Review · Travel · 1 model
Matein Carry-on Travel Backpack 40 L review: a carry-on in backpack form, with one measurement Matein cannot agree on
Forty liters, a 17-inch laptop sleeve, straps that hide to make a duffel, water-repellent nylon, 2.2 lb and a lifetime warranty on defects, for less than most daypacks. It is inside the 22 x 14 x 9 carry-on box on American, Delta and JetBlue and is not a personal item anywhere. This review is about what 40 liters on thin straps feels like, and the one measurement Matein cannot agree on.
Verdict
What it is
the backpack reviewed
Matein Carry-on Travel Backpack 40 L
- Height
- 20 (listing: 19) in†
- Width
- 13 in
- Depth
- 8 in
- Volume
- 40, expandable L
- Weight
- 2.2 lb
- Laptop
- Up to 17 in
Check price on Amazon
A 40-liter expandable travel backpack in water-repellent nylon, 13 by 8 inches and 20 tall by Matein’s page — 19 by the Amazon listing — at 2.2 lb, with a padded sleeve for a laptop up to 17 inches, shoulder straps that hide behind a panel so it carries as a duffel, and a lifetime warranty against defects. Matein’s page and the listing disagree on the height, and we mark it as needing a check.
Strengths
- 40 L is three or four nights
- Fits a 17 in laptop
- Converts to a duffel with the straps stowed
Limitations
- This is a carry-on, not a personal item — pay for it on Spirit and Frontier
- Height differs between Matein (20 in) and the listing (19 in)
- Heavy when full, with thin straps
Good for
- airlines that include a carry-on
- a week with careful packing
- someone who hates wheels
Look elsewhere if
- Basic Economy on United or any personal-item-only fare
- a short commuter bag
The box it fits
American, Delta and JetBlue publish a carry-on limit of 22 by 14 by 9 inches; Southwest and Frontier 24 by 16 by 10. At 20 by 13 by 8 it is inside all of them with room, and it goes in the overhead bin. It is not a personal item: every airline that publishes a personal-item height says 17 or 18 inches, and this bag is 19 or 20. On a basic-economy or Frontier fare it costs the carry-on fee, which over a few trips is the price of the bag.
Capacity
Forty liters is the volume of a 22-inch carry-on suitcase. With packing cubes it holds three or four nights of clothes and the laptop; packed hard it holds a week. The expansion zip adds depth, which takes it out of the 9-inch limit on the legacy carriers — use it on the way home on Southwest, not on American.
Carrying
This is where the price shows. The straps are flat and the back panel is simple, and 40 liters of clothes plus a 17-inch laptop is 15 to 20 lb on them. Across an airport and up to a hotel room it is fine. Across a city for a day it is not, and a hiking brand’s pack with a hip belt is the answer to that, at three times the price.
The laptop
Seventeen inches, which almost no personal-item bag takes and few travel backpacks do. For a big Windows laptop or a 16-inch MacBook Pro it is the practical reason to choose this bag.
The height
Matein’s page says 20 inches; the listing says 19. We publish both and mark it. It does not change the category — both are carry-on, neither is a personal item — but a maker that cannot agree with its own listing is a maker whose other figures deserve a tape measure on arrival.
Build and warranty
Water-repellent nylon rather than the polyester of Matein’s smaller bags, and a lifetime warranty on defects in materials and workmanship. That covers a seam that fails; it does not cover a zip that wears, which at this price is the part to watch.
Strengths
- 40 L is three or four nights
- Fits a 17 in laptop
- Converts to a duffel with the straps stowed
Limitations
- This is a carry-on, not a personal item — pay for it on Spirit and Frontier
- Height differs between Matein (20 in) and the listing (19 in)
- Heavy when full, with thin straps
Good for
- airlines that include a carry-on
- a week with careful packing
- someone who hates wheels
Look elsewhere if
- Basic Economy on United or any personal-item-only fare
- a short commuter bag
Who should buy it
A fare that includes a carry-on; a 16 or 17 inch laptop; a dislike of wheels; a week with cubes.
Who should not
A personal-item-only fare — the Matein Mlassic at 18 by 12 by 7.8 is the bag for that. A day on your feet with a full load. Anyone who wants the measurements settled before buying.
Sources
Facts checked October 10, 2026
- American Airlines — Carry-on bags — Other source, checked October 10, 2026
- Frontier Airlines — Bag options — Other source, checked October 10, 2026
- Delta Air Lines — Carry-on baggage — Other source, checked October 10, 2026
- JetBlue — Carry-on bags — Other source, checked October 10, 2026
- Southwest Airlines — Carry-on baggage policy — Other source, checked October 10, 2026
- Amazon listing (Matein) — Retailer listing, checked October 10, 2026
- Matein — Elite Travel Backpack product page — Manufacturer documentation, checked October 10, 2026
Is it a personal item?
No. At 13 by 8 inches and 19 or 20 tall it is over every published personal-item height — American and Frontier 18, JetBlue 17 — and over the 8-inch depth once packed. It is a carry-on: inside American's, Delta's and JetBlue's 22 by 14 by 9 and Southwest's and Frontier's 24 by 16 by 10. On a personal-item-only fare it pays the carry-on fee.
How tall is it?
Matein's own page says 20 inches; the Amazon listing says 19. We show both and mark the figure as needing a check. Either is inside the 22-inch carry-on limit, so the disagreement does not change what it is.
How much does it hold?
Forty liters, expandable, by Matein. Packed with cubes that is three or four nights of clothes plus a laptop; a careful packer gets a week. It is the same volume as the carry-on-sized travel backpacks that cost three times as much.
What is the warranty?
Matein states a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, which is not a warranty against wear. The zips and straps are where a bag at this price wears first.
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