Post Memorial Day Deal: I Don't Travel Without This Backpack, and It's Still 23% Off After The Holiday
My job as a full-time food and travel writer requires me to fly to different places all over the world. I am talking about at least 50 flights a year. Regardless of the destination, one thing I can never travel without is a spacious carry-on bag that I can easily hoist into the overhead compartment -- something that is also versatile enough to accommodate all my essentials.
It doesn't take a professional traveler to know that having just the right luggage is essential. However, since I fly so often, I've tried out just about every type of carry-on bag you can find. And I say this with every ounce of feeling I can muster: This $31 Dinictis backpack is the single best travel accessory I've ever owned. Though Memorial Day sales have come and gone, it's still discounted by 23% at Amazon.
I'll admit that other carry-on bags might look more stylish and come in a wider array of colors. But I have yet to find one that meets my needs for durability, efficiency and affordability better than this well-designed travel bag that's just $31 for the light gray version. If you've got travel plans coming up this spring or summer, this is the carry-on you want to bring along, full stop. And don't worry about misplacing your backpack. Simply throw in an AirTag, especially when you can get a pack of them for a super low price after Memorial day, too.
Read more: Traveling Soon? 5 Unique AirTag Locations for Peace of Mind
Here are the current discounts for each color:
Light gray: $31 (was $40) - $23% off
Black: $36 (was $40) - 10% off
Dark gray: $36 (full price)
Blue: $36 (full price)
When only a backpack will do
It's available in four colors: gray, dark gray, blue and black.
Pamela Vachon/CNET
To be clear, my backpacking days were over before they started. Without the means for serious travel before age 25, my life as a traveler didn't kick off in earnest until I was equipped solely with roller-bag sensibilities. As an [age redacted]-year-old, when I scheduled myself for a bus trip along the coast of Peru, with overnight stays in modest accommodations, suddenly a roller bag felt kind of… well, prissy. Roller bags are decidedly inconvenient when it comes to unpaved or nontiled surfaces; plus, it's just not a good look when the vibe is more low-brow than luxury. This wasn't a backpacking trip by any means, but a backpack was definitely called for. One that could accommodate a week's worth of clothing, amenities and a laptop but still potentially fit in a locker.
The Dinictis 40L Travel Backpack came into my life for this particular trip, exceeding my expectations. Since that Peruvian adventure, this bag has come with me on every single trip, no matter the occasion.
A backpack that works like a suitcase
It's a backpack that packs like a suitcase.
Dinictis
Many travel backpacks are spacious and compartmentalized, but the Dinictis 40L Travel Backpack operates like a suitcase. It opens along three sides, so you can flip it open like a suitcase and pack accordingly, with straps for holding your clothing in place. This makes finding what you need much easier than shoving your belongings from the top down like a typical backpack. A side handle even allows you to carry it like a suitcase.
When full, it can easily hold up to 10 kg, or 22 pounds, the weight restriction for carry-on baggage for many of the discount airlines. Since it's a backpack, nobody has ever asked to weigh it for compliance. It will always look lighter than it is.
Store your laptop with confidence
As a writer, I always travel with a laptop, so I'm concerned with its portability as well as safety. That said, I hate having it pressed right up against my back, which can be stiff and, depending on where you're going, sweaty. The laptop sleeve on this model is ideally situated near the (sweat-free) front of the pack but isn't the most outward-facing compartment. Honestly, protected by a foam divider, the laptop feels hidden, even when packed to the gills.
Outside pockets are a must
A side handle is key for navigating public transportation.
Dinictis
I am team-soft-body, even when it comes to roller-bags, for two reasons. First, it's much easier to shove last-minute items into an already zipped suitcase without the clamshell action of a hard case, and second: outside pockets. Who can travel without these? (No, I really want to know…) This backpack has two outer pocket compartments for miscellany, arguably three when considering the extra space in front of the laptop sleeve -- and four if you include the handy water bottle holder. There are even compartments within the compartments. These are the sorts of details that separate the high-functioning from the holding-up-the-line travelers, in my opinion.
