Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC 30L Review

A good travel pack is worth its weight in gold. When bouncing between hostels or hotels, hopping on and off planes, it won’t take long to figure out if you have the right travel pack for the job. Having lived out of and travelled extensively with the Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC 30L pack for the past year, I can safely say that it is not only up to the task, but it’s also one of the best carry-on sized travel packs on the market. Also available in a larger 45-litre version that shares a similar set of features and design, this review will focus specifically on the smaller, 30-litre Mini MLC. Check out my thoughts below, including my assessment of the three different carry options, whether it’s comfortable enough for longer distances and the best way to organise your gear in the Mini MLC.

Use Case

Coming in at 30L, the Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC occupies the sweet spot between a daypack and travel backpack. Whether you’re using it as your dedicated travel pack or as an additional daypack to accompany your luggage, it’s perfectly capable of tackling both. As I prefer to travel only with carry-on-sized luggage, I have been using Black Hole Mini MLC as a dedicated travel bag while testing it.

For the past year, I have used the Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC while travelling full-time through South America and Asia. Having previously never one-bag travelled with a backpack as small as 30 litres, I was initially unsure if the pack would provide enough space for all my gear. I was quickly reassured once packed out, being pleasantly surprised by the amount of pack space the Mini MLC offered. Through conscious packing, I managed to fit inside a week’s worth of clothes, toiletries, electronics, an extra pair of shoes, a laptop and even an Aeropress! To me, this seemed extremely spacious for a 30L pack, and it appeared to provide a similar amount of space compared with some other 35L travel packs I have used in the past. With my full pack weighing in at around 12kg, combined with its small footprint, the Mini MLC has made travelling on flights, public transport and impromptu walks to accommodation a breeze.

Patagonia has consciously designed the Black Hole Mini MLC to maximise packable space while ensuring the pack’s dimensions still remain carry-on compliant with even the strictest airline restrictions. Having taken it on numerous flights with notoriously strict Latin American and Asian budget airline carriers, I can confirm that I have had zero issues with using it as carry-on luggage. Additionally, I managed to fit the Mini MLC under the seat in front of me on several flights when the overhead compartments were already full. While the pack’s dimensions do push the limits on what most airlines consider a personal item, it’s worth checking to see if your airline will allow it, as some are more lenient. Patagonia has also managed to keep the pack relatively lightweight at 1.29kg, which is a priority for me when travelling carry-on only. Due to some airlines having strict carry-on weight allowances, with most luggage having to weigh under 10kg (7kg on the stricter Australian/SEA airlines), it can become difficult to one-bag travel if your pack is not lightweight. A heavy pack will take up a serious chunk of your backpack’s precious weight allowance before you even start filling it with gear, but a lightweight pack like the Black Hole Mini MLC helps to minimise this concern. 

While I have been using the Black Hole Mini MLC primarily as a travel backpack, it is also a great choice for travellers who want a daypack to accompany their check-in luggage on a trip. Being the ideal size to be used as carry-on, Patagonia have ensured the pack has all the features needed in a travel daypack while remaining comfortable for those long days exploring cities or navigating the airport. At 30 litres, the Black Hole Mini MLC is fairly large for a daypack, but it should suit any traveller who needs to carry lots of gear throughout the day. Additionally, with the pack’s dedicated tech compartment and large main compartment, it makes for a great everyday/work backpack as it can easily carry your laptop and daily essentials with minimal bulk.

Features

Although it comes in a small package, Patagonia has still managed to fill the Black Hole Mini MLC with all the necessary features needed in a travel pack.

One of the more unique features of the Black Hole Mini MLC is that it can be carried in three different configurations. The first is in the classic backpack mode, which makes use of the cushioned shoulder straps, hipbelt and sternum strap. If you don’t feel like wearing the Black Hole Mini MLC as a backpack, these shoulder straps and hipbelt can be easily tucked away to transform the pack into a briefcase-style of carry. A large grab handle with ample padding runs along one side of the pack to hold onto when in briefcase mode, making for a fairly comfortable carry experience. Lastly, the pack can be turned into a cross-body/shoulder bag by removing the hipbelt and inserting it into the side clips, transforming it into a shoulder strap. This is a genius bit of design by Patagonia, as utilising the hipbelt as the shoulder strap ensures that you always have the option to use it as a shoulder bag without having to carry an additional strap like some other backpack designs. Admittedly, I have been using the Black Hole Mini MLC pretty much exclusively in backpack mode while travelling (with around 12 kg of pack weight I found it the most comfortable way to carry a heavier load). I’m sure that in the future I will appreciate these additional configurations when carrying less weight, or in situations that I find more suited to a briefcase or shoulder bag style of carry.

The back panel also features a wide webbing loop, which is designed for you to slip the pack over your rolling luggage handle, keeping it secure and off your back while in transit. Additionally, this luggage pass-through strap can be used as an extra grab handle, perfect for pulling the bag out of the overhead compartment on a plane.

Additionally, the front exterior of the pack features four small loops that you can use to easily connect additional gear with carabiners. During my use of the Mini MLC I have found them to be quite useful, having connected a sleeping bag during a multiday hike and a shoe bag when in transit.

