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Has anyone tried the Amazonbasics Carry On Travel Backpack?

I'm intrigued by this bag -- at only $50, it's not much of a risk (unless/until it falls apart on me midway through a trip). I've seen the black one sell for as low as $35.

I'd love to know if anyone has tried this bag out and your opinions on it! It seems that carry on backpacks are the way we'll be travelling for all our trips from now on as airlines have become more and more stringent with their carry on requirements. Our nice four wheel carry on suitcases will no longer be acceptable. =(

Posted by
13802 posts

I don't have this bag but the thing that stands out to me is that the shipping weight is listed as 4.72 pounds - not sure if that includes the box?? That seems heavy for this bag.

The RS Classic carry-on backpack is 1.95# and the RS Convertible is 2.7#. There are sales on the RS bags at times with 20% off unless you need it soon.

Posted by
5 posts

Thanks Pam! It does sound like that's the weight of the bag...I'll have to investigate more. I do know that this is styled after the ebags MotherLode backpack, which also has a similar (4+ lbs) shipping weight. Too heavy when I have a weight limit of 10 kg for my carryon bags!

Posted by
23177 posts

Anytime a bag has a lot of compartments, zippers for those compartments, etc., the extra fabric and zipper was add up. The simpler the bag construction, the less weight. I like the looks of the arrangements but comes with a price in weight. I don't get all that excited about an extra pound or two. I can work around that. At that price I would be tempted to try it.

My only concern with the Amazon bag is the length at 21.5". I'm somewhat short at under 5'5" and need a bag no more than 20." I think the Amazon bag would be fine for folks over 5'7." Also, don't pack it to the max. I prefer a bag under 40 liters.

Posted by
6732 posts

Non padded waist belt makes it a dealbreaker for me. Shoulder straps look a bit questionable, too - I like 'em nice and well padded.

Posted by
19052 posts

3½# is one of the deal breakers for me (is it really that heavy?). Absolute necessities for me today are cinch straps and a sternum strap, both of which this bag has. A waist belt could be a nice feature for some, as it redistributes the weight to your waist, but I pack so light I don't need it (I took my eTech bag to Europe for 3 weeks last October, but deliberately left the waist belt at home). For the price, this bag would be great, except I already have two similar, but lighter bags (an eTech 2.0 Weekender Jr. and a Osprey Porter 30).