Best amazonbasics slim travel backpack weekender

Best amazonbasics Slim Travel Backpack Weekender

The Amazonbasics Slim Carryon Travel Backpack Weekender is an awful lot of bag for its price. And after being slightly disappointed with the slightly larger, and more budget version of this pack, we were super excited to find out how this slimmer and sleeker version would perform.

Hi, I'm Arun from form Travel Lover, where we use our expertise and real-world experience to provide practical resources and honest opinions, guiding you towards smarter travel. So if you're new here, consider subscribing my blog. I’ve been testing the Amazonbasics Slim Carry on Travel Backpack Weekender for just over two months now, from the U.K. to the U.S. including a transatlantic flight. So let's dive into this review.

Starting with the look of this pack -it's hard to argue that there aren’t better looking and sleeker bags on the market. However, we actually don’t mind the look of it, and we think it looks pretty good especially for the price. However, as always, we thought we'd throw this over to our Instagram audience to get their take on it and here are the results.

Moving on to the branding -it's actually surprisingly minimal on this bag, and you're only going to find an Amazon Basics logo on the zipper pulls and also a black logo on the bottom right of the pack. Now when it comes to the colour we went with the grey version, but there's actually a ton to choose from on the Amazon website. And this is great because it allows you to choose whatever colour suits your style and your taste.

Moving into the materials of this pack, considering the Amazonbasics Slim Carry on Travel Backpack’s price point, it performs pretty well here. First up - the heather red fabric on the outside and the bright orange interior lining are 100% polyester. We typically prefer nylon as it's stronger, and softer to the touch. However, polyester is more abrasion resistant so it's not all bad. And after two months of testing, it’s holding up pretty well, so all good signs here. The slightly larger, and more budget version of this pack -just called the Amazonbasics Carry On Travel Backpack -lost a lot of points for having unbranded zips and unbranded hardware that was just unpleasant to use and just not trustworthy at all, especially if you're going to grab a bag and travel the world with it. But we're happy to report that the Amazonbasics Slim version of this pack fixes all of this.

All of the zippers are YKK, and all of the hardware is Dura flex. Both are high-quality brands that make some of the best gear out there. One small touch on the zippers that we're really digging is that you can lock them together, and in some places actually secure them to the bag using a small D-ring that’s attached using a bit of fabric. Now the fabric isn't tremendously secure, you could probably rip it off if you really tried, but it's a huge deterrent for anyone looking to get inside and get your valuables out of this thing. And one last note on the zippers is that the coil is exposed -which means there's very minimal weather resistance. And if you're going to be standing out in the rain it’s not going to pour through these zippers, but after time it's eventually going to find its way in. So we'd recommend picking up a rain fly if you happen to be going to any places where you could experience a torrential downpour. But, other than that, it’s all pretty solid here.

Starting with the harness system -while there's nothing too crazy going on, the 

delivers a pretty decent carry. The shoulder straps are padded and slightly curved for a better fit, and the back panel features three large areas of thick air mesh. And now this only goes to help the comfort against your back, but it also helps with airflow and ventilation which is great if you’re travelling anywhere hot and humid. Now, this whole system isn't perfect but Amazonbasics has done a pretty good job here. And built into this back panel is a luggage pass-through sleeve.

Now we don't find ourselves using this too often, it’s a pretty large bag to be put on top of the luggage roller. But that being said, some people really like this feature, and it's there if you need to use it. An even better bonus is if you're not it doesn't really get in the way and isn't overly noticeable, so it's a pretty solid addition here. And on this harness system, it’s important to note that there is no hip belt. Now around that 30 to 35-litre mar kit’s not necessarily a’ must-have' on this bag, but some people really like using one -especially if your bag is loaded full of heavy gear, it’s great at dispersing the weight. So just note that. However, there is a sternum strap which is height adjustable and does exactly what it's supposed to -which is disperse the weight away from your shoulders while you're wearing this bag.

