I loved the tentree Mobius 35-liter backpack at first sight. It’s so smartly designed and has such a clean profile that it works for everything without ever feeling like too much or too little backpack. The only downside was that I’d promised to give it to my wife.
tentree Mobius 35-Liter Backpack
Highlights: Waterproof and PFC-free, fantastic rolltop backpack made from post-consumer recycled polyester, for shell, lining, and insulation! Smart layout, clever chest strap design to easily adjust to fit your frame, and BlueSign and GRS certified. Made by a B Corp that cares.
- Made from recycled materials
- Functional, and easy to use
- Smart chest strap design is a game changer
- Waterproof without PFCs
- Only comes in black
At a glance:
Capacity: 35 liters
Materials: Repreve recycled polyester (for outer shell, inner lining, and insulation), recycled materials for trims
Certifications: Global Recycling Standard (GRS), BlueSign, B Corp
Price: $128
The tentree Mobius rolltop backpack is smart, sustainable, and understated. It comes in one color, a true black, and is made entirely of recycled materials with GRS certification, so you know tentree isn’t all hot air.
This backpack is also BlueSign certified, meaning it is made in a way that helps protect the environment and conserves water. tentree designs its products in Canada and manufactures them ethically in Vietnam. The company is a B Corp and plants ten trees for every product sold.
A super smart design perfect for everything!
The Mobius has a smart design with a ton of pockets. These include:
- Large exterior zippered front pocket with another zippered pocket inside – convenient storage of wallet, keys, notebook, and other essentials
- Second zippered pocket above the main exterior pocket – lined with smooth cork, adding luxury to the otherwise understated design.
On the side, you’ll find a third zippered pocket on an angle, ideal for stowing cables and other items that can get lost in a large main pocket.
There’s also a side pocket for a water bottle.
As for that main pocket, I love that the tentree Mobius has a dual-access design whereby you can unzip the main pocket from the back of the bag (around the padded back panel). This saves you from having to unroll the bag from the top.
Inside the main pocket, there’s a handy laptop sleeve with a clip for safety. This can double as a pocket for a hydration pack, with a well-positioned aperture for water reservoirs.
The backpack can accommodate a 15-inch laptop, which makes it a much better fit for many commuters (most backpacks only fit smaller 12- or 13-inch laptops and barely squeeze in a Macbook). The laptop pocket is padded with ALGIX Bloom foam made partially from algae, rather than pure polyurethane.
Straps and cords
The clever design includes adjustable draw cords, straps, and belts, with plenty of subtle elastics and tags for you to attach carabiners and such.
I really like the chest strap design, for instance, which you can unclip on both sides and move up or down. As a shorter person with a smaller frame, I appreciate this attention to detail – no more irritation from poorly positioned straps! And, because it unclips on both sides, you can remove the strap entirely instead of just having it dangling annoyingly.
The Mobius backpack is also a great choice for overnight hikes and camping, and even for yoga trips in the city. That’s because it features built-in straps at the base for you to wrap around a camping mat, tent, or yoga mat as needed.
Our experience
I got this backpack for my wife, to replace her incredibly old, falling apart, held together with duct tape and safety pins backpack she’d had since school and which had long since lost any waterproofing. She quickly fell in love with the Mobius backpack and discovered features I didn’t notice, including that easy access back zipper situation.
As an audio and print journalist with a lot of random bits of tech to tote around, this backpack is fantastic for her. It’s waterproof without PFCs, has pockets for absolutely everything, but looks so unassuming that it’s not going to make her stand out unless she wants to. That said, it’s a very stylish workhorse of a backpack. I’m even considering getting one for myself!
Testing it out on a typical day in the Pacific Northwest, my wife reports that the tentree Mobius holds up really well to heavy rain, keeping all that precious equipment dry and safe. It was also:
- Comfortable
- Spacious
- Easy to use
- Stylish but subtle.
Dare I say that this backpack made my wife look considerably more professional than the ratty old backpack that was literally falling apart at the seams.
Final thoughts on the tentree Mobius 35-Liter Backpack
The tentree Mobius is a great choice of sustainable backpack for just about any setting. It will work really well for older kids and adults in school, is smart and practical for work, is light and functional for trips into the city and day hikes, and can even work as an overnight bag and for camping.
tentree Mobius 35-Liter Backpack
Highlights: Waterproof and PFC-free, fantastic rolltop backpack made from post-consumer recycled polyester, for shell, lining, and insulation! Smart layout, clever chest strap design to easily adjust to fit your frame, and BlueSign and GRS certified. Made by a B Corp that cares.