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The Best Travel Backpack

Looking for the best Travel backpack?

In the past 15 years we’ve traveled thousands of miles, and to dozens of countries from Canada to Thailand and Australia, and to Spain, Portugal and South America all while carrying only a backpack.

Over all those years, we’ve figured out first hand which backpacks are great for travel, and which aren’t. A good backpack, that can carry all you need, can make travel so much more enjoyable however a great backpack also needs to fit you well and match your travel style, while also managing to be stylish and affordable at the same time.

We’ve done all of the hard work for you by testing dozens of backpacks and picking the top travel backpacks. Keep reading to find the best travel backpack for you.

This is the complete guide to finding the best backpack for travel, with recommendations for the best backpack for Europe, the best carry on backpack, the best women’s backpack, top wheeled backpacks and more.

The Best Travel Backpack 2018

Are you looking for something specific? Just click a link to go directly to that section.

  • Comparison chart for the best travel backpacks
  • How to choose the best backpack for travel
  • The best travel backpack for women
  • Best travel backpack for men
  • Best travel backpack for Europe
  • Best carry on backpack
  • The best wheeled backpack for travel
  • Best hiking backpack
  • Top anti-theft backpack
  • Best top loading pack

Comparison Chart for the Best Travel Backpacks

Check out our comparison chart with all of the options for the best backpacks for travel that we review here. Click on the column headings to compare!

BackpackPhotoCapacity (l)Best for ?PriceOur rating /10
Osprey Fairview 55 55women9.5
Osprey Farpoint 70


70men9.5
Deuter Quantum 70+10



70+10men9.0
Tortuga Setout45Europe/carry-on9.0
eBags Mother Lode Weekender54?carry-on9.0
Pacsafe Vibe 40 Anti-Theft40anti-theft carry-on8.5
Osprey Women's Aura AG 6565women's top loading9.0
Osprey Men's Atmos AG 6565men's top loading9.0
Kelty Coyote 6565women's hiking8.5
Gregory Men's Baltoro 6565men's hiking8.5
Osprey Sojourn Wheeled 45
45wheeled7.5

Tips for choosing the best backpack for travel

Getting the best backpack is a mixture of getting a great fit, proper padding, the right size, making sure that it’s organized well for your needs, and finding the right style.

To get you started, we share our best tips for helping you choose the perfect backpack for you. We’ve taken great care to make sure these are the best quality backpacks for travel, and personally checked out every one of them. Although ultimately the perfect backpack comes down to personal choice, you won’t find any badly made packs here.

Does it fit your frame?

Since you’re going to carry your backpack everywhere you go, from planes to trains to hotels, fit is incredibly important in a backpack.

In the past few years, manufacturers have gotten pretty smart about this, and now make backpacks especially for women’s smaller frames and relatively wider hips. Check out our women-specific recommendations here. Many of the higher quality backpacks offer a few choices for torso lengths. There are also great backpacks meant specifically for men’s taller frames, or for women who are taller as well (see our men’s picks here).

I’m a 5 foot five inch woman, and the first backpack I tried on for our first year long trip around Australia and Asia turned out to be far too big. The shoulders didn’t fit properly, and the hip belt didn’t cinch tightly enough on me. After testing it fully packed before our trip I decided just days before we took off to get a backpack that was made especially for a woman’s frame. It was the best decision I could have made – my new backpack fit perfectly, and I could carry a surprising amount, because the weight was distributed nicely on my hipbones and padded shoulder straps.

No matter your size, make sure your backpack fits your frame properly. You should be able to cinch the hip straps snugly. This is important, as a properly fitted backpack will carry a good portion of the weight on your hips to reduce shoulder strain!

Also make sure that the shoulder straps fit comfortably on your shoulders. If they pull down and dig in, the pack frame is likely too small for you. If they stick up above your shoulders, then the pack frame is too big. Most backpacks have adjustable straps however every backpack has that perfect sweet spot that maintains comfort while providing necessary support.

