No matter whether you’re commuting for work, going to college or if you simply love to travel, choosing a backpack to carry all your tech is a very important yet rather personal decision. Form, function, carrying capacity or added smarts – one often must pick one over the other, all the while staying subtle enough to not advertise that you’re carrying expensive tech gear inside. Having tried my fair share of backpacks, I came across the Overnighter Backpack from the hugely-popular-on-Instagram-brand Mokobara that, in the brand’s words, “packs like a suitcase and carries like a backpack” …but does it manage to do both?
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Unlike some of Mokobara’s brightly coloured backpacks, the Overnighter Backpack is available in three discreet, water-resistant avatars - navy blue, olive green and black. No matter which one you pick, the bag gets its admiring stares in public, with friends and family appreciating the clean look and just how well the bag holds its shape, whether it’s packed or empty.
Open it up, and the bag surprises you at practically every turn with thoughtful design elements sprinkled generously all over the bag – this holds particularly true for folks like me who’re guilty of carrying altogether too much tech through airport security. Sample this – the ‘tech compartment’ on the rear opens fully flat to comfortably fit in a 16-inch Apple MacBook Pro along with a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, plus the usual assortment of chargers and wires in easy access netted storage, perfect for unloading all at once at airport security and repacking quickly.
Yet it’s the ‘overnighter’ aspect of the design which comes in most handy, as the middle compartment unzips to pack in a change of clothes (or two, if you’re a light packer). Bear in mind, this compartment isn’t too deep – although it expands from 19 litres to 23 litres - so it’s really only enough to pack in bare essentials if you’re using it as an overnighter with a full change of clothes.
Aside from a zippered pocket for your documents and some slip pockets for knicks and knacks, there’s even a leakproof compartment for your toiletries and internal wiring to plug in a power bank which then charges the device you need via the weather-sealed USB port on the outside. And yes, the wiring/ports are USB Type A and Type C on both ends, so you can charge practically any handheld device.
Around the front is a voluminous pocket for a book, a wired headphone or a Kindle, and a front pocket for keys and a pair of AirPods, but it’s when you reach your hotel and want to dump the bag that it reveals its secret superpower – the front pocket detaches from the bag and doubles as a sling bag, detachable belt included! Everything is perfectly organised and easily accessible, and one doesn’t have to rummage through the bag to find what you need. The little surprises don’t end there – a side pocket expands to fit in a half litre bottle, and there’s the Mokobara signature magnetic pocket between the straps on the rear to slip in a phone for easy access.
For a bag that checks all the boxes, the unladen weight of 2.7 kg is a bit on the heavier side, but the padded straps do well to distribute the weight on your back. It feels durable and made of quality materials and has weathered several domestic and international trips in the two months of use. An easy recommendation.
Rating: 9/10
Price: INR 8,499