Read more: Essential Items to Pack and Avoid in a Carry-On Bag to Breeze Through TSA Lines
A personal item that can masquerade as checked luggage
Safe laptop storage is crucial for a travel writer and this bag has a dedicated sleeve.
Vaultz
Many travel backpacks have an infrastructure that keeps them in a certain shape, even when empty. The Dinictis model has enough structure to keep its sides afloat while you pack it, but its essence is still as a lightweight, fabric backpack. If you've ever been asked to prove that your carry-on actually qualifies as carry-on, you will understand that "smushability" is an important factor. I have packed this backpack for a weekend away and brought it on board as a personal item. (I will fly Spirit Airlines, but I will only do it while giving them as little of my money as possible.) It can totally fit under the seat in front of you when necessary.
The beauty of this travel backpack is that it is also suitable as checked baggage, with heavy-duty fabric that can withstand the journey. The straps can be unclipped and tucked away, and the body cinched by additional clips, for a tidy package that doesn't make you feel panicky when you watch it being whisked away on the baggage conveyor.
I've had many trips where it leaves with me as carry-on, and returns as checked luggage. Even in the lighter gray color, its durable material doesn't reveal that it has ever seen the tread of a baggage carousel. It was the function I didn't even know I needed, but now I never travel without it for this purpose.
Read more: Best Laptop Backpack for 2025
Dinictis Travel Backpack specs
Exterior dimensions: 9.8 x 13.8 x 19.6 inches
Storage capacity: 40 liters
Weight: 2.49 pounds
Pockets: 1 exterior water bottle pocket, 2 exterior front pockets, 1 padded interior laptop pocket
Carrying handles: 1 top, 1 side
Material: Polyester and nylon
4.7 average rating on Amazon
You don't even need to take it from me. The 40L Travel Backpack has thousands of five-star ratings on Amazon. As someone who reviews various products for a living, I know just how rare this kind of rating is. And now that it's still selling for only $31, this bag is a pretty safe bet. And if you're looking for more, don't miss the best deals from Amazon still going on after Memorial Day.
When will this deal expire?
We don't know how long this deal will last, as it's a limited-time offer on Amazon. Memorial Day and its associated sales have ended, so the discount could be removed at any time. We recommend placing your order sooner rather than later to avoid missing out.
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CNET
30 minutes ago
- CNET
Is the '137 Club' the Best Way to Cook Steak? Reddit Says Yes, So I Tried It
If there's one thing I use my sous vide immersion circulator for most, it's steak -- and I'm always looking for new ways to level up my skills. Often, this means trying new cooking strategies I find on the r/sousvide Reddit community. One curious phenomenon has commenters proclaiming that 137 degrees Fahrenheit is the best temperature for cooking steak sous vide. The cooking hack allegedly yields the best flavor and texture. Ribeye is the most common cut in many discussions, but I've seen recommendations on cheaper cuts of beef like chuck steak and New York strip. A Reddit search reveals over 125 threads on the aptly named "137 Club." So I dug deeper to look at the science behind this cooking trend and, of course, tried it for myself. The science of cooking the perfect steak I seasoned every steak identically with salt, granulated garlic powder and cracked black pepper. John Carlsen/CNET Ahead of my test, I hit the books. My first instinct was to consult Modernist Cuisine by Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young and Maxine Bilet, which is one of the most comprehensive resources on the science of cooking. With a list price that usually tops $500, over 2,400 pages across six volumes and no digital version, this is easier said than done. Fortunately, I found a copy of the more compact Modernist Cuisine at Home in Brigham Young University's collection near my home. ("More compact" is a relative term since it's also huge.) Thankfully, Modernist Cuisine at Home has an entire section about cooking steak, including the sous vide method. Vacuum sealing the steaks overnight allowed the seasoning to work as a marinade. John Carlsen/CNET The book groups cuts of steak into two categories: tender (filet, tenderloin, New York strip, ribeye, T-bone and so on) and tough cuts (chuck, skirt, hanger, flat iron, flank and so on). Tender