Cotopaxi Allpa Travel Pack Review

Why Trust TravelFreak?

Every member of the TravelFreak team is an avid traveler and adventurer. We have a soft spot in our hearts for a great backpack. Most of us have lived out of a backpack at one time or another, whether doing one-bag travel around the globe or long-distance thru-hiking.

Needless to say, we’ve had our hands on a fair number of packs over the years. In the past two decades, we’ve tested well over 100 travel, hiking, and everyday packs.

We know how hard it is to find the perfect pack, and we want to make the process easier for you. Our team of travel experts, gear junkies and product engineers have developed the most comprehensive backpack test methodology we could envision.

We evaluated the Cotopaxi Allpa based on 39 metrics across nine different categories. Every pack we test gets the same treatment and is rated using the same standardized methodology. This makes it easy for us (and you) to compare the advantages and disadvantages of different products based on objective, data-backed insights.

To provide the most comprehensive review possible, we give you our personal, hands-on opinion coupled with an objective scoring system.

Cotopaxi Allpa Review: Quick Answers

• The 35L travel pack is the smallest pack in the Allpa Line. It also comes in a new 42L version for longer trips.
• The backpack is carry-on sized, making it perfect for airline travel.
• Shoulder straps and padded hip belt tuck away for easy storage or transporting.
• The Allpa pack has two transport configurations: shoulder straps like a backpack, or reinforced handles like a suitcase.
• Cotopaxi is a company on a mission to make a positive global impact by alleviating poverty in certain parts of the world.

Who Is the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L For?

• Light Packers or Weekend Travelers: This is a pack for the minimalist adventurers out there. While there is a decent amount of open space in the pack, your average traveler would be hard-pressed to fit more than a week’s worth of clothes and accessories in this travel backpack.
• Digital Nomads: A padded laptop and tablet compartment make it easy for storing tech items safely and securely. A separate zipper makes this area accessible from the outside of the bag, a great feature when writing or researching on the go, and an interior sleeve protects your most precious electronics from being scratched.
• Versatility Seekers: You can comfortably carry the Allpa like a suitcase through narrow airplane aisles, or wear it as a backpack while hiking. This pack is marketed as a backpack, but with its 3-sided zipper and stow-away straps, it’d be best described as a suitcase-hybrid.
• Weight Watchers: When weight is important, this pack fits the bill. Whether it’s hiking or weekend trips, this pack won’t add much much mass to the load you have to haul.
• Style-Minded Travelers: The clean lines and bold colors of this bag are just two reasons why it made my list of the best carry-on backpacks.

Who Isn’t the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L For?

• Anyone Carrying Expensive Equipment: Made from TPU-coated polyester and nylon, this pack is basically glorified fabric with no firm structure or internal supports. Expensive or bulky equipment is likely to get banged up in no time. Let’s just say that this is one bag I do not want to pack my nice camera in.
• Over-Packers: This back is 35L and that means only 35L. You can’t force a carry-on-sized bag to fit a checked-bag-sized haul. If you are a heavy packer or going on a longer trip, consider getting a larger travel pack. More than 2 pairs of shoes with your clothes? Choose a new bag! Other packs in the Cotopaxi Allpa line go up to 70L.
• Tall People: I’m not very tall, myself, but other taller individuals have reported that the hip belt sits higher on the waist than your normal pack would, making it rather uncomfortable. If you are over 6’2, definitely heed this warning and go a different route.

Who Is Cotopaxi?

Entering the market in 2014, Cotopaxi is a fairly new brand, making everything from activewear and jackets to gear and accessories, providing a one-stop-shop for outdoor adventure needs.

Named after an active stratovolcano in Ecuador, Cotopaxi is a company focused on manufacturing a variety of outdoor products while they “Do Good.” Davis Smith, the company founder, states that his goal was to combine his desire to travel with his passion for aiding the world’s most impoverished areas.

The company aims for sustainable product designs and materials and operates ethical and fair-wage factories. The majority of Cotopaxi travel packs, like the Allpa backpack, are manufactured in a fair-wage facility in the Philippines.

The Del Dia line of bags are all designed and manufactured by workers in the Philippines using 100% left-over and reused fabrics and materials. Additional products, such as t-shirts, sweaters, and jackets are all created in factories found across multiple countries including India, Cambodia, Bolivia, and China.

Cotopaxi even donates 1% of its annual revenues to the Cotopaxi Foundation, which awards grant money to nonprofit organizations and is ultimately aimed at helping underprivileged communities around the world.

While the money does not go directly to a charity or a community, the website does state that the mission of the foundation is to aid the impoverished and ensure the company can continue its sustainability and local/world improvement initiatives.

