Mous Optimal Travel Backpack Review

The Mous Optimal Travel Backpack expands from 40 to 45 liters, handy for the ebbs and flows of traveling, no matter where your destination is. This pack is chock-full of features, sometimes blindingly so. Still, from the jump, we were curious whether these were for show or if they’d actually be helpful to travelers. Let’s dive in and investigate!

External Components

The primary pack material is 840D ballistic nylon with an external coating, which is incredibly water-resistant and relatively durable. It does well with drops, but the material is prone to scraping against rough surfaces, like jagged concrete. The materials are solid, especially if you mainly stick to urban travel and won’t go off-trail.

The zippers are from YKK and have a PU coating, which helps with the pack’s overall good water resistance. The laptop and main compartment have locking loops, so you can use a TSA-approved padlock, though none are included.

The zippers are pretty small and often get caught or slowed down when opening the compartments. The pulls are the right size for the zipper heads, but the zippers are too small, making the pulls feel inadequate. In practicality, they work, but they aren’t very enjoyable to use, which feels especially odd considering that they’re from YKK, our favorite zipper brand.

The buckles and plastic adjusters are from Woojin, a solid brand. They work as you’d expect them to, without any hiccups.

The pack has a handle on the top and one on either side, which is handy for grabbing the pack from almost any angle. There are daisy chains between the handles, enabling you to attach gear to the pack’s outside. We didn’t find this very useful in testing; however, they don’t get in the way if you aren’t using them and are handy in a pinch when you need to add some extra gear to your pack.

An additional handle above the harness system lacks padding or aeration. It’s minimalistic, but we’re not sure why it exists. At least it’s out of the way for the most part.

Two compression straps on either side of the pack help slim it down if you’ve overpacked. You can clip things on here, too, which is handy. Considering the footprint of this pack and its carry-on compliance (which is quite good), we didn’t need to use the straps unless we way overpacked.

There’s a luggage pass-through on the back panel, which is handy if you’re bringing rolling luggage, too. The pass-through is vertical, meaning the bag is horizontal on your checked luggage or carry on bag. This makes the connection more sturdy but more challenging to get inside your pack in transit. Considering the size of this pack, we prefer the sturdiness to ease of access.

Fit Notes

The pack has a large footprint, which can feel bulky at times. Still, the point of a travel backpack is to get as much gear from home to your destination as possible without incurring extra fees, and this pack will do that. Comfort is a bonus, and this pack has some, but it’s quite sweaty overall.

The back panel has a fair amount of padding and mesh for breathability, but the pack’s size still makes things hot. When you stow a laptop in the main compartment, it feels very stiff. Though it’s slightly better without a laptop stowed inside, it still feels rigid.

The shoulder straps have ample padding and mesh, too. There are load lifters, which help shift weight when wearing the pack for an extended period. The shoulder straps are curved for comfort and are, overall, more comfortable than the back panel.

The shoulder straps can be stowed behind the back panel, making it easier to store in the overhead bin or the closet at home because they won’t get caught on anything.

The hip belt is removable, adding comfort and the ability to shift weight. We found it just as sweat-inducing as the back panel, though the coziness is helpful on long days carrying the pack.

Generally, we found the harness system a bit overzealous for short journeys, but it became comfier over time despite inducing sweat.

Inside The Pack

This pack has loads of pockets, meaning you can give every piece of gear a home, but we felt there were so many that some may think it’s overkill. On a few occasions, we forgot what item was stowed in which pocket. That might be a skill issue on our end, but this doesn’t happen often, so there are probably other travelers like us. We don’t think this is a huge problem, just keep it in mind if you’re forgetful!

There are two side pockets where a water bottle pocket would be. Neither is a traditional water bottle pocket, though you can stow one in either. It’s unconventional at best, but it works.

They’re both zippered, and one is a simple pocket with elastic on the side to stow tall, skinny items inside. This one works better for water, but larger travel bottles won’t fit inside. Smaller models or a travel umbrella work better here. The other pocket is a little more complicated, with a separate zipper allowing access to the lid and a pass-through connecting that mini-pocket to the main one. You can stow a battery bank in one and your phone or another device in the other for charging, though the whole process feels convoluted. Two interior pockets wouldn’t have been as pretty, but it may have been easier to use. The process they have designed does work, though.

Behind the back panel, there’s a hidden pocket without organization. This pocket is perfect for your passport or other sensitive items, as it’s hidden while you’re wearing the pack. This is an excellent addition to a travel backpack like this.

The front-facing pocket covers the entire front of the pack and has ample gear storage and the pack’s admin panel. One very large mesh pocket and two small pen/stylus slots are on the lid. Opposite that, a zippered pocket works well for locking down small gear, like dongles and adapters, and there are also two medium-sized mesh pockets, two small ones, and two extra small ones. Below are a large liner pocket and two small ones, the only non-stretchy pockets in this compartment. This is a solid space to stow a notebook, pleasure reading book, or other flat items, and the organization works well for your tech and miscellaneous gear.

The pack’s top pocket is very small and works well for sunglasses, a phone, AirPods, or a snack. It’s also the easiest pocket to access in transit, so quick-use gear works well here.

The laptop compartment has a clamshell opening, so you theoretically don’t have to remove your computer at airport security, just flop it open. That said, we’ve had TSA officers tell us to remove our computers from these compartments in the past, despite the rules stating that you don’t have to, so be prepared for that. There are two sliders here, a more padded one that works for large laptops, and a smaller iteration that’s good for a notebook, tablet, or another computer. This one isn’t as padded, so keep that in mind when stowing expensive electronics there.

The main compartment is where the bulk of your gear storage is, and there’s the least organization here. We dig that, as you can stow large items inside. Mous wants you to stow your accessories here, but you can use any secondary gear here, like packing cubes, a tech pouch, or a shoe pouch.

Two side pockets work well for water bottles, umbrellas, or shoes. We didn’t find these particularly useful in practice, though they don’t get in the way if you aren’t using them. The compartment’s lid has two large mesh pockets and a small one on either side of each pocket, so there are four places to stow pens, pencils, or a stylus.

There’s also a semi-hidden AirTag pocket, which is handy if your luggage gets lost or stolen. Although this has become more common on travel backpacks, we always like seeing it, as it’s pretty useful.

The rest of the space is wide open, meaning you can stow a wide variety of items here. According to Mous, an expansion zipper runs around the outside of the pack, giving you an additional five liters of space. This is handy for overpackers, those who like to bring souvenirs home, or those who leave their hotel at the last minute like a bat out of hell without organizing properly. Just get it in there, and let’s get home!

Overall, we liked using this pack. Some things frustrated us, though they didn’t completely turn us away from the pack. The harness system isn’t very inviting, though it is more comfortable long-term than when you put it on. The zippers feel too small for the job, which is more annoying than an issue of durability. There are arguably too many pockets, though you don’t have to use all of them simultaneously.

The Mous Optimal Travel Backpack is a solid backpack for those who want every piece of gear to have a home and their pack to have a sleek, modern look—and we’re here for that!