As we get Away from home, the gear-obsessed WIRED Reviews team writes about our favorite bags and EDCs. Today, reviewer Martin Cizmar Thinks about his Topo Designs bag. You can also see other Bag Check stories where Wired Authors share all the things they love.

Can design Topo Just make the best bags in the world. The Denver-based gorpcore brand sells gear that looks cool, lasts, and has every feature a sane person could want in a bag without making the product feel overwhelming. If I ever win the lottery, I won’t tell anyone, but there will be signs like I’m getting groceries from Trader Joe’s in two. Mountain gear bag. (I currently use blue polypropylene Ikea bags and shop at Aldi.)

In March, I took a spring break trip to Ireland and Scotland with a carry-on size roller bag and Topo Designs Rover Trail Pack as my personal belongings. I’m often testing out new bags, and I didn’t think much about the decision to commit to Rover for a week. I quickly learned that when you take one bag on seven flights and stay in eight different hotels in 10 days, you know it well. By the time I got back home, I was completely convinced that the Rover was the best bag I’ve ever used.

Photo: Martin Seizmer

Topo Designs

Rover Trail Pack

Like the six or seven other models of Topo Design bags I’ve tested—and perhaps more widely than any other—the Rover manages to artfully incorporate all the thoughtful little features I’ve come to appreciate in other bags, without even a hint of pretentiousness.

At the top of the bag, there is a zippered compartment that flips up to reveal a rucksack-style opening, which closes with a drawstring. This is where I like to keep my keys, any important paperwork I may have, and sometimes my wallet. Usually, I find myself double and triple checking the zipper to make sure nothing is falling off. No need with the Rover, as inside this zipped compartment, there’s also a clip for keys and an extra zipped mesh sleeve. This feature lets you double bag anything you don’t want to risk dropping — in my case, my daughter’s and my passports. When I went through the TSA line at the airport, I clipped my car keys for the week, zipped the passport into a mesh sleeve, and never worried about losing it.

Photo: Martin Seizmer