My mission for the perfect traveling bag started 4 years ago. Yes, it was a long one but I was not about to buy 4 bags, compare them all, then go to the post office with the returns.
Please bear with me. The back story is important here.
It began with a medium sized 4wheeled bag for my wife and a medium 2-wheeler Burton for myself. She liked the ease in pushing her stand-up luggage over the airport's smooth floor but once out in the real-world her bag was more easily pulled using just 2 of its wheels. Which was actually 90% of the time. During its 4th voyage, while traveling over pebbles to a oceanside hotel one of its cheap plastic wheels started to malfunction. It never rolled smoothly after that day but we did use it for the return trip home. Well, it was still under warranty but they would only repair it if I sent it back to them. That would be $10 for a cardboard box from staples and probably another $30-$40 to mail it backTo repair a $80 used bag?
In the mean-time, my Burton luggage rolled-on like a tank due to its skateboard type wheels which always survived the baggage handlers, but alason its 5th trip, one of its zippers simply disappeared. Discovered this at baggage claim where I made a damage claim. The airline offered me a new bag of equal size which I promptly rejected because It wasn't even close in quality to mine. The problem was taken care of using a zipper repair kit ordered here on amazon.
Both of these bags juuuust make the size limit for carry-ons. Which, for me is more often bad, rather than good. Reason being... It was a huge hassle trying to find room in the overhead compartments of economy class (I prefer to spend the money on trips to exotic locals).
So, we decided to leave our wheeled luggage at home and travel with backpack luggage made for active people. I started looking for pack that had a rectangular shape with a flat bottom and deep sides for maximum capacity, and it should have compression straps to cinch it all in to fit in those overheads.
When I first saw the eBag MotherLode I knew it was large enough to handle a week's vacation worth of clothes. You see, over the years I've learned that less is more and I believe most frequent fliers come to this realization eventually. Instead of bringing alot of clothes, just utilize a washing machine or the hotel's laundry service.
This bag can easily hold my 10 day load;
1 pair casual cotton pants
1 pair blue jeans
1 dress slacks
belt
2 casual long sleeve
1 dress shirt
2 t-shirts
1 nice pair of black shoes
2 wool socks
2 wool briefs
(lightweight wool underwear is simply amazing for travel. You can clean it in the sink at night and it will be dry by morning. It's itch-free and anti-odor as well. I've found the best to be made by Icebreaker.)
Sounds like too little? Not really because i fly wearing loose-fitting casual pants, long sleeve shirt, t-shirt underneath, socks and casual shoes.
Back to the bag. It looks like a backpack but packs like luggage. The zipper goes around 3 sides so you can pack comfortably. There is a fabric divider which will keep things from clumping at the bottom of the bag when it kept in a vertical position. I put my shoes in plastic bags and packed them in the "south" of the bag with my pants and heavier items while my shirts go in the higher level with the light stuff. Of course, the zippers can be locked.
Besides the large main compartment, there is a zipper which opens to add another 2 inches of capacity. I've never had to use it and i imagine that if I did, this bag would become just as large and unwieldy as wheeled luggage. But it's good to know that if i need the extra space to bring back any "great finds", I can load it up and check it in.
Next up, the laptop compartment which I do not use because smartphones are just as helpful in a wifi equipped room. And I do make sure my hotel had wifi before I book it. So I use this easy to access area to hold a book or two. This pocket can also be locked.
Then there is a small dual zippered area on the top front. Looks like it's been made seperate to hold used socks/underwear or light shoes. I do not use this pocket at all because it opens way to easily, so I keep a small tsa lock on it at all times.
We now move on to the second largest compartment. Here you can keep everyhting else that you will need like cameras, chargers, electric shavers, books, etc... Very good size for a secondary area. Along the inside of the flap there is a cell phone pocket, and small mesh pocket, and two zippered pockets for documents and wallet. Can also be locked.
The next zipper is vertical and secures a pocket along the outside of the pack. Here is another good place to keep a book. Specifically the one you will need easy access to. This area is not lockable.
There is another small zippered pocket off to the side in which is stored a bottle holder cinch sack which you would use while actually carrying the pack on your back as it sticks out too far to keep a bottle in here while doing anything else. Not lockable.
This brings us to the final compartment on the back of the pack in which hides the carrying straps which can be attached very quickly and easily and are very well padded and make carrying this pack around very pleasant, even for long distances. If you feel the desire to run you simply attach the chest strap (included, along with waist strap and a shoulder strap) which enables the pack to stay the course. It's zipper can be locked as well.
Oh, and there is a carrying handle on top and one along the side and a "pick up strap" along the bottom end so that you dont have to touch the bottom of the bag when lifting in that manner.
