Whether you’re spending the weekend in the wilderness or embarking on an urban adventure, having the right travel backpack can make or break your trip
You want something roomy, with designated places for everything from your laptop to your toiletries. At the same time, you need to be able to carry it without it weighing you down. The best backpacks check all of those boxes, and then some.
But with nearly as many options as there are destinations, it’s hard to know which backpack will be your best travel companion. That’s why we found the best backpacks for both long and short stays, ones that will get you through security checkpoints with ease and through long walks with relative comfort.. Now all you need to do is book those tickets and you’re good to go.
Timbuk2 Never Check Expandable Backpack
We love that this travel backpack has numerous front pockets, so you can access any documents or devices right when you need them, instead of having to dig around. Plus, it grows with you.
Buy Now $119.98
Pros: This is your carryon companion. It has padded shoulder straps plus a back panel that makes toting it around easy and comfortable. It fits your iPad, plus clothes, plus gadgets, plus whatever else you need. And it has wraparound handle so you can hoist it out of the overhead bin without breaking your back.
Cons: The straps aren’t as solid or padded as some would like, so if you spend most of your trip walking around with it you may get a bit sore.
Peak Design Travel Line Backpack 45L
Perhaps the ultimate modular travel bag, this Peak backpack features top, side, front and rear access via weatherproof zips. It meets international carry-on size requirements, but expands to be a 45L gear-hauler and collapses to be a 35L day bag.
Buy Now $299.95
Pros: The Peak Design travel backpack is equipped tons of internal and external pockets, plus a main cavity that’s divisible via a zippered mesh sleeve. It has tuck-away shoulder straps. The exterior is a sleek, weatherproof 100 percent recycled 400D nylon canvas shell. And it shrinks down to suit your travel needs.
Cons: It’s a lot of money to spend on a backpack.
SwissGear Travel Gear ScanSmart Backpack
This travel backpack, available in eight colors, is designed for adults and large children. It features oversized pockets and pouches for everything from sunglasses to water bottles, as well as a laptop-only compartment that fits most devices up 17 inches.
Buy Now $69.99
Pros: This travel backpack is suitable for long-term use thanks to its ergonomically-contoured shoulder straps, made from mesh fabric that rests easily on your shoulders. You will benefit from its airflow ventilation technology, which lets you keep this on your back for hours without turning into a sweaty mess.
Cons: It can be complicated to use, thanks to its many features.
TUMI Voyageur Carson Backpack
If you're looking for the perfect backpack, this is it. The TUMI backpack is roomy enough for all your daily stuff, plus your electronics and a change of clothes.
Buy Now $316.00
Pros: The venerable luggage brand scores again with an ideal travel backpack that’s sleek yet practical. It has a water-resistant pocket for your water bottle, a quick-access phone pocket, and the fact that it’s nylon makes it lightweight and durable. It’s just as suited for day trips as it is for the office.
Cons: The styling is kind of ordinary, but the price is not (and not in a good way).
Hynes Eagle Travel Backpack
This is the travel backpack for the hyper-organized set because it comes equipped with packing cubes to keep you organized until you get home.
Buy Now $66.87
Pros: No more digging around, frantically searching for socks or chargers. Just store your necessities in one of the three packing cubes for easy and instant access. Better yet, the Hynes travel backpack is convertible, quickly transforming into a duffle bag. It has one front zip pocket, multiple interior slip pockets, room for your laptop, a side bottle pocket, and an adjustable sternum strap.
Cons: The comfort level and lack of padding leave something to be desired.
XDesign Travel Laptop Backpack
Sterling reviews plus a price this low make this travel backpack an excellent value for travelers on a budget.
Buy Now $24.99
Pros: It bears repeating: this thing is just $20, by far the least expensive option on our list. For the Jackson you get plenty of storage space, clever features like a luggage strap and external USB port, and lightweight, durable fabric.
Cons: One of the few gripes reviewers have with this backpack is that it’s not the most well-padded option out there, so it might not be the best if you’re planning on having it on your back all day.
Fjallraven - Rucksack No. 21 Large Backpack
While it's primarily known for its small daypacks, Fjallraven makes solid larger backpacks as well. This one has 30 liters of space contained within its G-1000 Heavy Duty material, a waxed blend of polyester and cotton.
Buy Now $168.71
Pros: You can fit a laptop up to 17 inches in the padded sleeve, and there are side pockets for a water bottle and other small items you want quick access too. There’s also a removable pad that cushions your back and can be removed to serve as a seating pad in a pinch.
