Cotopaxi's Allpa 35L Is a Gadget-Friendly Travel Bag. But Is It Right For You?

Holiday travel often involves a lot of struggling to pack laptops, game consoles, cameras, and tablets into luggage that adheres to restrictive carry-on limits. Travel bag and gear company Cotopaxi aims to solve that problem, so we put one of the company’s bags to the test.

During a recent trip, I tried Cotopaxi’s Allpa 35L Del Día travel pack that is supposed to easily store all your tech gadgets. My trip wasn’t entirely smooth, but a week and two flights later, I survived using the pack as my main luggage.

The first thing you’ll notice about this bag is its colors: Every element has its own hue, typically of the neon variety. I’m not a fan of the technicolor look, but that’s ultimately for each customer to decide. You can choose to buy a bag with a specific color pattern. Or you can get one that comes in random colors, an interesting concept that differentiates your bag from those of others—but that includes some risk. Either way, if you don’t like1980s-era palettes, this backpack may not be for you.

There is a method to the multicolor madness. Cotopaxi’s slogan is “gear for good.” The company emphasizes having a positive impact and gives “1% of our profits toward addressing poverty and supporting community development” in addition to trying to make its products sustainably, according to its website. Cotopaxi’s Del Día line is therefore made from recycled fabrics from other companies, which is why the bags come with such a hodgepodge of colors.

Color aside, the essential aspect of the bag is what’s inside. The Allpa 35L Del Día opens like a traditional suitcase with a zipper around the bag and two large pockets inside. For easy organizing of things like chargers, makeup, or other essentials, there are two smaller pockets inside—one on the front, and a zipped laptop sleeve toward the back.

I used the largest section for clothing, and the other or extra shoes, toiletries, and a curling iron. My chargers went into the additional inside pockets. In the front, I kept a small notebook, pen, and an extra phone charger for easy access at the airport. The laptop sleeve has another storage pouch, which easily fits my iPad. That’s plenty for a carry-on bag to hold, but since I’m not a light packer, I needed an extra backpack for a couple of books and excess clothes.

Ultimately, I found that the Allpa 35L Del Día works fine for a two or three-day trip, especially if that trek involves bringing along some gadgets. But anything more than that, like the week-long excursion I thought it would accommodate, is a stretch—literally.

Also, as I found out walking through the airport, the bag is too big to be used comfortably as a backpack. I had the same experience on my journey home, when I split my things between an extra suitcase, the Cotopaxi, and the original backpack that I brought along. Even with less weight, the Allpa 35L Del Día’s felt cumbersome on my back, even with its padded shoulder straps.

Size issues aside, the bag is well made, and that’s evident almost immediately. I checked it on my second leg without worry (and had an easy time picking it out of the sea of other suitcases on the carousel due to its color). The material doesn’t feel cheap, the zippers and straps can all tuck away, and the handles are all reinforced.

The Allpa 35L Del Día costs $180, which isn’t unheard of for a quality travel bag, but that’s still enough to give pause before buying it. It’s best for someone who travels lightly for short trips and prioritizes sustainability, an increasingly popular factor in deciding what to buy. People who take longer trips or have a strong preference for rolling suitcases will want to buy a different bag.