Testing out the Afar backpack on the road

I thought I’d share with you how the Eagle Creek Afar backpack has been working for me on our trip. In the below video I review the backpack which I use as my carry-on bag, occasional day pack and ‘weekender’. I go through some of the backpack’s features, and also show you how much it fits and how it looks.

The Afar has a spacious main compartment which has a laptop/ipad section, a secondary compartment which also includes pocket organisers for your phone or camera, pens, and other smaller items, and a zippered mesh pocket. The bag also has two mesh side pockets for a drink bottle and other items, and a front mesh pocket which is handy for for example stowing away your jacket. There are dual lockable zippers on the two main compartments so you can lock the bag for added security. There is also a separate compartment for your laptop (in addition to the laptop pocket inside the main compartment), which is really easy to access and also very secure as the entry sits underneath the backpack straps. I find the laptop compartment particularly useful when going through airport security.

My favorite feature is the weight of the backpack – it is super light at 0.76kg (1 lb 11 oz). Yet it is pretty spacious as its capacity is 33.5 Litres (2050 cu in) so it’s big enough for any ‘side trips’ that we may take. I also like the amount of pockets, compartments and general level of organisation the bag provides. Overall I find the Afar a really great backpack that is ultra light, yet spacious.

I hope the video will provide some tips on what kind of carry-on bag to select if you’re going on a trip, or generally looking for a good backpack that’s lightweight and spacious. Thanks for watching!

If you’d like to see more gear reviews and travel videos, please check out our Coconut Compass Youtube channel!