Backpacking with my day pack back in 2003 at Angkor Wat Cambodia

Do I need to try it on?

If this article was written five years ago, we would have suggested going in store to try on packs, but today it’s easier to buy a backpack online and return if needed. Returns and exchanges are usually a breeze, and there are detailed sizing charts online, making it easy to get the right fit.

That said, if you’re having trouble finding that perfect fit, it might be worth it to go into a store that specializes in backpacks and get a personal fitting. After that, come back here to find our recommendations to see how we fared.

Size, carrying capacity and how much fits inside

Travel backpacks come in a lot of sizes, from small 30 L packs to huge 80 L or even 100 L behemoths.

Packs are usually sized in liters. 1 liter (L) is about a quarter of a gallon or the equivalent of a US quart, so a 40 liter backpack holds about ten and a half gallons.

The size of backpack you need depends on a number of things, like the length of your trip, how many supplies you want to carry, and if you intend to travel carry on only.

Most travelers carry a backpack that’s between 40 to 65 liters. If you need to pack a lot of computer or photography equipment, heavy winter gear, or if you want 10 complete changes of clothes and four pairs of shoes, then you’ll likely need much more than a 40 L backpack.

For women, a 50 or 65 L backpack is a great checked baggage size, without being excessively heavy. Since men are usually larger and can often comfortably carry more, a 65 to 70 L works well. These are just general rules of thumb though. The important thing is getting the right bag for you!

If you’re traveling on a budget, or just don’t want to hassle with checked bags, consider traveling with only a carry-on size backpack. Airlines are charging more and more for checked bags, so a good percentage of backpackers (like us!) choose to travel carry on only. This means that you’ll need a bag that’s 45 L or smaller.

Can you travel with a carry on size travel backpack only? 

Here’s a good rule of thumb: a backpack that’s less than 40 liters (and even some backpacks that are 45 liters) can be taken on a plane as a carry on. However, carry on sizes vary a lot depending on the airline with European and Asian airlines traditionally especially stingy with sizes so check first.

If you travel with only a few changes of lightweight clothes, minimal toiletries, and few electronics or camera equipment, traveling with a carry on size backpack is completely possible. I travel with a carry on backpack (and small personal item) only for most of my solo trips, and I definitely carry more camera gear than most people.

However, if you carry a lot of electronic or camera equipment, or you need a dozen outfits and three pairs of shoes, a 40 L or less backpack will definitely be a challenge.

Tip: Check your airline! Many airlines allow you to carry a personal item as well like a purse, laptop bag, or smaller backpack, free of charge, giving you a nice bit of extra storage space on top of your carry on baggage limit and you can always store a few items like electronics in your coat if you’re really tight on space.

That said, it’s definitely possible to travel carry on only! We traveled carry-on only as a family of four during our last three month trip to South America and had room to spare.

Padding and comfort

Making sure that your backpack shoulder and side straps are padded is crucial for comfort. I’m a big fan of softer fabric on shoulder and hip straps, since the straps are often directly on your skin in hotter climates.

A lot of backpacks also have a mesh or light fabric on the back to let your back breathe, meaning no more sweaty back when carrying your backpack!

A padded back is also essential, as the padding keeps the contents of your pack from digging into your back and kidneys.

Adjustable straps on the shoulders and waist are essential. Plus, a small sternum strap that connects the shoulder straps in front of your chest can save a lot of back strain for heavy loads.

If there’s a laptop slot, it’s a bonus if it’s padded as well.

Organization

Backpack organization is crucial, especially if you’re on the road a lot, and essentially living out of your backpack.

I really love backpacks that have a lot of smaller pockets. This makes it easy to store things like electronic gear and toiletries separately. Bonus points for smaller pockets that are easily accessible from the outside, especially for storing things like phone chargers or a toothbrush. On top of that, we usually bring a portable international WiFi device (we love our little Tep portable WiFi), international electrical adapters, a travel journal, and much more.

