Given that the Roark 55L Mule Bag is a sort of unique type of travel backpack, and maybe for a unique type of traveler, my aim in this review is for you to find out if it is right for you.

Of course, you can see product photos and tech specs of the 55L Mule Bag at the Roark website. I originally learned about it there.

In this review, though, I’ll tell you about what I think are the benefits of the Mule Bag (55L) compared to other backpacks I own, and if it’s a better bet than other travel backpacks you’re considering.

What sets the 55L Mule Bag apart from the competition

There are a few things I’ll list briefly here that stand out to me first and foremost, as someone who owns more than 25 backpacks (at this point dare I say that I’ve seen it all?):

  • Unique design: this backpack is “taller” than others I’ve used, and feels more “vertical.”
  • Cool passport pocket on the back panel for storing a passport safely and hiding it if you plan to be walking around while in transport and you need the safest place to put it.
  • Built for variety: this backpack is pretty rugged, and I like the anti-rip “grid” material on the entire exterior, but it also has a safe-storage laptop pocket for remote workers like me.
  • Pretty affordable: I’ll put this backpack in the “under $200” category, which in today’s market is helpful if you want to keep your next purchase budget-friendly but still get quality.
  • The stow-able hip belt: Not everyone wants a hip belt (I don’t always want one, honestly). If you’re done with it or don’t need it, you can flat-stash it away in the stowing area below the back panel.

Benefits of the 55L Mule Bag (What I think)

This travel bag for sure has a lot of benefits. Below are my favorite features that I think will benefit travelers who travel like I do: taking long trips or generally need to haul more stuff, a need for a laptop and some safely-stored tech, strongly-built exterior and a bunch of straps and support.

Exterior storage for laptop

Most backpacks I own make you open the entire backpack in order to get your laptop out. Interestingly, the 55L Mule Bag lets you access your laptop from a zipper sleeve on the outside beneath the back panel, without having to get into all your packing cubes and stuff inside.

The exterior zipper compartment on the front of the bag (with the weather-proofed zipper) is good for keeping tech accessories.

Passport pocket location

I originally thought the passport pocket was in one of the sides, where there is a similarly-sized zipper pocket, but I was wrong: the passport pocket is located on the back panel in a single-zipper slip pocket. It’s cool. It’s nice and theft proof and it’s nearly impossible for someone to grab anything from that pocket when you’re wearing the bag.

Bottom buckle straps

If you travel with a sleeping bag or a yoga mat (or a camping mat + tent), the buckle straps at the very bottom of the bag can help with that. Typically, I don’t give those a second look, but now that we have an ultra-light yoga mat that we use for light workouts, I figured I’d give it a shot in seeing how it looked if I want to take it with us on our next trip.

Buckles

The buckles are so snazzy. They give a nice bounce when you open or close them. If this makes any sense: they feel softer, but also secure at the same time. I think they’re made from a durable, but flexible type of plastic.

Internal compression

If you need to pack down your packing cubes or other items against the interior back panel, the compression straps do a good job. I’m using them here to compress my packing cubes and keep them from jiggling around. It helps a ton to keep your items nice and secure. Without using them, if you open your bag fully, your packing cubes kind of fall out.

Stow-able hip belt

I think this is truly useful. I don’t typically use a hip belt on a bag this size all the time (although Becca does, and really enjoys hip belts for supporting weight), but they are not for everyone who buys a 55L backpack due to preference. If I only have a few packing cubes and other soft stuff, I don’t need it. When there are times when I load the bag up with anything heavy, it really does help to have the extra support.

If you want to get rid of the hip belt, it is luckily kind of flat (I’d give it a rating of “average” for support). It tucks into slots behind the back panel.

Fit for an average-sized guy

You can see in my photos that the Roark 55L Mule Bag looks appropriately-sized on me. I’m 5’9” and 165 lbs, with an athletic build. This bag doesn’t look goofy nor small on me, and it doesn’t look gigantically big. The straps and hip belt help balance the weight nicely, even when I pack a yoga mat into the bottom holding straps.

When wearing it, it does feel a little lower than most bags. Most bags might end right at my belt, which is actually kind of annoying because I find that it rides my shirt up in the back. With the Mule Bag, it’s actually a big lower and I don’t ever notice that rides my shirt up.

Where the Roark 55L Mule Bag falls short

I’ll be critical and let you know that I do not think this bag is perfect. I think it’s great for travel and has a lot going for it, but here are the downfalls.

