{"id":2468309,"date":"2019-07-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/uncategorized\/backcountry-adventure-pack-review\/"},"modified":"2022-05-12T13:12:35","modified_gmt":"2022-05-12T19:12:35","slug":"backcountry-adventure-pack-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-gear\/hiking-gear\/backcountry-adventure-pack-review\/","title":{"rendered":"This Backpack Makes Air Travel Suck Less"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re at your gate at the airport, and you realize you board with the last group. These questions might pop into your head: Will my bag fit into the overhead bin? Will I have to gate-check my bag? Will it fit under the seat in front of me?\u00a0<\/em>I\u2019d be lying to you if I said I never think about these questions anymore, but ever since I\u2019ve used Backcountry\u2019s\u00a030-liter ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Pack<\/a> ($140),\u00a0airplane travel has been a breeze\u2014I\u2019ve even been able to enjoy it (a little bit).<\/p>\n

Our friends at Backcountry have rolled out new gear collections designed in-house, like their climbing line, which we put through\u00a0weeks of testing.<\/a> Among these new products is their ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Pack<\/a>, and it\u2019s quickly becoming my favorite for travel\u2014both on planes, and on daily work commutes. Here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

Instead of schlepping two separate bags, <\/strong>I can fit everything I need for a week in this pack. On a recent work trip\u00a0I took: a toiletry bag, four shirts (rolled up), a hoodie, a pair of pants, a travel cube of underwear and socks, a set of gym clothes, running shoes, my laptop, plus a case of electronics accessories, like chargers, cables and headphones. It\u2019s easy to organize it all, thanks to\u00a0two\u00a0deep zippered main compartments (the laptop sleeve serves as the back panel for one, which opens like a suitcase, while the other is like a\u00a0traditional backpack.) These two big chutes are handy because they keep bigger gear separated: my lunch doesn\u2019t get crushed by my U-lock, and my jacket doesn\u2019t smell like my climbing shoes. If you\u2019re really filling the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø to the brim, two compression straps on either side of the pack can extend to give you more breathing room, or compact it when it's not full.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I normally fly with a 45-liter Patagonia Black Hole bag<\/a> on extended weekend trips, in addition to a 25-liter day pack. While the Black Hole is a great option for pure gear hauling, I find it hard to access my laptop without a dedicated sleeve\u2014that\u2019s usually what my 25-liter\u00a0is for. And with a lack of back padding, the Black Hole can leave me sore after hours of carry. This is where the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Pack really blew me away. The compression-molded back panel is incredibly comfortable. After a few hellish sequences of flight delays and gate changes, this pack was kind to my back. I haven\u2019t taken this hostel-hopping internationally, but I can imagine myself wearing this on long days while touring European towns.<\/p>\n

I also found it great for bike commuting. The straps hug my body and keep everything secure on speedy rides when I\u2019m huffing it to the office. It's even spacious enough to fit a few groceries during post-work errands. To top it off, it sheds water like a dream. The other night, I was caught in a downpour on my bike ride home from the grocery store. I got back, unzipped it, and the goods were dry. Credit goes to the outer material, which is made with 300-denier tarp, and 600-denier polyester.<\/p>\n

One additional, but important feature to me: it\u2019s stripped of any major logos and branding that would otherwise make me\u00a0look like a sponsored athlete. With the exception of Backcountry lettering along the front zip and on the left shoulder strap, the pack is perfectly low-profile.<\/p>\n

I would like to see some improvements, though. The waist strap system could be made more comfortable. If you\u2019re not using the straps, you can slide\u00a0them\u00a0under the back panel. But the buckles poked at my lower back, even beneath the padding. It took some time to get used to, but after tweaking where the buckles rested on my back,\u00a0it was manageable.<\/p>\n

And at 30 liters, the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø might feel a bit unnecessarily large as a daily driver, especially on the days when you don\u2019t need to carry much. But I still grab it before I head out of the door in the morning. There have been more days where I\u2019ve been thankful for the space it offers than days where I regretted bringing it.<\/p>\n

Buy Now<\/a><\/p>\n

Other ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø-<\/em>Approved Gear from Backcountry\u2019s New Collection<\/h2>\n
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(Courtesy Backcountry)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pentapitch Pullover Hoodie<\/h3>\n

At first, I\u00a0thought the Pentapitch<\/a> would serve me\u00a0best as an alpine mid layer, but it was surprisingly useful as a sun protection shirt. I\u00a0took it fly fishing on the Pecos, and it kept me cool and unblemished after a few hours in the direct sun. For those in the ultralight camp, beware: while this shirt is billed as lightweight, I\u00a0found it a bit heavier than your traditional midlayer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Buy Now<\/a><\/p>\n

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(Courtesy Backcountry)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Empire Bike Short<\/h3>\n

The Empire<\/a>\u00a0allowed our male staffers\u00a0to ride snag-free, thanks to the four-way stretch nylon-spandex blend. These shorts have a relaxed fit, and\u00a0we found them comfortable on rides with and without padding underneath. Zippered pockets are nothing new, but these sit higher up on your thighs, so our snacks and keys didn\u2019t swing around as we pedaled.<\/p>\n

Buy Now<\/a><\/p>\n

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(Courtesy Backcountry)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tollgate Short-Sleeve Active T-Shirt<\/h3>\n

There are almost too many tech tees to choose from nowadays, but I\u00a0love the Tollgate<\/a> for this reason: it\u00a0doesn\u2019t stink after the sweatiest, high-output days. The poly-spandex material is blended with lyocell\u2014a fabric made from wood pulp\u2014and I\u00a0stayed fresh\u00a0after long trail runs near ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø's<\/em>\u00a0office headquarters in Santa Fe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This item is currently out of stock.<\/em><\/p>\n

Buy Now<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Travel and commute stress-free, with this pack\u2019s subtle, handy features<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109085,"featured_media":2400243,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"uuid":"6443ff3bcd403a5831101e72465e5315","footnotes":""},"categories":[2558],"tags":[3087,2633,2640],"byline":[2134],"ad_cat":[],"legacy-category":[],"class_list":["post-2468309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hiking-gear","tag-backpacks","tag-bags","tag-climbing","byline-jeremy-rellosa"],"acf":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"This Backpack Makes Air Travel Suck Less","url":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-gear\/hiking-gear\/backcountry-adventure-pack-review\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/outdoor-gear\/hiking-gear\/backcountry-adventure-pack-review\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/26\/backcountry-travel-pack_h.jpg","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/26\/backcountry-travel-pack_h.jpg"},"articleSection":"Hiking","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"syadron"}],"creator":["syadron"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Online","logo":"https:\/\/www.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/favicon-194x194-1.png"},"keywords":["backpacks","bags","climbing"],"dateCreated":"2019-07-26T00:00:00Z","datePublished":"2019-07-26T00:00:00Z","dateModified":"2022-05-12T19:12:35Z"},"rendered":"