I also love to have a smaller, collapsible day pack in or connected to my larger backpack. There are a lot of times that you’ll want to leave the big pack at a hotel or hostel, and just carry a day bag, so it’s well worth investing in one.

Some backpacks actually have an lightweight day pack built in, which is pretty cool. If yours doesn’t, we like the Outlander lightweight daypack below which is totally collapsible and comes in lots of colors.

See prices and more here.

Outlander Packable Lightweight Backpack Daypack

Easy access

I’m personally a huge fan of backpacks that open suitcase style, as they let you easily access the contents at the bottom of your backpack.

With traditional, top loading backpacks, you don’t have this option. I find it incredibly irritating to have to unpack my entire backpack just to get at something I’ve forgotten at the bottom of a top loading backpack.

That said, a some of the best backpacks on the market are top loading and people love that they can usually jam more into their pack than a side loader, so I haven’t ignored them in this list. If you’re organized, and put important things in the side or top pockets, the top loading packs can be a great choice, even though they didn’t rank as our our very best rucksack for travelling.

When you’re traveling, it’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll be carrying a laptop and charger at all times. All of that means you’re going to need pockets, and plenty of them. Above all, you need to make sure that your backpack is big enough to pack all of your gear.

Water resistant

Many good travel backpacks come with a built in rain cover, but not all top rated backpacks include a rain cover, especially those designed more for urban use. If it exists, the rain cover is often built into the waistband or bottom part of the pack. If your pack doesn’t come with one, you may want to think about buying a rain cover.

Joy Walker makes well rated backpack rain covers for 15-90 L packs. Just select the right size. See prices and more here.

Even if you’re not expecting bad weather, you may get stuck outside in the rain waiting for a bus or ferry. Last year, while in the Galapagos Islands, we were stuck in a surprise 30 minute torrential downpour, without any shelter, and with all of our luggage, waiting for our ferry to dock. Luckily our bags stayed dry. Unfortunately, we weren’t so lucky.

My daughter and I soaking wet on a ferry to Santa Cruz in the Galapagos Islands

Weight

How much does the backpack itself weigh? Sure, the difference between a five and ten pound backpack may not seem like much when they’re empty, but when you’re on day two of carting your full pack through city streets or across powdery sand, an extra five pounds can feel like fifty. All else being equal, a lighter bag is a good thing.

Durability

This is one area where you don’t want to cheap out. Cheap travel backpacks are often uncomfortable, and likely to tear at stress points like where the straps attach to the backpack body.

Don’t be like the traveler I met in the airport in LAX airport a few years ago, who bought a cheap backpack and had to continually repatch it with duct tape for his entire six month trip through South East Asia.

Security

Many backpacks have hidden pockets to hide valuables from thieves. Some of these are perfect for storing extra cash for emergencies.

If you’re concerned with security, look for a backpack that’s easily lockable and either has dual zippers that you can tie closed or a loop close to the zippers that can help fasten the zipper closed. Back in the day we used to travel with mini zipties and would ziptie our zippers together when we had to leave our packs in a not particularly safe area. It wouldn’t stop someone from running away with our packs but it did deter people from quickly rifling through the pockets.

Because travel backpacks are big, they usually aren’t made of slash proof material, since slash proof material is so heavy. That said, some backpacks have an RFID pocket to protect your passport and bank or credit cards from RFID scanners, and we found a great 40 L pack with anti-slash fabric. See our top anti-theft backpack pick here.

If you’re really concerned about safety, take a quick look at our money belt and neck wallet review here.

Style

Unfortunately, travel backpacks tend to be a little more functional than stylish. That said, some packs come in a wide range of colors, ranging from black and grey to blues, greens, and even colorful reds and oranges. Most likely, you’ll end up carrying a black, grey or dark green pack that can take scuffs, like being thrown into lockers, under bus compartments and into overhead plane bins and not leave any marks.

The best travel backpack for women

A backpack that’s made for a woman’s generally shorter torso and wider hips can be a lot more comfortable than wearing a unisex backpack.

