There was a time, not too long ago, that I didn’t give two thoughts about what bag I brought with me on my travels.
That’s mainly because I didn’t do much traveling. None, in fact.
As I’ve ramped up my solo and work travels, I’ve found the need for something a little more flexible. Something like the Mother Lode TLS Weekender Convertible Backpack.
Yes, the name of it is a bit long but the backpack itself is as handy as the name implies.
A weekend in San Francisco was booked so I began to look at countless bags and backpacks over the course of a number of weeks, reading reviews, comparing prices; just like buying a new car.
Finally, I decided on this one and purchased it through eBags. [Feel free to click the link, I don’t get any commission or anything, so I hope you know this is just my thoughts on the bag and not a paid endorsement.]
The comes with straps for you to wear it, or a conventional shoulder strap for you to throw it over a shoulder. You can also carry bag style if that’s your thing.
I fit an entire weekend’s worth of clothes in the Weekender with room to spare. Two pairs of pants, a pair of shorts, a few shirts, a jacket, socks and undergarments. I was incredibly surprised by this because I was fully expecting to bring another smaller bag for overflow but didn’t find a need. The built in tie-down straps that keep everything from shifting around are super handy as well.
It goes without saying that it probably isn’t the right bag for longer trips or trips where you’re not going to be washing and wearing the same outfits again and again, but it does the job for those short trips perfectly.
The Mother Lode Weekender 
The Mother Lode Weekender The Mother Lode Weekender
It also includes plenty of additional storage space for your toiletries, earbuds, and various chargers. The inclusion of a tuck-away water bottle holder is something that you don’t think you’ll need and it probably won’t weigh into your final bag buying decision but I’ll tell you this: I didn’t know I loved it until I used it all weekend.
I brought along my 15″ MacBook Pro to test out the feel and overall performance of the Weekender. The inside is soft lined with a hardened bottom and back support so that your laptop doesn’t absorb the shock if you toss your bag down (like I do) or if you’re bumped on the bus or train.
Everything held up nicely throughout the weekend.
Sweating is a given whenever you’re hiking on dirt roads or running around downtown, but I never really felt like my back was sweating from the materials or anything of that nature. There’s that bit of information for all my sweaty friends out there. (I’m looking at you Mom)
It acts as a carry on, goes through TSA screenings just fine, and is pretty stylish for a backpack. I went with the Heathered Graphite look.
Overall, I definitely recommend and will be keeping it in my travel rotation from here on out.
Check out my video from San Francisco… you can catch glimpses of my backpack in a few scenes.