All of this sounds great until you realize that the amount donated to these nonprofits and companies ends up being a mere $55,000 of their estimated $5.5 million yearly revenue. But at least it’s a start, which is more than most other companies can say.

First Impressions

At first, I loved the bold colors and all the organization options made available by the interior mesh pockets. There are enough pockets to keep things organized without getting overwhelming.

I was very impressed by the sturdy-feeling materials of this bag. The exterior is 800D polyester with a really thick TPU coating that gives it a rubbery feel. The zippers are also big, chunky YKK zippers, which gave me a lot of confidence that nothing was going to break anytime soon.

My biggest complaint at first glance was the lack of structure. This bag just feels a bit floppy, and when I didn’t have it fully packed, it just wasn’t very comfortable. I’d much rather have some more padding, a plastic framesheet, and more structure all around.

But with all that said, they still made a pretty great entry-level backpack that’s suited to all kinds of different adventures. Whether you’re backpacking Europe or taking a weekend trip to the mountains, this bag will do the job.

Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Features

Carry-On Sized

Cotopaxi made sure the 35L travel pack was sized perfectly for carry-on travel, meaning you can skip airport lines and baggage carousels.

This backpack is an internationally approved carry-on size, meaning that you can take this pack with you straight on and off the plane, anywhere in the world. No early arrival or baggage claim required.

Mesh Compartments

The interior of the Allpa 35L travel pack is all mesh, meaning you can easily see and find everything quickly. Five zippered mesh pockets give you places to organize and store all of your items, and the mesh is easier to wash and dry than alternative fabrics would be in case of internal spills or leaks.

However, these mesh sleeves don’t hold their shape very well which in turn allows your gear to shift or bounce around. Furthermore, the mesh is very prone to snagging or tearing. I’ll get into this more shortly.

Tuckable Straps

The slotted back panel on the Allpa 35L pack allows the shoulder and hip straps to be unclipped and completely tucked away beneath the panel, creating a sleek and smooth piece of luggage. This is ideal for dealing with bus and airplane overhead bins; you never have to worry about a strap snagging or catching on something!

Reinforced Handles

With four reinforced handles on the exterior of the pack, this bag is easy to carry even after stowing away the tuckable shoulder and hip straps. Carry it with two hands or like a one handled suitcase.

Laptop & Tablet Storage

One of the nicest features of the Allpa pack is the side-accessible laptop compartment. This fabric-split section can stow both a laptop and tablet, and it’s easy to access your electronics while passing through airport security or while on the go.

While no specific dimensions for the laptop and tablet section are reported, I can tell you a 15″ computer fits with room to spare—you could potentially even fit a 17″ laptop, but don’t quote me on that.

Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Full Review

Materials

While the exterior of the Cotopaxi backpack is made of TPU-coated polyester and ballistic nylon, there is no interior structural support (or back supports for heavy packs), essentially making this bag an unsupported clamshell.

The nylon is somewhat water-resistant but is definitely not waterproof. Fortunately, Cotopaxi provides a rain cover with all 35L Allpa bags.

The interior sections of the main compartment are all zippered mesh. This may be convenient for being able to see inside each compartment, but the zippers are close together and, if not handled with care, can catch on and tear the mesh easily.

The sturdiest part of the bag is the compression straps and hip belt. The shoulder straps are thick and fairly comfortable, while the waist belt is padded so it doesn’t dig into your hips.

The rear panel of the pack is made of air mesh to allow your back and shoulders to breath and more airflow to circulate. This ultimately increases comfort and reduces sweatiness—but it doesn’t get rid of it entirely.

Aesthetics

The Cotopaxi Allpa 35L travel pack has a super sleek design. With no visible front zippers, this bag is quite attractive with clean exterior lines. Depending on the color, the material can appear shiny, making it look a little too cheap for my liking (and this is not a cheap bag), but certain colors hide this sheen fairly well.

The ability to hide the compression straps and carry the pack sideways as a suitcase is a nice touch that adds to the clean lines of the bag, and is also especially useful when squeezing through tight spaces like airplane aisles.

Overall, the Cotopaxi Allpa line definitely targets millennials with its clean lines and bold, simple colors.

Comfort

Wide compression straps, a padded hip belt, and a sternum strap combine to give the Allpa pack a secure and comfortable fit. The sternum strap leaves a lot to be desired, but from my experience, this is common with a large portion of travel bags.

This pack isn’t the greatest at handling heavy loads. If you’re trying to over-stuff your bag and take it on a long trip, I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t be smiling for long.

