This Alpaka Elements Travel Backpack Review post may contain affiliate links meaning if you click on a link, we may receive a small commission, at no cost to you. Please read our full policy below, thank you for your support!
Cost: $249
Capacity: 35 liters
Dimensions: 20.5″ x 12.2″ x 7.8″ (52 x 31 x 20 cm)
Style: Top loading
Weight: 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg)
Laptop: 16” Laptop compartment
Materials: X-Pac or Axoflux Poly 600D; YKK Zips
Origin: Made in China
Alpaka Elements Travel Backpack
Introduction
One of my go-to bag brands, Alpaka is a personal favorite when it comes to companies that offer seriously high-quality travel gear. I’ve showcased their Metro backpack already, which is perfect for carrying personal items during travel, and featured their Flight Sling many times.
But if you want to go for a larger size, there’s another contender that Alpaka offers—the 35-liter carry-on version of their lineup. This is the Alpaka Elements Travel Backpack.
A very tech-centric pack with a slim profile, plenty of pockets, stellar laptop protection, and even a comfy harness system, the Elements Travel Backpack is roomy enough for a weekend trip. With its versatility, it can easily transform into a daily carry pack, making it a solid all-rounder.
Dimensions
The dimensions of the Alpaka Elements backpack are designed for carry-on travel, meaning that it’s a great bag for most trips. Despite this, it’s a little too large to fit as an under-the-seat personal item, so that’s a crucial element to keep in mind.
While the volume of the bag is listed at 35 liters, it doesn’t quite look that big. Instead, when a volume calculation is done based on dimension alone, I found out that the bag seems to hold a maximum of 32 liters.
You can expect this on the best of days, even if there was no interior padding or pockets, which means that 32 is an overstatement—but let’s take an even closer look.
Alpaka Elements Capacity
Through a quick practical test which involves filling the entire bag with packing peanuts, we can see the pack holds closer to 30 liters rather than the advertised 35. If you use it efficiently and make sure you use all your space optimally, it’s more than enough for a weekend trip or some other short outing.
For experienced packers who are used to a 35 liter setup, however, you can expect to be a bit short, which is something to keep in mind.
Materials
The Elements backpack comes in two fabric options, the waterproof X-Pac fabric or the Axoflux 600 fabric, which is what I have. The Axoflux 600 specifically is a recycled polyester with a waterproof coating.
It feels like a mid-weight Cordura nylon, solid but not too heavy or difficult to work with. A 100% recycled polyester, the Axoflux 600 features a waterproof coating.
The rest of the hardware you’ll find on the Elements is sturdy as well, with locking YKK Aquaguard zippers for every exterior zip you can find. Even the smaller side-pocket zippers feature this, meaning that the hardware seems to be of premium quality.
Backpack External Components
The Elements is overflowing with a variety of pockets and compartments. You’ll find dedicated places for everything from notebooks to cables, plus straps for external gear.
Side Organizational Pocket
The Elements features two smaller exterior pockets for small gear. It offers a side pocket, that looks like a water bottle holder at first appearance but is actually designed to hold any small gear like pens, a notebook, or other knick-knacks.
While this pocket is slim and doesn’t offer much volume, the design is nifty and allows the top to open so you can grab something quickly, but also allows for the pocket to fully unzip if you need more access.
It’s also a great pocket for sunglasses, with an extra zippered pocket that’s the perfect place for stowing away your shades.
Front Slash Pocket
On the lower front, there’s a slim slash pocket hidden by a protective fabric flap. Because it’s a flat area, it’s best for slimmer items such as charging cables, a battery bank, or even small electronics.
This area won’t be doing much heavy-lifting storage-wise, but it’s a crucial part of the pack for important items you need to access on the regular.
Water Bottle Pocket
Remember that other pocket that looked like a water bottle holder, but wasn’t? Well, here’s the actual water bottle storage—right along the side of the pack and complete with a versatile storage strap.
It has a slim upper stretch band for smaller bottles, but could also accommodate something taller like a travel tripod. You can secure any longer or bulkier items by attaching them to the integrated strap, and if you don’t need the strap, it just tucks right away.
So whether or not you’re looking to store a water bottle to stay refreshed or something more tech-oriented, the pack is a solid provider.
Not only does the Elements feature this, but it also integrates another area with bottom buckle straps where you can store even more gear.
Bottom Straps
At the bottom of the backpack are two buckle loops. These are ideal for items like rolled-up jackets, beach towels, or a yoga mat. It’s a nice way to save internal space by carrying the bulkier items externally.
Front Organizational Pocket
The final external organizational pocket is a large, front-panel opening pocket that unzips to reveal a long, full-length storage area.
Though relatively thin, it’s a great place to organize smaller gear. Inside, you’ll find three zippered pockets, two slip pockets, a pen sleeve, and a daisy-chain webbing strip.
Alpaka has a “HUB Ecosystem” of pouches and key leashes designed to clip onto these webbing strips—making it easy to swap gear between the bag and other places you might store it.
This is a nifty system that allows for a higher level of organization in your Elements pack than most bags would normally provide.
