ComScore

Two Travelers, Four International Flights and 5,500 Miles Later, My Family Reviews the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Backpack

It works for multi-generation users

PureWow editors select every item that appears on this page, and some items may be gifted to us. Additionally, PureWow may earn compensation through affiliate links within the story. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. You can learn more about the affiliate process here.

cotopaxi-allpa-35L-backpack-review: collage-of-backpack-views
Dana Dickey/Cotopaxi
  • Functionality: 19/20
  • Quality: 18/20
  • Style: 20/20
  • Organization: 20/20
  • Value:18/20
    TOTAL: 95/100

As an experienced international traveler and working mom, I know my baggage. I’m lucky enough to have assembled a squadron of the best luggage sets, softside suitcases and in-flight accessories that everyone from my teen son to my partner to myself can deploy for weeks-long trips to a weekend away. However, I have never gone full-on backpacker style. I’ve shied away from those large packs that carry a week’s worth of clothing, shoes and toiletries because they seem heavy, bulky and usually, let’s be real here, more gorpcore than my style—with one exception. For years I’ve ogled the colorful 35L Cotopaxi Allpa Backpack  on stylish international travelers, crayon-hued Mutant Ninja Turtles coolly unencumbered by rolling luggage. So when I got my hands on one last month, I let my boyfriend’s 20-year-old son carry it on their father-son jaunt to Mexico City, and I nabbed it myself later that month for a weeklong trip to Puerto Vallarta. Would hands-free traveling work for me?

My Review of the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Backpack

What We Like

  • Sturdy 840 denier nylon
  • Anti-theft zippers
  • Comfy padded shoulder straps
  • Roomy elastic bottle holder

What We Don't Like

  • Too-narrow waist strap
  • No waterproof compartment for spillables

Cotopaxi

Reader, traveling with my 35L Cotopaxi Allpa Backpack was a snap. First off, packing was easy thanks to the clamshell design, which opens to two sides of mesh compartments that function as built-in packing cubes. The curved shape of the pack allows you to wedge an extra rolled clothing item or two into the sides even after you have already packed what you think is everything.  The large right-hand compartment that fits big shoes, pants which I three-way fold and my toiletry bag, which I unsnapped to lay flat against my jeans. The left-hand side has a smaller top mesh pouch I used for lingerie and swimwear, with the bottom compartment fitting a plethora of rolled T-shirts and a nice dress—plus a couple pairs of chunky shoes. Basically, I was able to comfortably fit everything on my international travel packing list as well as on my what to pack in a carry-on list in my Cotopaxi 35L, without straining the zippers.

Additionally, I am a big fan of the 15-inch padded laptop sleeve that you slide your computer in and out of via its own zipper. This pocket sits right behind the shoulder strap area, next to your back when you’re wearing the pack, but thanks to the padding it doesn’t dig into your back. And here’s the part of the pack that really impressed me—there are two top pockets you unzip from the top of the pack that are surprisingly roomy, thanks to that curved design. I was able to fit my electronics accessory case in one, and a brush and a paperback in the other. (The pockets are meant for passports and ID, but I prefer to keep mine on a small crossbody in front where I can keep my eye on them.) A note about security: The sturdy YKK zippers have an anti-theft loop that prevents someone from just rolling up on you and easing the zipper open to steal the contents.

As for the weight of carrying all your possessions on your back—well, you get used to it. (Alternatively, you can tuck the straps into the pack and carry it by its top handle.) The pack itself feels lighter than it is (2 pounds 15 ounces), and once it’s full, the wide footprint (backprint?) of it evenly balances the weight around your body. As I struggled to lift 30 pounds on my back when my boyfriend dropped me at the airport, he offered, “Try to use the waist belt, I just know from watching my son that it made it a lot lighter.” And voila! Once I tightened the waist belt, about half of the weight was shifted to my hips, and the entire affair felt much lighter. So much so that, once I arrived at the airport and followed my host’s instructions about darting through a crowded airport to the best Uber vantage, I was fleet-footedly passing all the other travelers navigating roller bags. It was a free feeling I’d never had traveling before…so perhaps these backpackers have known something I didn’t all these years.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Backpack a Carry On?

My Cotopaxi Allpa 35L backpack easily fit into the overhead compartment of the American Airlines 737 I took it on and my stepson’s Aeromexico flight. At 22 x 12 x 10 inches, it fits within the international carryon parameters.

What is the difference between Cotopaxi Allpa and Del Dia?

Cotopaxi backpacks come in two versions, the Allpa and the Del Dia. The Allpa comes in nine colorways (I carried the handsome woods colorway, a medley of loden and olive tones), while each Del Dia is one-of-a-kind, made of scraps of deadstock fabric left over from other packs’ construction. This ecologically sound fabrication is passed on in consumer savings—at $215, the Del Dia costs $10 less than the Allpa, and still constructed of the same super-strong recycled 840D TPU-coated nylon and ballistic ripstop nylon.

How much stuff can you fit in a 35L backpack?

I fit one bulky pair of jeans, a nice dress, two collared shirts, five t-shirts, two pairs of sandals, two swimsuits, a workout outfit, cut-off shorts, long pajamas and a week’s worth of underwear in the pack, plus my computer and charging cords. Also, a bulky paperback and art supplies for my vacation watercolor hobby. All this, and the pack wasn’t overstuffed or difficult to zip up.


dana dickey

Senior Editor

  • Writes about fashion, wellness, relationships and travel
  • Oversees all LA/California content and is the go-to source for where to eat, stay and unwind on the west coast
  • Studied journalism at the University of Florida