Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L vs. Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L
Two carry-on travel backpacks, compared spec for spec.
Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L
| Capacity | 45 L |
| Weight | 1.7 kg |
| Dimensions | 56×37×19 cm |
| Airline fit | 26% |
| Price | $240 |
Feature by feature
| Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L | Feature | Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | ||
| N | Compression | N |
| None | Expanded Capacity | None |
| 1 | Opening | 1 |
| top | Passport | top |
| Y | Passthrough | Y |
| Carry | ||
| Y | Backpack | hideable |
| N | Hip Belt | removable |
| Y | Sternum Strap | removable |
| Inside | ||
| 15in | Laptop | 16in |
| 5 | Main Compartments | 3 |
| N | Organizer | Y |
| Outside | ||
| × | Hard Shell | × |
| N | Rain-fly | N |
| 2, side | Water Bottle Holder | 1, side |
| Y | Water Resistant | Y |
| Material | |
| 14.1-oz 900-denier 100% postconsumer recycled polyester ripstop with a postindustrial recycled TPU-film laminate | 8.7-oz 300-denier 100% postconsumer recycled polyester ripstop with a postindustrial recycled TPU-film laminate |
Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L
| Capacity | 26 L |
| Weight | 1.3 kg |
| Dimensions | 52×30×18 cm |
| Airline fit | 88% |
| Price | $200 |
Key differences between the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L and Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L
- Backpack straps: Yes on the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L; Hideable on the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L.
- Hip belt: No on the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L; Removable on the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L.
- Sternum strap: Yes on the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L; Removable on the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L.
- Laptop sleeve: 15in on the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L; 16in on the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L.
- Main compartments: 5 on the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L; 3 on the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L.
- Built-in organizer: No on the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L; Yes on the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L.
- Water bottle pockets: 2, side on the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L; 1, side on the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L.
Both have: passport pocket, luggage passthrough, water resistant.
Which airlines take each bag as a carry-on
We checked both bags against the carry-on size limits of 189 airlines. 49 accept both. 0 accept only the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L, and 118 accept only the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L.
Only the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L fits
Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Asia, Air Baltic, Air Canada, Air Caraibes, Air China, Air France, Air India, Air Macau, Air Malta, Air Mauritius, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Air Wisconsin, AirAsiaX, Alaska Airlines, All Nipon Airways, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, ANA, Asiana Airlines, ATA Airlines, Austrian, Avianca , Azerbaijan Airlines, Bahamasair, Bangkok Airways, Biman Bangladesh, Blue Air, Boliviana de Aviacion, Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Cambodia Angkor Air, Cathay Pacific, Cayman Airways, Cebu Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, CommutAir, Copa Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Airlines, Dragonair, Emirates Airlines, Enter Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Eurowings, EVA Air, Fiji Airways, Flair Air, flybe, Garuda Indonesia, Gol Linhas Aereas, Hawaiian Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Iberia, Icelandair, Indigo, InselAir, Interjet, Iran Air, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, jetBlue Airways, Jetstar Airways, Jetstar Asia, Juneyao Airlines, Kenya Airways, KLM, Kulula, LATAM , Liat Airlines, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Luxair, Mahan Air, Malaysia Airlines, Mango, Meridiana Fly, Mesa Airlines, Nordwind Airlines, Norwegian, Pakistan International, Peach, Porter Airlines, Qantas Airways, Republic Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines, Ryanair, S7, SAS Scandinavian, Scoot, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sky Airlines, Skywest, Inc., South African Airways, SriLankan Airlines, Sun Express, Swiss Int'l Air Lines, TAP Air Portugal, TAROM, Tianjin Airlines (A320 & E190), Tiger Airways, Trans States, TUI, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International, United Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, VIM Airlines (Closed), Virgin Atlantic, Volotea, WestJet, Xiamen.
Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L vs. Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L: which should you pack?
The Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L carries 19L more than the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L (45L vs. 26L), while the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L is the lighter pack at 1.3kg (vs. 1.7kg). For carry-on flexibility, the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L fits 88% of the airlines we track — the higher of the two. If you prioritise packing volume, choose the Patagonia Black Hole® MLC® 45L; if you want to travel lighter, the Patagonia Black Hole® Mini MLC® 26L is the better call.