3 weeks in Cotopaxi Allapa 35L- CNN article

She’s using my Cotopaxi in almost the same colors as mine! I absolutely love this bag, too, and have packed it for two 1-month trips in 2023 and 2024. I’m willing to wash my day’s clothes in the sink, so I can just bring 4 outfits instead of her 8+ to keep my weight down to 13.5 pounds. My extra pair of shoes is a nicer flat because locals do tend to dress up for dinner or a music/art event.

As she mentioned, it’s a wonderful bag for being nimble and moving a lot, which is my preference style of traveling to stay in many small towns overnight by train.

Cotopaxi means Jean from Idaho to me! They should do a feature on you, Jean, how to really travel light and nimble. I’m visiting my daughter in Alaska at the moment and she has a big tote bag from Cotopaxi she loves. I wasn’t aware of the company until reading about it here.

I just took my Cotopaxi on a road trip to PA and OH and it worked great again. I do love that bag! Mine is in the Del Dia colors and it's so bright I could never lose it, lol!

Lyndash, I could write up my version where one swimming suit is plenty. LOL! I should create one showing how quickly I can switch cities, mostly due to how I pack & how little I take out of my Cotopaxi at a hotel.

I just discovered Cotopaxi has a resale store, Mas Vida, where this pack may be purchased for $160 and it's available in some lovely not so bright colors for those of us who prefer subdued colors.

https://masvida.cotopaxi.com/products/allpa-35l-travel-pack_f19492n10_spruce?size=35L&condition=GRADE_A&color=spruce

Decisions, decisions.

Travel packs like the Allpa have seen a surge in popularity the last ten-years, I believe either LL Bean, Early Winters, Jansport or, Eagle Creek came out with this type of design around mid-70's. Just about every brand that makes backpacks, has a model or two of a similar design, not to mention a boom in tiny crowd funded brands that have made their mark with fun travel designs and materials.

While not for everyone or, every situation, it's great to see the refinement & evolution in an age-old idea to a very functional modern iteration.

Diane, if you sign up for the Cotopaxi emails, they send you a discount code. I can’t remember what percentage it was reduced, but if you want one, check it out. (I removed my email from their distribution after mine arrived.)

Zcorsair, I spent a lot of time analyzing all of the current available options for travel bags - the size dimensions, the weight, the features, the fabric, the way it felt on my back, etc.

I had specific features I wanted - no top-down loading, no drawstring opening, no wheels, not a lot of extra pockets that just add weight, Heavy-duty YKK zippers, outer fabric that would hold up, etc. Plus a very specific feature: I don’t take items out of my bag in the hotel, except my toiletry kit & nightstand Tom Bihn bag, so I want to be able to see exactly where everything is in the bag. The mesh clamshell was one of the few that works so well for my needs; I move locations very often.

Cotopaxi has done a great job, hence the popularity of their Allpa packs.

My go-to for travel pack has been Aer Travel 3 w/X-Pac. Love the materials and overall design. The other bag I'm a fan of is small start-up Tortuga Travel Backpack Pro, both are great; I ended-up gifting the Tortuga to a friend as he just recently got bitten by the travel bug. :-)

Thank you Jean for the heads up about the discount. I had noticed the offered discount possibility when visiting their site. Tried not to see it. LOL.