Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Mantis 16 Backpack

I've been alternating between the Mantis 26 and 16 as an EDC bag. I like the 26, but this 16 hits the sweet spot for most of my needs. The dimensions are absolutely perfect for maximizing the 16L. I took this on a three week trip overseas and it was the perfect travel companion. Fit everything I needed with room to spare. Face fabric is super durable and shoulder straps are comfortable. The quick access pocket on top could be slightly bigger, but it was sufficient to carry essentials. Most of all, I just love how this bag feels on the back. Very slim profile and curved frame sheet is very comfortable. Terrific design.

Arc'teryx really nailed this one. The proportions are excellent: not too tall, not too wide, not too shallow. It's easy to maximize the internal volume of the pack because of its reasonable dimensions. It's also really comfortable with great straps and a well-vented back panel. I'm tall and broad and somehow this pack doesn't look too small on me and I find it easy to get on and off. The sternum strap is maybe a little too difficult to adjust in a hurry but once you get it the way you want it, it'll stay put. I'm currently using it as my only luggage on an overnight trip and I managed to get my 13" laptop, two packing cubes, and dopp kit all in it with no difficulty zipping it up. Excited to use it as a daily bag for cycling to and from work.

I've had this backpack for 4 months and so far I've really loved it. I use it for both university and work, and it fits everything well (Hydroflask, thermos, Laptop, iPad, extra sweater) + room for more. The inner sleeve works well for any electronics, but there isn't much padding - so I use an external case then pop it in. No issues at all. As far as the DWR coating goes, it definitely does its job when walking to the bus stop, or to/from class. But if you're going to be in rainy weather for extended periods of time, the inside is going to get damp (not wet!). I had an outdoor lab a couple days ago, and was in the rain for a total of 3hrs, and the fabric was fully saturated with rainwater, but my contents in the bag remained in good condition. So don't expect the bag to be waterproof, but you can expect it to handle some showers. Overall really happy and would recommend to students/commuters.

Love this bag. Great for day trips out hiking or skiing. Plenty of well laid out room and pocket storage solutions. External side pockets fit 1L Nalgene or great to store other items.

Very happy with this newly purchased backpack. It can hold a pretty decent amount of groceries & I enjoy the zipper styles on this compared to the other bag I have from here where the backpack splays totally open. THis is a well designed, comfortable, streamlined little pack.

The issue is that I cannot order this item! I really want the black version, however it won't show up in my basket for some reason? Any help much appreciated.

This is a first impressions review as I've only had the pack for a few days, however I thought I'd share some initial observations for others if you are considering buying: The good points: Pack appears to be well built and designed, the fabric feels tough, stitching is up to the excellent Arcteryx standard and the zippers feel quality. The layout reminds me a little bit of the Aerios 15 (which I also own) the pack has a good size main compartment (I can fit a full days hiking kit such as waterproofs, warm layers, water and food) with no issues. The inner pocket is good for keys, wallets etc, I can easily fit my iPhone 12 plus a wallet and some other items in there. There's a water bladder/laptop compartment, my MacBook 13 inch goes in with no worries. The external front pocket isn't particularly large and doesn't run that deep but you can easily fit an iPhone 12 or similar plus some other smaller items if you wish. The back panel is ridged giving good support, and the shoulder straps are very flexible and comfortable, the pack isn't designed for really heavy loads but I'm sure it will cope with 8kg/20lbs if it really needed too. I think the fabric has DWR, water beads up and runs off but it's not a waterproof bag. Final point, I ordered two, one in black and one in sapphire, I'll be returning the black as I prefer the sapphire colour which is more dark blue/grey than purple as it appears on the websitepersonal preference but I think it looks better in person. I'll pop a follow up review once I've had some more use, but I'm impressed so far!

Backpack looks good, however, there are a couple design flaws in regards to the pockets that seem negligent. There is a small inside pocket that flops over and blocks the computer sleeve pocket within the large compartment (this computer sleeve is big enough for a 14" MacBook Pro). Additionally, there is one other pocket accessible from the outside that is tiny, with clear room just in front of it to add a larger pocket built into the front of the bag. In total this bag has just this one small pocket, one large compartment, and one very small pocket within this large compartment. Not ideal for any organization.

All the Mantis backpacks miss a key feature! They do not have a strap to hook up to a small suitcase for air travel.