Home LivingTravelBest travel backpack 2023: travel hands-free with these top picksThe best travel backpacks for everything from weekends away and business trips to backpacking and hikingWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Home LivingTravelBest travel backpack 2023: travel hands-free with these top picksThe best travel backpacks for everything from weekends away and business trips to backpacking and hikingWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The best travel backpacks for everything from weekends away and business trips to backpacking and hiking
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Waterfield)
(Image credit: Waterfield)
The best travel backpacks cover everything, from weekends away and business trips to backpacking and hiking. While wheeled luggage may be all the rage, it’s not for everyone. If you want to slip through airports quickly and stay hands-free, you’re better off with one of the best travel backpacks.
Combining the lay-flat opening clamshell design of a suitcase yet retaining a soft design and shoulder straps, the travel backpack is a relatively new innovation that’s now finding its niche and setting itself apart from the everydaybest backpacks.
Whether you’re after something for the weekend, a business trip or a yomp across the moors, we’ve got the best travel backpack for your style, needs and budget.
Best travel backpacks ranking 2023
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L
Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L
View at AmazonView at Adorama USView at Best Buy
View at AmazonView at Adorama USView at Best Buy
View at AmazonView at Adorama USView at Best Buy
View at AmazonView at Adorama USView at Best Buy
View at Amazon
View at Amazon
View at Adorama US
View at Adorama US
View at Best Buy
View at Best Buy
Expandable and versatile carry-on backpack with a magnetic appeal
Shoulder straps stow
Comfortable
Lacks compression straps
Hip belt is optional
Although it’s designed as the ultimate carry-on for three days, the Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L’s comfy shoulder straps can be stowed under magnetic flaps if you need to check it in. There’s also a luggage pass-through for roller bag carry underneath. This smart and efficiently designed backpack’s magnetic appeal stretches to some stash pockets that can take water bottles, but when empty sit flush against the side of the backpack. A third unusual feature sees it expand from 27L to 33L, though a final unique flourish – the ability to both attach compression straps to the outside and then stow them in a magnetic-closing pouch – seems over-engineered.
It’s a shame that there are no compression straps inside the main compartment for clothing, though that area has plenty of zipped pockets for bits ‘n’ pieces. In here is also a secured and padded pouch for a maximum 16-inch laptop, as well as a tablet. Looking great, comfortable to wear and with some sought-after features, the Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L is an excellent example of a professional-looking travel backpack. It’s available in black, sage green and midnight blue.
- Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+Check AmazonVisit SiteExpandable and versatile carry-on backpack with a magnetic appeal+ Can easily be checked in+ Extremely comfortable+ Has a rain cover- Check-in cover is a squeeze- Very outdoorsy designThere’s no sadder sight than a backpacker hefting 80L around the world. Cue the Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+, the perfect sized backpack for efficient and fun long-term travel – as well as for serious hiking – whose ultra-comfy straps can all be zipped-up safely for when it’s time to take to the skies. That’s thanks to a zip-around cover that completely envelopes its comfortable shoulder straps, sturdy hip-belt and adjustable back support system (though it is a bit of a squeeze). Rather cleverly that cover is reversible and elasticated, also acting as a rain cover for the backpack for downpours.The Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+’s clamshell opening main compartment – which can also be accessed from the top – houses a padded sleeve for a maximum 15-inch laptop. It also contains compression straps for clothes and a large mesh pocket for sundries. Add grab handles top and sides, a zip to expand the entire bag to 62L litres and a stretch water bottle pouch (not to mention that it’s made from recycled materials) and the Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+ surely sets the benchmark for how all backpackers should travel.
Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+Check AmazonVisit SiteExpandable and versatile carry-on backpack with a magnetic appeal+ Can easily be checked in+ Extremely comfortable+ Has a rain cover- Check-in cover is a squeeze- Very outdoorsy designThere’s no sadder sight than a backpacker hefting 80L around the world. Cue the Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+, the perfect sized backpack for efficient and fun long-term travel – as well as for serious hiking – whose ultra-comfy straps can all be zipped-up safely for when it’s time to take to the skies. That’s thanks to a zip-around cover that completely envelopes its comfortable shoulder straps, sturdy hip-belt and adjustable back support system (though it is a bit of a squeeze). Rather cleverly that cover is reversible and elasticated, also acting as a rain cover for the backpack for downpours.The Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+’s clamshell opening main compartment – which can also be accessed from the top – houses a padded sleeve for a maximum 15-inch laptop. It also contains compression straps for clothes and a large mesh pocket for sundries. Add grab handles top and sides, a zip to expand the entire bag to 62L litres and a stretch water bottle pouch (not to mention that it’s made from recycled materials) and the Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+ surely sets the benchmark for how all backpackers should travel.
Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+
Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+
Check AmazonVisit SiteExpandable and versatile carry-on backpack with a magnetic appeal+ Can easily be checked in+ Extremely comfortable+ Has a rain cover- Check-in cover is a squeeze- Very outdoorsy designThere’s no sadder sight than a backpacker hefting 80L around the world. Cue the Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+, the perfect sized backpack for efficient and fun long-term travel – as well as for serious hiking – whose ultra-comfy straps can all be zipped-up safely for when it’s time to take to the skies. That’s thanks to a zip-around cover that completely envelopes its comfortable shoulder straps, sturdy hip-belt and adjustable back support system (though it is a bit of a squeeze). Rather cleverly that cover is reversible and elasticated, also acting as a rain cover for the backpack for downpours.The Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+’s clamshell opening main compartment – which can also be accessed from the top – houses a padded sleeve for a maximum 15-inch laptop. It also contains compression straps for clothes and a large mesh pocket for sundries. Add grab handles top and sides, a zip to expand the entire bag to 62L litres and a stretch water bottle pouch (not to mention that it’s made from recycled materials) and the Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+ surely sets the benchmark for how all backpackers should travel.
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check Amazon
Check Amazon
Visit Site
Visit Site
Expandable and versatile carry-on backpack with a magnetic appeal
Can easily be checked in
Extremely comfortable
Has a rain cover
Check-in cover is a squeeze
Very outdoorsy design
There’s no sadder sight than a backpacker hefting 80L around the world. Cue the Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+, the perfect sized backpack for efficient and fun long-term travel – as well as for serious hiking – whose ultra-comfy straps can all be zipped-up safely for when it’s time to take to the skies. That’s thanks to a zip-around cover that completely envelopes its comfortable shoulder straps, sturdy hip-belt and adjustable back support system (though it is a bit of a squeeze). Rather cleverly that cover is reversible and elasticated, also acting as a rain cover for the backpack for downpours.
The Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+’s clamshell opening main compartment – which can also be accessed from the top – houses a padded sleeve for a maximum 15-inch laptop. It also contains compression straps for clothes and a large mesh pocket for sundries. Add grab handles top and sides, a zip to expand the entire bag to 62L litres and a stretch water bottle pouch (not to mention that it’s made from recycled materials) and the Eagle Creek Tour Travel Pack 55L+ surely sets the benchmark for how all backpackers should travel.
- WaterField Air Travel BackpackCheck AmazonVisit SiteThe perfect travel backpack for frequent flyers, remote work escapes and weekends away+ Fits two (or three) laptops+ No loose straps or buckles+ Streamlined look- Not for hiking or backpacking- ExpensiveHave laptop(s) will travel? If the clamshell design is a common theme in travel backpacks, so is a laptop sleeve, but two laptop sleeves? That’s much rarer, and we found that the Air Travel Backpack can actually take three laptops. If that’s overkill there’s little else to complain about on this travel backpack that’s carefully designed to suit the needs of those who spend a lot of time in airports, airline cabins and on urban journeys.With a flash of either crimson, blue, black or chocolate full-grain leather on its grab handle and across the front, the Air Travel Backpack is about as big a carry-on as can be and carefully separates clothes (which get compression straps) from tech gear. That latter mobile office section opens clamshell-style, too, making it easy to access laptops in its two padded sleeves during work meetings without going anywhere near your dirty shirts. However, what we love most about the Air Travel Backpack is its streamlined look; there’s no trace of loose straps or buckles and the stretch pocket for a water bottle is invisible unless you use it. Not only could you walk off a plane straight into a business meeting with the super-smart Air Travel Backpack, but you could also live out of it for several days.Check out ourreviewof the WaterField Air Travel Backpack for more information!
WaterField Air Travel BackpackCheck AmazonVisit SiteThe perfect travel backpack for frequent flyers, remote work escapes and weekends away+ Fits two (or three) laptops+ No loose straps or buckles+ Streamlined look- Not for hiking or backpacking- ExpensiveHave laptop(s) will travel? If the clamshell design is a common theme in travel backpacks, so is a laptop sleeve, but two laptop sleeves? That’s much rarer, and we found that the Air Travel Backpack can actually take three laptops. If that’s overkill there’s little else to complain about on this travel backpack that’s carefully designed to suit the needs of those who spend a lot of time in airports, airline cabins and on urban journeys.With a flash of either crimson, blue, black or chocolate full-grain leather on its grab handle and across the front, the Air Travel Backpack is about as big a carry-on as can be and carefully separates clothes (which get compression straps) from tech gear. That latter mobile office section opens clamshell-style, too, making it easy to access laptops in its two padded sleeves during work meetings without going anywhere near your dirty shirts. However, what we love most about the Air Travel Backpack is its streamlined look; there’s no trace of loose straps or buckles and the stretch pocket for a water bottle is invisible unless you use it. Not only could you walk off a plane straight into a business meeting with the super-smart Air Travel Backpack, but you could also live out of it for several days.Check out ourreviewof the WaterField Air Travel Backpack for more information!
