Cotopaxi Allpa 28L (2024 Redesign) review - better and worse than last year

[@Alyssa-yy9su]

Great video. Answered a bunch of questions I had even after researching and it was so nice to actually take a look at the changes; there's not a lot of content out about the changes yet

[@EDG]

@@Alyssa-yy9su thanks! Yea I didn’t have a chance to compare side by side but hopefully the explanation was enough. And some of the changes are size specific. I was contemplating buying sizes for the video and returning them…but nah. Any more questions I can help answer? And do you like the old or new better.

[@jonuiuc]

I kinda like the new orientation of the inner zips, as now you don’t have lay the bag down open up the bag all the way to reach in and get something. You can unzip the outer zip a little from the side and reach in and unzip the inner compartment you need.

[@EDG]

@@jonuiuc that’s a good point. I didn’t find myself doing that as much because that top quick access pocket is so large that anything I needed access was in there. That pocket is seriously the best.

[@sheilabailey5195]

Thank you for this video- it solidified my decision to keep my original 28L Allpa. I love it but was wondering if I should upgrade to the newer one. I'll hold on to my original for now!

[@EDG]

@@sheilabailey5195 glad I could help! Yea the OG 28 works just fine :)

[@deedee8043]

I bought 16L del Dia collection tasra from this brand i was kinda disappointed that the straps cannot tuck in anymore and it opens like a regular backpack instead of suitcase style . I still love the colours and definitely would still use it 😊

[@EDG]

16L? I dont think they have a 16L

[@deedee8043]

It's in the del Dia collection I forget to mention that sorry

[@EDG]

@@deedee8043 oh I see thank you

[@scottibass]

thank you for pointing out the differences. I have the old 28 and was adamant that I needed a water bottle sleeve. Now that I watched this, not sure if I like the logo and the look of the front zipper compartment

[@EDG]

@@scottibass yea for sure! If you have the old version, I don’t think it’s worth upgrading because of what you give up. The bottle pocket is nice, but honestly that quick access zipper is so large that it could fit a small water bottle if needed. Logo on the new one is trash too

[@scottibass]

@@EDG yeah may just get a carabiner clip for my bottle and call it good

[@EDG]

@@scottibass yea good call. What color do you have in your 28?

[@scottibass]

@@EDG I have the burnt orange front/dark blue back combo. It is also my everyday pack so I bring it to work also. It only clashes if I have to wear a suit

[@EDG]

@@scottibass very nice! I always liked the Desert tan color of the old series.

[@The18fingers]

Luggage pass-through is a nice plus. It’s a must for lots of buyers. Many buyers went with Cor Surf for that reason.

[@EDG]

@@The18fingers agreed, it was one of the main reasons I got this new one

[@BiggDeli]

To one of your last points, the new Lite Travel Pack from Bellroy is a direct competitor to this bag now; same price, but more premium, lighter materials. No water bottle pocket, though.

[@EDG]

Hi, Yep, agreed it's a direct competitor but not sure if it's superior. The Cotopaxi and Bellroy are actually the same weight (2.2lbs/1kg). My video has a typo on the weight. but the Cotopaxi has a bottle pocket, waterproof material and a hip strap, all of which the Bellroy is lacking. I love Bellroy and am going to review the Lite Travel Bag at some point but taking those things away was tough. No bottle pocket puts the Bellroy in competition with the previous Cotopaxi Allpa bag, which one can find on discount now.

[@MNP208]

I just purchased an old version of this bag for $99 on Sierra! 😍Have you had any issues using this as a personal item on European airlines like Vueling?

[@EDG]

@@MNP208 I think it should be fine, but I haven’t traveled any of European airlines

[@CoffeyBrew]

I like it, but I'm bummed that the shoulder straps aren't stowable anymore.

[@EDG]

@@CoffeyBrew ah gdamnit! I can’t believe I missed mentioning that in the video. Definitely a downgrade as well. Yea, I love this bag, but some changes Cotopaxi made were puzzling. If it’s cost cutting then fine, but they also still raised the retail price.

[@CoffeyBrew]

@@EDG All good! I had thought about buying the previous 28L in the past year or so, but I always end up going back to the Nazca 24 which I also have. That bag is like magic, somehow being able to fit more in it than bags with 30L capacity (read in osprey porter 30), and still has stowable straps and grab handles on all 4 sides.

[@julmoon6587]

the pass-thru-item would not be stiff enough to put it securely on your carry-on, when placing it on the stowaway for straps, I guess 🤔

[@EDG]

@@julmoon6587 the passthrough is stiff enough and will hold the bag.

