Travel Accessories Review: Crumpler Mantra Backpack

With plenty of storage and built to last for years, Crumpler’s Mantra backpack is ideal for everyday life and work, but especially well suited to travellers. 

• What Is It: A stylish and practical backpack.
• Why buy: It’s sturdy, with compartments for all the key accessories travellers now carry, and it works for men and women.
• The Details: Crumpler Mantra backpack costs rrp $249 and comes in four colours, available from www.crumpler.com/au/ and Crumpler stores nationally. 

Road Test

After many years of travelling for work and leisure, I have come to the conclusion that it’s hard to beat a backpack for convenience on many levels. If you like your carry on to have a bit of style, however, finding something which not only looks good but is practical and long lasting can be a challenge. One brand to put on your list to check out is Crumpler, an Australian brand which is well known for producing functional, sturdy and long-lasting bags for travellers. And among its numerous ranges worth considering is the Mantra backpack, a bag which is designed to be used every day as well as on your travels. Just one of the reasons is space. It offers 25L in the main compartment, which means plenty of room for a laptop or a tablet, chargers and accessories, and anything else you want to take with you including a change of clothes. Other benefits include front pockets for smaller accessories, fully adjustable shoulder straps (which are super comfortable), and an internal mesh zip pouch for smaller items. All up the backpack measures up at 34cm x 46cm x 15cm, and it weighs 1.3kg; it’s also made of strong weatherproof material with sturdy zippers that open and close smoothly every time. The colour I got to road test was Night Sky, essentially a very dark navy, and there were a number of features I really liked. On the design front, there was some nice beige detailing to break up the heaviness of the navy, including on the adjustable straps, and the from pocket zipper. The back side of the backpack also has comfortable padding, and when going through security at the airport, the side zippered compartment containing your laptop was also a big help in terms of making things easy. And there was another bonus I nearly missed. The backpack is expandable by way of a zip which goes around the main compartment, and inside there is a grey, zippered pouch for adaptors and travel plugs. With this stylish backpack everything has been carefully thought out and organised, which ultimately organises you and makes your travels with accessories and gadgets easier.

UltimateTravelMagazine.com Loves 

• The backpack comes in four colours including Black, Night Sky, Slate Grey and Blue Lead.
• It has fully adjustable straps making it comfortable to wear for everyone.
• There are handy front pockets for small accessories. 

We're giving away a Crumpler Mantra backpack in Night Sky in a new travel competition. To go to the competition page, click here.