I had posted about deciding between the Cotopaxi a 35 versus 42 liter backpack, about a month ago on this sub. I have now been gifted the Cotopaxi 35 and want to do a solid honest review based on a 2 week trip I took in the south east region of the United States.

I am a 5‘8“ female, and I’ve heard a lot of discussion about the comfortability of the backpack and its straps. Personally, with my build the straps were placed at a very good height on my proportions and I ended up not even using the hip belt, as my pack was light enough to not use it. The comfortability of the backpack and straps are very nice for me, but I know it fits very different based on your build.

Another complaint I’ve heard was about the organization of the bag. I was personally looking for a bag that opened like a suitcase and had multiple different enclosed compartments, so this bag was great for my needs. I used rectangular compressive packing cubes to organize all of my clothes and was able to fit everything nicely.

I definitely could’ve cut back on some items that were on my list, but I packed more for leisure than practicality. My clothing packing list consisted: 4 t-shirts, 4 tanks, 3 shorts, 2 pants, 1 skirt, 1 dress, 2 jumpsuits, 2 light sweatshirts, 4 socks, 10 underwear, 2 swimsuits, 1 hat. I also had items such as a microfiber towel, my electronics, toiletries, etc. And weirdly enough a small travel size board game to play with my friends at the beach (sentimental item).

I don’t have full photos of everything I packed, but trust me at all fit, I even brought a packable tote bag for souvenirs along the way. I received the color wine which is like a dark purple almost burgundy shade. The only negative I would say that it does pick up dirt easier than other backpacks I’ve used. It may just be because the color is darker, but the bag is mildly easy to clean.

The Cotopaxi 35l is quite expensive ($200) as for mine was a gift to me, but I do recommend anyone thinking about getting the backpack to go to a store that carries it and actually try it on, pack it up with some random items, and really walk around wearing it. Because comfort at the end of the day is the main issue for people with this bag. Overall, I really liked the bag and can’t wait to take it on more trips!

Hello friends,

I'd like to gather some feedback from this community before sending it on to our dear friends at Cotopaxi.

Cotopaxi is an iconic outdoor wear and gear company - we all know and love their Allpa travel packs. They also have slings, hip packs, and backpacks for normal people. However, there's one portion of the onebag community that isn't represented here - the active businessman or businesswoman.

I was thinking they could break into that market by releasing a line of Cotopaxi Allpa briefcases. Outdoor gear as fashion and a status symbol is in right now, it's essentially the lib version of commuting to your finance job in an F-250. I think there's an opening here for Cotopaxi if they are savvy enough to exploit it. For example, my nephew is a digital nomad who works at an office in Manhattan, so he would be the precise dead center of their target audience.

I'm thinking they could offer briefcases in several sizes (10 L, 16 L, 35L, etc) with a clamshell form factor and some internal organization. The outside could have their usual range of fun colors, like river, spruce, or desert.

For budget minded onebaggers, they could also sell a del dia version of the briefcase. This one would be $5 cheaper but it would also look like shit.

What do you think?

I have been searching for a good travel backpack for some time now. I came across Cotopaxi and I like the style and functionality of it, however, the price seems a bit too high for me. I was wondering if anyone has experience with their bags, or if you have any other backpack recommendations I will also appreciate it!

My criteria for a backpack is the following:

• needs to fit under plane seats, mainly for cheap airlines (Ryan Air or Wizz Air)

• Should have a 15" laptop sleeve (if not, it's okay too)

• needs to last for around 5-7 years

• back and shoulder pads/good support

I travel and hike a lot throughout the year so I want my money's worth. The weight of the backpack is not an issue for me, as long as it can fit the above mentioned criteria.