Topo Designs Mountain Pack 28L Review - The Best Travel Backpack?
The Mountain Pack 28L takes much of what Topo Designs is known for and creates a durable bag that can be carried from the coffee shop to the mountain peak.
Pros
- Multi-functional bag for outdoors or urban environments.
- Many (MANY!) colourways.
- Hideaway hip belt Tucks behind the back panel for better travel.
Cons
- The Back Panel has limited ventilation (but not terrible).
- The bag doesn't compress well without a full load.
- Strap keepers are not present on some of the cinching straps.
Technical Details
Capacity
28 L
Weight
1.1 kg
Denier
200D
210D
Dimensions
11.5"w x 19"h x 7"d
Notable Materials
lightweight recycled nylon ripstop, recycled nylon liner
Manufacturing Country
Vietnam
Laptop Compartment Size
15"
Warranty Information
MAP Guarantee
Full Review
Through months of usage as a travel bag, a hiking bag, a weekend bag, and an EDC bag, the Mountain Pack 28L has proven its capabilities. While the factory delivery provided an excellent product, I've chosen to make a few minor modifications to improve my experience with the bag like modifying the zipper pulls so there was a more rigid contact point. Topo also sells a 16L variant of the bag, with fewer features than the 28L. I remain excited to see what other kinds of activities this bag can handle.
Below, we will take a deeper dive into what this bag has to offer, and if it's the right bag for you given your chosen activities.
Want to know more about minimalist travel? Check out the Ultimate Guide To Minimalist Travel from Autogenic Amusements:
The author
Materials and Aesthetic
Outdoors
The outdoors is in the name of this bag. Its design seems to work well for outdoor adventure with its webbing and gear loops, water bottle access, and suspension system. Given its outdoors-forward style, it will be at home on the trail.
Urban
Despite the bag thriving in the outdoors, it also fits in urban environments too. Details like the stowable waist belt and its clean look make this bag more urban-conscious than some other more outdoors-focused packs.
The Topo Designs Mountain Pack 28L blends a bit of a rustic pack style, with a modern mountainous aesthetic. Its styling works best in the mountains, but with the right colorway, it can pass in the office too.
The bag's shape is reminiscent of an old-school mountaineering bag. Topo decided to stick with function over form. The bag is shaped best when it's fully loaded, either with water bottles on the sides, a large puffer jacket in the main compartment, or even a more slender daily kit like what you'd need for the gym.
Thankfully, this bag comes in some more subdued colours like olive green and black for a militaristic colourway. In total, the pack also comes in 6 different colour ways including a combination of clay and black with some blue and green accents, and even red and turquoise with yellow and black accents. The eye-popping colours are sure to grab some attention if that is your desire.
Near the bag's bottom is a logo on top of a gear loop/ bike light attachment point. On the more colourful variants of the bag, the logo is in white and black, but on the black and Olive colourways, the Topo Designs logo is in subdued colours of black and grey. This is great considering if you ordered the darker colours, chances are you'd not want a white label throwing off your vibe.
The bag looks rugged in its construction and materials from afar. From the top, we have a 200 denier ripstop recycled nylon used throughout most of the bag. We then arrive at the reinforced nylon protecting the bottom of the bag from the most abrasive of areas. We see the same material showing up again on the front side of the water bottle pockets. With thin webbing leading to gear loops, the bag is adorned with some functionality in the front. Then the water bottle sleeves on the sides are made from a tightly woven stretch mesh instead of open mesh; this bag can handle being thrown around.
The Zipper to the main compartment from the J Zip area has a YKK zipper. The zipper works well, even when the bag is packed full. If you have the hip belts unstowed, on the wearer's right side is another zipper for a pocket on said hip belt. The laptop compartment and access to the top pouch both have a sturdy zipper that doesn't snag. One thing you might notice is the lack of aqua guard zippers on this bag. Maybe a mountain bag would do well with some more waterproof zippers?
A final note about the bag is that it can look a bit sloppy if you cinch everything down and have the strap ends loose. The bag didn't include any strap keepers except for the waist belt straps. While it doesn't change much about its general functionality, it might not be the best setup in an urban environment where you could get the strap caught in a park bench. It also might not be ideal in the mountains where you could get the straps pinched in rocks or hung up on trees.
