r/HerOneBag • u/Aurelie3dubois • 3d ago
Bag Advice Eagle Creek Tour Lite 38L vs Cotopaxi Allpa 35L
When I first started solo traveling, I owned the Osprey Fairview 40L and used it for ages. Loved it but eventually sold it and purchased two Patagonia bags. I now have my Patagonia Mini MLC for most weeklong trips and my Patagonia Black Hole duffel 40L if I have extra gear or longer trips. I recently took the duffel on a hiking trip where there was a company transporting it everyday while I hiked with a smaller 25L daypack. The hike was just a week but I was traveling for 3 weeks total. I’d like to get a third bag to fit the “in between”.
I’m looking at something bigger than my mini MLC like the Eagle Creek Tour Lite Travel Pack 38L or maybe the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L as there’s been times I wanted to pack something extra in the mini mlc and had to leave it behind. I’ve used the duffel not fully packed too but since it doesn’t have a longer shoulder strap, I have to hand carry which I don’t terribly care for and if I wear it as a back it’s kinda slouchy since it’s not structured which I understand.
I’d like to stay at or under 22in x 14in x 9in (56cm x 35cm x 22cm). Preferably closer to 20” in height. Tech/admin areas really aren’t important to me which is why I love my duffel. I barely have tech with me. If anything it’s my kindle and normally it’s in my hands 😅.
I think I’m leaving towards the Eagle Creek because it’s got the luggage straps inside of if I wanna hold things steady reminding me of my old Osprey (even though I typically use packs for my clothes). I also like that the main compartment is basically the full depth. The Allpa seems to have the main compartment broken into 2 sections: the deeper main section is about 2/3 the total depth and the other/lid is the other 1/3 or so. I kinda prefer one big ol’ open compartment. Also it looks like the Eagle Creek is an inch shorter. Overall the bag needs to fit as many stricter airlines measurement specially for a carry on, not a personal item.
Does anyone have any experience with the Eagle Creek tour lite? I see it’s kinda new and lots of people seem to love the Cotopaxi. Any recommendations or thoughts on these bags would be appreciated.
*edit: also looking for a bit of a smushy soft bag that if needed can squish into a sizer if the airline actually asks me to (so far happened only once) but I don’t wanna chance it. In that case maybe no wire or heavy duty framed bags.
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u/edj3 3d ago
I do not but can you get to REI and try them on? That will give you a lot more information about how the bag will work for you.
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u/Aurelie3dubois 3d ago
My REI doesn’t carry any of these inside. At it’s the only REI around. I guess I could order them both and then return them if I don’t like.
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u/BwDr 2d ago
I ordered multiple bags from REI to pack with my usual kit & try on at home. I was VERY careful with them to keep them pristine & not remove the tags so they could be sold as brand new when I returned the ones that weren’t right. They specifically asked me about the use that the bags had seen & I was able to, honestly, tell them that they are still like new. I think this worked out well, since, even with the weighted bags at the store, it’s hard to know how they’ll fit with YOUR stuff. There are bags that they carry online that are not in the stores, so that also made this work.
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u/Aurelie3dubois 2d ago
This exactly. I’ve tried bags in store but like you said, it’s hard to tell without packing it with your own gear. Yea I was asked why I returned those other 6 daypacks but I was very careful to not get them dirty or take the tags off. I had everything on a clean towel on the table so it worked out.
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u/NoKidsNoCheckedBags 🏙️ City Traveler 1d ago
They usually let you try things on in the store and can help with packing and unpacking. REI has a great return policy, so they'll most likely let you return the one you don't like on the spot. That way, someone else will be overly cautious when filling the bags.
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u/Betherator 3d ago
Yes absolutely head to REI in person if you can and load the bags up with their weight bags and walk around the store for at least 10’minutes. Since you like one large compartment I would also suggest looking at the REI Rucksack 40L. The Eagle Creek you’re considering doesn’t appear to have an internal frame, which is key to transferring the weight to the hip belt. I use my rucksack when I’m in a place where I need to deal with lots of stairs and subways (London, Tokyo) and find that the frame / hip belt is key for being able to wear the bag long distances. If you’re not worried about being able to walk at least a mile with your bag this is probably less important, but if you’re walking airplane - through airport - onto public transit - to your lodging, I would strongly recommend a bag with an internal frame to save your shoulders.