Laptop Compartment
Finally, let’s check out the laptop compartment. This bag offers a lot of features for tech lovers, and this is just one of those crucial elements. The compartment offers a top-access zipper, an extremely thick, padded interior, and two fuzzy lined sleeves.
One of these sleeves is able to fit a 16″ laptop, while the other smaller sleeve is made for tablet storage. The bottom is solid, with a false bottom to protect the crucial parts of your laptop.
This bag is designed for organization, with solid protection for any tech gear, tons of padding all around, and the sleeves focused at keeping your laptop away from the sides and bottom of your bag.
Carry System
Comfort is a big focus for the Alpaka Elements Backpack. Alpaka has provided a robust harness system to handle heavier loads, especially when you’re carrying tech.
Shoulder Straps
The shoulder straps are impressively wide and thickly padded. They have a distinctive geometric-patterned EVA foam that helps with ventilation and weight distribution.
There are also load lifters at the top to pull the bag closer to your back, plus a sliding sternum strap with a magnetic buckle for additional stability. These features mean that your shoulders should feel good while carrying the bag, and are built to eliminate as much stress on your body as possible.
Back Padding
Back padding is a plus, with a thick, mesh-covered back that has lots of good air ventilation. This is designed to reduce sweat on hot days, making the pack easier to carry on long or strenuous trips.
There’s also a handy luggage pass-through sleeve across the back so you can attach the bag to a rolling suitcase handle.
Hip Belt
Behind the padding is a sleeve for the removable hip belt, which is extremely thick and heavily padded. While this might be a bit overkill considering the smaller size of the pack, there’s no denying that it’s good quality.
It slides behind the padding, secured in place with a Velcro strap. Keep in mind that with the already heavy-duty shoulder straps, you most likely won’t need this unless you have a lot of weight in your pack.
Interior Design and Organization
Finally, it’s time to take a look inside the pack. There are two main zippers along the top back, which can sometimes create confusion in locating the main compartment as opposed to the laptop compartment. Once you unzip the pack, the main space opens fully so you can easily pack and retrieve items.
Inside, you’ll notice two mesh zippered pockets on the “lid” side, suitable for smaller items, plus two zipped side pockets. Another set of daisy-chain webbing strips inside can house additional HUB accessories.
The main compartment here opens all the way to lay flat, giving full access for even the most critical packing moments.
Packing the Alpaka Elements Backpack
Here’s what you can actually pack into the Alpaka Elements. With a slimmer profile, the main compartment works well with packing cubes. It’s a thinner bag, so a 12″ packing cube works well here.
These fit perfectly in the main compartment, leaving a small space on top for a toiletry bag or any other essentials. Depending on how much other gear you have, you can mix and match these cubes, giving room for a larger toiletry pouch if you implement a smaller cube.
There are tons of pockets, so you shouldn’t need pouches for smaller great. It can fit a shaver, a sound machine, and other essentials in the top lid pockets.
For the front pocket we’ll set aside a battery, chargers, and cords, while the bottom pocket will fit a travel wallet. Finally, you can store a pen, pencil, notebook, and even shades in the side pocket, and a laptop in the laptop compartment along with an eReader.
But how does it feel when everything is packed?
Carry Comfort
Once fully packed, the Elements Travel Backpack carries comfortably. Even when you load it with tech gear, the thick shoulder straps and generous back padding help manage the weight well. If the pack does feel too heavy, attach the padded hip belt for extra support around your hips.
Alpaka Elements Final Score
Let’s talk about it. How good is the Alpaka Elements Travel Backpack, and where should it fit for your bag needs?
Alpaka’s Elements Travel Backpack is a great choice if you’re in search of a well-organized, tech-friendly travel pack. It has tons of protective padding and enough small pockets to keep cables, devices, and personal items neatly in place.
The carry system is almost too comfortable, especially considering you can load it with heavier items. This part of the pack is a definite plus.
That said, all that padding and organization comes with extra weight and reduced internal volume. The bag weighs around 3.5 lbs and feels closer to 30 liters or less in actual capacity, which is undoubtedly less than the advertised 35 liters.
Still, if you’re okay with a slightly smaller overall capacity and you value top-notch organization and protection, this backpack can handle a weekend trip’s worth of packing and function well as a daily carry, too.
The pack’s versatility, protective features, and comfortable carry make it a solid contender for those who prioritize organizing tech and personal items on the go.
Alpaka Elements Travel Backpack
Affiliate Disclaimer
I run One Bag Travels as an independent website, I am not directly associated with, nor do I take payments from any of the companies featured on this site. My opinions are based on my personal experience with these products, as well as years of experience as an independent traveler.
Any revenue I receive from One Bag Travels is from affiliate marketing relationships, meaning if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. I strive to review products that I like, or are popular in the one bag/minimalist travel community, not just brands that I receive a commission on. Sometimes a company will send me a free product to review, I am however under no incentive or obligation to give them a favorable review.
The continued existence and success of One Bag Travels relies on the support of my readers. I believe providing thorough, honest, unbiased information is the best way to grow this support. I put a lot of work into my reviews, if you find this information was helpful in your decision, we encourage you to purchase through one of our affiliate links, at zero extra cost to you. This support allows me to continue providing the best reviews and content for you. Thank you for your support!