External Compartments
Outdoors
Again, the name of this bag is an attestation to its functionality in the outdoors. It has two oversized (in a good way) water bottle pockets for most water bottles and extra gear that you might need quick access to. It also has a front pocket for things like camp sandals or your wet rain jacket. Two cinching straps per side not only work for cinching, but it can also work to strap down a climbing rope or skis for an a-frame carry. Its hip belt isn't as substantial as some backpacking bags, but it works to stabilize the load and alleviate some weight from your shoulders. It also has a built-in frame sheet to assist with a load of your bag. The external compartments have been incredibly convenient when using this bag in the mountains.
Urban
Similar to the last note on the bag's urban aesthetic, the external pocket makes it a good pack in the city too. Its laptop compartment, which is externally accessed, makes it excellent to take to school or the office. The top quick-access pouch has some organization to keep your keys separated from your electronics and snacks. The front slip-in pouch offers a great spot for your shower sandals after the gym, and the water bottle pockets have worked well not only for 32 oz. bottles but an additional layer, a small umbrella, or even a coffee mug when you're in a rush to get out the door.
The Mountain Pack 28L Provides a ton of great functionality from the outside of the bag. From its smart choice of materials to its distinguished access features to its inclusion of many cinching straps, this bag is full of great features.
Starting with the most functional external compartments, the water bottle pockets are made of a stretch woven material that looks and feels incredibly sturdy as opposed to some bags' use of mesh. These pockets are generously sized and each one can handle storing more items than just a water bottle.
The bag comes with two well-placed gear loops, typically for mountaineering tools, that also work as attachment points for anything of your choosing. Going up the bag, the gear loops continue up the front as a webbing for additional attachment points for gear. At the bottom part of the bag where the g hook lid closure system is a cycling light loop that can act as another attachment point of your choosing. On top of this attachment point is the only label of the bag, which isn't too obtrusive, especially in the bag's subdued colours.
Throughout the bag, we have different types of YKK zippers. Do note there are no aqua guard zippers on the bag, so if that's a mandatory feature for you, this might not be the right bag. We have a zipper access to the quick access pocket on the bag's lid, a zipper access on the wearer's right for the laptop compartment, a J-panel opening on the front to give another way to access the bag, and one more on the hip belt pocket.
The bag features a G hook connection point for the lid that affixes to the center/ bottom portion of the bag. It's easy to close and open even with gloves on for those moments when you need to access your bag in inclement weather. Unfortunately, when the bag isn't fully packed out, this closure system can easily come undone. Underneath the lid is a classic cinch closure system with a large (and possibly excess amount) cord.
There exist two compression straps on each side of the bag, and two on the bottom to tighten up the empty bag, or use to attach a sleeping pad to your bag. While this amount of compression is fantastic for larger loads, it almost seems pointless when carrying the bag as an EDC bag, or even just to the gym. The straps do not come with strap keepers. As for grabbing points of the bag, it is possible the use the lid closure system to grab the bag from the front, and there is another thin piece of webbing for the classic grab point on the top.
Next, we have the harness system. The bag features two wonderfully padded shoulder straps. The system has load lifters that allow you to bring the bag closure to your back when you have a heavy load. There is also additional webbing for adjusting the included sternum strap or hanging more gear. The hip belt is well constructed and can handle a bit of weight considering the size of the pack. As a bonus, the waistbelt does include some strap retainers. Lastly, the back panel is constructed as a foam panel with ridges that Topo calls its RidgeBack™ moulded back panel construction, to allow for some airflow. While it is not the most breathable, I feel it provides adequate ventilation without compromising the bag's minimalist nature. This style of panel is also fantastic when laying the pack down in snowy conditions as it keeps snow from building up against your back
On the front of the bag, there is a drop-in pocket that works well for sandals or wet clothes that you want to keep away from the rest of the pack. It has space to expand due to its accordion construction. On a more mountainous note, this pocket would also work well for items like avalanche rescue tools, and additional gear like a tarp.
Below the front drop-in pocket, there is a handy j shaped zipper to allow you to access the bag from the front. This zipper access is so handy that I seldom used the top cinch closure and lid when accessing the internals of the bag. It provides the perfect access if you want to lay the bag flat and pack in things like packing cubes and shoes. It also provides a way to quickly see everything in your bag when you need to rush out of your hostel before checkout time. Additionally, the top of the zipper can sit behind a compression strap for a bit of added security from wandering hands.
