Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC 30L Review

The Patagonia Black Hole Mini MLC 30L is a new take on a travel backpack with the same qualities that you might remember from the brand’s other Black Hole gear. It utilizes lightweight, durable, and highly water-resistant gear and is modular with other items from Patagonia. We dig gear working together for a common cause, but that doesn’t make it good. Let’s dive in and find out how it works for travel!

External Components

The pack is crafted from recycled polyester and recycled TPU laminate. We’re used to seeing sustainable materials from Patagonia, so this is no surprise. The materials are lightweight, durable, and highly water resistant. They aren’t properly waterproof, but we haven’t had issues with water seeping through the cracks.

The hardware is from Duraflex, one of the best brands in the business. There aren’t many buckles on this pack; however, the few there work as you’d expect them to and don’t pop open without warning.

The zippers are from YKK, which, similar to Duraflex, is one of the best brands around town. The pull is a simple piece of paracord-like material with a knot on the end, which is easy to use.

Attachment loops on the front and sides of the pack are handy for attaching extra gear. You can use a carabiner, strap, or other method. Though this is handy, we haven’t found the need to do so for a pack of this size. Most of the gear you’ll likely want to bring will fit inside. Still, the loops don’t get in the way, so we aren’t upset about their inclusion.

The water bottle pocket is massive, and we’re here for it. The best thing about the design is that it’s all stretchy mesh, so it doesn’t take up much room when not in use, and you can use it for larger items, like a travel tripod. In testing, we could slide a 42-ounce Nalgene bottle inside and a 32-ounce glass Mason jar (on separate occasions) without worrying that either would slide out. You shouldn’t have an issue stowing a travel water bottle here! Our ancient Slik travel tripod fit, too.

There are handles on the top and side of the pack (on the opposite side of the water bottle pocket). Neither has padding or aeration, but they work well for their intended purpose. If you couldn’t guess, the purpose is to carry it when backpack mode doesn’t make sense (like on public transit or when stowing it in the overhead bin).

On the back panel, there’s a luggage pass-through. It’s vertical, so your backpack will sit sideways when you load it onto rolling carry on luggage. While this makes it more sturdy, grabbing your gear inside the pack is more difficult, as the bag isn’t upright.

Fit Notes

The shoulder straps are padded and aerated enough to qualify as very breathable—when compared to other travel backpacks and daypacks we’ve tested here at Pack Hacker. The materials are malleable and comfortable, with a curve to conform to your body. Plus, you can stow them away, which is handy if you plan to use this bag with the crossbody strap or if you are loading it onto rolling luggage for an extended period.

The sternum strap is on a ladder, so you can’t make micro-adjustments, but it won’t slide too far if you end up on a trail and the strap gets caught on a branch. It works fine, but finding the perfect rung can be challenging, as small gaps exist between them.

The hip belt has similar padding and aeration to the shoulder straps and can also be stowed. This works two-fold: you can stow it for all the same reasons you would want to hide the shoulder straps, or you can stow it if you don’t want to use it in backpack mode.

The back panel doesn’t have much padding; however, thanks to its aeration, it’s incredibly breathable. This adds comfort to the bag, especially on hot and humid days.

To put the bag into crossbody mode, you first need to stow the shoulder straps. The hip belt is removable and becomes the crossbody strap, which is versatile. After you remove it, attach the strap ends to the hidden female buckles on the corners of the bag. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to go! The crossbody strap is comfortable and has good padding and aeration, similar to the rest of the pack. We don’t find this mode as helpful as backpack carry; however, it’s nice to have the ability to switch things up if you have a long day.

Inside The Pack

There’s a quick-access pocket on the top of the pack, which is small and lacks organization. It is a solid place to stow your phone, wallet, and keys. If you use a small tech pouch, it may be able to fit inside here, though it isn’t a very long pocket. Plus, there’s a better place for your electronics.

On the backside, there’s a laptop compartment with extra space for tech goodies. It has a nearly clamshell-style opening, handy for organizing your gear.

Against the back is a compartment for your laptop with a hook-and-loop strap to secure it and another topless pocket for your tablet. These have good padding and offer enough protection to stow a computer without a case, though smaller laptops will still fit with one. You can stow a book or magazine here if you aren’t traveling with a tablet.

The other side of this compartment has enough organization to take over for your tech pouch should you want to cut down on an organizer. There are two large liner pockets, two small pen pockets, two large mesh pockets, and one extra large zippered pocket. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all organization, but it’ll work for most light tech users. There isn’t space for any super-sized items, like an old school laptop charger; however, you could stow that in between the two sides of the compartment because it has two zippers, and you can slide it in from the top. Remember that it is in there, though!

The main compartment has an organization as you’d expect from rolling luggage. There’s a mesh pocket and a liner pocket on the lid side, both with zippered closures. This is handy, as one pocket breathes and the other isn’t as permeable by smells. You can use one of these for clean socks and underwear, the other for dirties, or one for things you want to have eyes on at all times, and the other for things you want to keep hidden.

On the bucket side, there’s a mesh covering for the main storage area, similar to rolling luggage. You can stow clothing, packing cubes, travel shoes, or other large items here without worrying that they’ll come tumbling out of the bag when you open it.

There’s a fairly unusable gap between the mesh barrier and the lid, so this isn’t the most economical use of space, however, it’s helpful for organization. If you’re looking for a pack that can do the segmentation for you, this might be the bag for you!