Cabin Zero Bags

Cabin Zero Adv 32L Backpack

I purchased two of these backpacks for a Mum & Son trip to Sydney. The goal was to travel light for extra mobility, particulary as we moved between train stations, airports, and our accomodation. We've travelled with a 20L backpack and a carry-on roller each before, but decided to pare things down even further this time and see if we could cope with a ~30L backpack and medium sling/cross body bag each. So technically 1.5 bagging.

After a ton of research on different one-bag travel options I settled on the Cabin Zero Adv 32L. They seemed like good quality, servicable bags. They come with a large main compartment and no excess pockets or dividers, keeping them really lightweight. The Adv model had better padding in the back and shoulder straps than the Cabin Zero Classic, and the 32L size seemed a better fit for my build than the 42L.

I ordered the Atlantic Blue for myself and the Mossy Forest for my son. Managed to get them on sale and free international postage as I bought two at the same time, so there was a considerable cost saving on them.

Bag Specifications

Dimensions: 46cm x 31cm x 18cm Capacity: 32L Weight: 875g

Bag Review

When the bags first arrived I was surprised at how big they seemed compared against my 20L STM Saga work backpack. Then I realised how quickly 32L fills up!

The bags themselves are great quality. The colours are lovely and the material is a super tough rip-stop fabric. The zippers are YKK and run smoothly.

Packing

See my One Bag Travel post for details on how and what we packed.

We found the bags fit two packing cubes perfectly. These were a small rectangular shaped one stacked on top of a medium-sized square one (both packing cubes were from an inexpensive 3-piece set sold at ALDI). We also each had room for a wetpack, a tech pack, and second pair of shoes (flattish shoes, stuffed down one side beside the medium packing cube).

Packing was easy. It's not as accessible as a fully opening clam shell bag, but it unzips to open beyond the halfway point so you can still lie it flat and pack it like a suitcase. We found our packing cubes just slid in and stacked on top of each other.

There are three internal pockets - two flat mesh zipped pockets on the inner front and a laptop sleeve on the back. The mesh pockets were great for small items so they don't get lost in the bag. the larger one has two elastic pen loops. We didn't take a laptop on this trip, but used the laptop sleeve pocket to hold a clear document envelope with backup printouts of our itinerary and reservations instead.

There are two external zipped pockets and a waterbottle pocket. We popped a backpack rain cover in the large flat front pocket. The small top pocket held a few misc, non-valuable items - like our luggage scale.

Carrying

Carrying this bag was so easy. Mine weighed in at ~6.75kg, my son's was under 5kg. They sat well on our backs and were adjustable to get a better fit and weight balance. The side cinch straps helped keep everything tight and compact.

We didn't try stashing them under the airplane seats, but they probably would have fit if we had to. We had no problem lifting them into the overhead lockers - the side and top handles worked well. My son is left-handed and neither of us found the handle positioning awkward.

Security

The bags come with a metal Okoban tag and tracking ID that you register your details against. It's a global lost & found system that's supposed to assist getting lost bags back to their owners. I paired this with a Tile tag in each bag.

The main compartment zip has loops to allow a padlock to be used.

Would I buy Cabin Zero again?

Definitely! I was very impressed with the bag's quality. It was lightweight but still felt like it was made of a decently thick fabric. It didn't look like it would tear easily. I was also impressed with the international shipping, both the speed and the great condition everything arrived in.

I've been watching the Cabin Zero sales for a good deal on my next bag. Currently eyeing off the Classic Flight 12L bag as a good day trip option.

Where to get one

You can read more about the ADV 32L on Cabin Zero's site.