cuts typically cook at lower temperatures, with the authors and their lab generally preferring a medium rare doneness around 133 F in most cases. In contrast, the recommendations for tough cuts hover around 144 F to 149 F, which the book implies is a more traditional roast-like result: think tender and flaky rather than extra juicy. Douglas Baldwin's masterclass A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking, cites multiple scientific papers that suggest the best tenderness results with beef lie somewhere between 120 F and 150 F, with specific mention of 131 F to 140 F for cheaper, tougher cuts of beef. This appears to be the sweet spot for converting tough collagen into smooth, flavorful gelatin. Additionally, Modernist Cuisine at Home suggests that ribeye, a tender cut of meat, turns out best after three hours at 133 F. There are small differences between the resources, but both seem to validate the 137 Club as a catchall method for steak. The steaks barely fit in the container I use for my sous vide bath, but I made it work with some strategic spacers and weights. John Carlsen/CNET While I wasn't able to track down the founding member of the 137 Club, I know that the term started gaining steam in April 2020, at least on Reddit. If I had to guess why 137 F became the magic number, it probably comes down to preference for the first person who tried it -- they might have liked it more medium than medium rare. After all, 137 degrees falls in the aforementioned temperature range, with a margin of error in case the temperature of the sous vide bath fluctuates during cooking. In this case, the temperature could vary by 3 degrees either way without affecting the results too heavily. My research ends here, but I doubt I'll be the last person wondering where it all came from. The experiment We all tried three samples with a simple survey asking about the texture, flavor and anything else that stood out. John Carlsen/CNET Now that we know that there's some science behind the 137 Club, it's time to test. I originally intended to test it with ribeye, which frequently comes up in 137 Club threads. It has a great balance of fatty tissue that supposedly renders better at a higher temperature. Instead, I found tender 1-inch T-bones on sale, which will work just fine. The main purpose was to see if there were any noticeable differences in the cooking. There were five taste testers: myself and four others who I'll refer to as Annette, Lauren, Hank and Nora. None of us had tasted the 137 F method before. Steak A: Grilled This was also the fastest cook because it required practically no additional prep beyond seasoning. John Carlsen/CNET I grilled Steak A in the traditional style, using a timer and a meat thermometer to reach an internal temperature of 131 F. (I aimed for 129 F, but grills are fickle things.) It took about 7 minutes. All of us agreed the traditional grilled steak was the least tender of the three steaks. As expected, the inside of the steak wasn't as consistent as with the sous vide steaks. However, it was juicy and the outside seared perfectly because I didn't have to worry as much about ruining the sous vide steaks. Nora even said it was her favorite: "Most flavor, I can taste each seasoning." Steak B: Sous vide at 129 F for 60 minutes I learned to sous vide steak at 129 F, so it was a good comparison point. John Carlsen/CNET I cooked Steak B with my normal sous vide method of 129 F for 60 minutes. (Note: I usually do 120 minutes, but shortened it due to time constraints.) Crucially, this steak lies outside the temperature range mentioned earlier. Since the experiment was at a family member's house, I chose to sear the sous vide steaks on the grill, which isn't as precise or powerful as my trusty blowtorch. Also, searing multiple T-bones with my small blowtorch would've taken an eternity. Likewise, I could've done a better job by not searing all three sous vide steaks at the same time. I bought four steaks in total, so there were two Steak Bs, with the thinner one turning out slightly more medium after searing. John Carlsen/CNET As a result, Steak B's crust was uneven and the flavor wasn't as pronounced as the grilled steak. The fat also didn't render as well as the other steaks. Everyone liked how soft this steak was, with one tester saying it fell apart in her mouth. Still, Steak B was the favorite option of three tasters: Annette, Lauren and me. However, it was the lowest-ranked steak for the other two respondents. Hank said it was "a little too different for my liking but still enjoyable." Meanwhile, Nora