Patagonia Black Hole MLC Review

The Patagonia Black Hole MLC 45L is a massive travel backpack with enough space for all your gear and then some. However, just because it has room for your gear doesn’t mean it’ll be intuitive or comfortable. Let’s dive in and find out how it carries!

External Components

The primary pack material is 100% recycled polyester with a 100% recycled TPU-film laminate. Essentially, this stuff is highly sustainable, which we dig, but it doesn’t skimp out on durability or water resistance. The fabric can handle rain, snow, and getting tossed around on a rugged adventure.

The zippers are from YKK, the best zipper brand we’ve encountered. They’re easy to use, and the pulls are simple enough not to get in the way but remain usable.

The hardware is from Duraflex and is durable and easy to use. The buckles are snappy, and the hard plastic can handle any adventure.

There are handles on three sides—top, right, and bottom—making it easy to grab the pack from most angles. The handles don’t have a ton of padding, but they’re comfortable enough for a short period. At 45 liters, we wouldn’t recommend hauling this travel backpack around by the handle for too long, as it won’t be comfortable. The handles work well in a pinch on public transit or to stow it in the overhead compartment.

Two compression straps on either side of the bag make the pack more manageable. You can also attach items onto the straps, like a travel water bottle or shoes, to have quicker access or ensure leaks don’t get inside the pack.

We’ve got attachment loops on all four corners of the pack, which is handy for attaching gear or other bags onto this one. We found this useful for longer trips that require a smaller daypack to bring along for the ride; however, these loops don’t get in the way if you aren’t using them, which we dig.

The luggage pass-through is centered on the back panel and runs vertically, so your pack will sit horizontally on your carry on rolling luggage. Typically, we don’t like that feature, as getting inside the bag is more challenging because everything is sideways. That said, it doesn’t bother us as much for a pack of this size without quick-access pockets. For quick-use items, use a sling. If you place the zippers correctly, you can still easily access the laptop compartment, but we’ll get to that pocket later.

Fit Notes

The back panel is well padded, which makes it comfortable to carry. It is somewhat aerated, but we wish it were more breathable, especially for such a heavy bag. The pack is so large that you would likely get a sweaty back anyway, but it may have made for a more comfortable experience.

The shoulder straps are kind of small for a pack of this size but remain fairly comfortable, even when worn for an extended period. They are well padded, have solid aeration, and are malleable, which we dig.

The sternum strap is on a ladder, so you can’t make micro-adjustments, but it can’t go very far without switching its position, and we like the flexibility. It has elastic for comfort, and you can remove it if you don’t want to use it.

Like the shoulder straps, the hip belt is well-padded and has good aeration. It is also removable if you don’t want to use it. For a pack of this size, it helps shift weight around to stay comfortable, so we recommend using it.

Technically, this pack has three carry methods, though we’ll only give Patagonia credit for two, even if we can’t completely discount the third. We’ve already gone through the first: backpack mode. It’s comfortable, though this massive pack may be challenging for smaller users to wrangle. Next, we’ve got briefcase mode. The shoulder straps and hip belt stow away quickly and easily behind the back panel. We dig this mode when there are things for the straps to get caught on, and we don’t have to carry the backpack very far. Last is crossbody/shoulder bag mode, which uses the hip belt to create a strap to carry the bag. Switching from backpack mode to this one is easy, which is a nice change of pace if you’re getting sore from another carry method. This one can be challenging to manage, as the bag is so large, but we didn’t hate the experience.

Go with backpack mode for long trips, as it’s the most comfortable. If you’re stowing the bag in the overhead compartment and it’s a long flight, so you know you’ll be in and out of the bag a few times, go with duffle mode, as the straps won’t get caught on other people’s luggage. After you’re sick of the other two, give crossbody mode a whirl.

Inside The Pack

There are just two compartments, which we like and find challenging to use. First, we dig how simple the design is. It’s a massive pack, and only having two compartments simplifies things. That said, there aren’t any small external pockets, so there isn’t a good place to stow a phone, wallet, or passport that won’t require some digging. We recommend bringing a packable daypack or a large sling to use with this bag for daily adventures.

The laptop compartment has a clamshell opening to get into the nitty-gritty of everything the organization offers. The compartment has two zippers, so you can leave them wherever you like to get inside more quickly. The laptop slider is large enough to handle thick computers and has enough padding for us to feel comfortable using it for long trips. A strap on the top secures with a hook-and-loop fastener, which we like, too. A zippered pocket behind the laptop slider is large enough to work for a big book, documents, or other flat items.

The other side of the laptop compartment has a ton of organization. A large mesh pocket with a vertical zippered closure on the left works well for larger items you want to wrangle, like a laptop charger or headphones. On the right side, there are six pockets: two large mesh ones, two pen sliders, a medium liner pocket, and another medium pocket with extra padding and a hook-and-loop strap on the top for your phone, wallet, or other sensitive items, like a hard drive. On the top is a key clip, which feels out of place, considering the compartment size. However, there isn’t a smaller pocket to place it inside, so it ended up here.

Overall, this compartment feels capable enough to rule out a tech pouch for most travelers. In addition to tech, you can stow smaller goodies like card games and other accessories here, too.

The main compartment feels like the organization you’d see inside rolling luggage, and we’re here for it. At 45 liters, you can fit a ton of gear here.

On the left, there are two large pockets. One is crafted from mesh, and the other from the liner. We dig the duality of the two materials, as one allows you to see what’s inside and the items secured in there to breathe, and the other doesn’t. This is a solid shout for clean and dirty clothing, though the possibilities are endless for such large pockets. Socks, underwear, and other delicates feel natural here, though.

On the opposite side, a large zippered mesh divider contains a massive dump compartment. Seriously, this thing is enormous and holds most of your capacity. We recommend packing cubes, a shoe pouch, and other segmentation devices to organize it, though you don’t have to.

Overall, this pack works excellently as a way to get your gear from point A to point B, especially if you have a lot of things to bring with you. It isn’t great for use during the trip without supplemental bags, like a sling for daily-use items, as there isn’t a place to stow these easily in the bag. That said, for a traveler bringing a daypack and sling anyway, this pack works extraordinarily well and is an excellent shout on the sustainability front, which we’re here for.