WaterField Air Travel Backpack
WaterField Air Travel Backpack
Check AmazonVisit SiteThe perfect travel backpack for frequent flyers, remote work escapes and weekends away+ Fits two (or three) laptops+ No loose straps or buckles+ Streamlined look- Not for hiking or backpacking- ExpensiveHave laptop(s) will travel? If the clamshell design is a common theme in travel backpacks, so is a laptop sleeve, but two laptop sleeves? That’s much rarer, and we found that the Air Travel Backpack can actually take three laptops. If that’s overkill there’s little else to complain about on this travel backpack that’s carefully designed to suit the needs of those who spend a lot of time in airports, airline cabins and on urban journeys.With a flash of either crimson, blue, black or chocolate full-grain leather on its grab handle and across the front, the Air Travel Backpack is about as big a carry-on as can be and carefully separates clothes (which get compression straps) from tech gear. That latter mobile office section opens clamshell-style, too, making it easy to access laptops in its two padded sleeves during work meetings without going anywhere near your dirty shirts. However, what we love most about the Air Travel Backpack is its streamlined look; there’s no trace of loose straps or buckles and the stretch pocket for a water bottle is invisible unless you use it. Not only could you walk off a plane straight into a business meeting with the super-smart Air Travel Backpack, but you could also live out of it for several days.Check out ourreviewof the WaterField Air Travel Backpack for more information!
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check Amazon
Check Amazon
Visit Site
Visit Site
The perfect travel backpack for frequent flyers, remote work escapes and weekends away
Fits two (or three) laptops
No loose straps or buckles
Streamlined look
Not for hiking or backpacking
Expensive
Have laptop(s) will travel? If the clamshell design is a common theme in travel backpacks, so is a laptop sleeve, but two laptop sleeves? That’s much rarer, and we found that the Air Travel Backpack can actually take three laptops. If that’s overkill there’s little else to complain about on this travel backpack that’s carefully designed to suit the needs of those who spend a lot of time in airports, airline cabins and on urban journeys.
With a flash of either crimson, blue, black or chocolate full-grain leather on its grab handle and across the front, the Air Travel Backpack is about as big a carry-on as can be and carefully separates clothes (which get compression straps) from tech gear. That latter mobile office section opens clamshell-style, too, making it easy to access laptops in its two padded sleeves during work meetings without going anywhere near your dirty shirts. However, what we love most about the Air Travel Backpack is its streamlined look; there’s no trace of loose straps or buckles and the stretch pocket for a water bottle is invisible unless you use it. Not only could you walk off a plane straight into a business meeting with the super-smart Air Travel Backpack, but you could also live out of it for several days.
Check out ourreviewof the WaterField Air Travel Backpack for more information!
- Tumi T-Pass Business Class Brief Pack Alpha 3Check AmazonVisit SiteEasy access carry-on backpack that doubles as mobile office+ Excellent build quality+ Lay-flat laptop for airport security+ Variety of sections- Very expensive- Not much room for clothesWhat makes a bag a ‘travel backpack’ is debatable, but arguably it’s a clamshell opening that mimics a suitcase. However, what that’s used for can differ. Take Tumi’s Brief Pack, which unlike others here is not only aimed at business travellers, but very specifically at those that frequently take a laptop through airport security.A tough work bag that easily stands-up on its own on a scanner belt or in a tray, the Brief Pack has a section that zippers around three sides that flops a maximum 15-inch laptop down ready for inspection. No more putting a laptop into a separate tray. It’s got plenty more going for it as a carry-on, too, with a roomy section for accessories and perhaps a change of clothes, a water bottle pocket and plenty of small pockets on the front for carry-on essentials. Like many of the bags here it’s also got a pass-through strap on the rear that can be slipped over the telescopic handle of upright rolling luggage.
