This Samsonite Carry-on Backpack Is 43% Off

Samsonite is running a major holiday sale on some of its top luggage right now, both on its site and at Amazon. Everything from the Travel + Leisure-loved Freeform suitcase to wheeled duffels is up to 60 percent off, but a hidden gem you don’t want to overlook is the Samsonite Mother Lode Travel Backpack. Reviewers have called this carry-on backpack “the perfect hybrid of suitcase and backpack.” Regardless of which category it falls in, the bag has been a genuine game-changer for thousands of travelers.

Many say this “giant” backpack lives up to its stately name, providing enough packing space for trips of up to 12 days. (That’s more than some people can fit in a 24-inch suitcase.) You can score one for as low as $125 during this sale—and considering all the luggage fees it could save you, that’s a steal.

Samsonite Mother Lode Backpack

The Mother Lode backpackcurrently up to 43 percent off, measures 21.5 by 13.5 by 9.5 inches. Even though the standard personal item size for planes is slightly smaller (18 by 14 by 8 inches), people say they’ve had success carrying it onto flights in addition to a carry-on. One traveler who brought the bag along on a three-year globe-trotting adventure wrote that “almost all airlines accept it as a personal bag.”

One of its most-loved features is what Samsonite describes as a “unique U-shaped book opening,” which means that the main compartment opens up like a clamshell, and you can lay it flat while packing items into both sides. The inside even resembles a traditional spinner, with compression straps on one side and a zippered mesh flap on the other. The expansion zipper comes in handy for trips lasting longer than a week, or when you need extra room for souvenirs at the end of a trip. That feature gives the main compartment an extra 1.5 inches, and once packed, you can compress everything with the four external buckle straps.

Samsonite Mother Lode Backpack

The outside of the bag is also jam-packed with smaller pockets for toiletries, documents, and other things you want to keep on hand. There are three on the front, one on the back, and another on the side. And there are even more pockets within those pockets, so you can count on being extremely organized.

On the Samsonite website, where it has nearly 10,000 ratings averaging 4.7 stars, reviews say it’s the best carry-on ever. “I purchased this bag six to seven years ago, and it did three weeks in Spain, two weeks in Honduras, and countless weekend trips fishing and visiting friends all over the USA,” one shopper wrote. After all that, they said, “I have no issues with this bag. None.” Another wrote they’ve been traveling with theirs for 10 years and “it still looks new.”

The backpack has been called “super comfortable,” “amazingly spacious,” and “some sort of little magical miracle worker.” You’ll have to try it to get it, and right now you can save almost $100. Read on for more backpack deals in Samsonite’s massive holiday sale, including 36 percent off the smaller Mother Lode Jr.

More Deals on Samsonite Backpacks:

Samsonite Mother Lode Jr. Backpack

Samsonite Xenon 3.0 Slim Laptop Backpack

Samsonite Pro Backpack

Samsonite Kombi Business Backpack

Samsonite Tectonic 2 Large Backpack

At the time of publishing, the price started at $125.

Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we’ll send you our favorite travel products each week.