Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Travel
  3. Evergreens

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Best Travel Backpacks for the Modern Nomad on Amazon

Backpacks are a great tool for organizing your daily essentials no matter where you’re headed. Depending on the destination, though, you’ll want to make sure you have sufficient carrying capacity and meet the appropriate requirements for getting through your travels free of worry. A nomadic lifestyle isn’t easy, but there is truly something special about living out of your bag and getting lost in a foreign wasteland of wonder, discovery, and whimsical self-betterment. To aid you in your travels, we put together a guide to finding the best travel backpack for traveling anywhere.

Whether you’re currently planning a backpacking trip or a long adventure across the country or overseas, a good travel sack is essential for carrying your clothes and gear. Not only should it allow you to easily transport your necessities with comfort, but the best travel backpack will also be crafted with ideal weight, size, and specifications to make sure each of your adventures ends in success and fulfillment.

Recommended Videos

We also realize that selecting a travel backpack isn’t the most straightforward process. Every traveler has their own necessities, itinerary, and budget to adhere to when it comes to considering their options. In lieu of this, we decided to keep our scope narrow and select only the best travel backpack options for withstanding weeks to months of travel, from the concrete jungle to the great outdoors.

Osprey Packs Farpoint 40 Men’s Travel Backpack

Osprey Packs Farpoint 40 Men's Travel Backpack
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Santa Cruz, California’s outdoor manufacturer, Osprey, has long been one of our favorite backpack brands. In fact, all of Osprey’s travel backpacks are highly serviceable and are some of the most popular you can buy. The brand knows a thing or two about good, thoughtful design, which is why this carry-on travel backpack is equipped with a front-loading design for added storage room, superior comfort via its LightWire frame suspension, and versatile durability that feels at home for urbanites and explorers alike.

Features:

  • Ultra-light and super spacious
  • Frame suspension enhances comfort
  • Features a heavily packable, front-loading design
  • Built to handle up to 40 pounds of gear

Matein Travel Laptop Backpack

Matein Travel Laptop Backpack
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Matein’s water-resistant travel pack is a large capacity carrier that still manages to qualify as a carry-on item. It doesn’t give you the spacial, front-loading design, but it still offers plenty of room to hold everything from a laptop, clothes, and grooming essentials, to shoes and work materials. The build is lightweight, making it easier to pack full without feeling weighed down, and it comes with padded shoulder straps and added back support to further enhance its comfort. And if you’re still not convinced, the bag is equipped with an external USB port so you can charge your phone on the go and always know where you’re headed. Unless you don’t want to know, because we’re all for that, too.

Features:

  • Large capacity for added storage
  • Equipped with a theft-proof pocket for your passport, cell phone, etc.
  • TSA-friendly size and design
  • USB charging port access for the modern multi-function lifestyle

Witzman Men Travel Backpack

Witzman Men Travel Backpack
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This vintage-styled duffel backpack is the perfect travel companion for a few different reasons. Adding to its darn good looks, this rucksack is crafted with a high-quality cotton canvas and PU leather exterior that’s as intriguing to the eye as it is to the brain. The bag is offered in two different sizes depending on your needs, with features including three carrying options for added versatility (backpack, duffel bag, shoulder bag), a large main compartment with pockets for a laptop and other essentials, as well as durable craftsmanship to ensure longevity. If you’re looking for a great travel backpack that also looks good, look no further.

Features: 

  • Utterly stylish and yet a practical travel pack
  • Offers three carrying options for different scenarios and preferences
  • Boasts padded, mesh shoulder straps that breathe easy and feel great
  • Backed by a one-year warranty and lifetime warranty for the shoulder strap

American Stoic Sophrosune Carry On Luggage Backpack

American Stoic Sophrosune Carry On Luggage Backpack
Image used with permission by copyright holder

American Stoic offers cost-effective bags that are designed to not waste space and devotes its attention to utility and comfort over luxurious details. Its carry-on-friendly travel backpack is perfect for those traveling solo or with minimal gear, as it’s packed with a padded laptop sleeve and a heap of other spacious pockets to safely store your essentials. It boasts a water-repellent and abrasion-resistant exterior for outdoor excursions and features a side handle to allow it to be carried like a traditional duffel bag for added versatility.

Features:

  • A no-frill, compact design
  • Durable enough for urban dwellers and outdoor explorers
  • Designed with carry-on capability for easy travel and transport
  • Can be carried as a duffel bag or travel backpack
Bryan Holt
Former Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Bryan Holt is a writer, editor, designer, and multimedia storyteller based in Portland, Oregon. He is a graduate from the…
Inside Gordon Ramsay’s spectacular new London restaurant in the sky
From skyline views to Gordon's famous fried chicken, Lucky Cat delivers on every level
City, Urban, Metropolis

I'm not saying Gordon Ramsay is the reason I booked a dinner reservation in London.

But after my partner and I binged Being Gordon Ramsay on Netflix earlier this year, visiting Lucky Cat suddenly shot to the top of our list.

Read more
London has no shortage of rooftop bars. Florattica still stands out
This East London rooftop bar proves you don't need to be 50 floors up to impress
Bar, Person, Candle

London does not need another rooftop bar. The city has them stacked on top of skyscrapers, tucked behind hotel lobbies, and squeezed onto buildings where you'd swear there isn't room for a bar, let alone a view. So when a new one claims to be worth your evening, it has some convincing to do.

Florattica, perched on the 11th floor of Canopy by Hilton London City, did the convincing. It just recently picked up its first PIN from The Pinnacle Guide, and after a night spent working through its cocktail menu (slowly, responsibly, mostly), it's easy to see why.

Read more
Inside The Londoner: The luxury hotel that’s worth splurging on in London
Why London's luxury super boutique hotel is worth the splurge
Accessories, Bag, Handbag

Luxury hotels promise a lot. Beautiful rooms, impeccable service, incredible restaurants, over-the-top amenities. Sometimes they live up to the hype. Other times, you leave wondering what exactly earned them five stars in the first place.

The Londoner had me convinced before I even made it to the check-in desk.

Read more