Women’s backpacks aren’t necessarily smaller, so you can still get a good size pack that carries a lot, but a pack built for women distributes weight better on your frame, and is a lot more enjoyable to wear than a men’s or unisex model.

I was shocked at how much I was able to carry comfortably when I tried my first backpack designed for women!

The Osprey Fairview 55 backpack review

 The Osprey Fairview 55 backpack has everything that I love in a great backpack for women. It’s designed specifically for women in mind with a broader hip belt, a shorter torso, and comfortably padded, narrower shoulder straps. I find it incredibly comfortable.

Plus, it has the suitcase style opening for the main compartment that I love so much, making it so much easier to access than a backpack that opens only from the top. I’m definitely a fan of easily being able to access pack contents, and I think the Osprey is the best front loading backpack for travel above 50 L.

A huge bonus of this backpack is that it includes a removable day pack.

If you’re traveling through a lot of airports, you’ll like that fact that you can tuck away the shoulder straps and hip straps, so you don’t need to worry about the straps being damaged in baggage.

If you always travel with a laptop or tablet like I do, you’ll love the main compartment’s laptop and tablet sleeve with lockable compartment.

There’s no built in raincover with this jacket, which is part of why it’s so lightweight at 3.8 lbs. You can also buy an add-on raincover from Osprey. See Osprey raincover prices or save a bit of coin and pick up a Jay Walker raincover instead. Jay Walker prices here.

The 55 L Fairview comes in two sizes, XS/S and S/M. The S/M is 24.6″ x 13″ x 11.8″, and the XS is a hair smaller at 22.8″ x 13.0″ x 11.8″, but it’s also only 52 L instead of 55.

There are plenty of pockets for storing things. There’s a zippered front panel slash pocket which is great for chargers and cables, plus a mesh zippered area in the main compartment.

All in all, it’s a smaller, sleek backpack with a lot of features, a great women’s fit, at a good price point.

See the Osprey Fairview 55 prices, availabilityy, reviews and more.

If you’re looking for a slightly bigger pack, the women’s Osprey Fairview also comes in a 70 L size and gets great reviews too. See the 70 L Osprey Fairview prices here.

There’s also a smaller women’s 40 L Osprey Fairview, but it doesn’t come with a removable day pack. The 40 L Fairview is a great carry on pack. See prices and more for the 40 L Osprey Fairview.

Best travel backpack for men

Our pick for the best travel backpack for men is a tie between the Osprey Men’s Farpoint 70 and the Deuter Quantum 70 + 10.

A comfortable men’s travel backpack takes into account men’s generally wider shoulders and longer torso. We’ve also included our favorite slightly larger backpacks in the men’s list.

That’s not to say that these backpacks are for men only! These packs will work well for women with a longer than average torso, or if you simply you want to carry a larger pack.

Osprey Men’s Farpoint 70 Review

This is one of our favorite backpacks. It’s comfortable, packs a ton, compresses well, and has (our favorite!), easy suitcase style zipper access to the main compartment.

The Farpoint is the men’s version of our favorite backpack for women, the Fairview.

Since this backpack can open suitcase style, it’s easy to access anything in the main compartment.

What we really like is the fact that there’s a removable day pack included, which zips off easily when needed. There’s also a laptop and tablet sleeve in the day pack, plus a small slash pocket in front perfect for small electronics.

For security, there are lockable sliders on the main compartment zipper, plus the main compartment of the day pack is also lockable.

For extra storage, there are two front mesh pockets, plus a large internal mesh pocket on the front flap.

To keep your belongings in place, there are front compression straps on either side, plus two internal compression straps, and removable sleeping pad straps. To make it easy to carry, there are padded handles on the top, and on the side (so you can also carry it like a suitcase if you prefer).

It’s super lightweight at 3.92 lbs and 26″ x 14″ x 13″.

There’s no rain cover with this pack, but you can buy an add-on raincover from Osprey. See Osprey raincover prices or save a bit of coin and pick up a Jay Walker raincover instead. Jay Walker prices here.