Cons: The double strap, top flap enclosure over a drawstring means it’s difficult to get to the main compartment quickly.
Pacsafe Venturesafe GII 25-Liter Anti-Theft Travel Backpack
At just over 2 pounds, this lightweight backpack nevertheless offers plenty of room for stuff. There's a padded laptop sleeve that’s suspended so your device doesn't clunk around the bag’s bottom and side pockets for water bottles or umbrellas. Even better: this backpack is accepted as a carry-on by most airlines.
Buy Now $107.64
Pros: Travelers can feel secure using this backpack, which features securable zippers and cut-proof material. Plus, it has an RFID-blocking pocket to keep your credit cards secure.
Cons: It’s better-suited for folks who have larger frames, and not so great for the petite.
Osprey Packs Farpoint 40 Travel Backpack
Designed to handle loads up to 40 pounds, this Osprey backpack’s LightWire frame suspension transfers the weight from harness to hip belt, making it more comfortable for the carrier. If you need to hoist it overhead, you’ll appreciate the padded carry handles at the top and side of the pack.
Buy Now $118.95
Pros: Owners of this travel backpack liked the extra padded support on both the chest and waist straps as well as the fact that the fabric didn’t tear when stretched to the max.
Cons: The back of the pack arguably doesn’t have enough pockets.
Highlander Outdoor Explorer 45+15-Liter Ruckcase Travel Backpack
This backpack is actually two packs: a 45-liter standard pack and a 15-liter daysack that easily detaches for those times when you can stash your pack in your hotel or at your campsite and only need a few of the essentials until you return.
Buy Now $101.90
Pros: This pack is highly adjustable, with straps that pull together the shoulder pads at both chest and hip level. It’s also affordable when you consider the impressive 60 total liters of space you get with this pack.
Cons: There are two water-related issues we have with this pack. One, it’s not waterproof, so you have to be careful if the weather turns inclement. Two, there’s no water bottle holder, a bizarre omission of a feature that’s standard on the vast majority of packs.
Every product on Fatherly is independently selected by our editors, writers, and experts. If you click a link on our site and buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
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But with nearly as many options as there are destinations, it’s hard to know which backpack will be your best travel companion. That’s why we found the best backpacks for both long and short stays, ones that will get you through security checkpoints with ease and through long walks with relative comfort.. Now all you need to do is book those tickets and you’re good to go.
Timbuk2 Never Check Expandable Backpack
We love that this travel backpack has numerous front pockets, so you can access any documents or devices right when you need them, instead of having to dig around. Plus, it grows with you.
Buy Now $119.98
Pros: This is your carryon companion. It has padded shoulder straps plus a back panel that makes toting it around easy and comfortable. It fits your iPad, plus clothes, plus gadgets, plus whatever else you need. And it has wraparound handle so you can hoist it out of the overhead bin without breaking your back.
Cons: The straps aren’t as solid or padded as some would like, so if you spend most of your trip walking around with it you may get a bit sore.
Peak Design Travel Line Backpack 45L
Perhaps the ultimate modular travel bag, this Peak backpack features top, side, front and rear access via weatherproof zips. It meets international carry-on size requirements, but expands to be a 45L gear-hauler and collapses to be a 35L day bag.
Buy Now $299.95
Pros: The Peak Design travel backpack is equipped tons of internal and external pockets, plus a main cavity that’s divisible via a zippered mesh sleeve. It has tuck-away shoulder straps. The exterior is a sleek, weatherproof 100 percent recycled 400D nylon canvas shell. And it shrinks down to suit your travel needs.
Cons: It’s a lot of money to spend on a backpack.
SwissGear Travel Gear ScanSmart Backpack
This travel backpack, available in eight colors, is designed for adults and large children. It features oversized pockets and pouches for everything from sunglasses to water bottles, as well as a laptop-only compartment that fits most devices up 17 inches.
Buy Now $69.99
Pros: This travel backpack is suitable for long-term use thanks to its ergonomically-contoured shoulder straps, made from mesh fabric that rests easily on your shoulders. You will benefit from its airflow ventilation technology, which lets you keep this on your back for hours without turning into a sweaty mess.
Cons: It can be complicated to use, thanks to its many features.
TUMI Voyageur Carson Backpack
If you're looking for the perfect backpack, this is it. The TUMI backpack is roomy enough for all your daily stuff, plus your electronics and a change of clothes.