I, personally, wouldn’t mind adding an extra pound or two if Cotopaxi decided to add an internal frame or something similar for more support. But for those focused on a lightweight bag and light packing, these straps are about as comfortable as it gets.

The air mesh fabric on the back panel of the pack makes it somewhat breathable, and you’ll have less sweat to deal with than some other competitors on the market (but trust me, sweat still exists).

I did find some taller individuals who mentioned that the padded hip belt on the Allpa sits too high on their waist. While hard for me to weigh in on (sorry, I’m only 5’5″), this is probably something people above average height should take into consideration.

Organization

With only six total compartments, the Allpa 35L travel pack is not the ideal tool for prime organization. The pack is comprised of two sections: a smaller compartment on the back, padded for your laptop computer or tablet, and the main compartment on the front.

The main compartment is separated into four zippered mesh pockets: two small, one medium and one large. There is one additional mesh pocket accessible from the top of the bag.

While this and two smaller interior mesh pockets are great for organization and small item organization, those three pockets are all you have for non-bulky items. There is definitely not enough room to store your wallet, earbuds, and all the other items you want within easy reach.

The single large section that occupies roughly half of the bag’s volume makes it difficult to stay organized, and all of your stuff shifts around during travel.

There is one additional tiny pocket on the padded hip belt, but that is useless for anything other than chapstick or a (singular) key. There are no water bottle holders or organizational clips (unless you want to purchase those separately). No hidden pockets to hide passports, money, or other valuables.

Essentially half of the bag is a giant, open, zippered mesh clamshell compartment, which might be ideal for shoes or large equipment, but not at all useful for further organization or even finding your items easily.

Durability

I am a big fan of the burly TPU-coated materials of the Cotopaxi Allpa. They have proven highly resistant to wear, and I have no concerns about seams ripping through. This bag feels tough.

My only durability concern is the interior mesh pockets. I like the mesh for visibility, but I worry that it could wear out over time. I haven’t had any issues so far though, so fingers crossed.

I really appreciate that Cotopaxi went with the largest size (#10) YKK coil zipper for the main zip on this bag. If the main zipper fails, a bag becomes pretty much useless, and this huge zipper gives me a lot of confidence. I’ve seen off-brand or smaller zippers break easily, but this particular zipper has held up well in all of our testing.

Accessories

The Allpa 35L travel pack might be too simple for its own good.

The only accessory this pack comes with is a rain cover. No detachable pockets, day packs, loops, or holders. Nothing extra. No frills or thrills. Just the rain cover, which is neon yellow.

I guess the plus side here is that your bag will be easy to recognize in a crowd.

Cotopaxi does offer a few additional extras on their website that are compatible with the Allpa 35L pack

• Shoe Bag: This nylon shoe bag is an optional extra that allows you to keep your dirty shoes from touching the rest of your gear. However, this accessory seems a little strange for a smaller 35L bag, and I wonder if it’s at all necessary. If you’re packing this light, it’s unlikely you’re bringing extra shoes.
• Mesh Laundry Bag: Again very self-explanatory, and again, seemingly unnecessary. I completely understand the allure of segregating your dirty laundry, but there are many more economic ways to do it.
• Snap-On Mesh Water Bottle Sleeve: I don’t know what it is about mesh, but they seem to love it. To me, this is ripe for getting snagged or torn while traveling, especially since it’s on the exterior of the pack.

However, all of these items must be bought as a bundle. In other words, you can’t buy the shoe bag separately, but you can buy it with the laundry bag and the water bottle sleeve.

There are different bundles, though. And, to be fair, they don’t cost much extra.

Safety & Security

The safety and security of your belongings is important, especially when traveling through crowded areas, staying in hostels and other shared spaced, or even when exploring unfamiliar cities and countries in general.

To be honest, Cotopaxi’s attempt to add security features to this bag is weak.

In order to discourage theft, the backpack has “theft-proof webbing” for its outside zippers. I find these straps to just be annoying and, quite frankly, more of a hassle to deal with than they are worth.

But some credit should be given for possibly thwarting a quick pickpocket attempt.

While I am annoyed at the lack of outside pockets, I will admit that the Allpa’s zipper-free front panel also discourages theft. Also, the lack of outer pockets means you won’t forget to leave anything unzipped for wandering hands!

Price

While this bag is about average in price compared to other highly rated 35-40L carry-on travel backpacks, I am ranking the Allpa 35L travel backpack lower than average based on the pricing of other bags in the Allpa line and the quality of the bag itself.

I don’t think this bag is worth the price tag. On top of that, the 35L travel pack is currently the second-highest priced travel backpack that Cotopaxi offers, only being exceeded by the Allpa 42L pack.

