The 10 Best Travel Backpacks
This wiki has been updated 24 times since it was first published in March of 2018. Whether you're getting out of the city for a short weekend jaunt or taking an extended journey to some faraway place, keeping essential items organized and accessible can make the trip a lot easier. These travel backpacks, which run the gamut of functionality and styles, will help you do just that, while leaving your hands free to snap photos, check a map or sip a drink. When users buy our independently chosen editorial selections, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Osprey Packs Farpoint 55
2. AmazonBasics Slim Weekender
3. Samsonite Xenon 3.0
Editor's Notes
October 21, 2019:
The type of travel backpack you need will depend entirely on the type of adventures you have in store. We selected a good variety of options for each kind of sojourner, from day hikers to those planning more extended vacations.
If you're relying on your feet to get you from point A to B to C and onward, then you'll like the Osprey Packs Farpoint 55, which does a good job evenly distributing weight when carrying a heavy load. It is extremely durable and can easily hold up to 50 pounds, so feel free to stuff it with all your essentials. While it may be designed for shorter trips, the and the AmazonBasics Slim Weekender is another option that does a great job of balancing the load on your back, and it has a convenient water bottle pouch to keep hydration nearby for those long days of traversing a city in hot climates. We eliminated the Deuter Transit 50, as we felt some of our other selections combine its best features — like well-planned organizational compartments and excellent compression — without some of the bulkiness that model suffered from.
Should your travels be of a more cosmopolitan nature, you may like the Nomatic Slim 20L, which has a sleek aesthetic and can be carried like a briefcase. If you never leave the house without plenty of valuable electronics, then the Pacsafe Venturesafe X30 is essential. It has slash-proof stainless steel mesh to prevent a thief from cutting it open and grabbing your goods, and it boasts RFID-protective material in the fabric to stop more advanced criminals from detecting information on your credit cards, ID, and more.
Special Honors
The Caraa Cirrus Medium If you're a traveling businessperson who needs to run a mini office wherever you are, this is an ideal accessory. It has both a power bank pocket and a neighboring phone pocket to safely store your charger and device while they're connected. A luggage slip makes it easy to slide over the telescoping handle of your rolling suitcase, and its secure passport slip will keep that important form of identification safe. caraasport.com
The Tumi Worth While it is on the pricey side, this backpack may be the last one you need for a long time. It's chic enough to be an every day accessory, even when you're running from social to business events, but functional enough to get you through a few days on the road. The add-a-bag strap allows you to securely attach another parcel, and its dedicated media, card, and pen pockets can keep your work-related items organized. A velvet-lined pocket should keep jewelry in good condition during transit. tumi.com
4. North Face Router
5. SwissGear 1900 Scansmart
6. Incase Designs EO
7. Pacsafe Venturesafe X30
8. eBags TLS Mother Lode
9. Hynes Eagle 40L
10. Nomatic Slim 20L
A wandering writer who spends as much time on the road as in front of a laptop screen, Brett can either be found hacking away furiously at the keyboard or, perhaps, enjoying a whiskey and coke on some exotic beach, sometimes both simultaneously, usually with a four-legged companion by his side. He has been a professional chef, a dog trainer, and a travel correspondent for a well-known Southeast Asian guidebook. He also holds a business degree and has spent more time than he cares to admit in boring office jobs. He has an odd obsession for playing with the latest gadgets and working on motorcycles and old Jeeps. His expertise, honed over years of experience, is in the areas of computers, electronics, travel gear, pet products, and kitchen, office and automotive equipment.