simply liked it but wrote "would not order again." I'll try not to take it personally. Steak C: Sous vide at 137 F for 60 minutes (also known as the 137 Club) In my case, I feel like it was a toss-up between Steak B (middle) and Steak C (left). John Carlsen/CNET I cooked Steak C at 137 F for an hour before keeping it warm in the 129 F bath with Steak B for another hour. Yes, the extra time affected the final result on Steak C, but seeing that many 137 Club threads suggest cooking for at least 120 minutes, I was fine adding a little more time. The sear turned out a little better than with Steak B. We all noticed that it wasn't as moist as the other sous vide steak, but it was extremely juicy. However, Steak C was flakier, more tender and seemed to have a deeper flavor because the fat had more time to render out and interact with the meat. Juiciness was the deciding factor for the tasters who preferred the other sous vide steak. But Steak C certainly had fans and was very good, with Hank saying it was "the best of the three in my opinion." What's the verdict on the 137 Club? Despite juggling cooking times and completing three steak methods simultaneously, it's always so rewarding to share good food with family. John Carlsen/CNET I learned two things from this experiment. First, sous vide steaks cooked at 137 F are just as delicious as other methods. It also seems to render fat more effectively than lower sous vide temperatures with a slightly higher level of doneness. It's ideal when you have a few hours to let the water bath work its magic. This helps balance out some of the confirmation bias of the many positive sentiments on Reddit. Secondly, whether anyone likes the final result ultimately reflects their personal preferences and that's fine. While medium rare is very popular for a lot of people, there are individuals -- my wife included -- who prefer medium-well and well-done steaks. (In case you're wondering, she says well-done sous vide steaks are delicious and much more forgiving than on the grill.) A final bonus lesson is something I've experienced many times -- it's a blast to experiment when you find something interesting that's within your skills. Trying one thing doesn't mean giving up a treasured cooking method or a favorite meal, but it can open up your possibilities and help you find new ways to make great food.
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Network of auto writers driven to carry out cross-country beagle rescues
Paul Eisenstein spotted the text message while in Paris celebrating his 72nd birthday and 17th wedding anniversary. The words delivered a plea for help. Eisenstein had been tapped as part of a rapid response team of beagle rescuers needed in Omaha, Nebraska, to make a trek to Portland, Oregon. His trip would include stopping at dog-friendly hotels in Laramie, Wyoming, and Salt Lake City. On this mission, the team broke off — one group went to Seattle and the rest to Portland. 'They needed drivers. It was pretty desperate,' Eisenstein said. 'Normally they have months to prepare for things like this, because the dogs are coming from foster families. But we had just days to rescue these beagles. I looked at my wife and we had plans for the Memorial Day holiday and I said, 'I don't know what to do.' And my wife said to me, 'You know you've got to do it.'' So Eisenstein and his wife, Jennifer Queville, an ad executive who works from home in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan, returned from France. She flew to Detroit. He flew to Dallas, for an important four-day Toyota event. From Texas, Eisenstein (and Toyota) re-routed his ticket to Omaha. He met up with a handful of other auto reporters — friendly competitors in everyday life but part of a single team committed to beagle rescue. Rescue vehicles usually have two humans each. They met up early on Friday, May 23, to take 14 dogs, including a very heavy adult named Big Booty Judy whose foster parents had a new foster beagle. Judy had to go. 'I saw beagles in a various state of concern, confusion and excitement,' Eisenstein said. A team from Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland sent a covert operative into an auction house in Missouri to bid on the beagle puppies and keep them out of medical testing. Then they met up with rescuers in Omaha — and headed west. Five beagles had foster homes waiting in Seattle. The nine other beagles went to Lee Asher at his 240-acre Asher House sanctuary south of Portland. Asher, a 36-year-old animal advocate and social influencer, supports his nonprofit with ads on his video channels spotlighting dogs and cats. The journalists tag team along the route. Some fly in to relieve those who needed to move on to other tasks. These busy reporters accrue airline points the way stones gather moss. Eisenstein has traveled to 50 countries and every state in the U.S., working up to 80 hours a week. He writes for Forbes, The Economist, Cigar Aficionado and his website and others. 