ULA Equipment Ultra 36L Dragonfly vs. Matador Beast28 Packable Backpack

Two carry-on travel backpacks, compared spec for spec.

ULA Equipment Ultra 36L Dragonfly

Front facing view of the ULA Equipment Ultra 36L Dragonfly
Capacity36 L
Weight0.9 kg
Dimensions52×30×19 cm
Airline fit88%
Price$320

Feature by feature

ULA Equipment Ultra 36L DragonflyFeatureMatador Beast28 Packable Backpack
Storage
2 Compression 4
None Expanded Capacity None
1 Opening 1
top Passport top
N Passthrough N
Carry
Y Backpack Y
removable Hip Belt removable
removable Sternum Strap removable
Inside
17in Laptop N
4 Main Compartments 2
N Organizer N
Outside
× Hard Shell ×
N Rain-fly N
2, side Water Bottle Holder 2, side
Y Water Resistant Y
Material
Challenge ULTRA, ULTRA TX, UltraStretch210D Robic® high tenacity nylon, UTS coated, DWR finish

Matador Beast28 Packable Backpack

Front facing view of the Matador Beast28 Packable Backpack
Capacity28 L
Weight0.7 kg
Dimensions56×28×18 cm
Airline fit47%
Price$150

Key differences between the ULA Equipment Ultra 36L Dragonfly and Matador Beast28 Packable Backpack

Both have: passport pocket, backpack straps, hip belt, sternum strap, water bottle pockets, water resistant.

Which airlines take each bag as a carry-on

We checked both bags against the carry-on size limits of 189 airlines. 88 accept both. 79 accept only the ULA Equipment Ultra 36L Dragonfly, and 1 accept only the Matador Beast28 Packable Backpack.

Only the ULA Equipment Ultra 36L Dragonfly fits

Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Aerolineas Argentinas, Aeromexico, Air Baltic, Air Canada, Air Caraibes, Air China, Air France, Air India, Air Malta, Air Mauritius, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, All Nipon Airways, ANA, Asiana Airlines, ATA Airlines, Austrian, Azerbaijan Airlines, Blue Air, Boliviana de Aviacion, Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, China Eastern, Czech Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Enter Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Eurowings, Fiji Airways, Flair Air, flybe, Gol Linhas Aereas, Iberia, Icelandair, Indigo, InselAir, Interjet, Iran Air, Japan Airlines, Jet Airways, Juneyao Airlines, Kenya Airways, KLM, LATAM , Liat Airlines, LOT Polish, Lufthansa, Luxair, Mahan Air, Meridiana Fly, Mesa Airlines, Nordwind Airlines, Norwegian, Pakistan International, Peach, Porter Airlines, Royal Brunei Airlines, Ryanair, S7, SAS Scandinavian, Scoot, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sky Airlines, Sun Express, Swiss Int'l Air Lines, TAP Air Portugal, TAROM, Tianjin Airlines (A320 & E190), Tiger Airways, TUI, Turkish Airlines, Ukraine International, VIM Airlines (Closed), Volotea, WestJet, Xiamen.

Only the Matador Beast28 Packable Backpack fits

Great Lakes Airlines.

ULA Equipment Ultra 36L Dragonfly vs. Matador Beast28 Packable Backpack: which should you pack?

The ULA Equipment Ultra 36L Dragonfly carries 8L more than the Matador Beast28 Packable Backpack (36L vs. 28L), while the Matador Beast28 Packable Backpack is the lighter pack at 0.7kg (vs. 0.9kg). For carry-on flexibility, the ULA Equipment Ultra 36L Dragonfly fits 88% of the airlines we track — the higher of the two. If you prioritise packing volume, choose the ULA Equipment Ultra 36L Dragonfly; if you want to travel lighter, the Matador Beast28 Packable Backpack is the better call.