I’ve Waited Decades for a Travel Backpack to Finally Nail This Feature

I developed an unhealthy obsession with all-in-one travel backpacks in college and have regularly used at least a dozen different versions over the decades (gulp) since then.  

One thing my experience has taught me is that internet-era brands like Aer, DSPTCH, Peak Design, Topo Designs, Tortuga, Matador and others deserve credit for evolving and improving the ideas originally pioneered by classic travel brands like Eagle Creek.

But there’s always been one common travel scenario where every bag I’ve used has fallen frustratingly short.

Acknowledging the elephant in the cabin

Black Ember

Toting everything you need for a trip in a single bag is liberating when you’re on the move, but things can get awkward after boarding a plane or train.

Do you sacrifice your legroom to the gods of travel efficiency to keep essentials close at hand? Or do you scramble to dig through pockets and compartments, pulling out necessities and tossing them into seat pockets before stowing the bag away from your seat in a storage rack?

Experienced travelers who prefer a different choice solve this dilemma by adding another, smaller pouch or hip pack to their travel kit.

Bag maker Black Ember has diligently worked on the problem in its own way for a while now. The company offers Boarding Kit bags, i.e., smaller pouches designed to hold small electronics, chargers and more, in two separate sizes.

The brand also already sells a smaller-sized travel backpack with an internal pocket designed specifically to store the Boarding Kit bag. This smaller bag within a bigger bag combo has been the closest thing to an elegant solution I’ve seen in the industry, but it’s not perfect. That’s because accessing the Boarding Kit bag in the smaller Forge 30 requires fully unzipping the bag’s front panel.

But the brand’s new, larger-sized Forge 40 travel backpack seems to finally execute on the concept perfectly. The pack includes a dedicated pocket for the Boarding Kit pouch that’s located in the top of an exterior pocket, making it easy to reach ahead of taking a seat.

The Forge 40 features plenty of other smart storage ideas too

Black Ember

Beyond fully addressing my weirdly specific and longstanding gripe, the Forge 40 also thoughtfully addresses just about every other storage need you’d want from a capable travel backpack.

Two additional exterior pockets offer slots for smaller items and pass-through access to the bag’s larger central compartment, which can hold a weekend’s worth of clothing.

Releasing an expansion zipper also increases the bag’s storage capacity from 30 to 40 liters. Integrated magnetic compression straps make squeezing the bag’s contents easy, too.

A quilted EVA foam slot on the back protects a larger 16-inch laptop and a 12-inch tablet.

It’s designed to be carried multiple ways

Black Ember

The Forge 40 is, first and foremost, a backpack, as evidenced by the dual EVA foam-padded shoulder straps, tweakable load-lifters and an integrated magnetic sternum strap. It’s also compatible with an optional hip belt for additional weight distribution on longer treks.

Black Ember

Like many other travel bags, travelers can also carry the Forge 40 like an oversized briefcase thanks to an integrated side handle. And though it’s disappointing that it’s not included with the backpack, an optional shoulder strap provides yet another carrying option.

The bag’s so-called butterfly back panel also looks like an intelligent approach to storing the backpack straps out of the way when they aren’t needed.

Black Ember

Thanks to a dedicated handle pass-through strap, the bag can just simple sit securely on a roller board too.

Small security features and rugged materials round it out

Black Ember

The Forge 40 is made of a proprietary textile dubbed EmberTex, which is abrasion-resistant and has a matte black finish that’s common in the category these days.

Like other Black Ember bags, the backpack also features premium YKK Aquaguard zippers with locking zipper pulls.

Together, these features should make the Forge 40, like other bags of its ilk, reasonably weatherproof, if not fully waterproof.

Currently, the bag is available for pre-order on Kickstarter for an early-bird price of $359, which includes bonuses like the aforementioned longer shoulder strap. A $429 pledge tosses in extras like the Boarding Kit pouch and shoe cube.

The estimated delivery date is December of this year.

Given that the company has already exceeded its desired goal of $5,000, we expect the bag to be available from the company’s website sometime in the future. We’ll be working to review it as well to see how it compares to our current best carry-on travel backpack picks.

Black Ember

New Release

Black Ember Forge 40 Travel Pack

• $359 at Kickstarter

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