Patagonia Black Hole MLC Pack
A burly, soft-sided 45-liter suitcase, the Patagonia Black Hole MLC pack gives you enough space for world travel, and convertible straps let you carry it as shoulder bag or duffel.
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- 3 carrying configurations allow bag to be used as a backpack, a shoulder bag or a duffel, and all straps tuck away when not in use
- 45-liter design is based on the maximum carry-on size of most airline carriers (but check with your airline)
- Made with 100% recycled body fabric, lining and webbing, and coated with a 100% recycled TPU laminate
- Free of wheels or handles that might get in the way once you're out of the airport
- Large main compartment has 2 interior organization pockets and 1 drop-in top pocket for smaller items
- Dedicated space for tech storage fits most 19 in. laptops with room for documents and cords; laptop carrier zips open and lies flat for easy TSA compliance
- Padded, stowable hipbelt takes weight off the shoulders in backpack mode and doubles as the shoulder strap in briefcase mode
- External lash points add the ability to accommodate more gear
- Wide webbing loop on the back panel acts as a haul handle or can be slipped over the handle of rolling luggage for easier movement through airports
- Fair Trade Certified™ sewn, which means the people who made it earned a premium for their labor
- Body is 300-denier postconsumer recycled ripstop polyester with postindustrial recycled TPU-film laminate; lining is 200-denier recycled polyester with a polyurethane coating
- Straps are 600-denier recycled polyester with recycled polyester spacer mesh; webbing is recycled nylon
- This item meets carry-on size restrictions for most airlines (size not to exceed 45 linear inches when adding L+W+H; this is subject to change, so check with your airline)
Imported.
View the Patagonia Black Hole Product LineView all Patagonia Travel Packs| Best Use | Travel |
|---|---|
| Bag Style | Shoulder Bag Duffel Backpack |
| Gear Capacity (L) | 45 liters |
| Gear Capacity (cu. in.) | 2,685 cubic inches |
| Number of Exterior Pockets | 2 |
| Laptop Compartment | Yes |
| Fits Laptop Size (in.) | 19 inches |
| Carry-On | Yes |
| Checkpoint-Friendly | Yes |
| Material(s) | Body: 300-denier postconsumer recycled ripstop polyester with recycled TPU-film laminate; straps: recycled polyester; lining: recycled polyester with polyurethane coating; webbing: recycled nylon |
| Dimensions | 22 x 14.5 x 7.6 inches |
| Raincover Included | No |
| Weight | 3 lbs. 9.7 oz. |
| Gender | Unisex |
| Hipbelt | Yes |
| Sustainability | Contains materials that meet the bluesign® criteria Fair Trade Certified™ sewing Contains recycled materials |
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Most Helpful Critical Review
Cavernous storage but lacking support/structure
I hate to give it 4 stars because it might be perfect for someone else, just not me. I loved the amount of storage and internal organization. However, I was looking for those qualities as well as something that would be comfortable on my back for several hours if necessary -- something MLC was lacking for me. When I loaded up, it pulled my shoulders back and the thin hip belt didn't fit around my portly waist. I ultimately returned the bag, it wasn't right for me. In the end I went with the Cotopaxi Allpa 42L which had the organization and capacity with much better support/structure for carrying and a waist belt that fit!
Swing and a miss...
Been using this bag, the newest bag version, for almost two years. I've owned multiple versions of the MLC, going bag decades. Like other reviewers this bag is a downgrade. The ridiculous amount of padding is totally unnecessary and only adds thickness and weight to the bag. The lack of any external pockets for passport, wallet, AirPods, and keys, is noticeably missing and essential for a travel pack. Also missing, external pockets for a water bottles. Construction quality is excellent, as per Patagonia standards, and the bag has held-up well. I travel weekly on all size planes and a travel pack is a must-have for smaller planes with limited overhead compartments. If Patagonia doesn't improve the bag on the next iteration I will be searching for a new brand travel pack for the first time in 35-years.
Small interior spaces, too much internal padding.
I needed a light-weight soft-sided bag to take on a 2-week trip to Africa in order to comply with the small plane bag rules. I was VERY disappointed in this pack. Promotes itself as a 45L bag that complies with airline carry on requirements. Well, it does the latter, but no way can you get 45L space given it has this ridiculously thick middle padding and really only one main compartment, where it feels like there should be two. I traded it in for the Cotopaxi Allpa 50, which is HUGH. I did a test pack and the Allpa 50 can fit about twice as much gear as the Patagonia Black Hole MLC. The only thing I don't get with the Cotopaxi is a waist belt, but it's overall lighter and I'm only using the straps to carry it during boarding.
