INTRODUCTION TO MUDROOM BACKPACKS
JARRETT: If you haven’t checked out our guide on traveling for a marathon (or any race), then you may have missed the number one rule of run traveling: never, ever, pack your race day shoes in a checked bag. The worst thing you could imagine after 12 weeks of grueling training is losing your race day shoes and having to find another pair, in your size, in a foreign city. Which is why the Mudroom backpack should be an essential item for any traveling runner.
Mudroom backpacks were created by a runner who had destination events in mind. Aside from losing your luggage, how many times have you traveled for vacation, a race, or even to visit family and opted to tie your shoes around your backpack because they were dirty and you didn’t want to shove them in? They dangle and hit your body with every step you take. It’s gross, you look super weird (even weirder than you already look as a runner), and if you put them inside a bag, you’re giving a free pass for that sweat stank to invade everything. Mudroom is here to change all that.
Keep your shoes separate
Room for your laptop and/or tablet
MUDROOM QUARTABLE 18L BACKPACK
JARRETT: The standout feature that makes Mudroom unique is that its backpacks have two vertical compartments on each side of the bag, which you can store your shoes in. They make it so your dirty shoes are safely packed away and won’t get anything important inside your bag dirty. Before, I’d reuse the single-use plastic bags from the grocery store, but those have been getting banned, and I’m now running low.
Each compartment is large enough to fit a US M15 shoe, and Mudroom included a US M14 just to show how much room there is. I won’t lie; I tried it on and instantly felt like a tiny human being.
I was able to fit a pair of shoes in each compartment as long as I oriented it as if it were in a shoe box, but that ended up taking up a lot of the space inside if you needed to pack clothing and other items.
The bag also has a ton of other features and compartments. Inside, there’s a padded laptop sleeve as well as a smaller tablet sleeve. The front has two zippered pockets, and the sides of the bag contain stretch mesh pockets for water bottles.
There’s a hydration hook to hold a reservoir and access at the top for you to stick the hose through, as well as loops on the shoulder straps to hold it in place.
Mudroom even claims that the bag can fit under an airplane seat, so count that as your personal item and don’t worry about that extra checked bag fee (shoutout to Southwest for flying bags for free).
The build quality of my Mudroom backpack is very nice. It feels like a strong bag and has all the thought-out compartments and details for just about any runner’s needs. My only qualm is that the shoes can end up taking up a decent amount of space, especially if you stuff a pair on each side. Otherwise, this bag solves a problem we runners have. If you’re a big traveler and love to run while away, do yourself a favor and check out Mudroom.
PRICE: $105 (use code believeintherun to save $20)