[@julmoon6587]

@@EDG yes, because its sewn directly to the backpanel and not on the soft fabric of shoulderstrap-stow-aways …… thats why they didn‘t make them on the new version

[@sairvinginthestacks]

Looked at the Allpa 35 and REI Ruckpack 30l yesterday. I have a 2 night work trip coming up and tight connections in Atlanta. I'm not using my rollerbag for this trip. I like the materials on the Allpa 35, but it was just too long for my torso. REI did not have the 28 liter Allpa, which would have been a better fit. So, I ended up with the 30L Ruckpack.

[@EDG]

@@sairvinginthestacks that’s good. I hope you enjoy the rucksack. Too bad they didn’t have the Cotopaxi., it’s awesome

[@sairvinginthestacks]

@EDG I was really hoping for the 28L cotapaxi. Who knows, I may not like the rucksack after getting some use on it. If that's the case, I may try to do an exchange for the 28l cotapaxi.

[@EDG]

@@sairvinginthestacks yeah it depends what you use it for but in general the Cotopaxi is a higher quality bag than the REI. And I really like the REI.

[@call_me_lazarus]

Great video! Does the bag stand up on it's own?

[@EDG]

@@call_me_lazarus thanks! No it doesn’t

[@call_me_lazarus]

@EDG thanks for the quick reply! Really wish more backpacks did that nowadays...

[@sushi1660]

The stowaway back straps is a deal breaker for me. I will keep the old version.

[@EDG]

yep, that makes sense. I know alot of people like that feature.

[@neyyleanpz1621]

Can this size pass as a personal bag on the airplane? Example when traveling spirit 🙈

[@EDG]

@@neyyleanpz1621 haha yes, I think it should qualify even for spirit. I’ve flown with larger bags before.

[@alextrle]

Great video! On the fence of picking this up. I’ve heard that if the bag is not filled all the way, it’s lumpy or sags? What are your experiences?

[@EDG]

@@alextrle thanks! Overall, I’d say it’s not a big issue .I’d say it gets a little lumpy but doesn’t sag. So visually, you can see the light gray panel in my video on the front, when it’s not empty, you can see it gets kinda wrinkly… but it’s purely visual… the structure on the back and shoulder straps holds even if it’s pretty empty, so I wouldn’t say it’s sag so much that it affects comfort or function while you’re carrying it.. It’s just a visual thing. Do you think you would get the old version or this version? And what color?

[@BrendaLopezV]

Great review! Where did you get this colorway?

[@EDG]

Its from their site, its just sold out now and for some reason they removed it from the site

[@intravenousradio]

hey awesome review! question - could you tell me what is the depth in inches of just the main compartment? the larger compartment on the right side.

[@EDG]

thanks! its about 5 inches deep

[@Marcel-dd9ch]

The Cor Surf Island Hopper 28l Backpack and Bellroy Lite Travel Pack are at least 2 direct competitors / dupe's.

[@EDG]

Agreed that the Island Hopper is a dupe for sure. The Bellroy is the same size and similar weight, but I think it lacks a few features that the Allpa has.

[@jf7393]

3:55 yeah how am I supposed to unload both sides of my pack with both hands simultaneously now? I’ll have to fight and fuss with mesh flaps! Ugh Cotopaxi you have ruined this backpack what a fail

[@EDG]

Exactly

[@ckgonzales6743]

have you been able to use as a "personal" item? Just curious if so, what airlines did it work with? Thank you!

[@EDG]

@@ckgonzales6743 only flown with it once as a personal item on Southwest

[@KunderscoreG3]

It should be good as a personal item bag for most if not all US airlines. I’ve flown with the bigger 35L under my seat on frontier and United basic economy. You can’t pack it out fully and you basically lose all leg room but it’s doable 😅

[@Sam-Icy]

Man, I want to ship my allpa 28 to them so they could throw a water bottle pocket on it. I have one of those collab bags so its a bit unique.

[@EDG]

@@Sam-Icy which collab bag do you have?

[@AbarajithanGnaneswaran]

Have they reduced the weight of the bag significantly? It seems materials are different and the weight is down by like 100 grams?

[@EDG]

@@AbarajithanGnaneswaran no I wouldn’t say the weight of the bag was reducing significantly

[@zonkeddog]

Between the MLC and this bag, how would you compare the straps comfort and how each pack? I think these new straps would feel more comfortable on a heavy load as I also do mainly do heavy loads.