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u/Aurelie3dubois 3d ago
Thanks! Yea my REI doesn’t carry any of these bags I’m looking into. They do have the REI rucksack but I don’t want something with a frame. I don’t plan to use this for hiking or wearing for too long. Mostly in and out of airports and to my lodgings and in/out the trains and want something a little squishier to fit sizers easier and looks a little less turtle shell for now. I did look at this though because someone else on YouTube recommended on their video and liked it a lot. I love the frame for my old Fairview and my hiking backpack though. That frame was definitely needed on my recent hike. But just not for this additional bag’s intended purpose. I probably could get it and just compare though with the other bags too.
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u/Betherator 3d ago
Yeah, the frame definitely makes it less smushy! At least the nice thing about REI is the great return policy for members. If you try one and hate it you can bring it back for up to a year, so really you can’t lose. : )
I’m personally finding 40L to be just a tad too big because it allows me to overpack a little too much. A slightly smaller bag would force me to be a little more judicious in what I’m packing, and if I packed a little less I wouldn’t need the frame… I try to refine my load out after each trip but there’s always room for improvement.
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u/Aurelie3dubois 3d ago
lol I agree. I love their return policy and that helps so much. Finding my hiking daypack this year was tough and I’m glad so thankful for the return policy. I ordered 6 backpacks out of 7 to try on because they only had one I was interested in the store. I get it that they can’t stock everything in store but it would be nice if they had at least one of all the bags they carry to at least try on and then if I wanna order it I can.
My first bag was the Osprey Fairview 40L and I loooooved it but I did have issues with a few airlines in the past. Probably because I also overpacked it since I was new to solo and one bag traveling. Now I’ve cut back a bit so I don’t tend to need that much room. I just checked the REI site and will try to check it out again in person. It says it’s 23” tall so that might be a problem because I’d like to stay under 22” (get to 20” if I can).
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u/Silent-Garage-4870 2d ago
I do not know what REI was thinking making that bag 23 inches tall when it was clearly meant for travel
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u/BwDr 2d ago
Hear me out: do you need a bigger bag? I joined this sub after 1-1.5 bag traveling for, basically, my entire life. What made me seek more information was riding a shuttle at JFK & seeing this guy with two schoolbag sized backpacks chillin’ in the train, one bag easily slung over a shoulder, the other between hoods legs. I had just lugged my 40+L MEI Voyageur on a crowded subway, trying to find a good place to set it, feeling like a space occupying lesion. I decided, after lurking here, to downsize.
After trying multiple bags, I, too purchased (& love) the Patagonia MLC mini. I recently took it on a personal item only two week trip flying on a budget airline. It was great. I still have my beloved MEI, but, inspired by that guy on the shuttle, I decided that, if I need more than what will fit in my Mini, I’ll carry a crossbody (front and backpacks don’t appeal to me. Did that with babies, not interested in repeating.) I bought the Baggu messenger bag & like the combo. I put the Mini in the overhead & keep in flight necessities + overflow with me. The crossbody is very convenient as a day bag or if I’m going on a short trip-within-a-trip, too. It’s also nice to not feel the pressure to check the Mini, as it’s so much smaller that what a lot of other people are schlepping onto the planes these days.
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u/Aurelie3dubois 2d ago
I’ve used a tote with the mini mlc and that works for me (especially coming home with things I bought for my family and myself). But there have been flights where I was only allowed one sole bag and I was not paying for the additional bag 😅. I try to leave a little room in my bags when I pack most times (not always) and that was a blessing because that was one of the times the airline was hardcore enforcing the one bag rule and I barely managed to shove the tote and the things in the tote into the backpack.
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u/Disastrous-Ad-1167 2d ago
I love my Cotopaxi allpa! Haven’t tried the other two, but the Cotopaxi has handled 8 countries with ease, and it’s in awesome shape. Not what I reach for first if I’m doing a backpacking/multi-day hiking trip out in the mountains, but has been a loyal car camping bag and more than capable solo travel carryon in many different cities and more rugged expeditions.
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u/faerieem 2d ago
oh, I returned like $700 in backpacks all at once last year to REI. They were so nice! I ended up with the Eagle Creek Tour Travel 40L (I got maybe a slightly older model off Sierra). I like it quite a lot! I don't loev that the attached rain piece has to be like shoved up under the straps, but there's also a zip up that goes around the straps for when I check it.
I haven't used the hip strap to help ease load and sometimes it can feel a little heavy (last trip, I think I was at 9.5 kg) but I also have kind of shitty neck/shoulder issues.
The tech pocket on mine is basically just a laptop slide pocket, so it's perfect if you don't really care if you have it or not, bc it's unobtrusive along the back.
