Long Weekend Morro Convertible Backpack Review

The Long Weekend Morro Convertible Backpack is a recent addition to Moment’s backpack lineup in collaboration with Long Weekend (this is a pre-production model), offering a versatile and functional design. It features a traditional backpack opening with dual YKK zippers, allowing you to use the main compartment for everyday essentials, work gear, or packing cubes. The backpack has a classic aesthetic with Long Weekend’s grid pattern as an accent, and it can also double as a camera backpack with specially designed compartmentalization for the Long Weekend Morro Camera Cube.

Thanks to the durable material and construction, there feels like a good amount of protection for the contents inside without compromising the carrying experience. With its sleek and modern design, the Long Weekend Morro Convertible Backpack combines style and functionality, making it an ideal choice for carrying all your gear.

External Components

On the front of the bag are attachment points compatible with any standard carabiner or some of Moment’s other accessories. You can easily clip these onto the bag’s exterior. However, please keep in mind that with extra gear attached to the back, it becomes an easy target for thieves, especially in crowded environments. Additionally, this can encounter certain problems in smaller or more narrow shops since the backpack itself already extends out when full. Depending on what you want to attach, it might be better to attach external gear to the attachment loops on the backpack straps or the straps themselves.

The bag’s exterior is constructed with 210D nylon/polyester ripstop with a DWR (durable water repellent) and additional layers to provide weatherproof protection against the elements. The straps are made of 630D high-density weave nylon with a DWR to ensure durability and longevity. Thanks to the resilient material, this bag should be able to withstand minor or mild weather, but it is not suitable for heavy rain or snow. All of the exterior zippers are YKK and have black-and-white paracord zipper pulls that allow for easy gliding. There is no AquaGuard or weatherproof coating, so all that’s standing between your gear and the elements is the nylon/polyester ripstop and YKK zips. The only notable issue we discovered was that due to the sheer number of zipper pulls, we sometimes unintentionally grab the wrong zipper since they all look the same and get bunched up, depending on the side you prefer to use.

There are two main ways to carry this backpack: the traditional backpack style or with the grab handle on the top of the bag. It is made of the aforementioned 630D high-density weave nylon and feels strong and durable. While it may not be the most comfortable, it will definitely suffice in a pinch. The branding on this bag is subtle and minimal, featuring just one of Long Weekend’s logos on the front and the familiar grid aesthetic found in their other products.

The traditional backpack style feels nice and comfortable, thanks to the wide straps that help distribute the weight. Although the straps don’t have much padding, they offer a good amount of flexibility. Additionally, there are three attachment points and a D-ring on both straps for connecting extra gear. We find these attachment points to be perfect for attaching carabiners or sliding in sunglasses when not in use so having them on both straps really adds to the versatility of the bag. While there is no other padding or ventilation system on the back, a semi-rigid frame sheet between the back panel and the laptop compartment provides additional structure and protection for the contents inside. Despite the lack of padding, we did not encounter any issues when carrying the bag for extended periods of time although the lack of ventilation was noticeable in warmer climates.

It’s nice to see a sternum strap here, especially on the adjustable rail system, which allows for customizable configuration. You can also take the sternum strap off if you don’t need it. However, there is no hip belt or luggage pass-through. Even so, the bag’s overall size and configuration make it an excellent personal item bag for travel, depending on how much gear you want to bring. It feels secure and spacious enough to carry more than just the essentials, yet it also works as an everyday bag without being overly bulky or massive.

Fit Notes

The Long Weekend Morro Convertible Backpack has a pleasing aesthetic that combines the look and feel of a traditional JanSport backpack with the stylish grid pattern of Long Weekend. The primarily black exterior, with its white accents, gives it a modern and fashionable appearance while also adding a touch of uniqueness. The contrasting colors not only add a touch of sophistication but also contribute to its overall appeal. While the grid-style accent may not appeal to everyone, the vibe certainly makes it stand out from the crowd.

Inside The Pack

The bag liner is a nice subtle gray 210D nylon oxlan. This aesthetic provides a nice contrast, ensuring nothing gets lost inside the bag. We enjoy the monochromatic aesthetic created when the black exterior and white accents pair with the gray interior throughout the entire bag.

