MATEINMATEIN Carry on Backpack, Extra Large Travel Backpack Expandable Airplane Approved Weekender Bag for Men and Women, Water Resistant Lightweight Daypack for Flight 40L, Black

Would like to love this product but the stitching securing the bottom half of one of the shoulder straps to the bag came completely unraveled after a couple of uses.Edit: The company reached out and offered a full refund, but I asked for a replacement instead because I really liked it on my two trips, which they mailed without hesitation.I was looking for a carryon without wheels because I was taking a train to the airport for my first trip, and this bag falls within those dimensions and is large enough to hold several days worth of clothing. I used packing cubes in the main compartment for a 5 day domestic trip and had room to spare. The front compartment easily held my Kindle, noise cancelling headphones and various other personal items, and is spacious enough to accommodate a large laptop. The straps are easy to adjust and it felt comfortable on my shoulders. It made traversing NJ Transit stations and the airport easier than wheeling a carryon around.I am looking forward to working my replacement through it's paces on an international trip later this summer.

Used this for a two week trip to Europe traveling by plane, metro, cruise ship, taxi, and train (and by foot at times to get from stations to the hotel). The backpack straps were perfect for getting around with the bag. And the suitcase style handles were useful when stowing the bag making it easy to grab and/or lift into overhead storage or stow in a trunk. The backpack straps were easy to stow away when they would otherwise get in the way. The cinch straps are handy to keep the contents from shifting too much when wearing the bag. The chest strap makes it more comfortable to wear.

Design, features and quality all are good. If you’re looking for a backpack bag don’t hesitate to choose this one. I used mine for a 2-week trip abroad. It worked fine, but I thought I’d like it better than roller bag. I didn’t. In the end I concluded that I prefer roller bag. I never did use the shoulder strap/backpack feature. And although there were some surfaces that were rough on a roller bag, much of my carrying was in airports, where surfaces are smooth and a roller bag is very convenient.One thing to consider when using a bag like this one is how the handle deforms when it’s carried. Just makes carrying a bit uncomfortable and odd. It’s hard to describe, so I included a couple photos.

I recently purchased the Matein Travel Backpack for a weekend trip, and I’m seriously impressed with how much this bag delivers—both in terms of function and style. It’s now my go-to travel companion for everything from short flights to daily commuting. One of the standout features of the Matein backpack is its clean, modern look. It’s minimalist without being plain, making it versatile enough for both business and casual travel. The material feels durable and water-resistant, and the zippers are smooth and strong. I’ve received several compliments on it already, and it doesn’t scream “travel bag,” which I really appreciate. This backpack fits perfectly under the airplane seat—no awkward stuffing or sideways shoving required. It slides right in and pulls out just as easily. Even when fully packed, it maintained its shape and didn’t feel bulky. The built-in USB charging port is a handy bonus, and the luggage strap on the back makes it effortless to stack on top of a suitcase for longer trips.

I concur with Paul’s review below. My use for a backpack travel bag is so I can be hands-free when making my way through transportation terminals, fumbling for tickets, or reaching for handrails. Also, in some countries there are lots of stairs in terminals (particularly subways) and dragging a roller bag up and down them is hardly fun. It should be obvious that someone planning long hikes or carrying lots of specialized equipment should probably use an internal frame backpack. I don’t expect to walk more than a mile or two at any one time with a bag like this. My travel is rather conventional tourism, and having visited all 50 states and 17 countries on four continents I’ve had a chance to work out a minimalist system that can keep me going through any weather, wet or dry, from about 40°F to over 100°F, and for an indefinite period of time. I do not take a laptop, but an iPod or iPad. Everything fits into this Matein bag and a lumbar pack from Mountainsmith.I’ve previously used a book bag as a travel backpack, but being a top loading bag, digging down into it to get what I need is an inconvenience. When constantly on the move, unpacking for one or two nights is a chore, so a bag like the Matein that opens out like a suitcase is a much more practical choice.I bought this bag along with an eBags Mother Lode as both seemed to be good and I couldn’t decide just from the online info. Both look to be well made, but I kept the Matein and returned the eBags Mother Lode.The eBags Mother Lode has more padding in the shoulder straps but no padding on the back. The padding on the Matein straps is thinner than the eBag but adequate, and it’s nice to have some padding at your back so you don’t get completely poked if you don’t pack right. The eBags Mother Lode came with a shoulder strap and a waist belt, neither of which I need.The overall fit and finish of this bag is quite nice. All of the walls are padded. The zippers look to be rugged and of good quality. I did not have any problems with snagging when running the zippers around the corners of the bag.There is a strap on the back of the bag to secure it to the handle of a roller bag. The shoulder straps are stowed inside a large pocket that could be used for a laptop; there is no separate laptop compartment. The straps attach at the bottom of the bag with metal clips and rings that are easy to operate, in contrast to the plastic ones on the eBags Mother Lode unit, which I found a little hard to disengage. The Matein straps look to be well attached at the top and the bottom rings are sewn into reinforced triangle-shaped flaps that look like they will take quite a bit of stress.The hand straps at the top and side of the bag aren’t as well padded as the eBags Mother Lode, but considering that this is supposed to be a backpack, I don’t have any issue with this; they’ll serve just fine.The product description says there are Velcro compression straps inside the main compartment. This is incorrect (The description may have been corrected by the time you read this.). The retainer system consists of four elastic bands that connect in the middle with a clip. This is the only weakness I found in the bag, and was a disappointment to me, and why my rating is four stars instead of five, as the elastic doesn’t seem much stronger than that in my Jockey shorts, and doesn’t look like it will last all that long. But in the event that the elastic fails, the external compression straps will more than likely suffice. By the way, compression straps are important. I once took a trip with a large backpack bag that had none and the bag sagged like a plastic trash bag and the contents sloshed around uncontrollably.The secondary compartment of the Matein has two zippered inner pockets and a couple of smaller ones that would be handy for pens and such. There is a smaller compartment on the back (the angled zipper in the photos) that measures about 9 x 11 inches which would be a good spot for the small liquids and other stuff you’ll have to remove at security screenings.The construction of the bag looks good. All the seams are straight; exposed seams are covered with binding, and I found only one loose thread. The bag came packed in a drawstring bag that I think I’ll take along as a laundry bag. Empty, the Matein bag weighs about 2 1/2 pounds vs. almost 4 for the eBags Mother Lode, although the eBags Mother Lode is slightly larger and has more pockets. (One of the reasons I returned the eBags Mother Lode is that I don’t like lots of pockets.)This Matein bag is about half the price of the eBags Mother Lode and I am so far quite happy with what I see. When compared to the eBags Mother Lode and another nameless bag I saw in a local department store, this is a good deal. I’ll be traveling with it for about six weeks this summer and if I have anything to add to this when I return, I’ll update then.__________Update:Here’s a follow-up report. I took the backpack on one domestic trip for a week and an international trip for a month. On this latter trip we moved every two nights, and the trip took us through three countries, four airports, numerous busses, boats, trains, taxis, subways, the legendary Heathrow Terminal 5, and the ultimate travel survival test, the London underground during afternoon rush. The pack survived well. I remain disappointed with the flabby elastic retention straps on the inside, but the exterior ones took over and kept things under control. I’m a minimalist traveler — the pack was roomy enough for all my stuff excepting a few things I carry in a small waist pack. The pack came with a thin bag I used for laundry; and it folds in half easily to be stored in its original box. I have no problem recommending this for anyone needing a carry-on pack and I look forward to using it on future trips