Travel backpack top picks for your weekend getaway
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- Published on May 4, 2023
- Last Updated June 8, 2023
- In Gift Guides
Looking for a new travel backpack? Here are our top picks.
For some quick trips, a backpack is more than enough to carry all that you need for a weekend getaway. Here are some of our favorite backpack picks for both personal items and carry-on to get you quickly through the airport without having to check or collect luggage at the carousel.
PERSONAL ITEM:
We love Tote&Carry for so many reasons. They’re high-quality, super affordable, eco-friendly, Black-and-minority owned, and just cute. The Apollo 2 is no exception, made from vegan alligator leather available in twelve colors, and just the right size to carry your laptop, snacks, and basic flight needs. On top of being totally practical, these fashionable bags keep you fly while you fly.
The Everyday Backpack is versatile, fitting for a number of travel situations. Its compartments are great for getting your gadgets through the airport, including a designated exterior laptop pocket, a water bottle pocket, and a trolley-sleeve to slide over your roller-suitcase. It’s full of more interior pockets to hold essentials, and the material is water-repellent for your day-to-day adventures after you arrive at your destination. It’s a great option for avid hikers and nature enthusiasts.
For the environmentally conscious traveler, this is the backpack for you. The material is made from 100% recycled polyester, and the only plastic part of the entire bag that is not recycled is the zipper coil (but Everlane is working on that). This bag is large enough to hold a laptop in its front compartment, full of convenient zipper pockets, and boasts not one, but two water bottle holders.
The Lovevook has a designated laptop pocket and a special security pocket behind the back padding. Special features include a USB power bank, toiletry bag, and a combination lock to keep contents safe. It’s a smart backpack if we’ve ever seen one, perfect for keeping your gadgets charged over long stints of travel.
CARRY-ON:
At 35L, the Milano backpack can comfortably fit enough clothing and items necessary for a weekend trip. It’s similar to the Lovevook listed above in terms of features like the designated laptop pocket, security pocket, USB power bank, and a combination lock, but at a larger size for longer trips.
The Vancropak is roomy enough to contain about a week’s worth of clothing, with one reviewer claiming to have fit ten days’ worth within and still fit under their plane seat. It comes with three packing cubes of different sizes for compact organization, including a small water-resistant one for toiletries. This is a great option for longer trips or when you plan on bringing back plenty of souvenirs.
The Coowoz is roomy enough for clothes, a laptop, a bottom-accessible shoe compartment, and plenty of inner pockets for gadgets and loose items. Its outer material is waterproof and it contains a wet bag section to keep toiletries separate from dry items. There is also an area for a USB power bank to be added and access ports for cables to come through, power bank not included.
Kayra Raecke is a proud brown queer Los Angeles-born neurodivergent with a predilection for syntax, mild cat obsession, and a collection of odd hobbies.
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