Cotopaxi Allpa 28L Travel Pack

Our take With the Allpa’s organizational features, you’ll never lose track of your stuff. The main packbag hinges open like a suitcase: One half holds bigger items like pants and jackets and has two internal compression straps to keep clothes flat, while the other has two sandwich-size mesh compartments for underwear and socks, plus room for a pair of light boots and a puffy. “I used the laptop sleeve for its intended purpose on the plane, then stored maps in it for short hikes in the rainforest near Itacare, Brazil,” one tester says.

The details At 28 liters, the Allpa fits under an airplane seat and is small enough to be used for a dayhike, but with smart packing we pressed it into hut overnight duty. A blend of TPU-coated, 1,000-denier polyester and 1,680-denier nylon in high-wear spots, like the bottom and sides, makes the Allpa plenty tough. The material held up to grabby jungle brush in Brazil and rough rocks outside Bozeman, Montana. The foam shoulder straps and hipbelt tuck away, and a plastic framesheet supports loads up to 25 pounds. Tradeoff: weight.

Trail cred “The included pack cover kept contents dry during frequent jungle rain showers,” our tester says.