Good question! I have a Tom Bihn Tristar I haven't done a review on yet that I really like, but the bag I like to recommend the most is the Osprey Farpoint 40. Despite the flaws in the laptop compartment, it's still a really good bag for most people =)
My biggest gripe with the Farpoint is that laptop compartment - the laptop is probably the single heaviest item most travelers pack and should be kept as close to the body as possible to allow for a more ergonomic carry. Packing heavy items far from the body messes quite noticeably with your center of gravity. You might not notice if you're carrying a small tablet, but when I travel for school I'll often end up carrying a 12 or 15 inch laptop and a 10" tablet (plus assorted cables and chargers, maybe even my ereader, and of course my 6.9" phone). There's no way I could carry all that anywhere but as close to my back as possible!
I'm glad you said that, I totally agree. The laptop compartment is the biggest source of frustration for most Farpoint owners. What kind of backpack do you use to carry all those electronics?
@@OneBagTravels I don't have a good travel backpack. I use a lightweight carry-on suitcase when I travel - my IT Luggage cabin bag weighs like 1.6 kg! I'll usually just shove all my tech in the bag if I'm carrying a lot (same for textbooks etc). If I'm not carrying quite so much I might use my old Jansport Big Student backpack, but I dislike how deep/thick it is - when fully packed out it sticks out way too far from my body, makes me feel like I'm going to knock stuff over when I'm walking around 😂 I'm waiting for my suitcase to break before I replace it with a travel backpack - it feels quite wasteful to get something new when I'm actually really happy with my current suitcase, and I haven't actually needed the benefits a backpack gives yet so 🤷 unless something new is launched between now and when I finally replace my backpack, though, I'll be getting the Eagle Creek Global Companion 40 l. It's the bag I always come back to, and always compare all other bags to. It just really seems to fit my style perfectly! In my everyday life I don't tend to carry very much, but I'll be going back to school after a hiatus and am looking at a new backpack. I was kind of interested in the Jansport Envoy, but then I found the North Face Recon and more or less fell in love with the beefy back padding and straps! They're both 30 l bags, too, so should be good for shorter trips. The Recon even has a hip strap, though it's literally just a strap - no padding. But it's removable, and I figure that if I really need one I can probably buy a proprietary one (or just buy the actual pads and add to the strap).
@@FaerieDust I really like the Eagle Creek Global Companion, but I haven't tried it out yet. It looks like it has all the benefits of the Osprey (good backpack straps, decent price) but fixes a lot of the issues (Laptop compartment and, lay flat organization). I'll get around to reviewing everything eventually, thanks for watching :)
@@OneBagTravels I look forward to your review of it! I think its biggest issues, for me, is that there's no way to hide the harness system. The 65l bag's rainfly doubles as a duffel style cover for the whole bag, but the 40l one's only covers the front. Not an issue for carry-on travel (if you put the rainfly on backwards you'll be able to tidy up the strap situation so they don't get caught up in other peoples' bags), but if you end up having to check the bag you'll probably want something a bit more secure... I know people take issue with the massive hip belt, specifically that there's no way to stow it away when not in use. I've seen some people use the rainfly to kind of fold over the hip belt and keep it in place, though I think it might be more comfortable to just snap it closed "backwards" - like, around the front of the bag, kind of like you would a compression strap. I'd almost certainly rather be using the hip belt, but it'd be nice to have a bit of strap and harness management e.g. when boarding trains and planes, I think.
@@FaerieDust Hmmmm, that sounds interesting. I like being able to hide the straps away, but it's not a deal breaker for me. Thanks for your insights, I'm definitely going to have to check this bag out! =)
I'm looking for a -at least - waterresistant travel backpack. Any suggestions? Carry-on size is not necessary, because I travel by train, but it shouldn't be too big, because I tend to overpack and then the backpack gets too heavy.
For sure Verna, anything above max carry on size (~45L) is going to be too big to carry anyway. My favorite mostly waterproof backpacks are the Tortuga Outbreaker and the Peak Design Travel Backpack. My next favorites for water resistant bags are the Tortuga Setout, Patagonia Headway MLC, Timbuk2 Wander Backpack, and Cotopaxi Allpa. Some good water resistant duffels are the Osprey Transporter and Mystery Ranch Mission Duffel. Good luck, let me know if you have any more questions 😃
I have often been intrigued by the value ebag motherlode and your video has demo'd a few details I didn't know... specifically the waterbottle. this has never been a dealbreaker for me as I prefer less pockets to my own organization and always have a bucket/tote bag with me as a personal item so I do not have ANY bags with h2o pockets.. so I actually like the ebag unfurled sackstyle.. the bottle can be secured more than most and it zipped away so no snags ... thanks again for a great comparison.