The Osprey back straps and hip belt can be tucked away and hidden in a zippered rear flap. This is perfect for flying, as it keeps the straps from being torn or damaged when you check your luggage.

It comes in two sizes to make sure you get the perfect fit.

See Osprey Men’s Farpoint 70 prices, reviews and availability here.

If you’re looking for a slightly smaller version, there’s also a Farpoint 55 L and Farpoint 40 L (the 40 L doesn’t have a removable day pack). See the Farpoint 55 prices. See Farpoint 40 L prices and availability.

If you’re looking for something just a little bit bigger, check out the Farpoint 80 L. See Osprey Farpoint 80 prices and availability here.

Deuter Quantum 70 + 10 Review

This is a great pack, which is only bumped out of top place because it’s a top loading pack, and we generally prefer the Osprey Farpoint’s suitcase opening style. You can access the Quantum’s main compartment through a U-shaped front zip, but it’s definitely harder to access than a true backpack suitcase style opening.

Still, the Deuter Quantum’s worth a look and is well reviewed. It’s a comfortable pack with well padded shoulder and hip straps that are fully adjustable.

The pack also has all the bells and whistles you’d expect, including compression straps, a detachable rain cover, stretch side pockets, and a separate bottom compartment. There’s also a zippered lid pocket, which is great for storing valuables.

The +10 in the title refers to the detachable day pack which is a nice bag in itself and can be carried on the front if you want to spread out the weight load.

Get prices, availability and more reviews for the Deuter Quantum 70+10 here.

If the 70 + 10 pack is a little too big, Deuter also makes a 60 + 10 version of the Deuter Quantum. See the 60 +10 Deuter Quantum on Amazon here.

Best travel backpack for Europe

Most travelers to Europe spend more time city hopping that getting out in the wilderness, so a backpack that’s compact and light is a good pick.

After dragging a large suitcase with cheap plastic wheels over the cobblestone streets of Madrid and carting it up flights of stairs every night in Portugal, we learned the hard way that backpacks are a great choice for Europe.

Looking for a tiny carry on backpack for Europe for discount airlines? Scroll on down to see our pick for the best small carry on backpack for European discount airlines.

Tortuga Setout review

The Tortuga Setout travel backpack packs like a suitcase and carries like a backpack.

It’s a great choice for Europe, where you’ll want a pack that’s stylish, but carries a lot for its size.

At 22″ x 14″ x 9″, it’s small enough to work as carry-on, but at 45 L it’s probably the most spacious pack you’ll get at those dimensions. It has soft sides, so you’ll be able to squish it to fit into those carry on size cages at the airport.

It’s also pretty lightweight, at 3.3 lbs.

The first thing I noticed about my Tortuga backpack was how streamlined and stylish it is. Then I opened it up, suitcase style, and could hardly believe how big it is inside, even though it’s only carry-on size outside. It’s designed to get the most space inside as possible in a carry on size backpack pack. Because it’s so large and open inside, you may want to grab some specially sized Tortuga Setout packing cubes.

Because it carries so much, and it has a stylish feel that will let you blend in while touring Europe, we rated it our best carry on backpack for Europe.

I’ve had my Tortuga Setout for a couple of months now, and it’s quickly become my favorite full size carry on travel backpack. This thing holds a lot! I can’t wait to try it out on our next trip!

It’s designed well for European travel, with straps that tuck away to avoid being snagged by plane conveyor belts, and a size that’s easy enough to lift onto train and into airplane overhead bins.

Here’s a little detail I love: the laptop sleeve is both padded and is suspended off the ground. This means that you won’t accidentally set down the pack and damage your laptop. I did that once, and I’ve insisted on padded laptop sleeves ever since (luckily my laptop survived, albeit with a big chunk out of the plastic corner missing). The Setout laptop sleeve fits up to a 17″ laptop, and the laptop compartment is easy to access and separate from the main compartment, making it really quick to access when going through airport security.

