- The Incase EO travel backpack is a 24 liter backpack
that expands to 33 liters, if you wanna fill it up more
or for longer trips.
I'm Tom, the founder of Pack Hacker,
your guide to smarter travel.
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We've been testing this bag for the last month in Detroit,
Michigan, Atlanta, Georgia as well as San Pedro, Belize.
So we're excited to dive in and go through
every little detail we've noticed with you.
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Let's jump in.
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Kicking it off with the main material
on this bag, it is a 900D polyester.
On the front we have triple coated TPU
for additional weather resistance, but just note
that TPU is not around the entirety of the bag,
I think it's more for an aesthetic and a look thing
versus weather resistance because up top here
you just have that 900D polyester, so yeah,
not a ton of weather resistance going on with this bag.
Also, we've seen a decent amount of marks develop on the TPU
and this isn't necessarily new for TPU,
pretty much every other TPU bag that we've tested
develops scuff marks like these.
So just note that if you get into this bag,
you're probably gonna get scuff marks.
From a branding perspective,
you'll see a black on black Incase logo
on the front of the bag here as well as near the strap.
You'll also see little Incase leaves
on the edges of the zipper pulls,
as well as where the strap attaches to the bag.
And I personally like the look of this logo.
At the time of this review there are other color ways
of this bag available, including heather gray,
which features and eco-friendly 300D polyester
and navy, which features 100% polyester on the exterior.
For the overall look, we think the bag
looks pretty slick, well-compressed.
It looks pretty bulky and a little bit saggy
when fully expanded though. More on this in a little bit.
Fully expanded, it's really got that boxy look,
but functionally, it does a pretty good job
in standing up on its own, especially if you pack it right.
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Wrapping the rest of the notable materials on this bag,
we have beefy YKK zippers that are durable
and easy to pull due to the zipper pulls.
We have durable Duraflex plastic
hardware compression straps,
strap adjusters and sternum strap.
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Let's start off with the harness system,
which is pretty easy to understand.
There are no load lifters at the top of the bag
to make the carry a little bit closer to your back.
So it is a little bit saggy.
The straps themselves to a descent job,
but they're nothing to write home about.
The amount and density of padding is on the low side
compared to similar bags we've tested.
There's also a noticeable edge to the strap here,
which can sort of cut into your chest and your shoulders
if it's fully loaded with heavy gear.
On the plus side, the mesh below the straps
adds some really great breathability.
The sternum strap is great.
It's pretty much permanently attached,
so you know you're not going to lose it.
There's also a bit of elastic that gives these
sternum straps some flexibility.
And we found that straps designed like this
are a lot more comfortable to wear than ones
without the elastic.
And lastly, there's an elastic strap keeper that's
going to help keep that strap nicely managed
for a dangle-free experience.
Now there's one weird little nitpick
with the buckles here.
The buckles themselves act as sort of a sheath
to cover up the strap on the opposite side.
This promotes a nice, clean look to the buckle.
However, if the strap becomes even the slightest bit loose,
it obstructs the buckling of the clip.
It's not a deal-breaker, and really not even
that big of a deal, however these small design details
really matter and magnify when you're trying to rush
and grab your train or flight,
and you're trying to do things quickly.
Moving down these straps are easily adjustable
with the Duraflex hardware.
The harness system is permanently attached to the bag,
so no hiding the straps like you can on other bags.
We think this is fine, but this may
be a deal-breaker for some.
Taking a look at the back panel, we have two
rounded rectangles here that do a pretty good job
at promoting air flow and breathability.
The shape of these looks really great as a design element
compared to the boxy nature of the rest of the bag.
It's visually pulled together nicely,
and Incase usually does a very solid job at this.
Functionally, it's pretty hard to avoid back sweat,
however, this should help a little bit.
One other thing to point out here is that this entire
harness system is held on by
a number five YKK zipper. Now,
YKK zippers are really great, however number five
is pretty measly compared to the larger number 10
they chose for the main compartment.
If this zipper were to break, this bag would
pretty much become useless,
except for holding it by the handles.
We're surprised that Incase didn't offer
a number 10 here, considering they went with
a number 10 to open the main compartment of the bag.
Next up, let's chat about the side handles.
There are two pretty nice side handles on the top
and wearer's right-hand side of the bag.
They generally feel nice in the hand.
They're nice and padded.
They have some mesh for breathability.
But they're a little bit crinkly in the hand.
The main thing to note here is the positioning.
So when the bag is in compress-mode,
they're really great and really grabable.
However, when the bag is uncompressed,
it goes way to the front of the bag.
So, if you have a lot of weight in here,
you're going to get an angled carry with the bag.
Some bag companies will skirt this by anchoring
the handles at an angle to try and mitigate that,
or they'll just pop it right in the center.
But due to the way the Incase is designed
with this big compression zipper in the middle,
that's not really possible.
So you're pretty much left with a slightly imbalanced
carrying experience that is pronounced
if this is fully filled up with heavy gear.
Next up, the compression system,
which is compressible by zipper and by buckles.
To uncompress the bag fully,
just simply unzip the number eight YKK zipper
and completely loosen all four compression straps.
When it gets to that point, the bag is pretty wide,
however, if you don't have it fully maximized while
expanded, you can grab one of these compression buckles,
and pull them down a little bit to make the bag a little
bit slimmer in profile.
We really dig this and it creates some nice customizability
between 24 and 33 liters.
So if you don't need the full 33,
maybe want to sit somewhere in between,
just tighten up the compression straps on the sides.
Just note that the compression straps are only
unbuckle-able on the wearer's right-hand side
to get access to the main clamshell.
Right here there is no buckle,
just kind of a strap adjustment system.
When the bag is fully compressed,
these compression straps can get very dangly pretty quickly.
