Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Mantis 32 L Backpack

I bought this 2 months ago and I've been very happy with it. I use it for trips, for my laptop, and all sorts of travel necessities. I also use it for day trips like to the park or the beach. The storage capacity is just right, with space for a lot but I wouldn't want a bigger backpack. The design and construction are great, and I like that it has space for a water bottle on both sides.

I travel a lot for work and was looking for something that I could carry on to flights with 2-3 days of clothes plus my work laptop and a few other items. The Mantis 32 fit the bill perfectly. It sits comfortably on my shoulders, has plenty of room, and conveniently located zippers/pockets. I really like how wide the main compartment opens up. It makes it easy to access everything in the pack. Another quality piece from Arc'teryx!

this backpack has everything needed: lots of pockets, chest and waist belt and very cool side mesh pockets. Only down side for me is it is not waterproof, what we need is a black raincover!

My life has had me spend a lot of time traveling and running around and I've become pretty picky on having the right pockets for my computer, electronics, books, notepads, sweater, food, water bottle and glasses. The mantis 32 gets all the check marks for keeping my gear organized while travelling or around town. Trying to keep everything streamlined while travelling, it's nice when your commuter pack fits well and has the volume to do double duty on day hikes as well. My favorite is the 32l size because there's always room to stuff something else in there. And if it actually gets full, you can stuff things into the side stretch pockets as well. It's really nice pack overall.

I've travelled internationally with this pack and used it a lot this year, so I hope I can give a constructive review and offer some suggestions. Overall, this pack succeeds in so many ways. It is light, carries well, has good organization compartments, and fits more than it appears. I tried both the 26 and 32 versions in store before choosing the 32 because (a) I already have a different pack in the size range of the 26, (b) felt that the 32 fit me better since I'm tall, and (c) served my purposes for international travel as well as extended day hikes. As mentioned, the pack is very light, so if you already have another travel bag you could easily store the Mantis 32 inside your luggage and then when you reach your destination fill it up with clothes or gear for daily outings. The rounded/oval shape of the pack is very useful because it swallows up items in a way that doesn't leave empty areas, giving it a very efficient design. When laid flat, you can open the zippers nearly all the way to the bottom and open up the pack almost like a suitcase. This is a great feature, although I might suggest adding No Slip Zip aka "speed bumps" about half-way down like those found on some jackets (Atom LT, Proton LT) so that you can access the top of the pack only without the zippers slipping all the way down and the bag falling open (which has definitely happened more than a few times.) The biggest gripe I have is with the frame sheet and aluminum stay. The pack is advertised to carry a laptop and indeed it can, but unfortunately the aluminum stay runs down the center of the pack, making carrying even padded laptops awkward at best. I would not want to carry a laptop or iPad for any extended amount of time for fear of damaging it against the single aluminum stay. I created a work around by strategically folding clothing in such a way that it filled up the space on either side of the stay, but this is not a practical solution for long term use. Technically, it is possible to remove the frame sheet and aluminum stay (which are attached together) although this of course affects how the pack carries. Perhaps Arc'teryx could create a double-stay design (e.g. with smaller stays so as to remain the same weight). This is not my "daily carry" and keep in mind that this pack is first and foremost for hiking and travelling; however, given that it's also advertised for commuting and around town--and the fact that many people do indeed bring computers or camera equipment into the field--I believe that updating this one issue would make this bag the best in its class.

An all and all good backpack, with more room than the Mantis 26. However, the pack needs more smaller pockets to store smaller items, upper pocket only has one large room, with one smaller pocket and four pen-pockets, which I dont really need. Ended up removing the stitches to create three smaller pockets to store my phone, airpods and charger ect. The zipper for the main compartment is simply too long, and opens up the entire main compartment, allowing items to fall out. However, the other compartments and side mesh pockets are spacious and holds alot of gear. I like the bag and can carry everything I need, but it could do with slightly better organization within the pack. Nice fit and comfortable carry. Overall a good bag with a few details that could be improved.