The best travel backpacks for any adventure

Who among us doesn’t remember the thrill of getting a new JanSport at the start of the school year? While the brand is known for its quality school packs, they also offer options that are perfect for travelers. We found the classic Right Pack to be surprisingly durable and comfortable in our testing. It includes a versatile sleeve designed to fit a 15-inch laptop, a front organizer pocket, and a side water bottle pocket to keep things organized while on the go. The fully padded shoulder straps and web haul handle made this pack super easy and comfortable to carry, on one shoulder or two. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some of the other travel backpacks on our list, this pack covers all the basics, and includes the brand’s famous lifetime warranty. 

The Peak Design Travel Backpack is a rugged, expandable, and brilliantly accessible carry-on travel backpack ideal for both short day trips and longer getaways. It holds an impressive amount of stuff, with an expandable capacity of 35-45L. There are weatherproof zippers on the top, side, front, and rear of the bag for convenient access, and they all slide around like butter. The padded laptop and tablet sleeves also make it super convenient to work and play on the go.

Combined with the brand’s packing cubes, keeping things organized is a cinch. Not only is this pack impressive af, but the company itself has some great work practices, is 100% carbon-neutral, and donates 1% of revenue to environmental causes. While we found this bag kind of heavy, it’s a testament to the quality and durability of the materials used.

A popular backpack designed for travelers, the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Travel Pack is made with high-quality materials that are designed to last. The color options for all the bags in the brand’s lineup spark joy. We really liked how versatile this pack is, whether we used it for hiking, a weekend getaway, or going about in the city. Its 35-liter capacity holds a lot of stuff, even if the interior layout wasn’t our fave. That said, the Allpa has many compartments and pockets on the inside of the pack, allowing you to keep your belongings organized and easily accessible. We appreciated the included rain cover for those stormy days. The only real issue we had with this pack was that the zippers were quite challenging to zip around the bag. (But the security YKK zippers are straight fire for keeping your gear safe).

We were pleasantly surprised at how lightweight the Mountain Hardwear Red Eye 45L Travel Pack was, compared to the durable feel of the materials. This meant it was comfortable and easy to carry for extended periods. With a capacity of 45 liters, the Red Eye provided plenty of room for all our travel essentials, and the wide opening at the top of the pack was perfect for our stuff-and-go packing style. One feature we found super handy was the stand-up base, which made it easy to load and unload. There aren't a ton of compartments to keep things organized, and the hip belt isn't padded, so it wasn’t super comfortable on long trips. Overall, this pack offered a nice mix of capacity, durability, and lightweight design that we really liked, at a respectable price point. 

The Pro Pack System from JanSport is a new collection of modular bags that fit together or can be worn apart to suit various travel needs. The backpack features a removable front pocket that converts to a crossbody bag — ideal for hands-free travel. The dual water bottle pockets on the exterior are super convenient for staying hydrated, and the roomy main compartment was easy to pack and unpack. There were so many pockets and organization spots we didn’t know where to start. This backpack is pretty budget-friendly, but we still found it to be quite comfortable and hold a ton of stuff. 

 While a lot of travel packs are functional, one thing many lack is style. That’s not the case with TruCarry Philos by The Jacket Maker. It’s made from supremely durable full-grain leather with a cotton twill inner shell. We loved the interior and exterior pockets for keeping essentials organized and within reach, and the luggage strap made it so convenient to add this bag to our carry-on luggage. We found the padded back and adjustable shoulder straps easy to adjust for a perfect fit. It doesn’t hold as much as the other packs on our list, but it’s perfect for a short business trip. There was a strong chemical smell when our bag arrived for testing, but airing it out for a good week got rid of most of the odor, and was likely just from the leather dyeing process.