Backpack straps not stow-able

The backpacks’s straps are actually nice and supportive.

However, there is no place to stow it if you want to check this bag on a flight, and I want to point out that you CAN indeed stow the hip belt if you wish to pack it up and have it hidden. I understand it adds some complexity to the design of the straps and the back. At this size though, you might have to check it during a flight and backpack straps sometimes get broken when you check a bag.

Zipper quality

For every backpack I review, I’ll talk about the zippers. And that tends to be a fair thing to do, considering that I have used what I’d like to call “exceptional” zippers on backpacks like the Tom Bihn 45L Techonaut (they are virtually impossible to break), as well as supreme-quality zippers on a bag like the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack.

The zippers on the 55L Mule Bag feel average. I’m not saying that to be hyper critical—it’s more that they don’t feel like they will survive for a decade if I use this bag multiple times a year for week-long trips and throw it around on flights and at airports. On the flip side, lightweight zippers probably saves a few oz off of the total weight.

The zippers feel like they would also come on a more budget-style bag, so I think this is a shortfall.

Weatherproofing on some zippers, but not all

I only counted two weather-proofed zippers, and they are both in the front storage pockets (the front pocket that has the Roark logo on it, and the top storage pocket on the front of the backpack).

I’m not sure why the other zippers are not weather-proofed. This would help for getting stuck in the rain, unless I was already traveling with a universal backpack rain cover.

Why you might not want it

If you are looking for a shorter and more compact-style backpack, the 55L Mule Bag is also not it.

Lastly, if you’re looking for a slightly smaller backpack, know that the 55L Mule Bag pretty much retains its shape whether it is full, or not full. Sure, if I pack it completely full, it’s all puffed up in all its corners. If it’s not full, it may look a little deflated.

If you pack light, or if you simply like something less “tall” on your back, I’d suggest my Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack review or my Tom Bihn 45L Techonaut review for you to consider.

How I’ll use it

I tend to use a bag larger than 40L if I’m going on a trip that’s longer than a long weekend. For example, I took the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack to Mexico for 8 days. Given how I pack (pretty light, with a shirt for each day and 2-3 bottoms, plus a rolled-up jacket and a toiletries bag), I don’t need much more space.

Having the 10 additional liters of volume that the 55L Mule Bag offers is a welcome upgrade for me and my uses. With this extra space, I can stow away something additional like another pair of shoes (great for if I’m going to a rainy destination). I can also offer some available volume space to Becca and all her things.

Conclusion: my final thoughts

I think the Roark 55L Mule Bag is a thoughtful travel backpack for travelers who are into the slightly-rugged look of it.

It has features both for backpacking travel as well as remote work travel, with the laptop sleeve (zippered on the back panel) and the tech-friendly front storage pocket. The passport pocket hidden on the back panel is a plus, as are the two weatherproofed zippers.

And I think the stow-able hip belt is attractive to people who want the option to tuck it in or out.

So finally, I think the 5 Day Mule 55L Bag is Roark’s best shot at a longer-haul travel backpack that lets you pack comfortably. I traveled a LOT of the world over 12 months, and again a few years later, over 10 months, with only 55 liters, and I know it can be done (I did a lot of laundry, frequently).

The backpack is supportive, starts off at a relatively low weight (or an average one, I could say) when empty and definitely packs in the pockets and compartments.

Comparison to other best-selling travel bags I have

I mentioned above that I have been collecting travel bags for years, and a lot of the ones I have fall into the 40-60L category. Below, find out how I compare the 5 Day 55L Mule Bag from Roark to other best-selling travel backpacks (or duffels) in the travel space that consumers tend to research.

Comparison to the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack

What seems to me like the world’s best and most famous travel backpack - the Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack - is a near-perfect travel backpack. However, it comes at a price that makes some consumers back away.

Here’s my comparison:

  • The Roark 5 Day Mule 55L Bag is 3 lbs when empty, whereas the PD 45L Travel Backpack is actually a whopping 4.5 lbs.
  • The PD Travel Backpack is at least $100 more than the 55L Mule.
  • I find the zippers on the PD Backpack to be exceptional and they are all weatherproofed, as a comparison to the 5 Day Mule 55L Bag’s only two weatherproofed exterior zippers.
  • The PD backpack is boxy, sleek and minimal, and holds its shape when half-empty. Roark’s 55L Mule Bag gets a bit slouchy if half empty, and has a more rugged and military-style vibe.

