“The bag is a good size. I like the pockets. However, I was surprised by how cheap the materials are. The zippers are not very sturdy and I don’t expect them to last long with any amount of weight in the bag. I like the padding on the shoulder straps but the materials again are quite cheap. I would not recommend this bag for anything but light travel.”
Hello Jordan,
Thank you for taking the time to review the 5-Day Mule 55L Bag. We are sorry to hear that you had some issues with your item. We would love to resolve this for you and ensure you are fully satisfied with your purchase.
Feel free to email us at info@roark.com and we would be happy to discuss some options with you.
“This pack is amazing. Packed enough clothes for a ten day European vacation. The full open top allows for ease of adding packing cubes and organization. There is room for whatever you need. On the back this pack feels great and is really comfortable. Not to mention it looks great.”
“This is by far the best bag I have ever had!
Roark does everything with style and quality!
This has hidden pockets and is perfect for traveling to Europe or anywhere for 5-15 days!
I already received compliments and love this bag!”
“We bought this pack to evaluate its suitability as a replacement pack for our avalanche rescue first response pack. AKA Hasty search pack. It has beaten out the others we have tried. Still waiting on one more pack to test. Pack appears to be well made, good materials and the design works well for our needs.”
“I got this bag for three things: Paid carry-on for flights, for camping and long hikes, and as a range bag that could hold two 10.5” short barreled rifles so I didn’t have to lug around the massive range style bags. Well, this bag literally did everything I wanted it to. Not only could it handle a 7 day trip out of the country, it survived a camping and hiking trip, and now has survived numerous trips to wild land for target shooting days. This thing is actually quite compact for how large its capacity is, and is capable and tough, but also pretty stylish, and honestly, you really won’t find another 55 liter bag in this style. It will either be a hideous hiking/backpacking bag or it will be a duffle-backpack hybrid with terrible, afterthought backpack straps (looking at you north face). The fact that I can fit 2 short rifles, 10 loaded mags, clothes and food all in one bag and still be comfortable is pretty crazy. If you are a traveler, adventurer, or just want a do-it-all bag that is much nicer looking and feeling then a backpacking bag, I would definitely get this one.
Side notes:
When wearing it, the uppermost part will be just above your shoulder line, and the hip straps for extra support can be tucked into secret compartments on either side of the bag.
It doesnt have a million mini-compartments, and instead gives you 3 large outer pockets and one small internal zipper pocket in the main compartment. I kind of like this approach better, as some bags have way too many organizational elements that are very user specific, and which I usually never use.
There’s also a hidden passport pocket, as well as a massive laptop “sleeve” compartment, but it can honestly be stretched to fit anything up to 3-4” in width pretty comfortably thanks to the padded backplate. The outer pockets are good for nicknacks and easily accessible items, but are also large enough for me to have fit: A go pro setup, 2 books, a large charging battery, wallet, a hat, and basically all my toiletries.
What I did to add custom organization was buy a molle panel (a hard plastic panel meant for the back of car seats) and put it in the main compartment, then I used molle compatible bags and straps to secure everything I carry onto them, turning the inside of the bag into one big board that houses a collection of modular pockets, as well as straps and such.
Anyway, yes, it’s a do it all bag, and it does it all.”
“I fly 2-3 times per week on average for work and I had previously been using a duffel bag and backpack (2 bags) combo while traveling - I wanted to transition to a "one-bag-to-do-it-all situation". I shopped lots of options in the backpack/duffel category, and liked many of them for various reasons, but the Mule 55L bag is the only product I could find that had every feature I wanted, was robust enough to handle being stuffed into overhead bins, but also looked nice and had more of a 'business' look than the rest of the market.
The shoulder straps are comfortable and the hip/belt straps do a great job at balancing the load when the bag is fully packed. For me, it almost always is. The laptop sleeve has all the space I need for my 15" laptop, and its super easy to access without opening the bag. All the outer pockets on the bag make this possible to replace my previous 'carry-on' backpack. They hold all of my extraneous travel supplies: headphones, book, journal, charge cables, snacks and sunglasses. 55L feels like an appropriate sizing for the bag, but this thing has a ton of room, compared to say - the Black Hole 55L. Maybe that's because of its elongated structure, but I think it makes it look nicer and not as bulky when being worn.
It is a perfect bag for my use case - no notes.”
