The Mark Ryden Infinity XL backpack is easy to pack, easy to carry and has pockets for everything. It may be the most functional backpack I’ve ever owned, and it’s so stylish that I find myself looking for reasons to carry it.
This is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made.
The Basics
This bag is large enough to hold a 17.3-inch laptop—plus a camera gimbal, backup batteries, cables, a camera bag with a mirrorless camera, two lenses, an iPad, two notebooks, a scarf and more. And while that should make for heavy lifting, it doesn’t. The comfortable straps, ample handles and padded back make this backpack easy to haul around even when it’s stuffed for the flight home.
The Details
This backpack has 18 pockets and expands to add 30% more space. At its smallest, it has a 26L capacity. Fully expanded its capacity increases to 38L. That means it can go from a large daypack to a carry-on travel bag. There’s a handle on top and another on the side as well as an elastic strap that allows this bag to easily slide over the handle of a rolling suitcase.
The bag has a separate compartment that accommodates laptops up to 17.3 inches. There’s also a hidden zipper pocket in the back that’s perfect for stashing your passport or wallet.
And if you’ve got a spare battery, the bag becomes a USB charger (well, with an included cable and an external USB port). An abundance of pockets made it easy to take things out on the road. I found separate pockets to stash an eyeglass case, charging cables, even my handheld DJI Osmo Pocket.
You can hang a pair of sunglasses on the shoulder strap, and don’t worry about getting caught in the rain. This backpack is water-resistant.
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What I Love About This Bag
Three words: tons of pockets. The bag touts several compartments to serve a variety of needs. In its normal configuration, it’s a 27L backpack. The bag’s strength comes in the middle compartment which expands the bag to 40L. You can bring your laptop and some clothes for a weekend trip and still have room for your water bottle or compact umbrella.
Directly upfront, the bag has one small pocket for easy access to small items (like a passport or wallet, or smartphone). Then one for your iPad or other smart tablets. The bag also comes equipped with a cable to plug in a spare battery. The access port is located towards the bottom of the bag, behind a plastic port cover that will keep debris or water out.
The middle, extendable compartment has a zipper mesh cover to securely hold clothes or any other things you’d need to pack (we used it for electronic gear). There are also two extra, deep, zippered pockets in the middle compartment. A padded slot for your 17” laptop and another area for books or other assorted accessories round out the bag’s many nooks and crannies.
What I’d Change About This Bag
As much as I love this bag, there are a few things I would change:
- While the bag does change orientation, carrying it as a briefcase-style bag leaves the straps loosely flapping around as you carry the bag.
- For all the pockets this bag offers, there wasn’t one that was just right for my favorite spare battery. I stashed it in a catch-all mesh pocket. That worked, but I could feel the battery rolling around inside.
- While I love the volume and variety of pockets this bag offers, I wish it had something like color-coded zippers to help distinguish compartments from one another.
*While we earn commissions when you purchase through our partner links, this is an independent editorial review.
The Bottom Line
I purchased this bag from Amazon based solely on the reviews, and it did not disappoint.
I wanted something that would get me through my first weeklong trip to Europe and more—the kind of bag I could make memories with and add patches to over the years. I knew I’d need something large enough to accommodate the essentials I’d need for my first trans-Atlantic flight as well as my camera gear.
I opted for the XL because I wanted the versatility of using it as a weekend bag or camera bag, but Mark Ryden does offer a range of smaller sizes. In one version of this backpack, a handy rain poncho deploys from the bottom to cover you and the bag.
After lugging this backpack through O’Hare, Amsterdam, Paris and a collection of small Dutch towns, it shows almost no signs of the journey. It felt sturdy and comfortable as I carried it onto planes, trains and trams.
This backpack is absolutely worth the money, and you can buy it here. I like it so much I’ve already bought one of Mark Ryden’s smaller, crossbody sling bags for day trips.