You're welcome! So far I've been impressed with eBags quality, the water bottle holder is kind of unusual, but you can clip your bottle to the bag so it doesn't flop around so much.
You're right, thanks for correcting that. At 2:10 I said the Regular Weekender was 45L, but it's actually 50.5L expandable to 55L. They actually don't list the dimensions of the Jr. when it's expanded. It's listed as 2538 cu in (41.6L) on the website and says it expands 1.5 inches, which would bring it up to about 47L. It really doesn't feel that big though.
@@OneBagTravels One thing I hate about ebags is how they don't list size by liters. You have to do your own math. This pisses me off to a high degree. On Amazon they'll hit you with oceans of info about their bag, but leave out the liters. There must be a reason for this. But whatever it is, it smells of non-transparancy. Also, the name couldn't be less sexy, stylish or hip. Freaking ebag? What does that even mean? You can send emails with it? It's somehow E-lectronic? Plus they put the name prominently on the bag (or they used to). I really like they're bags. I recently replaced my big ass motherload with their rolling backpack. It's great. Problem with pure backpack motherload was I'd pack it too heavy (because it allowed me to), but then it was so heavy I could barely carry it. Wheels are great. That's why man invented them. Your ebag color is cool in the video. What's name of color. I bet it shows dirt though.
@@Frip36 You'd be surprised how often bags, even high priced brands, leave out crucial information. Weight, material, capacity, dimensions, size of laptop compartment. There's almost always at least one of these missing. It's frustrating. Totally agree with eBags names. "eBags TLS Mother Lode Weekender Convertible Junior" is a mouthfull! 🤣 That color is the turquoise. I've had it about 2 years, use it all the time, haven't really had problems with dirt.
![Ice On My Teeth - ATEEZ エイティーズ 에이티즈 [Music Bank] | KBS WORLD TV 241115](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/c-n92OgbbwA/mqdefault.jpg)
I've owned an Ebag for 6 years and it works Great and now I scored the Junior in Blue for $ 50.49 with free shipping.
Been looking at these 2 plus the allpa 35. Think I’m leaning towards the allpa despite being smaller and more expensive
Allpa is a great pack, and better quality than the Mother Lode.
@@OneBagTravels thanks!
Was considering both but the lack of proper water bottle pocket makes them both a no for me.
It's nice to have a good water bottle pocket
The latest version of the Mother Lode Jr has a better water bottle pocket. It's on sale this weekend too for $54! That's a steal!
@@mkmcdowell4648 good to know, thanks!
Thank you for this review-it really helped me make a decision (went with the Jr)
Nice! Glad you found the review helpful =)
OneBagTravels btw out of curiosity, of all the bags you have used as carry on back pack luggage, which would you say is a personal favorite?
Good question! I have a Tom Bihn Tristar I haven't done a review on yet that I really like, but the bag I like to recommend the most is the Osprey Farpoint 40. Despite the flaws in the laptop compartment, it's still a really good bag for most people =)
OneBagTravels thanks please keep doing the reviews☺️
I definitely will, thanks for watching! 😃
My biggest gripe with the Farpoint is that laptop compartment - the laptop is probably the single heaviest item most travelers pack and should be kept as close to the body as possible to allow for a more ergonomic carry. Packing heavy items far from the body messes quite noticeably with your center of gravity. You might not notice if you're carrying a small tablet, but when I travel for school I'll often end up carrying a 12 or 15 inch laptop and a 10" tablet (plus assorted cables and chargers, maybe even my ereader, and of course my 6.9" phone). There's no way I could carry all that anywhere but as close to my back as possible!
I'm glad you said that, I totally agree. The laptop compartment is the biggest source of frustration for most Farpoint owners. What kind of backpack do you use to carry all those electronics?
@@OneBagTravels I don't have a good travel backpack. I use a lightweight carry-on suitcase when I travel - my IT Luggage cabin bag weighs like 1.6 kg! I'll usually just shove all my tech in the bag if I'm carrying a lot (same for textbooks etc). If I'm not carrying quite so much I might use my old Jansport Big Student backpack, but I dislike how deep/thick it is - when fully packed out it sticks out way too far from my body, makes me feel like I'm going to knock stuff over when I'm walking around 😂
I'm waiting for my suitcase to break before I replace it with a travel backpack - it feels quite wasteful to get something new when I'm actually really happy with my current suitcase, and I haven't actually needed the benefits a backpack gives yet so 🤷 unless something new is launched between now and when I finally replace my backpack, though, I'll be getting the Eagle Creek Global Companion 40 l. It's the bag I always come back to, and always compare all other bags to. It just really seems to fit my style perfectly!