We wish they would've offered elastic keepers
like they did on these sternum straps.
Also, due to the way this bag compresses,
there is no water bottle compartment whatsoever
on the exterior.
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Moving onto the inside of the bag,
there is some really great organization
going on inside.
Let's start with the laptop compartment.
It opens all the way up with a number five YKK zipper
and the main benefit to a design like this
is that TSA may let you just unfold this fully,
and then put it through the security checkpoint.
Generally, we've had low success rates in doing this,
and a lot of bags try to design things this way.
Your mileage will definitely vary on that one.
Overall, we really dig the padding and the softness
in the laptop compartment.
Specifically, this furry-like material inside
of the laptop sleeve.
The only problem with this laptop compartment,
is that if you drop your bag,
there's really no false bottom for the laptop
to sit in, so it's not suspended in the bag.
It could get some damage if you drop it hard on the ground.
Opposite of the laptop sleeve, you have a document sleeve
where you could put a folder or other types of documents
that lay flat.
At the top of the bag we have a quick grab pocket
about the width of the handle on the top.
It's a little bit on the small side,
and we've even had a little bit of trouble getting
a plus sized iPhone in, so it's much better for sunglasses.
And just a note, the liner is the same faux fur
that we saw on the laptop compartment.
If you'd like a larger quick access pocket
to dump your pockets into your bag when you're
going through security, this front pocket is a lot
better of a fit for that.
There's ample room inside of this pocket,
and we really like the yellow-green interior,
which really turns the lights on and makes it easy to see
inside of this pocket.
We also dig that the zipper is hidden
beneath this fabric welt, promoting a clean look
that goes along so well with this Incase EO Travel Backpack.
Next up we'll talk about the tech area, which is excellent.
The zipper on the front opens up horseshoe style
about halfway down the bag.
On the front flap toward the bottom,
we have two nylon divider pockets.
Now if you keep everything pretty fully loaded,
these nylon pockets I think, in my opinion,
could be cut because you have, you know,
this outer pocket, this main pocket in here,
and then two layers of organization.
It just gets to be a little bit much.
We found ourselves not utilizing
those liner pockets too often.
Towards the back panel, we have two stretchy mesh pockets,
which are really great.
One has a Apple Magic Keyboard inside of a neoprene sleeve,
and the other has a tech pouch.
Above that, we have liner divider pockets
that can cover space for items, like a battery bank,
snacks, pens, pencils, and styluses, and a small notebook.
Above all that there is nice, ample space.
So, if you have taller items in here, like a notebook,
that'll go there just fine.
However, if you have shorter items inside of these
liner pockets, you can maybe fit another pouch on top,
like say a toiletries pouch, something of that nature.
There's a little extra space.
Next up, the main compartment, which opens suitcase style.
Towards the left side, we have a smaller, mesh pocket,
which is good for things like socks and underwear.
Or, you could put your toiletry kit in there if you'd like,
and you don't really need quick access to it.
Above this there's a tag that says "Travel well,"
and we dig that little reminder.
On the right side, we have a neon green and yellow zipper
that is really easy to spot and unzip.
You pretty much have a cavernous space that opens up,
which is ideal for packing cubes,
however, you can fit loose clothing in here.
It's pretty much designed like a clamshell suitcase.
The liner of this bag also has this funky, green material.
We'd be curious to see what it would've looked like with
the yellow and green liner that we see in the front pocket
just for high visibility.
Within this main compartment we fit in one small
and one medium Peak Design Packing Cube,
which fit in there pretty much perfectly,
as well as a shoe pouch with some sandals inside,
and a Blunt Metro Umbrella on the right side.
Keep in mind that the space within this compartment
is the one that compresses with the zippers,
so it becomes significantly smaller when you decide
to compress the bag.
All in all, it's a nice, simple main compartment
and we really dig the versatility of being able to
compress this bag down. Based on what you have inside,
it makes it really versatile.
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At the time of this review, we have been testing this bag
in Michigan, Georgia, and Belize.
In Michigan, we've pretty much been
using it as an everyday bag.
We found this bag to be a bit large to
fully fit that use case, but if you're looking for
one bag to do it all, this is a solid contender
and does an excellent job with everyday items
due to the low profile and thoughtful organization
going on with the bag.
As a one-bag travel pack, it is pretty solid as well.
It's great to organize with all of the thoughtful pocket
layouts, although some of the design details,
like the positioning of the handle and lackluster
harnesses system were a pain to use at times.
Generally, we have like testing this bag in those two
use cases, and we think it's overall a pretty solid bag.
So to wrap this thing up with some pros and cons.
Starting with the pros.
There was thoughtful organization and access in the bag.
The bag is expandable from 24 liters to 33 liters.
It is great for versatile modes of carry.
The look is streamlined and has some
great functionality to boot.
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Onto some of the cons, the buckles can be hard to use.
If the straps get in the way at all,
the buckles will not engage.
The position of the grab handles
are not ideal while expanded.
And the harness system is lackluster.
It could be more comfortable and robust, and we're
a little bit nervous about the number five YKK zipper
holding it all together.
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The Incase EO Travel Backpack offers some excellent
organization and thoughtful access.
It's streamlined, but functional.
And the expandability makes it super versatile
for both EDC and long-term travel.
We've really enjoyed packing this thing out with
our daily essentials and loading it up for longer trips.
Although some areas of the bag feel a little bit cheap
and lackluster, mainly the harness system,
if you're looking for a backpack that can be used daily
and for travel, the Incase EO is a great option.
So there you have it.
Our review of the Incase EO Travel Backpack.
We would love to hear what you think of this thing
in the comments below, so let us know what you think.
Thanks for keeping it here at Pack Hacker,
your guide to smarter travel,
we'll see you in the next video.