In preparation for our massive trip on the Mongol Rally, I stocked up on gear and supplies thanks to Altitude Sports. One of the most important pieces of gear for any international traveller is a light, portable pack for sightseeing. I decided to pick up the Patagonia Atom pack in Catalan Coral ($54.99 CAD).
This was my very first purchase of a Patagonia product. It’s made of a 420-denier 100% nylon oxford plain weave, with an 840-denier 100% ballistic nylon bottom. All the fabric is water-repellant, and the mesh padded backside keeps the pack comfortable and dry. The teardrop shape of the bag keeps the load behind your shoulders like a normal backpack rather than on one shoulder. The bag itself features multiple pockets, one large storage pocket featuring a smaller zipped mesh pocket with a hook for keys as well as a deep elastic pocket:
I managed to fit all the most important things into this pocket: my Nikon D3100 camera, my wallet, both my passports, a zipped pack with first aid items (bandaids, Polysporin, cortisone cream, etc.), a few pens, a small notebook, paper maps, my Opinel knife, and a water bottle. Unfortunately, I could not fit my full size iPad (4th Gen) in the bag, but it is likely that an iPad Mini will fit fine. To add to the storage space, the sling features a zipped fleece-lined pocket for a cell phone; it won’t fit most modern smart phones, but it did fit our compact Nokia Asha 202 phone perfectly. Behind the main pocket is another zipped, fleece-lined pocket perfect for storing sunglasses like my Wayfarers:
All the pockets on the Atom are easy to access, as the design of the bag allowed me to simply swing it around to the front to get at the zippers. The Atom also comes with an additional waistbelt for hiking or biking, but I did not use it during the trip. I kept the straps tightened and fastened around the bottom of the bag instead, and this didn’t pose an issue during use.
This bag was subjected to a plethora of horrors on this trip! I used it every day as it was small enough to keep by my feet in the car, and light enough to grab on the go for some sightseeing. Coca-Cola was spilled on it multiple times, it was stepped on, dropped in dirt, covered in dust and sand, sweat on, and used as a pillow. The fabric is extraordinarily tough – as the 2 safety pins I tried to use in order to affix a Canadian flag patch can attest to – and did not rip, tear, or get holes. The fabric also was not stained by any liquids that were spilled on it! The only thing that seems to have stuck is grease from the car. Even going through a sudden downpour and multiple Coca-Cola spills, nothing inside the bag was damaged or affected. The colour is wonderfully bright, and that made it easy to spot in the car and anywhere we went!
There were a couple of downsides to the Atom. First, if you like to have your bags hooked on your left shoulder like I do, you won’t be able to do that with this bag. The design of the Atom dictates use with the right shoulder only, so I had to get used to that. Second, the main clasp connecting the strap to the bag in front broke on me in Romania. It’s likely it was entirely my fault; I vaguely recall closing the door on my bag once. With some super glue and duct tape that we had on hand, I patched up the clasp but I will no longer be able to open it:
Patagonia has since updated the design of this bag, and it’s now being sold as the Atom Sling. The main selling points of my Atom bag – the fabric quality, ergonomic design, and storage capacity – have all remained the same, but the pockets have shifted slightly. Additionally, the front phone pocket on the sling strap is now large enough to accommodate most smart phones.
After all this bag has been through with me, it remains my number one go-to bag for daily use! The lightweight flexibility and storage space keep me using it, and if I’m honest it feels like an adventure sidekick now. Major thanks to Altitude Sports for having the Patagonia Atom bag available, it was entirely worth it!