Inside the Pack
Outdoors
This backpack excels in the outdoors. When packing it out for outdoor adventures, there is ample space to keep the necessities organized, and bring along extras. It uses a black hole-style main compartment that can easily accommodate extra layers and even overnight camping items.
Urban
This bag does not offer much for the internal organization in an urban setting. Save for the mesh pocket that is within the lid, there aren't any features to help with the organization except the external pockets and a hydration sleeve. Despite its lack of built-in organization, it allows for customization through the use of stuff sacks or tech pouches or organizers.
The bag's lid has a good amount of storage that easily fits a small organizer or even some cross-body bags. It also contains a mesh divider for a little extra organization for your keys, snacks, or electronics. The lid also includes a lanyard for your keys.
The main compartment of the Mountain Pack 28L takes on the black hole approach to backpacks. In some situations, this is great. In others, you might wish you had gone for a different bag. This bag is great for when you might want to grab an entire tech pouch while working at the coffee shop or stow away a sleeping bag before you hit the trail again. This style of compartment allows one to customize it to their liking without being tied down to any set organization that might already be included.
Deeper inside the bag, we have a hydration sleeve that even includes a hanging loop for your hydration bladder. In a pinch, this could be used for a laptop, but why skip the padded sleeve that already exists?
The laptop compartment fits laptops up to 15", though it might require a bit of spatial recognition to fit different laptop shapes. The compartment is well padded on the front and back, but it does not have a false bottom. So, setting the bag down softly will be a requirement if you want to protect your laptop.
Fit Notes
Outdoors
Again, this bag is made predominantly for the outdoors with some features in mind for an urban environment. It is a one size fits all bag, but seems to fit well for those of average size. When aesthetics aren't the priority, this bag works tremendously as a hiking bag. And with a minimal setup, it works as a camping pack too!
Urban
Unfortunately, when not packed out, this bag has a bit of an awkward shape. If you carry a minimal load in this bag, all of the items will move toward the bottom thus creating a short and wide type of look. When used with a lighter load where the hip belts aren't required, they stow away and allow the shoulder straps to carry all the weight, which is quite comfortable even during prolonged carries.
The Mountain Pack 28L comes in a "one-size-fits-most" size. While the suspension system allows for some degree of carry customization, there is no way to modify the height of the shoulder straps or the hip belt. Thankfully, the load lifters provide a way to keep the back closer to your back and should suffice for most wearers.
The bag carries weight well. While the hip belts aren't as robust as some other bags, they do noticeably take some weight from your shoulders. The back panel provides a moderate amount of cushioning from what's stored in the pack. If your laptop doesn't have rounded or slim edges, you might feel the corners start to poke after prolonged wear.
Unfortunately, this bag doesn't keep much structure when not fully packed out. While it can cinch down and compress, it still looks unflattering when carrying a small load. While travelling abroad for two months, I kept the bottom of the bag compressed as much as possible by creasing the bottom panel to limit the amount of space my minimalist travel gear took up. While the bag can stand up on its own when the bottom is not compressed, I chose to forgo this option to customize the bag more for my circumstances.
When I mention compressibility, I really mean it's excellent. It allows the bag to fit into most metal bag checkers at airports. Not once did I have an issue with airlines thinking the bag was too big, even on budget airlines. While they did weigh it, no one ever measured the bag. I even made it on a flight where they were taking carry-on luggage from travellers to put underneath due to no more space in the overhead bins. Thankfully, they saw how small this bag was and how it could pass as a personal item.
Usage Timeline
Initial Usage
Condition: Excellent
Well-built and comfortable
Spacious for any type of trip
2 Weeks of Use
Condition: Excellent
The bag remains large enough for increasing lengths of trips
Compressing the bag for EDC carry is not great
The dedicated laptop sleeve is highly convenient
2 Months of Use
Condition: Great
This bag was taken travelling abroad and packed minimally. It was used on hikes, city exploring, and as an EDC bag. While it excels in functionality, it could use a better compression system to keep the load more balanced.
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