Mantis 16 Backpack

Best looking backpack I know of. This is the perfect backpack for my climbing gear. It has room for a harness, shoes and my chalk bag. It's also really easy to boulder with I just wear it backwards with a crash pad on my back. I wouldn't suggest this for school because the zippers are really loud and it gets narrower as it goes down so it doesn't hold binders well. It's perfect for outdoors though.

I purchased this backpack for daily commuting, but it surprisingly holds quite a lot. The interior pocket easily fits my MacBook Air 13.6", keeping it separate from other items. Additionally, the backpack is very sturdy; when I tighten the shoulder straps, it doesn’t swing while I’m walking. The material is lightweight and durable—holding the empty bag feels as light as a single-sleeve shirt. I also use it for one-day hiking or trail running. It comfortably carries essentials without adding weight, and the sturdy design makes it perfect for active use.

It is a perfect backpack for carrying everyday school stuff.

The backpack is perfect. Surprised over how spacious it is. Perfectly slim and good features. I’m using it for uni, but thinking of getting another one for hikes with my dog. Love the color, got it in Rune

I love this bag it’s perfect for around the town or a quick hike

I bought this a month ago and it’s exactly what I was looking for , perfect for outdoor activities, love the material

Got this one in red. Love it featuring a frame sheet, ties on the sides and the top pocket.

Perfect day tripper and perfect commuter all in one. The Mantis 16, sits close to the body and has a slim profile without being bulky leaving you all the room you need to move and feel like you are wearing nothing at all. Pack straps include a sternum clip to ensure the bag can be secured across your chest and the outer pockets give access to water or other goodies when you need them. The internal pocket has a sleeve at the back for a bladder or other essentials and a small pocket to hold keys near the top of your bag. One feature I really love is the top pocket on the outer side, perfect size for holding sunglasses, gloves or a granola bar that you may need without wanting to open the pack. The inside of the pack can hold a laptop and a few layers if needed or a full set of layers for changing weather.

I got this pack recently and so far it has been amazing, much more spacious than I thought and has amazing build quality. 10/10

Perfect size pack for a day trip. Comfortable shoulder and waist belt. Great value for the money.

I use this pack for daily commutes and hikes. After 4 months of use every single day, there is not a single flaw. I am super impressed of the quality of this pack.

This backpack was a great size for me. I wanted something small that wouldn’t be too heavy but I can fit everything in. The side pouches are great for the extra space. I am 5ft2 and the backpack fits me well as often they can be too long to comfortably sit on my back. Originally used for hiking but has turned into a hiking/airport/work/everyday backpack.

I pretty much like everything about the Mantis 16. Great zippers, water bottle pockets, great size, durable material, etc. I only wish the top pocket (smaller one) was as big as the Aerios 15 top pocket.

I used this bag pack every time I go out, and it is perfect! The size is good and the black one is like the photos! I really recommend this product.

I bought the grey pack and it's a perfect fit, it has a semi hard backing and it is snug

It is very light and string little backpack. Me and my wife can use it together when we go hiking. And I use it every-time we go out camping.

I strongly reccomend this backpack. Great for the outdoors

I’ve been alternating between the Mantis 26 and 16 as an EDC bag. I like the 26, but this 16 hits the sweet spot for most of my needs. The dimensions are absolutely perfect for maximizing the 16L. I took this on a three week trip overseas and it was the perfect travel companion. Fit everything I needed with room to spare. Face fabric is super durable and shoulder straps are comfortable. The quick access pocket on top could be slightly bigger, but it was sufficient to carry essentials. Most of all, I just love how this bag feels on the back. Very slim profile and curved frame sheet is very comfortable. Terrific design.

Arc'teryx really nailed this one. The proportions are excellent: not too tall, not too wide, not too shallow. It's easy to maximize the internal volume of the pack because of its reasonable dimensions. It's also really comfortable with great straps and a well-vented back panel. I'm tall and broad and somehow this pack doesn't look too small on me and I find it easy to get on and off. The sternum strap is maybe a little too difficult to adjust in a hurry but once you get it the way you want it, it'll stay put. I'm currently using it as my only luggage on an overnight trip and I managed to get my 13" laptop, two packing cubes, and dopp kit all in it with no difficulty zipping it up. Excited to use it as a daily bag for cycling to and from work.

All the Mantis backpacks miss a key feature! They do not have a strap to hook up to a small suitcase for air travel.

I've had this backpack for 4 months and so far I've really loved it. I use it for both university and work, and it fits everything well (Hydroflask, thermos, Laptop, iPad, extra sweater) + room for more. The inner sleeve works well for any electronics, but there isn't much padding - so I use an external case then pop it in. No issues at all. As far as the DWR coating goes, it definitely does its job when walking to the bus stop, or to/from class. But if you're going to be in rainy weather for extended periods of time, the inside is going to get damp (not wet!). I had an outdoor lab a couple days ago, and was in the rain for a total of 3hrs, and the fabric was fully saturated with rainwater, but my contents in the bag remained in good condition. So don't expect the bag to be waterproof, but you can expect it to handle some showers. Overall really happy and would recommend to students/commuters.

Love this bag. Great for day trips out hiking or skiing. Plenty of well laid out room and pocket storage solutions. External side pockets fit 1L Nalgene or great to store other items.

Very happy with this newly purchased backpack. It can hold a pretty decent amount of groceries & I enjoy the zipper styles on this compared to the other bag I have from here where the backpack splays totally open. THis is a well designed, comfortable, streamlined little pack.

I have the first-gen Mantis 20 black edition, which first came out as a limited release. But not long after, they re-release in different colour scheme, which was upsetting. Then the new release of this pack in 16 and 20+ was a good addition for variety of use, commute, weekender work trip, etc. The sad thing was, I purchased this way before Christmas, and was promised to arrive before Christmas. And the delivery got redirected more than 3 times which only arrived 30 Dec. This was 1 purchase out of 5 which has yet to arrive pre-Christmas. Dear Arc’teryx, Please sort out your online stock management system, as there were multiple refunds due to out of stock, and also delivery system, as they were not well thought for the pre-Christmas sale ending up to under-delivering your promises.

This is a first impressions review as I’ve only had the pack for a few days, however I thought I’d share some initial observations for others if you are considering buying: The good points: Pack appears to be well built and designed, the fabric feels tough, stitching is up to the excellent Arcteryx standard and the zippers feel quality. The layout reminds me a little bit of the Aerios 15 (which I also own) the pack has a good size main compartment (I can fit a full days hiking kit such as waterproofs, warm layers, water and food) with no issues. The inner pocket is good for keys, wallets etc, I can easily fit my iPhone 12 plus a wallet and some other items in there. There’s a water bladder/laptop compartment, my MacBook 13 inch goes in with no worries. The external front pocket isn’t particularly large and doesn’t run that deep but you can easily fit an iPhone 12 or similar plus some other smaller items if you wish. The back panel is ridged giving good support, and the shoulder straps are very flexible and comfortable, the pack isn’t designed for really heavy loads but I’m sure it will cope with 8kg/20lbs if it really needed too. I think the fabric has DWR, water beads up and runs off but it’s not a waterproof bag. Final point, I ordered two, one in black and one in sapphire, I’ll be returning the black as I prefer the sapphire colour which is more dark blue/grey than purple as it appears on the website…personal preference but I think it looks better in person. I’ll pop a follow up review once I’ve had some more use, but I’m impressed so far!