Unpacking Six Moon Design’s All Day Carry Travel Backpack

Today, I’m writing about the recently released weekend trip travel backpack – the All Day Carry (ADC) Travel Backpack. I took it with me for a long weekend trip to San Francisco and fell in love. As our avid readers know, we only recommend products we enjoy ourselves. There are affiliate links in this article. 

My trusty backpack is over 25 years old… yes, I believe in using equipment until it absolutely wears out! While it has a little life left, I am looking to make my hikes easier on my aging body. The time has come to find a lighter option.

Enter Six Moon Designs, a Portland, Oregon-based company specializing in lightweight backpacks. My partner, Scott, learned about them while researching new travel backpack options. When their backpack designer and VP of Marketing, Whitney LaRuffa, invited us to check out their soon-to-open storefront in Beaverton, we couldn’t resist.

During our visit, Whitney and I bonded over our shared love of travel. He listened as I explained my needs: I often carry heavy camera gear, work remotely, and live with MS. A lightweight, ergonomic pack that fits well is essential. Whitney recommended two backpacks—one for weekend getaways and another for our longer trips to Ecuador. An article on the second pack will be coming soon!

Unpacking the All Day Carry (ADC) Travel Backpack

A couple of weeks ago, we headed to San Francisco for a family wedding. Of course, I couldn’t get all of my wedding clothes into a weekend trip bag but that didn’t prevent me from testing my new backpack. So I used the ADC Travel Backpack for the weekend portion of the trip, sightseeing in the City. It did not disappoint!

I highly recommend Six Moon Design’s ADC Travel Backpack. Let’s unpack the reasons:

1. It’s comfortable to wear and weighs only 2.5 pounds.
2. It holds a lot of stuff in a well-organized manner.
3. It’s well-made with quality, water-resistant zippers and strong seams.
4. It’s made of sturdy, water-resistant fabric that should hold up over time. The fabric on my model is also 100% recycled. Yeah!
5. It can be held more like a traditional bag using its carry handle.
6. It comes in cool colors. (I love the bright blue but it also comes in more sedate tones)
7. Back to number one… it was just plain comfortable to carry.

The Nitty Gritty Facts

This pack is 35L, the perfect size for me. I could carry their larger, 45L version but it would encourage me to overpack and carry more weight than necessary. Furthermore, with the well-designed belt and shoulder straps, this backpack is easy to wear. I didn’t feel stress or tension in my neck or shoulders, places where I generally have trouble after a day carrying a heavy bag.

Also, the pack easily meets carry-on criteria. If not for the wedding, I could have managed the entire trip with this single travel backpack. Let me explain why. First, the ADC opens wide, as seen in the image below. This is the space to hold your clothes in lightweight packing pods, an extra pair of shoes, camera gear, my city purse, chargers, medicines, and a small toiletries bag.

Yep, I took a Nikon 750, a Sigma 24-105mm lens, a cleaning kit, a spare battery, a charger and filters in a Tenba soft case, the gray bag pictured above. I packed it at the bottom of the pack to better distribute the weight. At the top, I loaded up two of Six Moon Design’s lightweight packing pods with pants, shirts, undies, and socks. Between them is a pair of lightweight shoes in a cloth travel case and my folded-up jacket. I chose to wear my city walking boots on the flight. The small net pockets held all those items that needed to be controlled, like prescriptions and accessories like a warm hat for the baseball game at Oracle Park.

But that’s not all. This travel pack has more space to be used. In the picture below, you will see the front of the backpack with a zippered portion folded down. This is the “office space.” It can hold those things you need to run a business on the road. I used it for a book, my Kindle, pens, a notepad, and deck of cards… you get the idea. I can see using this space for my hard drive and chargers.

“The outside of the backpack has other pockets of great use. The zippered pocket running vertically across the top is great for items that you want easy access to. Perfect for my boarding passes (I often forget where I put them and have to hunt everywhere… not anymore!) and maybe that Kindle or the current book I am reading.

The large, black, mesh pocket on the outside is surprisingly roomy even when the pack is full, perfect for stuffing things like jackets, hats, and gloves. I slid a full-sized water bottle into it though that also could fit in one of the side pockets. I used the other side pocket for my favorite gluten-free travel snacks.

In the third picture of the trio, you’ll notice a laptop. It slides nicely into a pocket between the main pack and the straps. With a full pack, this is a snug fit but a fit nonetheless. On top of all the things I found, this pack can do even more, including holding a set of trekking poles. It really is designed for carrying all day on all kinds of trails… not just through the airport.

Truth be told, I am a little floored at how comfortable it was. So I wondered why and learned that this pack is “over 30% lighter than other similar travel backpacks.” It also uses Six Moon Design’s “flight suspension system” that they pioneered on their backcountry backpacks. Tech has changed a lot in the last two decades. I really should have switched years ago. Better late than never.

The inside label reads: “This pack was inspired by Ron ‘Falling Water’ Moak’s many hikes along the famed Camino de Santiago.”