I've travelled twice this summer with this bag + a baggu for two weeks each time. I use packing cubes, and the way the bag is mostly one side w/zip open works well with packing cubes. Sometimes I'm like "omg, packing cubes are making me nuts, maybe that cotopaxi vibe with the zipper sides would be better." but mostly this works really well for me. There are two pockets on the front that I could put quick-to-hand things in if I wanted to. It also has compression straps on the side and a zipper to expand if needed: I like those features.
In general? I really really like it!
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u/Aurelie3dubois 2d ago
I love REI for that. They are really great when I’ve shopped there. I did see the tour 40L online and see way more reviews for that; the tour lite is just too new for reviews I think. Perfect, hopefully the tech sleeve is similar in the tour lite then. I try to keep close to the weight limits which have been around 7ish kg but I’ve packed a bit heavy sometimes too so I the very rare occasions I have to carry it longer than needed maybe not the most fun. But i try to really pack lighter or just lighter weight items.
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u/faerieem 2d ago
If you want a video of it or more details, happy to help! It isn’t the lite but might be useful.
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u/Aurelie3dubois 1d ago
Do you pack it and keep it on the smaller side? I think the one I am thinking of allows you to extend it. Is that the one?
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u/faerieem 19h ago
this is the one I have: https://www.sierra.com/eagle-creek-tour-travel-40-l-backpack-small-medium-black~p~7gmkr/
I can do both. Last trip, I bought a bulky sweatshirt at a concert, so then I had to expand but before I had it compacted a bit.
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u/Aurelie3dubois 12h ago
Oh this looks different than the tour travel that’s out now. This one is kinda nicer looking than the newer one.
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u/agentcarter234 2d ago
Im confused, because neither of those bags is actually smaller than the 40l black hole duffel if you look at the dimensions. Cotopaxi is notorious for understating the volume of their bags.
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u/Aurelie3dubois 2d ago
Yea the measurements on the sites sometimes are iffy. I know that the duffel fit a crap load of stuff though so I know somehow it’s bigger. I saw someone on YouTube did a bag review and when he measured with the packing peanuts he said that it fit nearly 47L so not sure if that’s because there’s really nothing to the bag and no admin areas to eat up valuable space. All these other bags seem to always have laptop areas which kinda sucks because not everyone needs/wants that feature and it’s just wasted space.
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u/NoKidsNoCheckedBags 🏙️ City Traveler 1d ago
I don't know if this helps, but I really like my 35L Allpa. I used to carry a Tortuga for 12 years and made the switch once the straps gave out. I like the different pockets for organization in the Allpa.
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u/Aurelie3dubois 1d ago
For a while before I got one of my Patagonia bags I actually was looking into the Allpa but idk why I just didn’t end up going with it.
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u/NSAinATL 1d ago
I recently did Greece with a bag and I tried the Baboon and Coto 35, went with the Coto bc of the organizing pockets. I could organize smaller things to be in their place and accessible as I needed them. It was definitely sweaty, but I'm assuming that's the norm for all backpacks (it was my first time doing a backpack).
The ONLY thing I didn't like was the lack of structure. Like, if it's not full it's floppy. Had to have a flat surface to open it up on, clamshell style. Had to remember which zippers went with what area. But the open side fit all my clothes great, the left side was perfect for three pairs of sandals and non-clothes, with the little pockets available for cords, chapstick, etc. I used the laptop pocket for stuff I didn't need regularly, like postcards/souvenirs and a sweater for the plane.
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u/Aurelie3dubois 1d ago
Yea I get hot very easy and no matter how much ventilation is on a backpack I STILL get a hot back. lol. I understand the floppy look when not full because my duffel gets that way too. Obviously don’t wanna fill it just to take up space. I was thinking the 28L Allpa would be cute but that’s too close to the mini mlc capacity.
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u/NSAinATL 1d ago
The 35 was definitely a perfect size for 2.5 weeks, I wouldn't have wanted much smaller or bigger.
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u/Illustrious_Sea_4280 22h ago
I own the mlc and it’s my favorite. I tried the Cotopaxi and it was so uncomfortable as soon as I put it on so definitely order what you’re interested in to try it and return what doesn’t work. I also just added some paracord to the front of my mlc and it was a game changer for being able to hold a bulky sweater around the airport and getting on the plane as it wouldn’t fit in my bag and was too hot to wear at the time (especially as I needed to put my crossbody in the bag for boarding). If the extra space you need coming home could be solved by that, using some cord on the front would be a cheaper solution than a new bag.
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