And what we really like is that one side is elasticated so while you're walking it kind of flexes with your body as you walk. Really like that addition. And another thing we like on this bag is that the harness system is hideable -so it's easy enough just to unbuckle the straps at the bottom, slide those straps into the sleeve, and zip it up at the top. Outside of being carried as a backpack, you can also carry this pack over one shoulder like a messenger bag with the provided strap. We haven't really used this feature because we prefer to carry a backpack as a backpack, but it's there if you want to use it.

Now one thing we will note with these Duraflex buckles -which can be found on the messenger bag strap as well as the shoulder strap attachment points -is that the buckles can seem a little bit thin. Now considering it's Duraflex -and we've always had a great experience with the buckles -we're pretty reassured that they’re going to be all right. And the actual strap rests on the thick part here so it's not like its going Tobe resting on the thin part and just going to snap off. Moving on - there are two quick-grab handles on this bag, on the top and on the right-hand side. One really neat feature is that they sit close to the bag when not in use, but when you pull them out they actually come out and give you a little bit more room to grab hold of.

While they're pretty stiff, and not incredibly comfortable, they’ll get the job done in a pinch. Around the side of this bag, there are four compression straps, and that is two on each side. Now, these help with compressing the bag, obviously. And it means when you’re carrying this thing as a daypack, you don't have much stuff inside, you can strap them up and have it's a little bit closer to your back. Or when you're carrying it as a one-bag travel bag and you've throw a load of stuff inside, you can kind of compress it down a little bit, which helps with the overall carry.

Now we have found that when you’re using the zippers they can get in the way, which is a little bit annoying. But it's a common trade-off we see with compression straps -and it's one, for this bag, we're happy to make. Rounding off the external components on this bag -there is a side water bottle pocket which can be found on the left. Now we typically like water bottle pockets that kind of zip open and come out, but otherwise, they sit really close to the bag. But this one is just a little bit too small and won't fit kind of an average big water bottle, so it's a bit annoying for that. 

We’ve gone out sometimes and tried to fit one in that we're typically used to using and it just won't fit into the side, which is a real pain. But other than that, it can be used to fit like a tripod with the compression strap or an umbrella, something like that. So it is a useful pocket, but just a little bit too small which is frustrating.

Moving inside the pack -there are two external pockets on this bag. Now the first one is this front quick-grab pocket which is a really great size and is useful for your passport and other quick-grab essentials when you're out for the day. And the second one is this one along the back. Now we haven't found ourselves using it but it's a really interesting pocket, and kind of sits below the back lower air mesh on the backside of the bag.

Now if you're a little bit worried about someone fishing something out of the front quick-grab pocket - say your passport, if it's really important, which obviously it is -you could put it against your back and it's going to be more secure as this pocket sits across your back. So this is a really interesting pocket, we like the addition, we just haven't used it too much.

Now let's take a look at this front compartment -there is a load of organization going on inside of this one, but what you'll first realize is just how orange it is inside. Now it's a little bit garish, but it does serve a purpose, as anything darker you're going to put inside is going to be easy to find.

Now, taking you through the pockets -we must note that they do all stack on top of one another. So if you put a large object in one, it’s going to kind of eat up into space. So you have to be a little bit careful about how you pack this, but let's run you through from top to bottom.

First up - we have some penholder little sleeves here, which are nice if you want to carry a pen, great when you're on the airline, you need to fill in documents et cetera. And then just below that, we have got probably the largest pocket in this thing, goes about halfway down the side of the pack. Then just below that, we’ve got another pocket which is very similar and that one goes down about the same way. Again, these two pockets stacked on top of one another, a little bit weird but good for slimmer items. In front of that one, we have got a mesh pocket, which does actually have a little bit of 3D space going on which is great. The mesh does feel cheap.

Now we've been impressed because it is such a budget pack with the materials on this thing but this kind of silvery mesh we’re not overly fond of, but that's another pocket there. And to the right of that, we have a stretchy pocket, which is useful. Again, with all of these, you kind of just need to figure out what works best for you as there is so much going on. Then down below we have two material lining pockets, and then we also have a little bit of space at the bottom. But as you can imagine, once you fill all of these up space is going to be eaten up quickly. Now, on the flap side of this bag, we also have a ton of stuff going on.