In my everyday life I don't tend to carry very much, but I'll be going back to school after a hiatus and am looking at a new backpack. I was kind of interested in the Jansport Envoy, but then I found the North Face Recon and more or less fell in love with the beefy back padding and straps! They're both 30 l bags, too, so should be good for shorter trips. The Recon even has a hip strap, though it's literally just a strap - no padding. But it's removable, and I figure that if I really need one I can probably buy a proprietary one (or just buy the actual pads and add to the strap).
@@FaerieDust I really like the Eagle Creek Global Companion, but I haven't tried it out yet. It looks like it has all the benefits of the Osprey (good backpack straps, decent price) but fixes a lot of the issues (Laptop compartment and, lay flat organization).
I'll get around to reviewing everything eventually, thanks for watching :)
@@OneBagTravels I look forward to your review of it! I think its biggest issues, for me, is that there's no way to hide the harness system. The 65l bag's rainfly doubles as a duffel style cover for the whole bag, but the 40l one's only covers the front. Not an issue for carry-on travel (if you put the rainfly on backwards you'll be able to tidy up the strap situation so they don't get caught up in other peoples' bags), but if you end up having to check the bag you'll probably want something a bit more secure...
I know people take issue with the massive hip belt, specifically that there's no way to stow it away when not in use. I've seen some people use the rainfly to kind of fold over the hip belt and keep it in place, though I think it might be more comfortable to just snap it closed "backwards" - like, around the front of the bag, kind of like you would a compression strap. I'd almost certainly rather be using the hip belt, but it'd be nice to have a bit of strap and harness management e.g. when boarding trains and planes, I think.
@@FaerieDust Hmmmm, that sounds interesting. I like being able to hide the straps away, but it's not a deal breaker for me. Thanks for your insights, I'm definitely going to have to check this bag out! =)
I'm looking for a -at least - waterresistant travel backpack. Any suggestions?
Carry-on size is not necessary, because I travel by train, but it shouldn't be too big, because I tend to overpack and then the backpack gets too heavy.
For sure Verna, anything above max carry on size (~45L) is going to be too big to carry anyway.
My favorite mostly waterproof backpacks are the Tortuga Outbreaker and the Peak Design Travel Backpack. My next favorites for water resistant bags are the Tortuga Setout, Patagonia Headway MLC, Timbuk2 Wander Backpack, and Cotopaxi Allpa. Some good water resistant duffels are the Osprey Transporter and Mystery Ranch Mission Duffel.
Good luck, let me know if you have any more questions 😃
I have often been intrigued by the value ebag motherlode and your video has demo'd a few details I didn't know... specifically the waterbottle. this has never been a dealbreaker for me as I prefer less pockets to my own organization and always have a bucket/tote bag with me as a personal item so I do not have ANY bags with h2o pockets.. so I actually like the ebag unfurled sackstyle.. the bottle can be secured more than most and it zipped away so no snags ...
thanks again for a great comparison.
You're welcome! So far I've been impressed with eBags quality, the water bottle holder is kind of unusual, but you can clip your bottle to the bag so it doesn't flop around so much.
Is your ebag the newer 2019 version, or the older pre-2019 version?
I bought it in June 2018. Is it different now? I heard they don't use YKK zippers anymore?
Good review. THough I think the slightly larger version of eBag is 54L, not merely 45L.
You're right, thanks for correcting that. At 2:10 I said the Regular Weekender was 45L, but it's actually 50.5L expandable to 55L. They actually don't list the dimensions of the Jr. when it's expanded. It's listed as 2538 cu in (41.6L) on the website and says it expands 1.5 inches, which would bring it up to about 47L. It really doesn't feel that big though.
@@OneBagTravels One thing I hate about ebags is how they don't list size by liters. You have to do your own math. This pisses me off to a high degree. On Amazon they'll hit you with oceans of info about their bag, but leave out the liters. There must be a reason for this. But whatever it is, it smells of non-transparancy.
Also, the name couldn't be less sexy, stylish or hip. Freaking ebag? What does that even mean? You can send emails with it? It's somehow E-lectronic? Plus they put the name prominently on the bag (or they used to).
I really like they're bags. I recently replaced my big ass motherload with their rolling backpack. It's great. Problem with pure backpack motherload was I'd pack it too heavy (because it allowed me to), but then it was so heavy I could barely carry it. Wheels are great. That's why man invented them.
Your ebag color is cool in the video. What's name of color. I bet it shows dirt though.
@@Frip36 You'd be surprised how often bags, even high priced brands, leave out crucial information. Weight, material, capacity, dimensions, size of laptop compartment. There's almost always at least one of these missing. It's frustrating.
Totally agree with eBags names. "eBags TLS Mother Lode Weekender Convertible Junior" is a mouthfull! 🤣 That color is the turquoise. I've had it about 2 years, use it all the time, haven't really had problems with dirt.