The front pouch is moderately spacious, giving you quick and easy access to small essentials. It’s nice to see dual zippers on this pouch, which many companies typically omit, ensuring easy access from either side of the bag. We find that these dual zippers make it easier to access this pocket while wearing the bag on one shoulder. The second front pocket, just below the first, offers slightly more organization at the expense of capacity. This pocket is more suitable for flatter items such as pens, styluses, wallets, or even a phone. The additional organization is useful, though the interior pockets lack stretch or elasticity, limiting what you can store in them.

The water bottle pocket serves its purpose by providing a dedicated space for a travel water bottle. However, it is not very accommodating or pleasant to use. The bungee cord-style fastener lacks flexibility and stretch, making it feel like an afterthought. While it should, theoretically, fit up to a 1L Nalgene water bottle, smaller water bottles may not be secure due to the lack of stability. They included a buckle strap to improve stabilization and prevent items from falling out or moving around, but this adds an extra step when accessing the pocket.

The dedicated laptop compartment is also fairly straightforward and made of the same material as the rest of the interior. While that is not a huge issue, it doesn’t provide much reassurance for protecting delicate gear like a laptop or tablet. The material is not overtly rough, but other backpacks use a softer material to help prevent scratches, which could have been nice here. While Long Weekend claims it can fit up to a 16-inch laptop, that’s certainly not the case for a 16-inch Macbook Pro. The compartment feels far too tight, to the point where we were concerned that the zippers might scratch the sides of the laptop when we first got the bag. After pushing forward and taking a bullet in the name of science and testing, it did slide in; however, we could not get it to zip closed. That is probably for the best, as it felt like that would definitely scratch up the sides. Anything smaller (and thinner) should fit slightly better, though. Overall, this compartment feels more suitable for a small laptop, tablet, e-reader, or notebook . One final note for this compartment is that it contains a slight false bottom, so you don’t have to worry about the contents hitting the ground when setting the backpack down.

The backpack’s main compartment uses a traditional horseshoe-style entry with a decently sized opening that provides an overview of the contents. This compartment also has dual zippers, making getting in and out easier, depending on which side you prefer. Other than the smooth, gray interior, the main compartment is essentially just a cavern. It does not have any additional features or organizational pockets inside. If you prefer a bit more structure, we highly recommend using packing cubes, as they fit well in this compartment.

This compartment (keep in mind we have a pre-production model) is also key to the bag’s unique functionality when paired with the Long Weekend Morro Camera Cube. Since it is specifically designed to integrate with the camera cube, it has a front zippered door that provides an overview of all your gear. Additionally, it offers quick side access to the cube, allowing you to get inside without fully removing the backpack. The door panels of both the front compartment and the side quick access door are attached to a sleeve on the interior of the bag using a combination of a slip pocket and VELCRO. This design enables a smoother experience when accessing the bag. When implemented correctly, both doors open simultaneously, providing faster and easier access while also ensuring proper protection.

While both access methods work, they are not the easiest to set up. Integrating the camera cube requires a considerable amount of work and effort to ensure proper alignment. Even then, it feels somewhat cumbersome to use. You can secure both doors of the camera cube into their respective built-in pockets on the backpack using hook-and-loop fasteners. However, their size and shape don’t ever seem to align perfectly. Overall, adding the camera cube provides protection for your gear, but it is not the easiest to use, and we think there are better options out there. One last thing to note: because of the front zipper door access, using this pocket requires placing the bag face up on the ground or a flat surface. Therefore, if you place it down somewhere dirty, it will likely show up on your back.

The Long Weekend Morro Convertible Backpack offers a versatile and practical option for daily carry. With its simplistic and straightforward design, it provides uncomplicated organization and flexibility. The bag is made of strong, lightweight materials, ensuring durability and a nice touch. While the water bottle pocket may not be very accommodating, it has plenty of storage inside. It can also double as a camera backpack with its specially designed compartmentalization for the Long Weekend Morro Camera Cube. The Long Weekend Morro Convertible Backpack combines classic style with customizable functionality, making it an ideal choice for carrying all your gear.