Comfort

The Black Hole Mini MLC is fitted with a well-cushioned back panel which, in addition to the padded shoulder straps and hipbelt, makes for a fairly comfortable carry experience. I have had no issues carrying weight around 12kg, but I think that with loads any heavier than this, the pack would start to become uncomfortable over extended periods. While the pack’s harness system may not provide as much comfort or breathability found in the likes of an Osprey hiking pack, I still found it more than comfortable enough to wear on my back for long periods while in transit. Having also spent a 12-hour layover running around London with it on my back, the pack still managed to remain comfortable the entire time. I also managed to take it on a 3-day trek to Ala-Kul lake in Kyrgyzstan packed full with cold-weather gear. While it didn’t provide the comfort and support of a traditional hiking pack becoming uncomfortable towards the end of each day, it still worked in a pinch. If your trip involves both hiking and city travel, a hybrid travel pack like the Osprey Farpoint Trek 55L would be more suitable for hiking than the Mini MLC.

When using the Mini MLC in shoulder/cross-body bag mode, I found it to be less comfortable when carrying heaver loads as the converted hipbelt did not provide much comfort compared to a traditional cross-body bag. Going forward, I would only use the Mini MLC as a cross-body when carrying lighter loads.

Organisation

Internal Organisation

Patagonia keeps it fairly minimal with organisation throughout the pack. The Mini MLC features a large cavernous main compartment accessible via the clamshell zippered opening. This is where the bulk of your gear will go, with this rectangular-shaped compartment easily accommodating multiple packing cubes. Additionally, your gear in the main compartment can be secured with a zippered mesh flap, which keeps everything in place as well as providing some additional compression. When not in use, this mesh flap can be tucked away in a hidden pocket at the base of the pack.

On the back of the main compartment’s flap features two zippered pockets. With one mesh and the other enclosed, these pockets are great for storing smaller items like a jacket or dirty laundry.

Another key bit of organisation found on the Mini MLC is the tech compartment found on the back panel of the pack. Designed to be TSA-compliant, this tech compartment is unique as it can be completely zipped open from the outside, making passing through airport security a breeze. Featuring a well-cushioned laptop and tablet sleeve with a false bottom to protect from drops, I have found it to easily accommodate both my large 16” laptop and iPad. The opposite side of the laptop compartment features 5 additional pockets for further organisation. Featuring 2 nylon drop pockets, 2 stretchy pockets and a larger zippered mesh pocket, this section is great for storing all your tech, like a charger and e-reader. Additionally, this compartment features a black key leash that is useful for storing and providing quick access to your keys when travelling.

External Organisation

The top of the Mini MLC features an external quick-access pocket. Approximately the size of an A5 book, this pocket is ideal for storing items that you need access to, like a small toiletry kit. As this pocket feeds into the main compartment, I found that when the Mini MLC was packed out, this quick access pocket’s volume shrank significantly, and I was only able to squeeze in smaller items like sunglasses.

Lastly, the Mini MLC features one external water bottle pocket on the side of the pack. This stretchy pocket can accommodate most standard 1L water bottles. However, I did notice that with wider bottles like the Nalgene Sustain Wide Mouth 1L Bottle, the pockets began to strain significantly and small tear holes appeared after a month of daily use. I would have also liked Patagonia to include an additional water bottle pocket on the other side of the pack, as this can come in handy for storing another bottle or other items like an umbrella. The external organisation on the Mini MLC is fairly minimal, and I would have appreciated an additional dump pocket on the face pack for some further organisation. While there is no front pocket, it is possible to thread some bungee cord through the 4 nylon loops to create some additional storage for things like a jacket or wet towel.

Construction

Like any good travel pack, the Mini MLC is built to stand up to heavy use when on the road. From being strapped on the back of motorcycles to getting stuffed in overhead bins, over the past year of travel, the Mini MLC has held up remarkably well and shows very little wear. This is thanks to the durable 300-denier polyester ripstop fabric found on the main body of the pack, which has protected it from bumps and scratches during use. The only significant sign of wear on the pack is the water bottle pocket, which has developed a few holes due to overstretching from using a large water bottle. While this is unfortunate, as I prefer to travel with a larger 1L Nalgene, had I opted for a slimmer water bottle initially, then these holes may not have appeared. Whilst the pack is not built to withstand heavy downpours without a rain cover, the external TPU laminate fabric can provide enough weather resistance to protect your gear if you are caught out in a light drizzle. The Mini MLC also features high-quality YKK zippers throughout the pack. I was especially impressed by the burly zippers found on the main compartment, as this zipper has managed to sustain months of overstuffing without any sign of breaking. Additionally, Patagonia continues to look out for our planet by using recycled materials throughout the pack, and it’s also Fair Trade Certified.

Final Thoughts

Having used as many travel packs as I care to admit, I think I have finally found the holy grail of them all. With its ideal size, organisation, durability and comfort, the Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC 30L is one of the best carry-on-sized travel backpacks on the market. After a year of heavy use on the road, the Mini MLC is still going strong and will continue to follow me on my travels for many years to come.