It’s not waterproof, but it is made with a high quality, durable fabric that could easily withstand a light rain shower. You can also pick up a custom fit Setout rain cover if you want.

There’s not much we didn’t like here. That said, the Setout is not height adjustable, and comes in one size, so if you’re very tall (over 6’1″) or smaller than (5’1″) it may not work for you. Tortuga says that it’s made to fit 17-19″ torsos. If you’re looking for a similar pack that fits a longer or shorter torso, or that’s height adjustable, check out their adjustable Tortuga Outbreaker, which comes in 35 and 45 L sizes, but is a bit more expensive and a little heavier. It’s a great pack as well.

Tortuga really stands out from other backpacks, I think, because the founders of Tortuga designed the first Tortuga after backpacking Europe. They found that their traditional top-loading backpack made it hard to access stuff, that there was limited storage for electronics, and they didn’t like that their standard backpack made them stand out immediately as backpackers.

So, they designed Tortuga packs to be great backpacks for urban travelers with plenty of storage (especially for electronics), and a cool, urban look and feel.

See prices and reviews for the the Tortuga Setout Backpack now.

We really love the Tortuga Setout for traveling Europe, but if you’re looking for a bigger backpack for Europe, or a more traditional style of backpack, then see below for the Osprey Porter 46 and Kelty Redwing 44. Both are great choices.

We also have a couple options below if you’re looking for a larger backpack for European travel.

Osprey Porter 46 review

The unisex Osprey Porter 46 is an excellent pack with a lot of good ratings. It only lost out the the Tortuga Setout as best small travel backpack for Europe because it’s a little more conspicuously a standard backpack, so it’ll be harder to blend into crowds. We also feel that we can cram a little bit more into the Setout. However, the Osprey Porter is a fantastic pack as well, especially if you’re looking for a more streamlined traditional carry on pack.

This is an especially useful pack if you’re looking to cram as much as humanly possible into a smaller pack. There are padded straitjacket compression straps that do a fantastic job of squeezing down contents. The suspension is good and comfy, but not quite as fully adjustable as the more expensive Fairview or Farpoint from Osprey.

We also love that there’s easy access to the main compartment through a suitcase style zipper that’s easily lockable.

The Porter is only 22″ x 14″ X 11″, meaning you should be able to use it as carry on size for most European airlines.

It weighs 3.4 lbs, and comes in red, teal, black and grey.

There’s a dedicated laptop pocket in the back of the bag, separate from the main compartment, making it easy to pull your laptop in and out at airports. It can also hold up to a 17″ laptop.

The Osprey Porter has plenty of pockets, a stowaway shoulder harness and a stowaway padded hip belt, as well as a large lower zippered compartment that’s perfect for shoes or an ultra lightweight sleeping bag.

You should be able to use the Osprey Porter 46 as a carry on pack in Europe, if it’s not overstuffed, and if gate agents aren’t overly zealous.

One small downside with this pack is that there’s no exterior water bottle holder however you can grab a well reviewed carabiner style water bottle drink holder.

Get prices and read more reviews for the Osprey Porter 46 now.

There’s also an Osprey Porter 65 L version, if you’re looking for a larger pack. It’s essentially the same pack as the 46, but larger.

See the Osprey Porter 65 prices and details now.

Kelty Redwing 44 L backpack review

You may need to check your Kelty Redwing 44 L backpack, as it’s bigger than carry-on size for most European airlines at 25″ x 15″ x 12″.

That said, the Redwing isn’t that far off from a carry on size, so if you don’t over stuff it, and the odds are in your favor that day, you may be able to get this on board as European carry on. There are no guarantees with this – so be prepared that if they’re bringing a tape measure out at the gate, you may pay for checked luggage with this pack.

This is a top loading, multipurpose, unisex pack that switches easily between city streets and on the trail. There’s even a choice of colors (blue, green and black).

Best of all, it’s incredibly comfortable to wear, extremely lightweight at only 2 lbs 10 oz and absolutely packed with features.

The top lid converts t



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