Review on 🎒 Expandable Lightweight Weekender Backpack - Resistant and SEO-friendly by Sri Mims

I agree with Paul's review below. I use a backpack to keep my hands free when walking through transit terminals, looking for tickets, or reaching for railings. Also, in some countries there are a lot of stairs in the terminals (especially the subway) and lugging a bag on wheels is hardly fun. It should be obvious that someone planning long hikes or carrying a lot of specialized gear should probably use an internal frame pack. I don't expect to be able to walk more than a kilometer or two at a time with this bag. My journey is fairly conventional tourism and after visiting all 50 states and 17 countries on four continents I had the opportunity to create a minimalistic system that will help me survive any weather, wet or dry, from about 40 °F to above 100 °F and indefinitely. I don't use a laptop, I use an iPod or an iPad. Everything fits in this Matein bag and the Mountainsmith sling bag. I used to use a book bag as a travel backpack, but since it's a top-loading bag, it's a hassle to rummage through it to get what I need. When you're constantly on the move, unpacking for a night or two becomes a chore, so a bag like the Matein that opens like a suitcase is a much more practical choice. I bought this bag along with the eBags Mother Lode as they both seemed good and I couldn't decide just based on the information on the internet. Both look good but I kept the Matein and returned the Mother Lode eBags. The eBags Mother Lode has more padding on the shoulder straps but no padding on the back. The padding on the Matein shoulder straps is thinner than the eBag, but adequate, and it's nice to have the padding on the back so you don't get completely pierced if you don't pack properly. The eBags Mother Lode comes with a shoulder strap and waist strap, neither of which I need. The overall fit and finish of this bag is very comfortable. All walls are plastered. The zippers look solid and high quality. I had no problems with zippers sticking when I pulled up the corners of the bag. There is a strap on the back of the bag to attach it to the handle of the roll-up bag. Shoulder straps are stowed in a large pocket that can be used for a laptop; There is no separate laptop compartment. The straps attach to the bottom of the bag with metal clips and rings which are easy to work with, unlike the plastic straps on the eBags Mother Lode which I found a bit difficult to untie. The matein straps feel well attached at the top, and the bottom rings are sewn into reinforced triangular flaps that look like they'll take a bit of strain. The hand straps on the top and side of the bag are not that strong. well filled like an eBags Mother Lode but considering it's supposed to be a backpack I have no problem with that; They will work just fine. According to the product description, there are Velcro compression straps in the main compartment. This is incorrect (the description may have been corrected by the time you read this). The fixation system consists of four elastic straps connected in the middle with a clip. This is the only weakness I found in the bag that let me down and hence my rating is four stars instead of five as the elastic doesn't seem much stronger than it was in my jockey shorts and doesn't appear to be would it last that long . But in the event of a rubber band failure, external compression straps will likely suffice. By the way, compression straps are important. One day I went on a trip with a large backpack bag that didn't have one and the bag sagged like a plastic garbage bag and the contents spilled uncontrollably. The matein utility compartment has two interior zippered pockets and a few smaller ones that would be handy. for pens and more. There is a smaller compartment (corner zip in photos) on the back, approximately 9" x 11", which would be a good place for small liquids and other items that you need to take off at security checks. the bag looks good. All seams are straight; open seams are covered with binding and I found only one thread sticking out. The bag was packed in a drawstring bag, which I think I will take with me as a laundry bag. An empty Matein bag weighs about 2 1/2 pounds versus almost 4 for the eBags Mother Lode, although the eBags Mother Lode is slightly larger and has more pockets. (One of the reasons I returned the eBags Mother Lode is because I don't like many bags.) This Matein bag is about half the price of the eBags Mother Lode, and I'm pretty happy with what I have so far have seen. Compared to the eBags Mother Lode and another no name bag I saw at my local department store, this is a good deal. I'll be traveling with him for about six weeks this summer and if I have anything to add when I get back I'll update it. __________ Update: Here is an additional report. I took the backpack on a cross country trip for a week and on an international trip for a month. On this latest trip, we've moved every two nights, en route through three countries, four airports, many buses, boats, trains, taxis, the tube, legendary Heathrow Terminal 5 and the most important test of survival in travel - the London Underground -Train in the afternoon traffic. The pack is in good condition. I'm still disappointed with the sagging rubber straps on the inside, but the outer ones have taken over and kept things under control. I'm a minimalist traveler - there was enough room in the backpack for all my stuff, except for a few things that I carry in a small belt pouch. Inside the package was a thin pouch that I used for washing; and it easily folds in half for storage in the original packaging. I have no problem recommending this to anyone who needs carry-on luggage and look forward to using it on future trips.