Patagonia Lightweight Travel Pack

[Bill Law]

Does anybody have experience with the current Patagonia Lightweight Travel Pack?

I like some of the features of this versus my current Golite Ion: pockets, draw-cord closure, daisy chain lash points, axe loops.

My main concerns would be durability and how well it carries.

I'd be using this pack for peak-bagging day hikes and maybe snowshoeing. And sometimes as a travel pack.

[EndoftheTrail]

I do not believe the material will hold up well as a travel pack.

[Rick M]

del

[jscott]

I like this pack as a winter daypack, as long as you understand it's limitations. I can carry a bivy sack, a pad, a sleeping bag and water,plus a down jacket comfortably in this pack. Or a variety of other combinations. In other words, the pack has good volume for so lightweight a package. You definitely cannot carry skis, for example, in this pack. Maybe snowshoes.

You'd want to use a compression sack for a sleeping bag if you carried a lot of other gear. I've never topped this bag out weight wise, but I'm sure that it wouldn't take much.

[And E]

Wish I would have picked it up.. it was on SAC a couple nights ago for under $50. Probably will make another appearance on SAC sometime.

[Bill Law]

Yes; on SAC yesterday for $30 which is what prompted me to look at it.

While the straps on my Ion aren't that well padded, I share the concern of the previous poster. But for that price I might buy one just to test it out.

[Scott S]

I have one of these packs, and I really like it. I use it for all my day hikes. Even with 2-3 L of water, the unpadded shoulder straps have never been a problem for me. I replaced the flimsy foam pad in the back panel with a piece I cut from an old ridgerest, and the pack rides much better (I never use the waist belt). No signs of wear after about 2 years or regular use.

[Mark Verber]

I had the first generation of both the pack and the courier style bag. Durability has been surprisingly good. I don't remember how many years ago I got it, I think something like 3 or 4. The courier bag (same material) was my every day bag for 2+ years and has gone on every adventure travel trip I have taken since I purchased it. It's in still good shape. Normally it's carrying and 10lbs of camera gear + computer.

We got rid of the backpack within the first year. Had a lot of nice features, could never got really comfortable with it. The loads I carried never seem to be a good match for it's size / shape. Your experience might be different.

–Mark

[James Ayres]

My wife and I have used one of these, trading off with other packs, for three or four years. We've drug it through a half dozen countries in the past few years and used it as primary luggage, not only as a daypack. It has served us very well, much better than other more expensive and more 'robust' packs. We also use for short backpacking trips.

Below is a short article I recently wrote about it; to see photos (they didn't come over) go to my website.

http://jamesmorganayres.com/living-lightly/

Patagonia Lightweight Travel Backpack

The Patagonia Lightweight Travel Backpack is offered as a pack that folds into its own pocket, takes up little room in your primary luggage and becomes useful when you arrive at your destination and unfold it. Then, voila, the tiny little pouch becomes your day bag, picnic bag, going to the beach bag. We have found it to be all that and more. We use it as a primary travel bag.

I say ‘we,’ but strictly speaking it’s ML’s bag. I only use it when she’s not looking, or when the load’s a bit too much for her. ML bought it over four years ago at the Patagonia store in Venice, CA. Since then we’ve carried it all over the world and used it far beyond its design envelope. This little backpack, sometimes heavily loaded, sometimes lightly, has been carried on and off dolmus, tuk tuks, jeeps, airplanes and trains; up and down mountains; through rain and snow and summer’s heat, without failing or even showing hints of failure. The stitching is as good as new. The fabric shows little sign of wear and is water resistant.

ML can pack a week’s worth of clothing and toiletries, her laptop, camera, a couple of paperback books, snacks and a water bottle in this gossamer wonder (the bag only weighs eleven ounces) and live out of it indefinitely. When she arrives at a destination, she dumps her clothing, laptop, and accessories in our room and uses it as a combination purse, day bag and grocery getter. The bag expands and contracts as needed. We have hauled two or three days worth of food from markets and bazaars to holiday apartments, rented rooms and camp sites in a dozen or so countries.
Yesterday at the local bazaar, she packed into it: a double bunch of two foot long leeks, a half kilo each of walnuts, cashews, dried apricots and goat cheese, a half dozen tangerines and tomatoes, a half kilo of onions, some potatoes and two loaves of flat bread. There was still had room for chocolate bars and a few other things, which ML picked up on the way home.

For a picnic with friends at the two thousand year old ruins of a Roman city, I carried it with four bottles of wine, two of water, a half kilo each of Brie and paté’, two baguettes, two pears, a bunch of arugula, a couple of tomatoes and a lemon, olive oil, paper plates, and forks – and my sweater and rain jacket. For camping ML can easily carry in it her sleeping bag and air mattress, food and water, and personal effects.

The only improvements I can think of for this pack (I used to design backpacks and luggage) would be to make the shoulder straps longer. They fit ML fine. They also fit medium sized fellows. I wear a size 48 jacket, and would like longer shoulder straps. Also, the elastic on the side pockets needs to be stronger; it has stretched out of shape. ML is planning to sew some stronger elastic over the worn out stuff.

In addition to the main compartment, there are two side pockets, one zippered pocket on the front, a back pocket into which slips a foam pad, and a top pocket for little stuff. The bag does in fact fold into the top pocket when it’s not in use, which is pretty much never.

[Bill Law]

Thank you, James, for the thorough review. I'm more convinced to pick up one of these when the discounted price is offered again.

[James Ayres]

You're welcome Bill. I'll probably pick up another one when we return to the states. Then, I'll be looking for someone to sew extensions on the shoulder straps for me. We've been traveling for almost two years now, and this pack has been in daily use. during this much extended trip. During the same time I've bought and discarded three other packs, all were heavier and 'stronger,' but stitching failed, fabric wore through or 'waterproof coating peeled off. Many things that work OK for a week's backpack fall apart under daily use. I recommend this pack without reservation. I'll be reviewing other gear in Living Lightly soon.

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