An excellent carry-on-sized travel and adventure backpack can be a packing game changer. Whether used solo for shorter trips or carried along with other luggage for extended journeys, the best options offer plenty of storage space for clothes and a slew of easy access and protective pockets for water bottles, laptops, and other personal items.
Having spent many days on airplanes crisscrossing continents and oceans for work and play alike, here are the best carry-on travel and adventure bags we’ve tested and recommend hovering in the 35–55 liter size range.
Carry-On Travel & Adventure Backpacks We Recommend
-
Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack
Best Overall
Read more -
Tortuga Travel Backpack Pro 40L
Best Rollaboard Replacement
Read more -
Aer Travel Pack 3
Best Bargain
Read more -
Yeti Crossroads Backpack 35L
Best Multi-Use
Read more -
Matador GlobeRider 45L Travel Backpack
Smartest Feature Set
Read more -
Cotopaxi Allpa 42L Travel Pack
Most Distinctive Option
Read more -
GoRuck GR3 45L USA
Made in America
Read more -
Osprey Farpoint 55 Travel Pack
Most Versatile
Read more -
Patagonia Cragsmith Pack 45L
Best for Awkward-Sized Gear
Read more
How We Test Travel & Adventure Backpacks
Our tester journeyed far and wide on numerous trips by plane, train and automobile with these backpacks, loading them up with apparel, gadgets and gear to see how they handle the stress. They were loaded and unloaded into luggage racks, trunks and back seats alike, carried on long walks to and from terminals and destinations, and left to bash about in the closet between trips.
For many of the tests, he loaded it up with a typical array of clothing and equipment one would need for a business or personal trip of several days time: an extra pair of jeans or slacks, 2–3 T-shirts, 1–2 overshirts or button-downs, a pair of sneakers, gym shorts and shirts, a DSLR camera, iPhone charger and Apple Watch charger and of course, several changes of undergarments.
To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.