'I don't get a lot of sleep,' he said. 'I love my job.' Nik Miles, 60, of Portland, is the man behind the curtain of Operation Frodo. What began with a one-beagle rescue after the death of a pet in 2021 led to the launch of an ongoing 'mission from Dog' — so named by MotorTrend senior editor Aaron Gold, 52, of Los Angeles — in 2022. Miles test drives cars all over the globe and may be spotted doing pieces for NBC Sports, Fox Sports, CNN and local stations in New York, Chicago and L.A. 'I spent years as a paramedic. I saw some of the worst things in the world. I have saved many lives and lost many lives,' Miles said. 'It's the hardest thing in the world to not cry continually when you're on this trip. I've realized that this trip isn't just saving these dogs, but saving ourselves.' Miles doesn't work alone. Harvey Briggs, 65, of Madison, Wisconsin, editor and publisher of overcame insane logistical challenges and put together the latest mission. Briggs, a board member of the charity that supports these rescues, he made five trips including the one this week. 'When you see the people on the receiving end, it really does add another layer of meaning.' Miles lined up a Kia Carnival, Ram Pro Master 2500 and a Volkswagen Atlas with just a few days' notice. It was up to Briggs to find people who would drive all or part of the 1,700 miles on a holiday weekend, plan hotels, meals and find supplies. 'We wanted to make sure we could deliver on the promise,' Briggs said. How this big beagle campaign came to life is better than a movie script. After Miles' beagle Joey died of respiratory disease, he spotted a look-alike named Frodo while on assignment in Germany and scrolling Facebook. He learned that the rescue group didn't have a physical shelter. It was run with foster families. Miles was intrigued. He talked to other journalists over dinner at a Toyota program in San Diego, and the conversation turned into a movement that has evolved over five years. Miles discovered that puppy mills produce a lot of unwanted beagles that end up dumped if unsold. Hunters also abandon beagles in the woods at the end of the season, too. One breeder told a rescuer said if the excess pups weren't taken, the breeder would just shoot them. 'That's one of the things that motivates us,' Eisenstein said. Beagles come from Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Meanwhile, people on the West Coast wanted beagles. As someone who drives as many as 150 vehicles a year, Miles told automakers of the crazy mission and many offered to help. Cars, trucks and vans came from Jeep, Nissan, Mercedes, Toyota, Ford, Ram, Subaru, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis and VW. The first commitment came from Nissan, which built an animal rescue truck. It led to the creation of the nonprofit run by Miles, who has donated about one-third of his automotive journalist salary to the charity over the past five years. While emergency rescues come up throughout the year, it's the Christmas delivery that's planned in advance because puppy mills always have too many unsold beagles. 'Several carmakers have asked if they could have only their vehicles (involved) and pay all expenses at Christmas,' Miles said. 'But this is not about a car company or an individual. It's about a movement. It's about everybody working together. It's about being better human beings, standing in line and passing buckets to put the fire out. You can't have one person do it. You've got to have everybody do it together.' Christmas is the big event every year: The team delivered four beagles in 2022, 12 beagles in 2023 and 20 beagles in 2024. 'There just seems to be a cadence,' Miles said. 'Our first year, Jeep loaned us a Wagoneer to come back and we hit the worst snowstorm in 100 years. It was minus 70 degrees in Wyoming. We got trapped in the snow, slid off the road, ended up face-down in the ditch. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face.' So far, 62 beagles have been rescued by journalists with Operation Frodo, Miles said. His time-sensitive rescue alerts usually come from Kathi Ortmeier, 57, of Omaha, when Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland foster homes hit maximum capacity; she finds veterinarians, homes and supplies to make the epic journey. 