Comparing them is a bit like apples and oranges because of the price tier difference, and I have to be clear that there is a 10-liter volume difference between them, but I thought this was worthwhile. Check my Peak Design Travel Backpack review for a full picture of what I’m discussing above.

Comparison to the Patagonia 55L Black Hole Travel Duffel

While you might ask why I’m bothering to compare the Roark 5 Day Mule 55L Bag to Patagonia’s famed 55L duffel, hear me out: they’re both the same volume, although they hold the volume very differently. And if you’re looking at both of these, it could be because:

  • The Mule Bag is a backpack that can be toted as a duffel (grab handle), and the Patagonia 55L Black Hole Duffel is a duffel bag that converts into a backpack with stowable straps.
  • Both are otherwise built and designed with a single main cavity where you can throw in or organize-in all your packing cubes.
  • Both are rugged types of travel bags that I’d trust to get thrown off a bus in Southeast Asia (I’ve been there and this is what happens!) or shoved around an overhead bin on a plane.

Where they differ and where I want to compare them:

  • The dimensions are similar, but not identical, with the Roark bag being “taller” yet (Black Hole 55L: 22.8” x 13.3” x 9.5”; Roark Mule 55L: 24” X 13.5” X 8.5”).
  • The Patagonia 55L Black Hole Travel Duffel is currently a smidge cheaper (please note that prices vary from season to season). But, consider that they’re roughly the same price.
  • If your budget permits for either one, consider if you want the duffel that folds up when it’s not in use, or if you want a backpack (the 55L Mule Bag) that can store pretty flat, compared to other more structured backpacks!

You might have to see it to believe it in my Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 55L review.

Comparison to Cotopaxi 42L Allpa Travel Backpack and Duffel

Cotopaxi is one of the best travel bag companies on the market, and even though there is a volume difference between the Allpa 42L and the 5 Day Mule 55L Bag, I’ll compare them just in brief for features and price. My main point here is that they’d both serve to be your one-bag travel bag if you take a multi-day trip and the point would be to fit everything.

A comparison:

  • The Allpa 42L, while smaller in volume, has interior organization that does away with the need for packing cubes.
  • Both backpacks open in a clamshell style, although differently (Allpa 42L opens in a “book” style, whereas the Mule Bag opens in a dual-size zipper long flap open).
  • Both have lots of mesh and zipper pockets for organization, as well as hip belt and sternum strap styles with high-quality buckles.
  • The Roark Mule Bag in 55L comes at a more competitive price, and will fit more.
  • Despite the lower volume total in the Allpa 42L, it actually weighs the same when empty as the Mule Bag in 55L.

Head to my Cotopaxi Allpa 42L Travel Bag review to see a full spectrum of the stats for this backpack.

Comparison to Tom Bihn 45L Techonaut

I think this is the fastest comparison: the Tom Bihn 45L Techonaut is a premium travel backpack because it’s double the price and made from what I personally think are exquisite elements. The zippers are strong and made to last a lifetime, and the fabrics are tough, thick and strong.

What I’ve never really liked, though, about the Tom Bihn 45L Techonaut is that it’s boxy and kind of square. For an expensive travel backpack, I tend to think it looks a bit goofy on me or Becca. We have indeed used it as a duffel-style bag as well, toting it by its grab handles.

I still love this bag though. It’s 100% one of my favorites.

And so when I compare it to the 5 Day Mule 55L:

  • Roark’s 5 Day Mule 55L is, naturally, way cheaper.
  • If you’re a zipper fanatic though, you may be disappointed by the zippers on the 5 Day Mule 55L. The zippers on the Tom Bihn 45L Techonaut are virtually incapable of jamming or snagging.
  • The Tom Bihn 45L Techonaut has fewer overall pockets and not much tech-specific except the laptop compartment, also zippered.
  • The Techonaut has a trolley sleeve; the Mule Bag does NOT.
  • Roark is not as “loud” about their guarantees and warranties as Tom Bihn is. Tom Bihn will fix anything you buy from them, for free, forever. Roark doesn’t really speak up to the same promise on their bags up front. (Roark offers a “30 day return”).

I reviewed the Tom Bihn 45L Techonaut so you can see why this bag is priced the way it is, and how it would compare to the Roark Mule Bag.

Where to get the Roark Mule Bag in 55L

The easiest way to pick up one of the Roark Mule 55L Bags is on the Roark website. There, you can see all available colors in stock, and you can even consider if you want to add on the Mule Bag 27L as your personal item or daypack.

You can also check out a Roark store in person! Check out their store locator.