Both the 50L and 70L bags, which are very similar in design to the 35L one, are less expensive than the 35L travel pack.

Is this a good example of price gouging on their most popular bag?

The real mind-boggling price difference is in comparison to the nearly identical 35L Del Dia travel pack which is $20 cheaper than the regular 35L pack! Sure, it’s not made of their ballistic nylon material, but when neither bag is waterproof, both look the same, and one is both environmentally friendly and cheaper, why not save the money (and the Earth)?

Warranty

While no warranty is explicitly stated for any product, you can find a “Good Guarantee” Section listed on their website. The “Guarantee” states that you can contact the company to help resolve any issues you have or replace products, but it doesn’t say if there is a fee or what costs might be associated with that solution.

Overall, it looks like the company might do something, but it isn’t clear or explicitly stated what that something is. I’m also assuming this promise applies to all their products, but again, that is not unequivocally listed.

That said, Cotopaxi is brand I know, love and trust, so I feel certain their customer service would fix any issues you might encounter.

Shipping

If you’re located in the United States, shipping is reasonably priced. In fact, if you aren’t in a rush and can wait two weeks, you are able to score free shipping.

In a pinch? There are four other shipping options between $10-$50 that can get your pack to you as soon as the next day!

International Buyers Beware! While shipping prices aren’t listed until you add the item to your cart, a few quick trial addresses show very high shipping fees for non-American customers.

Shipping to Canada was over $80 and most of Europe was higher than that. Australia was one of the cheaper countries but still around $30-50, which was equivalent to the more costly shipping options available in the United States.

Unless your heart is set on this bag, I’d suggest international customers save themselves some money and invest in a different outdoor brand that doesn’t charge you 50% of the backpack price in shipping.

How We Review Backpacks: Rating Methodology

On top of hands-on testing and extensive online research, every backpack we test gets scored on nine categories with 39 metrics. This forms the basis of our proprietary Backpack Testing Methodology. It’s a rigorous rating system to objectively test, evaluate, score, and compare backpacks.

Within each category is a series of specific metrics and conditions we use to evaluate each bag as objectively as possible.

Here is a brief explanation of each of the nine categories.

1. Build Quality: A backpack is worthless if it falls apart after a few trips. We rate build quality by looking at six specific factors including the material, zippers, and stitch quality.
2. Comfort: While comfort is somewhat subjective, over our years of testing and reviewing backpacks, we found several common design elements between the backpacks that were the most comfortable for all our gear testers. We look at 8 factors including shoulder strap padding and shape, frame design, and adjustability.
3. Ease of Use: A good backpack should be simple, streamlined, and intuitive. We look for packs that offer easy access and packing and have smart features that eliminate annoyances.
4. Functionality: Our functionality rating combines subjective reviewing of how well the pack does what it says it does with objective measures of carrying capacity and laptop protection (if applicable). Does the bag carry everything we need it to? Does it keep the contents safe and protected?
5. Water Resistance: We’ve all been caught out in the rain on our travels, and having a water-resistant backpack gives us confidence that we won’t end up with a bag full of soaked clothes. We rate water-resistance based on materials, zippers, and seam treatments.
6. Brand Impact: It is important to us to support and recommend brands that have a positive impact on the world. Our brand impact rating takes into account environmental impact, sustainable design, social impact, and factory working conditions. To avoid greenwashing, we look for rigorous and widely respected industry certifications.
7. Buying Experience: Shopping for and buying a new backpack should be a rewarding and frustration-free experience. We value companies that implement specific policies to reduce the stress and risk of buying a product.
8. Warranty: It says a lot about a product when the brand is willing to back it up with a solid warranty. We look for products with lifetime warranties and talk to people who have gone through the warranty process.
9. Price-to-Performance Ratio: After we test and assign scores for the 8 categories above, we calculate a price-to-performance ratio by dividing the MSRP by the overall performance rating. This then affects the final rating. Lower price-to-performance ratios are better.

Metric Scores

Each category includes several specific metrics. For example, within the durability category, the individual metrics are zippers, materials, components, and reinforcements.

During our testing, we give every individual metric a score 0-10, with 0 being the worst and 10 being the best.

Some metric scores (like stitch quality) are assigned subjectively based on our experience and observations of the product. Whenever possible, individual metric scores are objective, and we assign them using a standardized scale.

Category Scores

Once we test and assign a 0-10 score for every individual metric, we use weighted averages to calculate a score for each entire category. Each metric within the category has a different value and contributes a different amount to the total score for that category.

Overall Score

Once we have a 0-10 score for each of the rating categories, we use another weighted average to calculate a combined total score. Products with high overall scores don’t necessarily excel in any one category, but they perform well all around.