Buy Now $316.00
Pros: The venerable luggage brand scores again with an ideal travel backpack that’s sleek yet practical. It has a water-resistant pocket for your water bottle, a quick-access phone pocket, and the fact that it’s nylon makes it lightweight and durable. It’s just as suited for day trips as it is for the office.
Cons: The styling is kind of ordinary, but the price is not (and not in a good way).
Hynes Eagle Travel Backpack
This is the travel backpack for the hyper-organized set because it comes equipped with packing cubes to keep you organized until you get home.
Buy Now $66.87
Pros: No more digging around, frantically searching for socks or chargers. Just store your necessities in one of the three packing cubes for easy and instant access. Better yet, the Hynes travel backpack is convertible, quickly transforming into a duffle bag. It has one front zip pocket, multiple interior slip pockets, room for your laptop, a side bottle pocket, and an adjustable sternum strap.
Cons: The comfort level and lack of padding leave something to be desired.
XDesign Travel Laptop Backpack
Sterling reviews plus a price this low make this travel backpack an excellent value for travelers on a budget.
Buy Now $24.99
Pros: It bears repeating: this thing is just $20, by far the least expensive option on our list. For the Jackson you get plenty of storage space, clever features like a luggage strap and external USB port, and lightweight, durable fabric.
Cons: One of the few gripes reviewers have with this backpack is that it’s not the most well-padded option out there, so it might not be the best if you’re planning on having it on your back all day.
Fjallraven - Rucksack No. 21 Large Backpack
While it's primarily known for its small daypacks, Fjallraven makes solid larger backpacks as well. This one has 30 liters of space contained within its G-1000 Heavy Duty material, a waxed blend of polyester and cotton.
Buy Now $168.71
Pros: You can fit a laptop up to 17 inches in the padded sleeve, and there are side pockets for a water bottle and other small items you want quick access too. There’s also a removable pad that cushions your back and can be removed to serve as a seating pad in a pinch.
Cons: The double strap, top flap enclosure over a drawstring means it’s difficult to get to the main compartment quickly.
Pacsafe Venturesafe GII 25-Liter Anti-Theft Travel Backpack
At just over 2 pounds, this lightweight backpack nevertheless offers plenty of room for stuff. There's a padded laptop sleeve that’s suspended so your device doesn't clunk around the bag’s bottom and side pockets for water bottles or umbrellas. Even better: this backpack is accepted as a carry-on by most airlines.
Buy Now $107.64
Pros: Travelers can feel secure using this backpack, which features securable zippers and cut-proof material. Plus, it has an RFID-blocking pocket to keep your credit cards secure.
Cons: It’s better-suited for folks who have larger frames, and not so great for the petite.
Osprey Packs Farpoint 40 Travel Backpack
Designed to handle loads up to 40 pounds, this Osprey backpack’s LightWire frame suspension transfers the weight from harness to hip belt, making it more comfortable for the carrier. If you need to hoist it overhead, you’ll appreciate the padded carry handles at the top and side of the pack.
Buy Now $118.95
Pros: Owners of this travel backpack liked the extra padded support on both the chest and waist straps as well as the fact that the fabric didn’t tear when stretched to the max.
Cons: The back of the pack arguably doesn’t have enough pockets.
Highlander Outdoor Explorer 45+15-Liter Ruckcase Travel Backpack
This backpack is actually two packs: a 45-liter standard pack and a 15-liter daysack that easily detaches for those times when you can stash your pack in your hotel or at your campsite and only need a few of the essentials until you return.
Buy Now $101.90
Pros: This pack is highly adjustable, with straps that pull together the shoulder pads at both chest and hip level. It’s also affordable when you consider the impressive 60 total liters of space you get with this pack.
Cons: There are two water-related issues we have with this pack. One, it’s not waterproof, so you have to be careful if the weather turns inclement. Two, there’s no water bottle holder, a bizarre omission of a feature that’s standard on the vast majority of packs.
Every product on Fatherly is independently selected by our editors, writers, and experts. If you click a link on our site and buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Parenting during a pandemic is hard.
Sign up for our daily newsletter full of tricks, tips, and relevant medical information.
↓ Get the best of Fatherly in your inbox Oops! Please try again. Thanks for subscribing! Related Articles: How To Make Coronavirus Lockdown Puzzles for Kids (And Kill Time) Why the Hell Are My Dreams So Vivid Right Now? The Best Wallets for Kids Conan O'Brien Is Dunking On His Kids By Placing Bets On Old Sports Games
The post The Best Backpacks for Travel appeared first on Fatherly.
#Gear