[@EDG]

its kind of a wash, neither of them have best in class straps and both of them work, and both have removable hip straps. I don't even like these Cotopaxi air mesh straps but I'd give them the edge of Patagonias. The MLC carries 2 more liters, but again I think it's a wash because those 2 L are wasted In the weird laptop sleeve. I love how the Cotopaxi packs, it feels like it holds more than 28L for sure, and the large top pocket is a dream. Also love the Mini MLC

[@zonkeddog]

@@EDG I went with the Allpa to try because the color is so good. I am hoping my PD packing cubes will fit in the main compartment. I see it fits in the 35L but would rather use the 28L. That and I hope it fits my rugged work laptop, but I feel if it does fit the rugged laptop it will take away space from the main compartment.

[@EDG]

@@zonkeddog How big is your laptop? The Allpa should fit the laptop, and I think you'll enjoy the packing experience. What color Allpa did you get again?

[@zonkeddog]

@@EDG It is a rugged 15in dell that is about 13.5 x 8.5 x 1.5 inches. I am more worried about the thickness and only bring this for work trips, for personal travel I am not too worried. I got the smoke color that you have in your video.

[@EDG]

@@zonkeddog it should be fine. The laptop sleeve is pretty large. Glad you got the smoke color! It looks so freaking nice in person. You gotta update me when you get it.

[@JoanMontanez-b6k]

Where can you purchase the old version ?

[@EDG]

@@JoanMontanez-b6k places like REI or backcountry may have inventory, but best place is eBay.. people are selling the old one sometimes brand new.

[@timsebold3662]

Amazon has some. The price is lower.

[@maximfournier-giguere5780]

Would you rather use this one or the Patagonia Black hole Mini MLC 30?

[@EDG]

@@maximfournier-giguere5780 dang you really had to ask me the hardest question maybe ever on this channel. This in the MLC are my two favorite bags of all time. But right now this Allpa is the only one I own. I don’t like the laptop sleeve in the current MLC, and I like the Allpas hideable hip strap better and colors. Which one do you like better?

[@maximfournier-giguere5780]

Currently shopping, I'll probably get one of those two. Can't see them in person unfortunately so I have to rely on people who tried both. Like the look of the Cotopaxi, especially in that color, but the Patagonia seems a bit more practical for work trips with the laptop and takes less space to get opened up. Also looks like it carries a bit more stuff?

[@maximfournier-giguere5780]

​@@EDGout of curiosity, what didn't you like about the MLC laptop compartment?

[@EDG]

@@maximfournier-giguere5780 yeah the MLC has two more liters. It does have a dedicated laptop area, but watch my video on the MLC because it’s kind of funky . Storing the laptop itself is great. But I didn’t like that all the mesh sleeves were in that area and it lays directly against the laptop. It felt like having cables and a mouse directly against the laptop could potentially damage it. It didn’t end up doing that, but that’s because I didn’t really store anything in the mesh pockets when I used it.

[@zonkeddog]

@@EDG Its funny because I feel the same way about the MLC when I tried it. I only kept flat items in the laptop compartment hopefully not damage the laptop.

[@PotatoSpudRucking]

old version at clearance price is better, all those sacrifices just for a water bottle pocket is not worth it 😢

[@EDG]

Yep, I think for most people I would agree. You basically save over $50 plus get a rain fly…. But for me, I love the bottle pocket and I’m definitely gonna use it, but the luggage pass-through was the thing that tipped me to this new version. If you’ve ever traveled with without a luggage passthrohhh….its a bitch. My stuff kept falling off my wheeler during in the airport and my wife was dying laughing at my misery. The last version had the tan camel color, well this new version has this gray smoke color that I got. Both are fire

[@PotatoSpudRucking]

@@EDG I have a strap accesory that clips on top of the luggage handle and can cinch down any bag on top of your luggage. Not sure for this bag how the passthrough is, but for some other bags, the passthrough is too tight to be very useful. Although these days I'm only onebagging so no luggage needed :)

[@EDG]

@@PotatoSpudRucking whats the strap accessory called? I'll have to check it out. This passthrough is good but I agree on some not working at all. And agreed, for one bag, the old Allpa is better for sure. Damn, if that strap accessory works, I may have to pickup an old Allpa too.

[@PotatoSpudRucking]

@@EDG i think it's called Travelon Bag Bungee

[@EDG]

@@PotatoSpudRucking nice, I’ll Take look

[@erikavelazquez1835]

I prefer the old version. The structure is much better. I don't care about bottled water pocket and luggage pass-through. I have a holder for that.

[@EDG]

@@erikavelazquez1835 I think the structure is the same, right?

[@zhoxf5669]

stupid expensive pretentious backpacks

[@EDG]

Cheer up , it’s the holidays. 😂