Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC Review
A well loved 30L travel backpack and the smallest version in the MLC line up.
Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC Review Introduction
Patagonia is no stranger in the onebag space and we’ve reviewed some great items of theirs before (the original Black Hole 45L MLC and our Capilene Cool Daily t-shirt review which I consider the best t-shirt for travel overall). The company basically invented ethical outdoor gear, and was pretty much a founding member of the Blue Sign ethical manufacturing program. That’s appealing to a lot of people out there. Of course, they also just make great stuff. That’s appealing the rest.
After the huge amount of success they had with their Black Hole Maximum Legal Carry On (MLC - see what they did there?) that came in at 45L, I think some folks also considered it too big for what they needed. Very experienced onebaggers really like to be down near 30L (or less, but we’ll leave that group out of this one!). Patagonia seemed to dabble in the smaller one a few years ago but never pushed it, and never really ever had much stock. Then in 2023 or so, they came out shooting with a fully reproduced 30L version - and kept it in stock. It’s been gaining steam ever since.
This is my review of the Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC 30. I’ve taken this with me on a couple of domestic long weekend trips (a subway to car trip north of NYC and a flight down to DC). I’ve got a good feel for the size, utility, and what I like and don’t like about it after using it. We’ll hit on all of these in the article ahead.
As always for full transparency, I paid for this bag with my own money and had no interaction with Patagonia for this review. I do use affiliate links which help to support the site if you decide to use them to make a purchase, but you’re under no obligation to do so and there’s no additional cost to you. Thanks for stopping by!
-Need travel insurance? As an American, our health care system is complicated and your regular insurance might not cover you abroad. For international travel, I’ve been using World Nomads for years. They have adventure packages that cover most hiking and even ice hockey. Be sure to read all the coverage information (it’s laid out very well on the site) to make sure it’s right for you, but be sure to give them a look. I find their rates quite competitive and the quotes are free! -
Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC Overview
Outside Fabric Macro
The Black Hole Mini MLC 30L backpack is what’s known as a “convertible” backpack. What does this really mean though? It means that it can be used in a couple of different configurations. Now, don’t get too excited, it’s not Optimus Prime and you’re not going to be driving this to your next location. But, the straps do fold inside a hiding place so you can carry this more like a “briefcase”. Not practical for long distances but it’s great when boarding a plane or a bus or train. It also comes with a shoulder strap so you can carry it like a shoulder duffle. That’s not really my carry style and it was pretty useless in the 45L - but for a 30L this is much more reasonable so that might appeal to some users out there. Basically the bag gives you flexibility.
At 30L, it’s going to be just fine for pretty much ANY airline out there as a carry on, unless you end up over weight and they weigh your bag. Keep that in mind, but sizing wise it’s in a Goldilocks zone.
It’s a vertical clamshell opening, and has usable space on both sides.
The bag itself is made from both recycled materials and also a recycled TPU coating for the weather resistance. It’s made in a Certified Fair Trade Factory, too.
Materials from the site:
Body
8.7-oz 300-denier 100% post-consumer recycled polyester ripstop with a post-industrial recycled TPU-film laminateShoulder straps
6.8-oz 600-denier 100% recycled polyester and 8.3-oz 100% recycled polyester spacer meshLining
3-oz 200-denier 100% recycled polyester with a PU coatingWebbing
100% recycled nylonMade in a Fair Trade Certified™ factory
By The Numbers:
Gear Capacity: 30 L (2,831 cu in)
Dimensions: 20" x 12" x 7"
Weight: 2 lbs 13.5 oz (1290 g)
It retails for $199 USD as of September 2024. Available colors do seem to change on the whims of Patagonia - but at the time of writing it’s available in seabird gray, smolder blue, black, buckhorn green, and vessel blue. We’ve got the Seabird gray, and it’s AMAZING.
Black Hole Mini MLC Features
Let’s get into the features you get with the bag! It’s somewhat barebones in the sense that Patagonia isn’t really a techy, organization freak kind of brand. But, it’s got some good, solid and useful things to highlight.