I do believe I've covered it all.
Mission accomplished.
Debated back & forth on whether to purchase this or the Rick Steves convertible backpack for my son's 3 week trek through Europe. Saw the other seemed to have quality issues, so I took a chance on the ebags Mother Lode Weekender, as I was impressed with their lifetime warranty. The twisted poly material seems very durable (looks in appearance like ballistic nylon, but smoother), and the black makes for an attractive bag. Seams are well reinforced, and there are lots of carrying options. Padded straps are very comfortable. Didn't realize when I ordered that it came with a separate padded strap that you can attach to carry over your shoulder if you choose. Also didn't know that it had an expandable zipper option, which is what I was hoping for. Outside pocket is also very deep, so plenty of room for packing. Lots of large & small storage compartment areas (even a pull out water bottle holder) possibly more than one would use, but good to know they're there, as are the built in dividers. All that can only help keep one more organized & make it much easier to get through security. Four outer compression straps can really cinch down your pack. Plenty of room for his 15" laptop, if he takes it, although that would add to the weight. The only concern I have would be whether the heavy plastic clips will withstand the test of time, but I imagine if not, the warranty will take care of that. There's a great video on the ebags website that shows you how to best utilize all the compartments/features.
Follow-up: One year later we have used this bag on a few different trips (I borrowed it when my husband & I went to Italy last fall. We took that, 1 small rolling bag & a drawstring bag for a 10 day trip & were set). The backpack really is well made; I was very impressed & have recommended it to others without hesitation.
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I just took a trip for five days and wanted to stick with carry-on and avoid checking fees. Everything fit into the bag perfectly with room to spare, I was able to easily fit two large souvenir mugs and some extras I'd picked up on my trip. I was able to pack things neatly since the bag has a divider in the main compartment which really helped when my bag went through the X-ray.
There are so many pockets and compartments, there were a few that I hadn't noticed until I was packing and still one more that I didn't notice until about halfway through my trip. There were a couple of times when I was trying to find "just the right spot" to pack something and I just started opening pockets and found the perfect place for everything.
The dimensions were almost exactly the maximum dimensions for carry-on luggage, but I think that was based on using the expansion zipper because my bag fit perfectly into the overhead with room to spare.
Finally, I really love how lightweight the bag is I am a 5'1" woman and I didn't want to be hauling around a bag that weighed too much (plus there is the weight limit for carry-on luggage). I was amazed when I weighed the bag after I'd packed everything I needed.... everything weighed just under 15 lbs! The bag wasn't so comfortable that I'd go backpacking in Europe with it, but it was great for the maneuvering I had to do through the airport and the airplane.
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I bought this bag about a year and a half ago from ebags. I have been to San Francisco, Thailand, New York, Las Vegas, and Chicago with this bag. It has held up like new. I love all the organization compartments and the different ways to carry the bag. I don't know if you notice this but the zippers can be locked. I bought some non TSA brass locks for stuff I wanted secure. With so many compartments it is very easy to misplace stuff. It did take a couple of days to get used to where to put everything. This is like the swiss army of carry on bags because it has so many roles. With the increased fees for checked bags I find this bag to be a great deal to stuff as much travel stuff as possible. I have never had a problem placing the bag in the overhead bin on any airline even when the bag was fully expanded. Do your self a huge favor and go to the ebags website or youtube to look at the features of the bag which are indeed ingenious. The bag comes in at 3 lbs, 15 oz which is great especially when you fly over seas where the carry on bag limit can be restricted to 15 pounds! I have never seen the weight restriction imposed. If the airlines start to enforce the limit or lower the weight then it is great to be to squeeze every little ounce if you have too. Buy this bag if you travel or plan on traveling. I hope this review helped because just like you, I read what you review when I buy something.
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I bought this bag for a 6 month trip wandering around Europe. I'm around 5ft 2, average weight, female & thought this bag was a perfect fit. My last pack was a High Sierra model that sat too high on my shoulders & always felt like it was choking me, and I had no such problems with this pack. I did bring a smaller pack with me for day to day things (the front pack off my old High Sierra, actually), but this pack is big enough to hold the essentials. Good organization, sturdy design. I used packing cubes for my clothes & whatnot, 1 large one at the top, and then 2 smaller ones with heavier stuff down the bottom, and never had an uncomfortable moment with this pack. Highly recommended.
We just returned from a trip to an area where daily hiking through natural parks & weight restrictions were an issue. This bag answered all my needs! Durable enough to load up for daily treks, 2 water bottle pockets on sides held up wonderfully! Large enough center pocket to carry what you need, outside smaller pocket great for quick access. Nice, durable water-resistant nylon with comfortable shoulder straps. Perfect for day trips!
