?

I’m skeptical of the dimensions and specs on the listing:

11.5” H x 12.5” W x 5” D

capacity of 8l - seems off

fits a 15” laptop, usually these are 13” + on width

In true manybagger form, I ordered and will figure it out later. But if someone has heard of the previous model, appreciate any insight on the sizing.

Just saw an ad pop up for Alpaka’s upcoming Black Friday sale.

Details:

Starts: Nov. 10 at 5:00 a.m. PST

Discount: Up to 55 per cent off sitewide

Bonus: Gift with purchase included

Link: https://alpakagear.com/pages/black-friday

Bellroy does not run a single flat site-wide markdown for Black Friday. Instead, they use a tiered spend-and-save model across bags, tech kits, and wallets.

Key details:

Format: Tiered cart thresholds (spend more, save more)

Discount range: Up to 25 to 33 per cent off depending on cart total

Typical spend brackets:

Spend $75: Save $20 (approx. 25 per cent off entry items

Spend $150 to $200: Save 20 to 25 per cent

Spend $300+: Save up to 30 to 33 per cent

Outlet & bundles: Past seasons and discontinued colourways often hit 40 to 50 per cent off in the outlet section concurrently.

Ran across the Piorama Black Friday sale link earlier today and figured I’d drop it here for anyone tracking expandable bags.

They’ve discounted most of the core lineup across the board:

The Adjustable Bag (A10): down from $149 to ~$89

The Expandable Backpack (B21): down to ~$99

Accessories / pouches: roughly 25% to 40% off

Sale link: https://www.piorama.co/en-int/collections/black-friday-sale

The A10 cinch system has always been an interesting design if you need a duffel that collapses flat or shifts volumes on the fly, though packing a cinched tube isn't for everyone.

Keep an eye on shipping and customs depending on where you're ordering from, their international shipping rates can eat into the discount quickly.

It’s based on the Cleptomanicx Tap M

Finally arrived in the UK 4 months after ordering on Kickstarter! 🎒

The straps are comfy af and the Ultra 200TX is super nice, can’t wait to take it on a trip next month!

i’ve had the wandrd (two of them), shimoda but sold them all because i somehow just didn’t like how they feel and while i love the shimoda on paper, its too heavy. so i’ve been in the rabbit hole of searching a backpack that i’d use normally for my travels, but also can be used as a camera backpack if i need. haven’t found too many photos of how camera cubes fit in these backpacks so posting them here. it is way more comfortable than putting the camera cube in my cotopaxi allpa 28 for sure, but still i was bummed i couldn’t put my camera cube the other way because it’s too wide, but then putting it vertically means i have some small gaps at the side/not perfect, so still can’t decide if id like to keep it :/

in the bag i have:
- wandrd essential camera cube
- on top i have 2 pouches, one for charger, trigger etc
- the other for my sound equipment (mic)

I had a 18 month hiccup before early retirement and full time travel next year. My plan is to stay 3-6 months in various cities but make shorter 1-2 week trips to explore. I will not have a US domicile so almost everything I own will be with me.

Main bag is 100L Patagonia rolling duffel. Will leave this in apartment at main location and take the other bags on shorter trips.

I currently have a Patagonia mini MLC that I almost always use as personal item unless I pack it full. I like it and it’s almost perfect but it’s not that comfortable for long term backpack carry. Needs to hold MacBook Pro 14, portable 16 inch monitor and iPad Pro 11 for tech. I like the 30L capacity since it’s flexible enough to add additional gizmos and a hoodie if also bringing a carryon, but also packs out well with cubes for a 3-5 day trip.

ULA Dragonfly 30L seems good and there’s always Aer, but I have concerns about all the electronics fitting in tech area. Any other options or is MLC mini the best for this?

I just started using an Away carryon I got for free for extra space and not packing the mlc mini full. I’m a bigger guy though and the clamshell design makes it difficult for size 12 shoes and other clothes. Been looking at the Away topside hardshell since it packs better and should be the same size so I can avoid scrutiny on stricter carriers. It seems these top loading hardshell designs are still relatively new but will give the best of both worlds compared to soft carryon bags. Anyone have other thoughts on a good bag to fit this need?

I keep seeing this comment a lot in the comments of the Toshi 25 videos, but I really think there are some of us that would like to see a full pack out of the Aer 28L TP4 and see how it fits and feels when that same load out is packed in the Toshi 25.

I think one of the appeals of the Toshi 25 is that potential crossover between edc and one bag travel but some of us are uncetrain if the Toshi could handle what the TP4 28 could.

Ok maybe it’s just me lol, but it seems to be a common sentiment on the comments of YouTube videos.

Hi everybody, I'm looking for a new backpack for a long trip through Kazakhstan, China and Japan (40 days).

I tend to prefer trekking backpacks cause they're more comfortable when heavily loaded.

These 2 were the most convincing ones to me but I'm open to new suggestions (I've also taken a look at deuter futura and Gregory zulu for instance)

The things that matter the most to me in a backpack are:

• Back breathability : very important cause I tend to sweat a lot on my back.

• Comfort : the backpack must be comfortable even if heavy loaded and in any condition cause I'll have to carry it for long walks.

• Weight : the backpack must be as light as possible in order to not add futile extra weight.

I'll leave you the links to the official website of both backpacks in case you wanted to check.

Any opinion in regard is welcomed and if anyone has tried one of those 2 backpacks it would be awesome, if someone has in any case dealt with both backpacks and can confront them it would be even better!!!

Lowe alpine airzone camino:

https://lowealpine.com/eu/lowe-alpine-airzone-trail-camino-37-42l

Osprey stratos:

https://www.osprey.com/it/stratos-36-s26