I recently reviewed my new smart luggage from SkyValet and as much as my girlfriend and I love our new luggage sets and can’t wait to put them to a true test on the streets of France and Italy later this year, there was still something I felt we were missing…
Here is my honest assessment of Solgaard’s Lifepack Endeavor (with Closet) and why I chose to write about them while drinking.
For as long as I can remember, anytime I traveled I carried a backpack with me. If it was a short trip, sometimes that’s all I brought. On longer trips, I wanted to carry an emergency set of clothes (in the event of lost luggage), the minimum amount of toiletries and always have a good pair of headphones, an iPad or computer and their accessories. It also meant I had an instant souvenir bag while roaming and shopping wherever I was traveling to at the time. I’ve never had a backpack specifically designed for travel and as an undocumented Adidas shoe addict, I usually bought one of their backpacks every couple years. They always got me by carrying just the bare minimum.
So, with our anticipated international trip in the near future, I decided I wanted something I could fit several days worth of clothes, toiletries, laptop etc. Lost luggage internationally sucks, so having a few days packed in a carry-on would definitely be a stress reliever. Also, something I could walk the streets wearing without it feeling overly cumbersome and obnoxious.
It felt like anytime I was logged on to my social media accounts, I kept getting these ads for this travel backpack with a closet. I think I clicked on the link at least weekly for about a month and laughed the thought of paying nearly $250 for a backpack with, basically, built-in compression packs. The more and more I looked at it, the more I realized I might have to give it a try. It had good reviews and I was able to get a little discount with some web searches, so I pulled the trigger.
Just a little over a week later, I had it in my hands, but had no plans to travel. It was packed well in reusable bags and zero plastic. They tout how they are working to reduce plastic waste and only make their products with ocean-bound plastic from coastal communities. It’s not the only reason I chose to buy my most expensive backpack ever, but it certainly made a feel a little better knowing they are making a difference.
So, before getting into the bag itself, I grabbed myself another ice cold beer and some fresh laundry to see what all I could fit and still walk around comfortably. A lot of the reviews and Solgaard themselves, say they can get up to seven days of clothes and a laptop comfortably inside. I understand I am an over packer and shoe addict, so I was not expecting to actually fit a full weeks worth of clothes in a backpack.
Beer in hand, the first thing I unpacked was the “closet” to see what it could do. It truly is a compression packing cube, well, compression organizer, with dedicated areas. I wasn’t going on a trip any time soon, but a few beers deep and I was really getting into seeing what I can stuff in my new bag. I tried folding and rolling clothes to see what worked best and for me, it was a combination of both. Inside the “closet” I was able to fit two pairs of shorts, two pairs of jeans and five tee shirts (all folded). I also crammed in seven pairs of socks and underwear (both rolled) a light hoodie, a sweater, board shorts and some gym clothes. I hung the closet up and pulled the compression draw strings as tightly as I could without putting too much pressure and I was shocked how small it got. Now, that I’ve realistically fit five days worth of clothes in a very small amount of space, let’s get into the bag itself.
I chose the Charcoal color, but had a hard time deciding between the Baltic Black, Granada Green, Atlantic Blue and Cannes Sand. They all looked good, but our new luggage sets are graphite and aluminum, so I stuck with the grey theme. The bag is absolutely filled with goodies, making me feel much better about my purchase. The most obvious benefit to me was the expandable compartment which takes it from a very manageable 27 liters, to a very large 35 liters once expanded. It has a dedicated pockets for my phone and headphone cables, my sunglasses and secret pockets for passports, wallets, credit cards, etc to help avoid pickpockets and keep them close at hand. The work area has a plush pocket for my laptop and fit iPad as well, business cards and has cable organizers for all my gear. It has a luggage strap, which is great, but I still like using a bag hook because with the way I pack, it keeps everything less top heavy. However, what really sold me was the included aluminum bottle opener! ?
With my new bottle opener and yet another cold beer in hand, it was time to see how the compression closet, the bag filled with electronics, sunglasses, a couple hats and a small toiletry bag would all fit together. I went back to the Solgaard website and watched their demo video. My biggest pet peeve, is they fit all these clothes so well, but never discuss shoes or show them packed. I love my shoes and just bringing what I’d be wearing was not go to be enough, so I tried some alternative methods. I started with a pair of flip-flops at the bottom of the bag, followed by a pair of shoes packed sideways, then the compression bag fit right in…once I opened the expansion zipper. I had a little room on top of the closet and managed to squeeze in a very small toiletry bag with emergency items only and my two hats, which did get a little squished, but turned out fine.
I can safely say, I would be comfortable packing up to five days of clothes, as long as the other necessities like shampoo and soap would be provided wherever I travel. The one item that did not fit and is always a necessity for me was my headphones. Luckily, the bag had a lot of clips that can easily be use to clip a headphone case.
I would warn any prospective buyer that with everything I fit in the bag, and it was a lot, it became pretty bulky and heavy. However, the straps are very comfortable and adjustable, so I am sure getting from A to B would not bother me. I walked around the house and yard with it on my back, I attached it to my luggage and rolled on my pavers and even several beers deep there were no issues with maneuverability, fitting in and out of door ways, etc. The best part about the closet is upon arrival at your destination; you simply pull it out and hang it up and the backpack is free to use however you like until your return trip. It’s extremely convenient to have use of the bag while my clothes are hanging safely in my hotel closet.
All in-all, the pro’s greatly outweigh the cons and Solgaard seems like a company building great products, that are environmentally safe and carbon neutral. I liked it so much, I bought my girlfriend a charcoal one for Christmas, a good friend a black one for his birthday and two of my friends ending up buying a Sand and Green for themselves, once I let them try it.
My Pros:
- Removable closet is great for organizing and can hang from the closet once at your destination
- Plenty of safe hidden storage
- Environmentally friendly
- Without the closet it is a great work or day trip pack
- Waterproof fabric
- Nice selection of colors
- Bottle opener ??
My Cons:
- Price Tag
- Bulky When Fully Packed
- No Exterior Charging
As with my first review of SkyValet, I will be post updated reviews of both the smart luggage and the Solgaard Endeavor once they’ve hit the streets of Europe and made it back home, so keep an eye out later this year. If any of you have had the opportunity to try these out, please let me know your thoughts. Or, if you have products you recommend, let me know and I’ll try to put them to the test.