Choosing Our Adventure

I’ve been wanting to do this review for a pretty long while now, but just hadn’t gotten around to it. The Cotopaxi Allpa 35L is the first purposely travel related piece of gear that I purchased after I was bitten by the travel bug.

On our trip to Iceland, we both had suitcases, which worked perfectly fine, but I constantly felt like they were too bulky and that I could do it better. When we returned from that trip, I took a deep dive into the world of travel bags, in search of the “ultimate travel bag.” This journey ended up taking me almost six months, before I pulled the trigger on the Allpa.

Long story short, I love this bag, and I love traveling with it. For me it truly is the ultimate travel bag.

The Details

There’s so much to love about this bag, from its build quality to its size to the attention to detail.

Firstly, its size is absolutely perfect for my travel style. I’m definitely in the “carry on only” camp, and the Allpa’s 35 liter capacity helps me accomplish that. At that size, its large enough to hold anything I would need, while still being able to fit into the overhead bins on most airlines. Cotopaxi did recently release a 25L version of the Allpa and as I continue to push for less in my bag, I could see myself scooping that bag up in the future.

Next lets talk organization, the Allpa has it in spades. I absolutely love the suitcase style full zipper. This allows the pack to open up fully giving you access to both sides of the bag.

On the right side is the full sized compartment, which sits against your back when wearing the bag. It contains two compression straps and a mesh zippered enclosure. I can easily fit my small and medium Eagle Creek Specter Tech compression packing cubes and dop kit with room to spare.

The left side is broken up a few different compartments. The bottom is a deep fit area similar to the full size on the right, but only about half the size. Above this area there are two small mesh, zippered areas. These are very big but work great for storing the included rain cover or other small items.

On the outside of the bag, on the front top, there is a quick access pouch that is perfect for keeping items you’ll need access to during active travel. Its a fairly large pouch, which also has a mesh zippered area, and a handy key clip. I tend to keep my photo kit, tech cables, hat and travel documents in this pouch.

The bag has super handy bag handles on all four sides of the bag, making it easy to pick the bag up on any end.

There are also two side zippers, one on each side. One side opens up to provide access to the main packing compartment. I’ve found this perfect for having quick access to my dop kit when going through airport security.

On the other side, the zipper provides access to a padded laptop sleeve. This sleeve sits against your back when the bag in on your shoulders. There is also a second sleeve inside here that will fit a tablet. I love being able to pack my 13″ Macbook Pro in here, negating the need to carry a separate bag just for my tech.

If it hasn’t been clear yet, this is a backpack. The back of this bag is well padded and comfortable even well fully loaded. The straps are wide and well cushioned, and also has a sternum strap. The pack also has robust waist straps, however I’ve not had a need for them yet.

Thankfully, Cotopaxi though about that, and provided a system to tuck away both the waist straps and the shoulder straps. This keeps the bag nice and tidy, with no straps flailing around during active travel. When you pack away all four straps, it allows you to carry the bag much like a duffel.

The bag also comes with several accessories. Along with the previously mentioned rain cover, there is a nylon shoe bag, a mesh laundry bag and a mesh water bottle sleeve which can be attached to a couple different spots on the bag. Cotopaxi sells the Allpa in a couple of different configurations, one of which includes the Batac day bag.

What I love

There’s so much to love about this bag, but my three favorite features are:

• Carry on friendly size: Traveling is stressful enough, so only having to worry about one bag is awesome. It also makes quick movement super easy.
• Thoughtful organization: I love that there’s plenty of different compartments, without going crazy with pockets and zippers. I can mindfully pack this bag and have easy access to everything I need during active travel.
• Comfort and durability: Even when fully loaded, the Allpa never feels heavy or bulky when its on my back. And after two years of almost daily use, it still feels like new.

What I would change

The Allpa is near perfect for how I like to travel, but I have found a few little nits over time.

• Waist straps: I appreciate that there are waist straps but I haven’t found a use for them, and I wish they were removable not just able to tuck away. I’ve gotten used to them tucked in, but I think the pack would be a bit more comfortable if I could simple take them off.
• Tight zip: When the bag is near full there is a single point on the main zipper track near the handle on the laptop sleeve side that can be difficult to get past. I could see this being the spot that tears first in the future. It could use just a little more material between the stitches.

Final word

After all the time, thought and research, making the decision to buy the Allpa was actually a bit nerve wracking. Did I make the right choice? Will I like the pack?

The answer is a resounding YES! I love this pack and after two years of use, its still the perfect pack for me. I continue to look at other travel packs, but all of them seem to fall short in comparison to the Allpa.

If I were to give a rating, I would give the Allpa a 9 out of 10.