'We do 300-350 dogs a year,' Ortmeier said. This rescue at the end of May, however, was critical and significant. 'We have no open foster homes and the foster homes we have are getting burnt out. When we saw this latest batch come up for auction, we wanted to buy them and find homes so they wouldn't go back into breeding or medical testing,' Ortmeier said. '… If they hit shelters, there's no space. They'll die.' Beagles are good family dogs because they love people, train easily with food and don't require a lot of grooming, Ortmeier said. Miles has two beagles — plus two labradors, a golden retriever and a German shepherd. Eisenstein adopted a beagle after the Christmas rescue last year. Melvyn Torme, the dog in question, had a home waiting for his arrival by Dec. 25, but Eisenstein fell in love the dog and pleaded to keep it. Miles negotiated a swap with Melvyn's brother, Fred, during a break at a truck stop between Denver and Salt Lake City. Eisenstein cried with relief and joy. He hopped a plane to Detroit to deliver Melvyn and then flew Fred to Portland. The two dogs had been found in the woods of Tennessee, abandoned by hunters. 'I love Melvyn,' said Eisenstein, who has another dog and two cats. 'We bonded instantly.' The families of Melvyn and Fred have stayed in touch since Christmas 2024. Fred's new beagle sibling, Kirby, was among the 4,000 beagles surrendered to the U.S. Humane Society after a federal investigation into an Enviro research breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia. The company was fined $35 million by the U.S. Justice Department for animal welfare and environmental crimes. Sara Stamper, 70, of Milwaukie, Oregon, is a retired vet clinic receptionist with two dogs plus Fred. 'He is sweet and gentle and funny. We're in love.' That rescue trek inspired stories to remember forever. Gold drove a Mercedes van on loan for review (for a year) from Los Angeles to Omaha to Portland with freelancer Jeff Zuschneide of Tillamook, Ore. They joined a dozen or so others to rescue 23 beagles, stopping in Denver and Boise. Puppies weren't beaten but they hadn't been loved, Gold said. The animals went from cowering in the kennel to racing outdoors to explore the world. 'On that last morning, I was lying in bed just bawling,' he said. 'I later learned that the breeder was going to shoot those beagles if we didn't take them. I'm glad I didn't know that. At home, if you ask my landlord, I have one dog. If you walk into my place, you'll find four dogs.' Cathy Faulkner, 58, of Beaverton, Oregon, said her heart was so broken after the loss of her 15-year-old beagle Sammy that she didn't want to ever get a beagle again. She had serious depression and adopted a yellow Labrador named Foster instead. But then she found Buddy online through Miles and his rescue squad. 'Beagles are just very sweet,' Faulkner said. 'They love so hard. I swear, Buddy sees into my soul. Sammy, my other beagle, was the same way … They have a lot of energy and they're so enthusiastic and they want to explore everywhere.' Rescuers sometimes name the dogs after cars — like Elantra, Nexio and Mercedes. 'Dogs make everything better,' said Gold, who is traveling in Korea this week. 'You can have the crappiest day where you feel unaccomplished and no one respects you and you feel like crying. You walk in the door — and no matter how low and how bad and how small you are made to feel — all you have to do to be loved by a dog is exist.' 'Nik told me, 'This will change you.' It changed me,' Gold said. 'I'll keep doing this until there are no dogs left to move.' To help: values financial contributions and the gift of time. Needs include legal, social media, IT, web development and fundraising support. Phoebe Wall Howard, who was a Free Press auto reporter for nearly seven years, writes a column on car culture, consumer trends and life that appear periodically on and in print. Her Shifting Gears column appears on Substack at Contact her at phoebe@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Auto writers are driven to carry out cross-country beagle rescues
Bloomberg
33 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Says China Violated Its Trade Agreement With US
US President Donald Trump accused China of violating an agreement with the US to ease tariffs, ratcheting up tensions between the world's two largest economies. 'China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!,' Trump wrote on his social media platform Friday.
