The Peak Design Travel Backpack is the best-designed backpack I’ve tested so far, with plenty of room, simple access to your gear, and outstanding craftsmanship. It’s built with packing cubes in mind, and the number of auxiliary compartments around the bag is kept to a minimum. Depending on your travel demands, you can alter the bag’s size from 30L to 45L. Backpack straps can all be quickly hidden, which is fantastic. Another important feature is the ability to install a camera-specific packing cube to keep your gear safe, transforming it into an ideal camera backpack.
The Osprey Farpoint 40 is a well-known travel backpack.
Probably the most popular carry-on travel backpack for gap year travelers and hostel goers right now. The front-loading design of the Osprey Farpoint is simple to use and contains a lot of gear. The main attraction, though, is how comfy it is thanks to a fantastic suspension system and straps. The straps zip away, transforming this backpack into a minimalist travel bag with a padded carry handle. The comfy hip belt makes it ideal for day walks, and it doesn’t appear as “boxy” as other digital nomad backpacks. You may wear it on a walk without looking out of place.
Nomatic Travel Bag – Ideal for Digital Nomads
The Nomatic Travel Bag was built following a highly successful Kickstarter campaign aimed at minimalist digital nomads who work while traveling. It’s packed with design elements that pander to this specific audience. This carry-on backpack has thought of everything a millennial business traveler may want, from a dedicated underwear area to power cord management. It transforms into a duffel bag and contains a laptop pocket. It can also be attached to a wheeled suitcase.
Matador SEG42 – The World’s Lightest Travel Backpack
The Matador SEG42 Travel Pack is the lightest backpack on this list and is designed for gear segmentation. It allows you to retrieve your belongings quickly when traveling. This is the ideal one-bag travel backpack for those of us who suffer from OCD! Sort your equipment by kind or activity. A wide clam-shell aperture for dirty/wet clothes or shoes, various zipped pockets, and a padded laptop pocket are all included. The entire set is also water-resistant.
Kelty Redwing 36 – Daypack for Adventure Travel
If you want a more sporty carry-on travel bag, go no further than the Kelty Redwing. Because it was created as a hiking daypack and overnight travel bag, it is also the lightest backpack in the group. However, it can fit a lot of travel gear inside, making it ideal for folks who only travel with one bag. There are numerous compartments for arranging your belongings. The top-loading and front-loading hybrid U-zipper design allow for simple access inside.
Climbing Mount Whitney with my Bora 50
Traveling with only a carry-on (or One Bag) isn’t for everyone. Perhaps you are not yet an experienced traveler and require additional space for your clothing. Or, like the usual traveler, you enjoy more adventure travel, hiking, and camping. Then you might want to look at the finest backpack options for both travel and hiking. The backpacks indicated below offer adequate space to carry your travel items as well as a sleeping bag, tent, and cooking equipment required for regular trekking and overnight camping activities.
The Gregory Mountain Zulu is a hybrid of a travel and hiking pack. Its cross-flow suspension technology distributes your gear weight beautifully, with plenty of airflows to keep your back cool. In addition to a standard top-loading pull cord, the backpack has a U-shaped front access zipper that is useful for travel. The hip belt is well-padded and has two convenient pockets. This is a backpack that can handle a variety of travel scenarios, including overnight hikes.
Overnight Backpacking with the Osprey Atmos 50
The Osprey Atmos 50 travel backpack is ideal for those who like more traditional overnight trekking or camping experiences. Its main feature is the extremely comfortable AntiGravity suspension system, which aids in the distribution of load on your body. A wide front stretch mesh pocket, an integrated rain cover, and a particularly lightweight design, when compared to other hiking backpacks, are also useful characteristics. If you plan on doing a lot of adventure travel with gear like a sleeping bag, hammock, or tent, this is a wonderful bag.
Arcteryx Bora 50 – Technical Hiking Pack
Arc’teryx outdoor gear is one of my favorites. While it is pricey, their attention to detail is unparalleled. The Arc’teryx Bora 50 is no different. It’s a true adventure backpack for backcountry travel. The most interesting elements are the composite frame and the insanely comfy hipbelt suspension mechanism. Even with a lot of heavy goods, this backpack stays comfortable. The pack itself isn’t particularly light, but the unique floating hipbelt compensates by carrying weight on your hips significantly better than others. I also don’t bring a rain cover because the fabric is already waterproof.
Cotopaxi Allpa 35L ($200)
We prioritized practical organization, quick on-the-go access, durable materials, and carry-on compatibility while building our list of the best travel packs. Cotopaxi’s Allpa 35L Travel Pack ticks all of the boxes, earning it our top ranking for 2022. Along with the brand’s signature vivid style and multi-colored patterning, the Allpa is extremely durable, thanks to a combination of 1,000-denier, TPU-coated polyester, and panels of 840-denier ballistic nylon. We found the Allpa to be extremely durable and water-resistant in usage, and the pack also has a stowable rain cover for truly bad weather.
Travel Backpack with Peak Design 45L capacity
Peak Design’s Travel Backpack may appear modest on the surface, but don’t be fooled: this backpack is chock-full of clever travel-ready features. The first feature is the extensible design, which allows you to switch between 35 and 45 litres by just zipping and unzipping the frontmost zipper. Access is another highlight, with entrance slots at the top, side, front, and back allowing easy retrieval of things from virtually anywhere in the pack. With padded laptop and tablet sleeves, a divisible main compartment, wide and stretchy dual side pockets (not usual on travel packs), and several inner pockets, storage is also superb. All of this is encased in a thick nylon canvas shell that is robust, sleek, and highly modern.
Porter 46 ($175) by Osprey
Osprey is a world leader in backpacking packs, and much of their technology and expertise has found its way into their travel pack collection. The Porter 46 is a prime example, combining the brand’s signature carrying comfort with a practical, carry-on-friendly design and feature set for travel. Starting on the outside, you’ll find a sturdy framesheet with well-cushioned shoulder and hipbelt straps reminiscent of Osprey’s backpacking designs, a handy compression system to effectively cinch things down, lockable zippers for the main compartment and laptop sleeve, and a padded side handle that doubles as a pass-through point for stacking onto a rolling suitcase.
Topo Designs 30L Global Travel Bag ($199).
Topo Designs is a little less well-known than names like Cotopaxi and Osprey, but don’t let that fool you: this business offers very well-made and attractive packs for everything from commuting and travel to more technical hobbies like biking and climbing. Our favourite weekend-ready design of the year is their Global Travel Bag 30L.
REI Co-op 60+ Rucksack ($199)
The packs listed above are ideal for vacationers and travellers planning a week or two away, but those planning longer excursions abroad will almost certainly require greater storage and capacity. Enter the Ruckpack 60+ from REI Co-op. The “+” denotes the included 20-liter daypack, which may be attached to the front of the main pack for a total of 80 litres of storage or used separately for around-town adventures after you arrive.
Asenlin Travel Backpack 40L ($36)
Travel packs can be pricey, but Aselin’s 40L Travel Backpack is an economical yet surprisingly capable option. Let us begin with the positive news: This bag is carry-on-compliant, comes with three packing cubes for quick and easy organising (it’s the only design on our list that includes storage bags), and covers the majority of the typical features we look for in a useful travel pack. A big (17.3-in.) laptop sleeve, side water bottle storage, external compression straps, easy-access slots for travel papers, and a spacious main compartment are among the features.