First up on the right here, we have another mesh pocket which has a little bit of 3D space. So good for organizing smaller items you don't want to get lost. And then to the left of that, we have this kind of small material pocket - there's two here -there's kind of no way to secure anything in there. And especially with it being on the flap, if you open it up, it could fall out quite easily. So we don't really use these pockets, not entirely sure of the perfect use case for these. And then down below we have another mesh pocket, which is large. Again, there’s so much going on here. It is a little bit overkill. But if you find a way to use all of them then, great. And they all sit flat, pretty much, so you don't need to use all of them at any one point in time. And just kind of find out a system that works good for you, but certainly a ton of organization in this front compartment.

Now it's time to take a look inside the main compartment. We first have to undo the buckles, and then we can unzip the clamshell opening all the way. Here you'll first notice this bright orange interior again, and this large space here is good for throwing all of your packing cubes. Now, at this point, we must mention we think that the bag has been a little bit over-designed. And that's because you can see on this side here there’s another zippered access into another compartment. But just remember that anything you put into this main one here will eat space into this compartment, and vice versa.

Now with this additional compartment inside, one thing that we really like is that there is a zippered opening at the top so you can gain quick access inside of here. And there's a fabric pouch so you can pop items in -anything that you need quickly you can just unzip the top, stick your hand in, take it out, and you are good to go. But as we said earlier on, we feel like it's been over-designed and we would maybe have just preferred one large compartment that we could pop stuff into.

Next up - let's take a look at the laptop compartment at the back. This opens up along the top and all the way down the right-hand side. And there's actually a ton of room in here. But just remember, again, that it's litre dependent with the main compartment. So don't go crazy if you plan on putting packing cubes in the main area of the bag. The fabric sleeve at the back will hold laptops up to 17 inches in size, but we're left wondering why there’s no bottom to the sleeve and the laptop is allowed to just hit the base of the bag. Fortunately, there is dense padding here, so it should be fine. But we’d have loved to have seen Amazon add a false bottom to the laptop sleeve here.

At the time of this review, we’ve been testing the AmazonBasics Slim Carry on Travel Backpack Weekender for just over two months now. And it's seen use as a go-to tech daypack, and as a carry-on bag for one-bag travel across the U.K. to U.S. transatlantic flights. And we're really pleased to report that there are no major signs of wear and tear as of yet.

Now there are small markings on the interior polyester lining, but yeah, other than that it’s pretty much good to go. The outside fabric has held up really well and we've been using it a lot for the last two months. So we're really happy that it’s all looking pretty good -even the stitching, there's a very few couples of frayed stitching. But for the price, it’s performing really well.

When it comes to testing, we’ve enjoyed using this pack a lot more than we thought we would -especially after being left so disappointed with the larger Amazonbasics Carry on Travel Backpack. We’ve been really pleased with its versatility as a daypack and as a larger one-bag travel pack. And as long as it keeps on holding up -which we think it will -we're more than happy to recommend this to anyone looking for a budget backpack.

Moving into the Pros and Cons:

• This is one of the cheapest carry-on sized travel bags on the market.
• High-quality YKK zippers and Duraflex buckles have been used throughout. And this bag can be

Moving into the Cons:

• The polyester material does feel kind of cheap, but it's great for the price.
• The clamshell main compartment opening is a little bit overdesigned. And the water bottle pocket is just a bit too small.

We’d have liked it to have been a little bit bigger, but it's a nice design. The Amazon Basics Slim Carryon Travel Backpack Weekender is a fantastic bag for its budget price. And the quality hardware used, and two months of solid testing has us assured it's more than durable enough too. It doesn't look like the fanciest pack, and it does feel a tad cheap in places, but this is a solid bag at an amazing price point that will serve you well, as both a larger tech daypack and a one-bag carry-on travel backpack. And there you have it, our review of the Amazon Basics Slim Carry on Travel Backpack Weekender. And as ever, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for keeping it here at Travel Lovers, your guide to smarter travel. We’ll see you in the next blog.