Travel essential
This is my third one of these, starting with the very first about 20 years ago. They have all been great. But this one appears to be the best of them all, with new design features what should allow to hold more stuff while also being more sturdy. One trick to note (that is not properly explained in the description: the shoulder strap is actually the same as the hip strap. You pull it through and out, then attach it with special clips.
Downgrade from previous version
I travel half my life and the old mlc 45 has been my go to bag for years. I'm really disappointed in this version though. There are less pockets and the lack of a smaller external pocket for passport/keys/ whatever is a deal breaker for me.
REI - Bad experience ordering & customer service
Bag is OK. But REI did a terrible job selling it to me: I've placed my first online order with REI and received what was obviously a poorly handled return. Bag was thrown into the shipping carton, all the zippers were open, human hair could be found inside the bag, shoulder strap was missing. I notified REI about this unacceptable handling of my order; their solution was to give me a discount (off a fully priced item) the next time I place a new order and to ship me a replacement strap. Three weeks later there is no strap, no apologies from REI, nobody got back to me as they've promised. Not good! I expected more from REI. How can I trust REI with future orders? I can't after this experience!
One bag that does it all
I was searching for a bag that I could maximize as a carry-on to avoid wasted time at the luggage carousel and found that this bag was the best option. Only complaint here is that I wish there were additional options to organize the content within the open compartment (Patagonia pls throw in some packing cubes :)) The size of the backpack is a bit on the larger side but I have had no questions asked when carrying on.
Not completely sold on it yet, needs a few tweaks.
First impressions - this is going to be a nice way to carry on my back vs roll around a plastic suitcase. They really should add at least one pocket for a water bottle on the outside and the "waistband" only fits tiny humans. Make it adjustable.
Well constructed, lacks practicality
Well constructed product as typical with most Patagonia products. I used this pack as my "under the seat" item for an 11 day vacation/work trip in Europe in addition to my rolling carry on . It has a ton of space so it was nice to back all my work and casual gear. The problem is its almost too big and was quite a nuisance to travel with on planes and trains and I think it lacks practicality on its own. It's the size of a rolling carry on, so if you're packing all your stuff I'd prefer to roll it than to carry all the weight on my back. If you're really set on having the mobility of a backpack I'd just opt for a backpacking pack instead. Pros: - Great construction - Tons of space - lots of zippers and pockets to organize gear Cons: - Almost too big which leads an uncomfortable bag to lug around - No quick access pockets, makes it difficult to going through TSA to remove items or trying to store a water bottle. If you're really set on this type of bag, opt for the Travel Pack version instead - Won't fit under seats well Hard to rate less than 4 stars since it works as advertised. It's just hard to see the practical uses when there are a lot of better bags out there that have more functionality.
Rare swing and a miss for patagucci
I'll start with: I really wanted to like this bag a lot. I love Patagonia BH stuff, and own a ton of their bags. I took this on a 1+ week long international trip. My goals for this bag: I really wanted this to be a 'one bagger' bag - that is, I wanted it to be a backpack I could put all my stuff in, then empty the clothes etc. in the hotel, and use the bag as my day pack during the day. It did the former super well, but failed in the latter. Pro: First this bag is made with standard Patagonia BH material which is *outstanding*. I only used it on one trip, but I think this bag would really do well over a longer period of time. It truly is a black hole. You can pack a lot lot lot of clothes in it and never have to check it. It's really supportive on your back - the weight is super distributed well. Cons: 1. First, what is up with the waist band? It's made for a pixie. I'm a really normal sized person (guy with 33 waist) and i couldn't get it around my waist. Obviously that's challenging when you pack the bag overly full. 2. Second, this bag could have gone from 3 stars to 5++ if it had some really simple fixes. Like, where are the water bottle holders? Where is the outside pouch for celly, keys etc. Why do I have to open the entire darn bag to get my laptop out instead of just accessing the sleeve? Insane. At the end of the day, this is just a duffel bag that you can wear on your back. You'd be better off just buying the duffel tbh.