As mentioned, it’s a vertical clamshell opening. I tend to like horizontal, but this is good for packing too.
We noted above, but the backpack straps do pack away, and the bag also comes with a shoulder strap if you want to use it in duffel carry mode. Further, there are packable hip straps on this bad boy, too.
There are two really nice grab handles - one on the top and one on the right side. On the back, there is another handle that acts as a luggage pass through, nice to see.
Rounding out the external features we’ve got a quick grab pocket on the top that’s a nice size (takes up internal volume as you pack it, remember that). On the left, a mesh water bottle pocket.
Inside the bag we’ve got two packing cube style zippered pockets on the main flap. For the main compartment, there is a zippered divider to help keep things in place and create some separation.
Outside there are various lash points for your doohickey attaching needs. Shout out to a Mom word there. Anyone else’s teacher-mom use that word?
We’ll finish it out with a laptop compartment on the back. This has been redesigned from older versions and has more utility now - with some extra slip pockets in here.
That’s all she wrote on features.
The Good
Say it with me now: Color. Way. This “seabird gray” - while I’ve never seen a seabird with powder blue and copper orange accents - looks unbelievably good. I’m using zero hyperbole when I say this colorway might be the best I’ve ever seen on a backpack. And I’ve seen a lot of backpacks. I will qualify that with the fact this is still an outdoorsy look - so it’s different compared to an urban styled pack. But still. I LOVE the look of this in person. My wife (who is a designer that is not into “outdoorsy” if that matters) thought it was amazing as well. So, high marks on the looks department. But as we know, beauty is only polyester ripstop deep. That’s a thing right?
I also liked the packing style on here. The zippered “cubes” in the main flap are actually useful - so long as you don’t over pack them. But, think about a minimal toiletry case, tech pouch, underwear and socks, etc. It’s definitely useful for those things and gives you options. The main compartment was also very easy to pack however you want, using any combination of packing cubes that you wanted. I tried it with a few versions, including some of Patagonia’s own. Was a nice experience and with 30L - I was able to pack all I needed for short trips of 3-5 days. If I needed to pack my camera, 30L will get tight for me. But, I didn’t need to for these trips.
While they aren’t that substantial, I did find the backpack straps to be quite comfortable. Same with the hip belt. To get to my rental car, I have about a 30m journey that involves the subway, and has about 15min of walking time, too. I did use the straps here, as we had some gifts to bring home to my parents from our China trip, and the hip belt made it very nice and comfy.
This is probably pretty bag-nerdy, but I love a good grab handle. I’ve said that many times before. The grab handles here are a very nice quality. Substantial without being hard, and made of that almost seatbelt material. Good marks from me.
Quick grab pocket on top was a great size to be pretty functional. Nicely done there.
The overall quality of this bag was a good middle ground. No it’s not the fanciest or most expensive materials out there - but the price also reflects that. I’m happy to see Patagonia keep the price under $200.00 USD. Outside of Osprey, Patagonia is one of the only bagnerd brands that’s managing to do this. This is a good thing.
I’m also a little surprised about this - but I liked the look and feel of the outside. I bring this up, because about 1.5 years ago Patagonia changed the Black Hole fabric line up. This was one of those 50% wars - half the folks welcomed and praised it, and half panned it. I was in the latter. I LOVED that shiny, tarpaulin-y signature Black Hole look. And based on pictures, I thought the new version would be a textured and matte nylon with no smoothness at all. Turns out they just made it matte, and still had the smooth coating on it. I begrudgingly am OK with this. Though, I still like the old one better while acknowledging it might be a bit controversial.
The Bad
I really didn’t have too much to complain about when using the bag but I’ll make a couple of notes here.
For one, some folks are not into the Patagonia branding. I think with this one you either love it or hate it. I’m in the former, because it’s just Patagonia’s style and I like it. I don’t care about it from a “look I have a Patagonia” bag sense, but just the style in general. Many do not and it’s too much for them.
