Room to spare!
“Holy cow, it’s like a clown car in there… where’s the bottom?”
This was my brother’s reaction as I unfolded and started loading up the Go2Products backpack. It was five a.m., and we were gearing up for a daylong hike in Colorado.
Bottom Line:
This is a spacious and comfortable pack; perfect for travel as a backup carry-on and a daypack when out exploring. More on that later, let’s get right into the specifics as to why I love this bag.
Key points
- Comfortable: As an extreme test drive, I took the bag outside of its comfort zone – I wore it during a hike up Mt. Saint Vrain in Colorado. Keep in mind that it is not intended as an overnight pack and does not have waist straps, which are helpful when you have a heavier load. However, the shoulder straps were super supportive and felt good throughout the entire seven-hour hike.
- Light: .6lbs makes the pack an easy addition to any suitcase.
- Repacking: It is easy to get back into the travel pouch. This is one aspect that I always critique when reviewing lightweight packing gear. I do not want gear that I have to struggle with when I re-pack it. The Go2Pak folds up nicely into its travel pouch.
- Fantastic storage and open design: I love the open interior design when choosing a travel or hiking pack; it makes for easy organization – and by that, I mean I am the one who chooses how to organize gear inside the bag. I use multiple stow bags to divide emergency items (flashlight, knives, lighter, etc.) and food so I can find them more easily when I need them.
- Small items pocket: Keys, lip balm, flash drives, wallet, etc. fit nicely into the pocket while you’re out and about – meaning you won’t have to fish through the whole bag once back at the car to find your keys.
- Mesh exterior pockets: The two water bottle holders are clutch, and in my opinion, turn this pack into a fully functional, daily use bag instead of a one-off option. The pockets are especially useful if you are spending the day in a country with questionable tap water, or taking it for a hike.
Go2Pak atop St. Vrain overlooking Long’s Peak
How I use it
Daypack extraordinaire!
Because I like to pack light and versatile, I stow the pack into my suitcase to use once I am overseas.
Here are two prime examples of how I use the bag:
- The Daypack: How many bags do you need? Since this packs up into itself, it is perfect as a daypack for yourself or a whole group. I used it extensively as a daypack during a 10-day jaunt around Germany exploring Christmas markets. It is much easier to carry the random items like water, cameras, maps and guide books in a smaller backpack than to bring a separate daypack or carry them in hand.
- The emergency chocolate carrier: I never go to Belgium without an extra bag to carry home all the chocolate. The Go2 bag may also be your emergency backup in the event of extreme souvenir purchasing.
Specs
- Dimensions: This bad boy packs up into a tidy 7.9 x 7.7 x 2-inch package. Perfect for squeezing into a travel pack-out.
- Unpacked it’s a roomy 11.8 x 9.8 x 19.7 in.
- Weight: .6lbs. I was extremely surprised (and happy) at the storage and functionality of this pack given its light weight.
- Storage Space: 35L Liters. What does that mean? It means you can fit more in here than you would possibly need on a day trip. I would call it a good weekender bag.
This is the second item from Go2Products that I have reviewed, (the travel towel being the first) and it definitely continues the trend of light and functional line of products. I’m excited to see what else they come up with the future. Special thanks to Go2Products for providing a pack to review. My opinions remain my own.
You can find the pack with more pictures and reviews here
