A Denver-based gorpcore backpack earns serious trust from a frequent flyer: Topo Designs’ Rover Trail pack keeps keys and passports secure through seven flights, eight hotels, and nonstop travel stress.
He packed the way people do when they’re trying to keep one step ahead of travel—keys within reach, paperwork accounted for, passports locked down somewhere that won’t turn into a mess at the airport.
And then. on a spring break trip to Ireland and Scotland. Martin Cizmar strapped in Topo Designs’ Rover Trail pack and let it run. It was originally just another bag choice for a week. But once the trip stretched across seven flights and eight different hotels in 10 days, the decision stopped feeling casual. By the time he landed back home. he was “fully convinced the Rover is the best backpack I have ever used.”.
Topo Designs is a Denver-based gorpcore brand. The basic appeal, as Cizmar lays it out, is straightforward: the gear looks cool, lasts a long time, and includes features that make sense without feeling overbuilt.
The Rover is built around small details that don’t ask for attention—until you’re the person who’s responsible for your own stuff. At the top of the bag, there’s a zipped compartment. It flips open to reveal a rucksack-style opening, and that opening closes with a drawstring. It’s designed for the items you tend to juggle when you’re moving—keys. important paperwork. and. in Cizmar’s case. his wallet.
With most bags, he says he ends up double- and triple-checking the zipper to make sure nothing is slipping out. With the Rover, that routine didn’t stick. Inside that zipped compartment, there’s a clip for keys and an additional zipped mesh sleeve. The setup effectively lets you “double-bag” anything you don’t want to gamble with.
During his trip, that meant passports. When he got through the TSA line at the airport, he clipped in his car keys for the week, zipped the passports into the mesh sleeve, and didn’t worry about losing either.
Cizmar also notes that the Rover doesn’t feel like it’s trying to flex. He’s tested multiple other Topo Designs models—six or seven. and possibly more extensively than the others—and says the Rover incorporates the thoughtful little features he liked from those bags “without even a hint of showiness.”.
Topo Designs Rover Trail Pack backpack review gorpcore EDC travel gear passports TSA
Passports in a bag is still gonna get lost if TSA wants it to.
So basically it’s just a bag with extra pockets? lol but hey if it saved his sanity on 7 flights then fair.
I don’t get why they’re acting like the zipper compartment is some secret sauce. TSA will still scan it and they’ll still tell you to take stuff out.
Gorpcore backpacks always seem like they’re built for like… hiking in the apocalypse. I’m just wondering if it’s actually allowed to keep passports “locked down somewhere” or is that like, illegal? Also Ireland/Scotland spring break seems random for a review.