Arcido Faroe : 22x14x9 Carry On Backpack for Europe Travel w/ Laptop Macbook up to 15.4"

I bought this bag because I have seen that it is an above average quality bag for a good price. I live outside of the United States and travel back home to the U.S. about four or five times a year. I was looking for a bag that would hold about three to five sets of clothes and a few other items such as my laptop and cables for my electronic devices. This bag seemed to fit the bill and at $100 I decided to give it a try.First of all, the bag is very light. It is nicely constructed and the fabric seems durable. The fabric has a bit of a crinkle sound to it but not to an obnoxious degree. I don’t think that opening it and closing it will wake up everyone around you on a red eye flight. The straps are padded and comfortable but not too remarkable otherwise. It also has a strong padded handle at the top of the bag. It easily handled the load that I had in the bag without discomfort. The back of the bag is padded as well. It makes carrying the bag comfortable but is not overly cushioned.The bag has two main compartments. The compartment closest to your back has a laptop pocket and several other pockets for stashing your pens, notebooks, and other such items. There is a also a sizable mesh, zippered pocket that is great for holding the various cables and adapters that I carry with me when I travel. The laptop pocket is adjustable. I think that I read that it will handle up to a fifteen inch laptop. Luckily it adjusts down and it held my 12 inch MacBook nicely with no wriggle room. There is also a strap that you can pull up to draw the laptop up out of the bag in the event that TSA needs you to remove it from your bag. This bag would probably hold my other devices, too, though I prefer to have a smaller bag with the devices that I will access will traveling.The other main compartment, the one furthest from the back, is where I put my clothes. It will fit three to five sets of clothes depending upon how tightly I roll them. You can them strap them down with cinch straps to help keep the clothes in place. This compartment opens up all of the way though the sides of the pack come up a bit. This is nice because it makes it easy to arrange your clothes but still gives you sides that allow you to fill up the compartment while giving you a good idea how much space you have left until the bag is full.In addition to the two main compartments there are also four small pockets that are easily accessible from the outside of the pack. There are two side pockets that do a great job of storing a couple of decently-sized water bottles. There is also a pocket on the back of the bag between laptop compartment and the padded back. This pocket is big enough that I can fit about two of my medium-sized hands in. It’s a great place to put a wallet, passport, phone, and watch when you’re going through TSA. Easily accessible but not too obvious. Finally there is another pocket that intrudes into the clothing compartment. If I have a complaint about the bag it lies in the construction of this pocket. For me it is a pockets that I tend to put miscellaneous stuff into. A bottle of aspirin, a package of tissues, a tin of mints, car keys, a microfiber cloth. Things that I pick up and want convenient to me while traveling. This pocket hang down into the clothing compartment taking up a bit of space. That’s not what bugs me though. What bugs me is that it not secured to anything but the top of the bag. Otherwise it is left to flop around. Not a big deal when the clothing compartment is closed but when you have a lot of stuff in that small pocket and you are trying to close the clothes compartment it can be a bit unwieldy. It’s a minor complaint and other people might not end up putting as much stuff into this pocket as I do.Overall though I find the Arcido Faroe to be a great bag. It can carry quite a bit of material and the bag is light enough that it is not a burden but strong enough that you don’t have to worry about it falling apart on your. Great bag for an even better price.

In anticipation for the upcoming Arcido Akra travel bag, which I backed on Kickstarter, I was eager to get my hands on an Arcido bag and was pleased to have found the Faroe. I’m fairly new to the idea of one bag travel, and since a recent trip to Bali, consider me a believer! My current bag is lightweight and suited me well for 10-days of travel, however, I wasn’t too fond of the aesthetic—it was in essence a hiking pack, albeit with a clamshell opening, nevertheless wasn't quite the look I wanted. That's what drew me in to the Faroe, the pure aesthetic appeal—minimalistic styling for the minimalist traveler.The best feature of the Faroe is its weight—just around 2 pounds—and for one bag travel every pound counts, especially when traveling on very stingy budget airlines! The main compartment is very spacious at 35L and fit my packing cubes very well, and the compression straps helped keep them in place. The tech compartment was simple, yet very functional, and the laptop sleeve was a breeze to use!The top handle is rather robust and plenty comfortable to grip. The shoulder straps were uncomfortable at first, but once worn-in they were much more comfortable. A sternum and waist strap could’ve definitely helped stabilize the load—and well, glad to know it will be outfitted on the Akra! The back padding was adequate; however, it could’ve been slightly thicker as I can feel the stiff laptop protrude against my back. The zippers are a tad small, but are smooth, and would’ve liked if they were lockable, nevertheless a non-issue really. A few pernickety concerns, which are already addressed on Arcido's next rendition—the Akra.The material and build quality is superb and I can’t help but praise its overall aesthetic! Looking forward to using the Faroe on a 2-week long Euro trip coming soon. Great bag at an incredible price! 5-stars!

I purchased the original Arcido through Kickstart and it was a very positive experience. The product was nicely designed with traveller's needs in mind. I received a notice from Arcido that a updates design is available so I went ahead and purchase the 2nd bag from them: Arcido Faroe.The first impression is the weight when I opened the package. It is significantly liter than the original. I noticed thinner material was used and the back crushings were also different. It doesn't really bother me as I do like the liter weight. The majority of the functions are similar between the 2 bags. They bothe have the space for your luggage and space for your tech items. The Faroe bag did not have the detachable sleeve for tablet or laptop, but it still have the protection level to keep your tablet( laptop) safe. The Faroe bag can only be used as backpack instead of a shoulder bag like the original.The capacity seems to be a bit less than the original, but it is ideal for a weekend trip. The back straps are adjustable to your liking and comfortable.I had purchased similar bag from another company forcomparison and used it for my last trip. I enjoyed the bag very much but it is also a bit heavier than the Faroe bag. Overall, I am very happy with the backpack and I can't wait to use it for my next trip.