Best Orben Backpack For Travel: Bag Review

Disclosure: Orben Bags gifted me with an Orben backpack and carry-on for this review, but as always, all opinions are my own.

It didn’t take long for me to hop back on a plane, despite my 10-month round-the-world trip coming to an end.

I may no longer be gallivanting across Europe, South America and Asia, but that just gives me the opportunity to explore places closer to home. I recently discovered Orben Bags, a California-born brand offering a collection of backpacks, duffels and carry-ons, just a few weeks before my first domestic trip since returning home. It’d be a quick weekend getaway to L.A. to celebrate a wedding, and an Orben backpack is pretty much all I needed.

How to Pick the Best Travel Backpack

There a few things I always look for in my travel gear. These include:

• Durability. It needs to be durable enough to keep my technology safe during my travels.
• Versatility. It should be versatile enough that I feel comfortable taking it on a trip to Florence, as well as a more adventurous hiking trip in Quito.
• Efficiency. It needs to be efficient in that I can reach anything I need in under a minute.
• Pockets. I’m a big fan of pockets and compartments, and I use them all to store everything from hand lotion to spare memory cards.
• Aesthetic. Since I’m constantly taking photos for my travel Instagram, it’s always a plus when a backpack or carrying has a stylish design and aesthetic.

Orben creates a durable and versatile product that aims to make a traveler’s life easier. And I can attest that it does just that. I was excited to try out a few items from Orben Bags, especially when I noticed their seamless design. Plus, the brand makes a product that’s quite affordable, another big plus in my book.

Orben Backpack: Travel Bag Review

For my trip to L.A., I chose to travel with the Mantario backpack as my personal item—a backpack that comes with just enough pockets to make me smile. I wasn’t kidding earlier: I’m truly pocket-obsessed. I tend to travel with a variety of small objects that I like to keep on me at all times like headphones, phone chargers, an external battery, my external hard drive, headache medicine and books, among other things. I’m a strong believer that all of these things should be stored in their respective, perfectly-sized pockets.

This is one of the main reasons I chose to go with the Mantario backpack. It’s equipped with two external pockets as well as several smaller ones inside, including a separate laptop compartment. I always travel with my laptop, so having that extra compartment for me is a must.

The over-packer in me was also happy to see that the bag can actually fit a lot more than expected. It was designed with a vertical zipper running along one of its sides that gives it the capability to expand. I could fit a sweater (or two) along with the usual items I carry on a plane, including my laptop, camera, lenses, agenda and wallet. I always travel with a backpack, even if I have a separate carry-on bag, so the Mantario Orben backpack was a great choice for me.

Orben Carry-On Luggage Review

I was traveling to L.A. with my boyfriend Guil, who also decided to give Orben bags a try. But he opted for something a little bigger than a backpack.

Guil chose the Morpheus 22-inch carry-on, a stylish upright duffle-looking bag with two wheels. One of the coolest features of the Orben carry-on is that the design features several strappy handles that make it easy to grab from any angle.

Essentially a rolling duffle, the carry-on’s fabric material expands more than the average carry-on luggage. It also comes with an added expansion panel, which adds an extra two inches of wiggle room. When the bag is fully loaded, compression straps help tighten everything up, making sure he gets past TSA—this especially beneficial for me, since I usually stuff my extra clothing in his luggage when mine is stuffed. 🙂

Probably the best part of both the Orben backpack and carry-on, though, is their accessible price tag at $39.99.

If we combine the two purchases, we have the ideal package for a getaway, whether it be to L.A. or a quick weekend trip to Europe. Now that I’m living in Manhattan, I’m excited to take these bags on trips to the Northeast, which is mostly unexplored territory for me.