Mous Optimal Protective Lid Backpack review: a tough and tactical backpack

Mous is best known for its smartphone cases – you will have seen the YouTube adverts where day-old iPhones are hurled into the air and land, intact, with a thud. But now the British firm sells all sorts of tech-adjacent products, from phone mounts and chargers, to pouches, sleeves, suitcases and backpacks.

Up for review here is the new Protective Lid version of the Mous Optimal backpack. Helping it stand out further still is the UltraTex finish of this particular example, which claims to boost the bag’s resistance to water and tearing compared to regular nylon.

It’s a partnership that seems apt, though. This is a backpack that doesn’t shy away from being thoroughly technical in both its design and construction. I’ll come back to that in more detail later.

Mous Optimal Protective Lid Backpack review: Price and availability

Mous positions itself as a premium technology accessory company, so there's no surprise that its backpacks sit in a three-figure segment of the market.

The Optimal Protective Lid starts at £229.99, but the UltraTex finish of this one bumps that up to £299.99. Opt for the Mercedes-AMG F1 team collaboration, for whom Mous is the official backpack provider, and that jumps another fifty quid.

Other colour options include plain black or stone, with the former also available in Mercedes-AMG flavour.

Mous Optimal Protective Lid backpack review: Design and features

Tactical and utilitarian are how I’d describe this backpack. It isn’t trying to match the aesthetic of a first-class departures lounge, so instead aims to wow with its 18 pockets, protective ‘AirFoam’ compartment for your laptop (up to 16 inches) and tablet (up to 13 inches), and serious water resistance.

The bag has a 25-litre capacity and measures 450mm tall, 341mm wide and 173mm deep. But, while Mous says it’s compliant with the under-seat rules of most airlines, I’ve found that doesn’t include stingier airlines like Ryanair or WizzAir, since they require under-seat bags to be no larger than 400 x 300 x 200 mm. For the likes of EasyJet (450 x 360 x 200 mm), the Mous gets a green light with room to spare.

Eighteen pockets are a lot, but the Optimal Protective Lid manages to incorporate these without looking too much like you’re trying to earn your gold Duke of Edinburgh award. There’s a nice, adjustable metal hook on the rear for holding the lid down, then under that you’ll find a pair of full-length zips for opening the main compartment. Being full-length means you can access something at the bottom of your bag without taking everything out – a life-saver if you need to dig out your liquids at airport security.

The lid of the main compartment has a zipped half-height, full-width pocket, and a second that’s also full-width but quite shallow and breathable. Above that there’s a pair of small, credit card-sized pockets for, well, credit card-sized things.

The main compartment is plenty big enough for a few days’ worth of neatly folded summer clothes – t-shirts, socks, underwear, etc. – and the sides of the bag are fairly rigid, so it shouldn’t lose its shape too much if you cram more in. It's fairly shallow in there though, especially since the rear of the bag curves inwards, robbing some internal space in favour of creating more room in the laptop compartment. The internal sides of the main compartment have a useful little pocket for an AirTag or other tracker, and a drinks pocket.

Being primarily a tech accessory company, Mous has clearly thought about where to put your phone, tablet and laptop. There’s a soft, microfibre-lined zipped pocket hidden beneath the lid, a similar pocket on the top of the bag (best for sunglasses, I reckon), and a rear compartment with three sections. Two of these are lined with a soft, pale blue/lilac fabric that makes them perfect for screen protection, while the rest is good for magazines and notebooks.

Mous says its AirFoam tech, which is incorporated into the rear of the bag, shields laptops and tablets from drops of up to 1.2 metres. Onto concrete or jelly it doesn’t say, but it feels properly sturdy without causing the bag to become overly bulky, and also protects your kit from rain.

Finally, the outside of the bag features an open bottle pocket on one side, next to a zipped compartment that tunnels across the rear of the bag, making for a discrete place for valuables like passports and wallets. On the opposite side there’s a three-in-one pocket that could be used to store another bottle and smaller items.

If that seems like a lot, well…it is a lot. It’s the sort of backpack where you’re unlikely to find a use for every single pocket, but the sort of quantity – and variation – on offer here is very welcome. It gives the Optimal Protective Lid a great breadth of ability, instead of pigeon-holing it into one particular use case.

Mous Optimal Protective Lid backpack review: Performance

This bag is much comfier than it looks. I was initially concerned that the bulky, square-sided shape would be a problem, but it quickly felt like the sort of bag I could carry all day. Sure, it’ll get heavy if you use every pocket. But take a sensible approach to packing and the Mous stays comfortable. And even if you do cram it full, it retains its shape pretty well.

There’s also a good amount of adjustability, both in the length of the shoulder straps and, more unusually, across the base of the bag. Loosening these straps helps to increase the internal depth of the backpack, front to rear, creating extra space in the main compartment.

I always prefer backpacks with full-length zips for the main compartment, so the Mous earns plenty of points – and so too for how some of the zips slot neatly into little housings to keep them tidy and boost the weatherproofing.

All that’s missing is a socket and cable for installing a battery or power bank, which can be handy for charging a phone without digging into the bag itself. And, while not a criticism as such, this is quite a bulky bag. It’s comfortable still, as I said earlier, but the aesthetics are of a bag that is tactical rather than fashionable. If you prefer your backpacks to be slimmer and more fashion-forward, Mous probably isn’t the right brand for you.

Mous Optimal Protective Lid backpack review: Verdict

The Optimal Protective Lid is a premium, high-quality backpack from Mous that has enough space for a weekend of clothes, while also protecting your tech from both water and impact. It might not be the most glamorous backpack around, but that isn’t really the point of Mous products, which major on robustness and protection over aesthetics.

That said, this is still a smart backpack that, while a little bulky when full, keeps its shape well and is far more comfortable to wear than expected.

I especially like how both the shoulder straps and the base of the bag can be adjusted The latter effectively increases the depth of the bag, front to rear, freeing up extra space in the main compartment for clothes, and helping the bag stand upright on its own – something frequent travelers will know is useful when queuing at the airport.

It certainly isn’t cheap, at £300 as reviewed here (and a little more if you want the Mercedes-AMG version). But the Optimal Protective Lid still manages to deliver a premium experience that feels like it’ll last a lifetime.