Tumi T-Pass Business Class Brief Pack Alpha 3Check AmazonVisit SiteEasy access carry-on backpack that doubles as mobile office+ Excellent build quality+ Lay-flat laptop for airport security+ Variety of sections- Very expensive- Not much room for clothesWhat makes a bag a ‘travel backpack’ is debatable, but arguably it’s a clamshell opening that mimics a suitcase. However, what that’s used for can differ. Take Tumi’s Brief Pack, which unlike others here is not only aimed at business travellers, but very specifically at those that frequently take a laptop through airport security.A tough work bag that easily stands-up on its own on a scanner belt or in a tray, the Brief Pack has a section that zippers around three sides that flops a maximum 15-inch laptop down ready for inspection. No more putting a laptop into a separate tray. It’s got plenty more going for it as a carry-on, too, with a roomy section for accessories and perhaps a change of clothes, a water bottle pocket and plenty of small pockets on the front for carry-on essentials. Like many of the bags here it’s also got a pass-through strap on the rear that can be slipped over the telescopic handle of upright rolling luggage.
Tumi T-Pass Business Class Brief Pack Alpha 3
Tumi T-Pass Business Class Brief Pack Alpha 3
Check AmazonVisit SiteEasy access carry-on backpack that doubles as mobile office+ Excellent build quality+ Lay-flat laptop for airport security+ Variety of sections- Very expensive- Not much room for clothesWhat makes a bag a ‘travel backpack’ is debatable, but arguably it’s a clamshell opening that mimics a suitcase. However, what that’s used for can differ. Take Tumi’s Brief Pack, which unlike others here is not only aimed at business travellers, but very specifically at those that frequently take a laptop through airport security.A tough work bag that easily stands-up on its own on a scanner belt or in a tray, the Brief Pack has a section that zippers around three sides that flops a maximum 15-inch laptop down ready for inspection. No more putting a laptop into a separate tray. It’s got plenty more going for it as a carry-on, too, with a roomy section for accessories and perhaps a change of clothes, a water bottle pocket and plenty of small pockets on the front for carry-on essentials. Like many of the bags here it’s also got a pass-through strap on the rear that can be slipped over the telescopic handle of upright rolling luggage.
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check AmazonVisit Site
Check Amazon
Check Amazon
Visit Site
Visit Site
Easy access carry-on backpack that doubles as mobile office
Excellent build quality
Lay-flat laptop for airport security
Variety of sections
Very expensive
Not much room for clothes
What makes a bag a ‘travel backpack’ is debatable, but arguably it’s a clamshell opening that mimics a suitcase. However, what that’s used for can differ. Take Tumi’s Brief Pack, which unlike others here is not only aimed at business travellers, but very specifically at those that frequently take a laptop through airport security.
A tough work bag that easily stands-up on its own on a scanner belt or in a tray, the Brief Pack has a section that zippers around three sides that flops a maximum 15-inch laptop down ready for inspection. No more putting a laptop into a separate tray. It’s got plenty more going for it as a carry-on, too, with a roomy section for accessories and perhaps a change of clothes, a water bottle pocket and plenty of small pockets on the front for carry-on essentials. Like many of the bags here it’s also got a pass-through strap on the rear that can be slipped over the telescopic handle of upright rolling luggage.
Incase EO Travel Backpack
Incase EO Travel Backpack
View at AmazonView at Adorama US
View at AmazonView at Adorama US
View at AmazonView at Adorama US
View at AmazonView at Adorama US
View at Amazon
View at Amazon
View at Adorama US
View at Adorama US
Tough all-purpose travel pack for staying organised when travelling
Simple clamshell design
Easy to extract a laptop
Good build quality
Exterior compression straps are fiddly
No water bottle holder
The headliner is surely its clamshell-opening main compartment, which features two sides for storing clothes, each secured not using compression straps, but with zipped webbing closures. There’s another soft compartment behind it for a maximum 16-inch laptop and a large tablet, an organiser pocket across the front that can take a pair of shoes, and a soft pocket for keys, a phone or sunglasses. Build quality is good, though since its shoulder straps are fairly basic and that expansion option brings a saggy look it’s best not to overstuff the Incase EO Travel Backpack.
How to choose the best travel backpack for you
The most important thing to consider is what you’ll use it for. Some travel backpacks are designed for city breaks, short flights and weekends away while others zero in on being professional-looking travel backpacks designed for business trips, and often building-in laptop sleeves.
Then there are outdoor-specific travel backpacks aimed at backpackers and backcountry hikers who simply want easier access to their stuff than a traditional rucksack offers.
In our search for the next travel backpack, we’ve reviewed and compared backpacks from trusted brands like Tumi, Peak Design, Eagle Creek, Incase and Waterfield Designs.
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