During the Easter break I took a little roadtrip up to Pembrokeshire in Wales. The trip started down in Cornwall and we drove ‘up country’ for a few hours before making a stop off in Bristol for one night. We arrived at the hotel and carried our luggage up to the room. I had decided to take the new Lifeventure Kibo 42 RFiD Travel Backpack on this multi-day – multi-location trip to test it out.
The Kibo 42 RFiD Travel Backpack is a ‘carry on’ size pack which has been designed to get the most out of the size bracket and be as useful as possible. I like sometimes like to travel with hand luggage only as it not only saves a few pennies but also forces you to take a few things out of your bag and saves you lugging huge luggage around on your adventures.
Opening up the bag reveals a really large compartment which is perfect for a weeks worth of clothing. A feature which I really like is that the chunky zip goes the full way around the bag, this sounds obvious but a lot of packs don’t do this and this feature makes packing the Kibo a piece of cake. The lid is also really deep and what I like about this is that you can pile the bag quite high and it is still really easy to close and zip up. Inside the Kibo 42 there are elasticated straps which are great for keeping everything in place.
On the front of the bag, there is a really deep, full width pocket. It has a small velcro fastening so it isn’t good for valuables but it’s very handy for throwing in a jumper, coat or something like a magazine – this can be really handy when travelling.
Despite being a 42 litre backpack and the perfect size for maximising your carry on baggage limit, the Kibo is still small and light enough to be easily carried on your back. When walking with it, I’ve been surprised at how comfortable it is.
After a great time in Bristol we headed to a Camping and Caravanning Club Site at St David’s. This was an awesome base to explore the gorgeous scenery around the area such as Whitesands Bay and Carn Llidi.
An excellent feature (although not particularly useful in the quiet coastal area of Pembrokeshire) was the top pocket of the Kibo 42. This pocket is RFID protected – meaning that your wallet, passport or phone are protected from hackers and sneaky techno geeks! A very useful feature when travelling in busy urban environments.
After a very windy time under canvas we decided to head somewhere a little less flappy: a Shepherds hut near Druidstone! With all this moving between locations I was happy to have a bag which was so easy to pack and carry.
As well as that easy access velcro pocket, there is a another deep zipped pocket on the front of the Lifeventure Kibo. Inside this zipped pocket is an inner zipped pocket. Which is great for storing items which you may need quick access too.
Below this there are different sized sections which are perfect for organising your gear and gadgets.
The gadget storage doesn’t end there and there is a 15inch padded laptop compartment on the back of the pack. What I like about this is that it is against your back which makes it more secure. It also has a discrete side entry zip which makes it easily accessible whilst keeping it less obvious to would-be thieves.
On the inside of the lid there is a zipped mesh pocket which I think is brilliant for flat items like maps and books. I think it’s really good how it’s made from a mesh fabric which allows you to see what is inside.
The great pockets keep on going and on the side of the Lifeventure Kibo 42 Travel Backpack is a water bottle pocket. What is really smart about this pocket is that it zips away when not in use. I really like this as it allows the bag to maintain a sleek outline.
Finally, the back of the pack is padded with an airmesh fabric this makes it really comfy to carry and keeps your back a little bit cooler in hot weather. As well as this, the shoulder straps are also really padded which keeps the pack comfortable even when it is really full.
In conclusion, Lifeventure Kibo 42 RFiD Travel Backpack is an excellent bag for short breaks. It has been really thought out and has loads of great features that make the pack really useful and a great bag to take travelling. I will certainly be using this pack the next time I fly ‘carry on’ only!
