How To Find the Best Backpack for Traveling

From excitement for the adventure ahead to stressing over what and how to pack, gearing up to travel can come with a range of feelings. Whether you’re embarking on a backpacking trip or looking for a compact carry-on backpack, a good travel backpack can help keep you organized, comfortable and hands-free during your journey. Prepping and organizing a backpack ahead of your trip can help save time and stress later on.

When choosing a travel backpack, consider the needs of your specific trip. For example, maybe you’re taking frequent train rides or flights and need to carry all your things with you. If that’s the case, it’ll be critical to bring a backpack that carries and stores items efficiently, while distributing weight evenly to help avoid strain on your back.

If a trip involves less on-the-go movement and calls for more time spent in one place, you may have the best luck looking for a simple carry-on bag to supplement any checked luggage.

In both scenarios, an ideal travel backpack comes with ample pockets and zippers to keep possessions organized and stored securely, and they’re also made with lightweight and durable materials that can stand up to any condition or wear that comes with travel. From size to design, here are the key factors to consider when choosing the best travel backpacks.

If you plan to bring a backpack on a flight, start by determining what size you need. Keep in mind, many airlines don't allow bags bigger than 22 inches high, 14 inches wide and 9 inches deep. The size limits for carry-on baggage vary by airline. Be sure to look on the airline’s website before packing to see what can fit in the overhead bin or under the seat in front of you.

In addition to their outer size dimensions, backpack sizes are often broken down by how many liters of capacity they hold. To visualize how much can fit into a liter, think of a rolled-up T-shirt, which will usually take up about a liter of space. So, while you probably need to pack more than just T-shirts, you can imagine that a 20-liter backpack will hold about 20 T-shirts inside.

For a month-long trek, consider using a 40- or 45-liter backpack, which is typically the right size for a carry-on while also offering plenty of space for the essentials — clothing, basic equipment, electronics and other must-have travel items.

A 30- or 35-liter bag is generally considered a small backpack that would be ideal for an overnight or short weekend trip, for example. It could likely fit gear, food and light clothing for one or two nights. Be sure to measure it first, but a backpack this size might even fit underneath the seat in front of you on an airplane — be sure to check airline specifications, but bags no larger than 18 inches high, 14 inches wide and 8 inches deep are typically OK.

The type of opening on a backpack matters if you want to be able to access items quickly and efficiently throughout a trip. Travel backpacks often offer one of two ways to open — front-loading, also known as a clamshell opening, or top-loading.

A backpack that opens from the top — such as a typical, everyday backpack — tends to provide easier access to items inside the pack because you don’t have to set the backpack down to unzip it. If you plan on using your backpack for a day of sightseeing or need to quickly access items while in a tight space, such as in an airplane or backseat of a car, you may consider a top-loading style. The downside of a top-loading backpack is that it requires packing items vertically on top of each other, so if you find you need an item that’s packed at the bottom, you’ll find yourself unpacking the entire bag to grab it.

If you want more space to hold items, consider a front-loading, or clamshell, style. This style opens more like a typical suitcase or duffel bag, allowing you to unzip the pack and view everything inside more easily.

Knowing exactly where your items are reduces the need to pull items out and to have to reorganize. The best travel backpacks have a variation of small- to medium-sized pockets with zippers and materials made from mesh so you can conveniently store smaller items and see what’s stashed where. If you’re bringing a laptop or camera, make sure the backpack has various padded functional compartments to safely store them.

There are several features that may make a backpack more comfortable to travel with all day, including sturdy straps and back panels that are made with breathable materials and ventilation. Look for a backpack that has strong, easily adjustable straps as well as a belt strap to help evenly distribute the weight while you’re walking.

The kind of backpack material you choose may hinge on where you are traveling and what the weather is like. For rainier climates, opt for polyester and nylon — they are thick, strong and made of weatherproof materials to withstand inclement weather.

Words By: Claire Tak