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I Never Check a Bag Thanks to This Backpack—Now 60% Off
A giant backpack makes for surprisingly great luggage
By Nick Guy
I almost never check a bag—thanks to a Christmas gift a decade ago from my in-laws.
I thought fondly of them as I sprinted along side my wife through the mazelike duty free through the wrong terminal of Charles de Gaulle Airport (military time is tricky when you’re jet-lagged) after an Air France attendant announced matter-of-factly: “You’ll make it, but you’ll have to hurry.”
Everything I had brought for the 10-day trip was strapped to my back, and not in a suitcase rolling over peoples’ toes. We made the flight with time to spare.
Ten years ago my in-laws gifted everyone in the family matching eBags Mother Lode Travel Backpacks for Christmas. I already had traditional luggage, so when I unwrapped it I thanked them profusely but privately I wondered how the bag would fit into my travel. I shouldn’t have worried: For the past decade, it’s been my one and only suitcase. My mother-in-law turns out to be a seriously savvy shopper. Traditional carry-ons are great, but for me, this backpack is a much better option.
I’ve traveled to Texas, Tennessee, Boston, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Barcelona and more, only checking a bag once. I’m not a particularly light packer and I fill this thing to the brim, stressing its zippers and pockets about as far as they go. When I think about how easy it’s been not having to deal with a roller bag on cobblestones or experiencing the unique pain of watching a baggage carousel go around without my bag ever showing up, I wouldn’t change a thing.
The Mother Lode is a big polyester backpack, but not too big, available in seven colors. It’s exactly standard domestic carry-on size in length (22 inches) and width (14 inches), while the height depends on how much you stuff in it. It fits my 5-foot-10-inch build well, resting right on top of my backside.
I love this bag because of its convenient form, yes, but also because of its pockets. There are so many pockets! The main storage compartment is divided in half by a divider that can be taken down if necessary and there are compression straps to squeeze down the clothes a bit more. On the front, you’ll find a quick-access pocket that’s perfect for your passport, boarding pass or a portable power bank. Unzip the area behind that and there’s a storage compartment large enough for a pair of shoes, plus an assemblage of pockets of various sizes and shapes.
Compared with the Mother Lode backpack my in-laws gifted me a few years back, the current model—which I handled recently—has a few noteworthy improvements. There’s a mesh water bottle holder on one side, hidden in a zippered compartment, so I’m just barely able to squeeze in my ever-present one-liter Nalgene. The rear pocket is now a padded laptop sleeve, designed for computers up to 19 inches. Otherwise, it’s the same bag I’ve known and loved.
In all my trips with the Mother Lode, I’ve never experienced a broken zipper, a busted seam or a rip in the polyester. But it’s good to know that eBags offers a limited lifetime warranty in case something goes wrong outside of reasonable cosmetic damage and excessive wear and tear.
It’s totally valid to need a larger suitcase for any number of reasons, but in my travels, I simply haven’t found one. The Mother Lode has proved to be the perfect travel companion. And that old set of luggage? I ended up donating it—hopefully the new owner doesn’t need to sprint through Charles de Gaulle.