Arc'teryx Mantis 26 Daypack - 1587cu in

This is a really nice day, but the main compartment is a little smaller than we would like. Once we learned how to make the most out of all the pockets it was good. The back brace is nice as you don't have to worry how you are putting things in and it being uncomfortable. The straps are great. Again, great for a day but not going to fit much more. Maybe a weekend if you are wearing your only pair of shoes ;-)

I rarely take the time to write reviews, but this pack deserves to be 5*.

I purchased it from REI after comparing it in the store to about 10 other packs. I then took it on a 4 country trip over Christmas. Its best features include:

1) This is a VERY lightweight day pack, perfect for a traveler

2) Its best and most unique feature is how light it feels when completely packed. It sits very high on your back. You can sort of tell this from the picture if you look closely. So instead of pulling on the middle of your torso, it feels like the load is resting higher on my shoulders.

3) The "forehead" pocket (that pocket that zips open from the top) is very very handy when traveling coach. You don't have to pull the entire bag out or open from wherever you have it stowed.

Intangibles: there seems to be a cult thing around Arcteryx gear which I didn't know about (or care about) when I bought it. In Vienna we were in the Schonbrunn palace christmas market outside waiting for the tour bus back. An older Russian couple were being very quiet and not talking with anyone else. The Russian gentleman had on an Arcteryx jacket. I showed him my backpack and he became all animated and said things in Russian :-).

Anyway, GREAT pack with unique physics that makes your load feel lighter than it is.

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Unless I completely misunderstood, this pack is supposed to take up to 17" laptop. well, the sleeve isn't big enough, and due to the arc support, laptop can't be shoved in the sleeve at all. I've even tried with 13" laptop and no luck. As I searched the net, altrec website shows the model putting his laptop in the main compartment, NOT in the sleeve, so I must assume that most people just place laptop without any protection???

I was so looking forward this sleek looking inexpensive pack for daily commute, but I had to return it. I'm sticking with Axios 25 (discontinued) for now Axios is not beefy padded pack, but at least the sleeve does stretch enough to hold my laptop.

Mantis is the lowest end of Arc product line, and it sure is designed & made that way.

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