Next, there is no external admin style pocket here. Now, I don’t actually need the “admin” part. But I like an external pocket with its own volume from a utility perspective. Typically this is where I put my tech pouch (I’m a tech pouch guy - check out the latest in the Alpaka Elements Tech Case Mini review). Or, it’s a place to put your over ear cans when you’re bringing them. Or maybe a Switch. Anyway the idea of having to open the main compartment to get to my tech pouch or something else I’d normally keep in a front pocket, it’s a bit of a miss to me.
They kind of moved this admin area into the laptop sleeve - which doesn’t make sense to me. It’s fine for some flat items and a few computer accessories, but bulkier stuff can’t really go in there because it’s going to be against your back and a hard, flat laptop. Something to think about. To me that’s not as flexible as having that pocket on the front.
For the cube-like pockets on the side, I’d actually prefer this to be one big zippered pocket. The reason being is that I find the single, larger pockets to be an amazing spot to put folded, button up shirts in while you’re in transit. It’s not as practical with the sizes they picked here and you need extra folds to do it - which I try to avoid. Admittedly that’s pretty subjective, but making a note.
Lastly, while the material itself is very water resistant, the zippers are not. So, if you’re worried about that kind of thing, you’ll need a rain cover. The bag will be fine in light to normal conditions if you’re not exposed too long. But in really heavy stuff with more than 5-10 minutes exposure you will probably get some water inside the bag.
Packing The Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC Backpack
So like I said, I enjoyed the packing layout of the Black Hole Mini MLC for sure. It’s simple - which makes it a joy to pack however you like. Cubes. No cubes. Wherever your packing emotions take you. Here’s how I was typically packing it for a couple of days:
2 Packing Cubes:
Patagonia Black Hole cubes with button ups, a sweatshirt, a pair of shorts, underwear, and some t-shirts. These are two-sided so quite versatile.
For this one, since it was not a long trip, I did not use the built-in zippered pockets.
I also took some snack items from China that I was bringing home to my family in MA. These fit in their fine based on the config I had.
Aer Split kit for toiletries.
Alpaka Elements Tech Case Mini (Review)
iPad Air 13 Inch in the laptop compartment.
Images below show both how it sits while on the subway, as well as how it looks next to a weekender style duffel while in the trunk (boot, for our Brit readers) of a car.
Final Thoughts On My Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC Review
So is the hype real? Yeah I think it is. There is a pretty strong reason this bag is so popular amongst both the enthusiasts and the casual travelers, even if they aren’t “onebagging”.
While it’s not going to be the absolute pinnacle of materials and bag design, Mini MLC 30L is ¾ of the way there. It’s still very good in the material front, it’s got great build quality that you should expect from Patagonia, and of course it will come with the repair guarantee they have, which is one of the best in the industry. Sometimes, the scars on the bags from repairing makes them look even better in my opinion. Builds character!
While I do miss the front pocket that has its own volume (because I travel with tech pouches - in terms of actually packing the bag I did overall enjoy this one. I also liked that they made sure to include the quick grab pocket on top. Sometimes I’ve seen those get eliminated in “design” bags. It removes a huge bit of utility when you do that.
Can’t forget that this colorway is possibly the best I’ve ever seen on a bag. It’s just a fantastic look. Even though I did like the shiny “Black Hole” look of yesteryear a bit better in terms of the product line’s soul.
Clamshell opening was a good choice here. The carry for me was overall pretty comfortable and I like that the hip straps are real, but also stowable. They didn’t go with an in-between kind of thing where they were too bulky or they were just a nylon strap that is more of a stabilizer rather than a true hip support.
How much did I like this? Well, I sold my Able Carry Max in order to make room for this in my stable as my ~30L bag for shorter to intermediate trips. How do ya like them apples?
As always with the indie brands, I’d suggest buying directly through their website for best service.
Wander more - and wander smarter everyone.
Like My Content? Feel Free To Buy Me A Coffee!
Head on over to our Travel Bag reviews page for more bag reviews like the Cotopaxi Allpa 50L Duffel review or the Bellroy Venture Duffel review.
Please be sure to subscribe below, and follow us on Instagram @alwayswanderofficial for photos from our wanderings, and updates for when we post new articles and reviews!