A Review of our Level 8 Backpacks
We just completed a month long trip travelling around Spain with backpacks from Level 8. We had 2 different backpacks: the Atlas Laptop Backpack and the Reboot Backpack. Both backpacks are excellent and the Level 8 brand is recommended for travellers – but the backpack you choose should depend on the type of travel and on how you intend to travel. I’ll explain below.
Below I review our Level 8 backpacks in detail. At the very bottom of this post I tell you how to get a 10% discount on a purchase of Level 8 travel accessories.
The Atlas Laptop Backpack
This is a higher-end version of the “typical” backpack. The material is super resistant, flexible, impermeable to water, has tons of pockets for organization, and has a super protective compartment where you can fit a laptop AND tablet AND any other sensitive hardware devices. It has a metal supported handle and heavily padded shoulder straps.
It’s a very well-made, heavy-duty backpack. I don’t want to tell you that it’s indestructible but I think it would take a lot to rip material or break any zips. We travelled a month with it, using it both as a travel bag (getting from A to B on buses and trains) and as a day bag (for sightseeing around the city). It got some rough treatment and would be our go-to bag for last minute packing items which we would shove in. As I said above, the material is flexible and it always felt that we could shove one more thing in there…
The Reboot Backpack
It’s Lissette who chose the Reboot Backpack, she loves the look of it. It’s what is called a roll-top backpack where the main compartment is filled from the top, with a flexible closing (ie a “roll top”) which means it’s easy to fill and allows for flexibility in the quantity of what you fit into the bag. The Reboot Backpack has its own laptop department AND also has a bottom department with vents where you can fit shoes (which Lissette found handy because she brought 2 pairs of shoes) or wet clothes.
Like the Atlas Laptop, the Reboot Backpack has heavily padded back pads and shoulder straps. In fact the shoulder straps on the ReBoot are slightly wider and more comfortable. Also, a minor thing that makes a big difference: the Reboot has a little strap that links the 2 shoulder straps across your chest and that strap has a little loop which is ideal for a selfie stick or a GoPro. I talk more about that below.
So which Level 8 Backpack?
Originally, we got the Atlas Backpack me and the Reboot Backpack for Lissette. Halfway through our month-long trip we switched. It gave us both an opportunity to get to know each bag.
Our conclusion:
The Atlas Backpack is a great travel backpack both as a travel bag and as a day bag, BUT it’s especially great as a travel backpack because of its durability, multitude of storage departments and for its very heavy-duty laptop/tablet department. If I have to go on a trip I take the Atlas.
The Reboot Backpack is maybe handier as an every-day backpack. It’s a little smaller (just by a touch) and slimmer and I found it to be more comfortable on my back. The straps are also a bit more comfortable (they’re wider and flatter) and the linking strap (that I mentioned up top) is very handy for my Go Pro. Add to that the bottom department where I can stick shoes, wet clothes or even a lunch. The Reboot Backpack has actually become my preferred backpack when I go hiking.
So 2 backpacks which are both excellent but which might be more suitable to you based on your uses.
Get a 10% discount on your Level 8 purchase
Interested in buying a Level 8 backpack? (or suitcase?). Go to the Level 8 website and use “bbqboynet10” as a discount code on the payment page. You’ll get a 10% discount off your purchase.
Related: Updating our Travel Gear
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