best backpack

1. School is back in full swing, which means that for anyone who doesn't have kids or isn't in college, it's a great time to travel, too. Whether you're after the best laptop backpack to carry around campus or a water repellent bag that's a good fit for getting you through the work week and then through a weekend away, you'll find it here. If you're not traveling or a student, or a traveling student, and need to carry a backpack for work or a daily commute, there are options here for those, too. I've spent countless hours walking city streets, commuting and traveling with these backpacks to see how they hold up and how useful their individual designs and features are. And if you don't find the best laptop backpack for you in this list, hit the gallery at the end for more options. I will continue to test out new bags, so if you've got a favorite that belongs on this list, let me know in the comments. And note that CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of some of the products in this guide. The Icon backpack is a favorite for its understated style and huge carry capacity (and well-padded shoulder straps for carrying it all comfortably). most comfortable backpack for travel Incase updated the bag with weather and abrasion-resistant fabric called Woolenex. It feels somewhat like cotton, but it's lightweight and has the high-tensile strength of ballistic nylon. The bag is otherwise the same as the original. Four separate sections give you space for up to a 15.6-inch laptop and a tablet, plus one for flat files and another loaded with pockets for all your accessories. While water bottle/umbrella storage is absent on the outside, there is certainly room inside. One of my favorite features, besides the shoulder straps, is the zippered pocket compartments at the base of each strap. The right side has a charging cable pass-through so you can keep a power bank in there to charge your cell phone while you're wearing the stylish bag. See it on Incase. As a commuter going between New York and New Jersey, my carry needs can change daily. There are also essentials that rarely change -- keys, transit tickets, headphones, etc. -- that I need fast access to as well as being able to get to my business laptop in the cramped confines of a train seat. The Scope is the best laptop backpack that nails these needs. The water-resistant backpack is broken into three main storage compartments: A small organizational section in front, a side-loading waterproof 15-inch laptop compartment in the back and a spacious storage space in between. But that center section can be expanded by releasing magnetic side compression straps and opening a zippered gusset on top. The extra space gives you room for carrying a change of clothes and a pair of shoes or even a bike helmet. Don't need the space? Zip up the gusset and fasten down the compression straps and you're done.

2. Dual stretch side pockets provide room for carrying an umbrella and a water bottle, and Timbuk2 even put a bottle opener on the shoulder strap for when you're extra thirsty. A front zippered compartment with an internal mesh pocket and the key leash rounds things out. It doesn't get much more simple than Ogio's smallest Alpha Convoy bag. Lightweight, durable and made from water-resistant material, it has just a zipper pocket in front and one large compartment. There is a large laptop pocket inside as well as a single drop pocket and pen holder, but that's it. However, if you do need more storage there are a couple of MOLLE straps on the front to attach things to or consider stepping up to the Convoy 320, which gives you a lot more organization inside and out. No matter how nice-looking a backpack is, it can still make you look like a 12-year-old at the office. With a clean design and a combination of 1050 denier ballistic nylon and leather accents, the Pro best travel backpack for Europe Executive is a stylish laptop case and office-friendly adult backpack. Four external pockets keep your everyday essentials organized while two large main compartments give you room for everything from a change of clothes to a 15-inch laptop (though a newer slim 17-inch laptop will fit). The golden interior works as a light to help you find what you're looking for fast. And like Waterfield's Air Porter shoulder bag, the nylon, and leather Pro Exec stays upright when you put it down. The stylish laptop backpack can be paired with Waterfield's Executive Folio, which is like a slim briefcase to take you from meeting to meeting. Or consider the company's Bolt backpack instead, which is a slimmer, streamlined pack that's better for a daily commute. Hate it when your phone runs low on power? The $165 Lifepack Solar 2.0 has a removable front panel that houses a 10,000mAh power bank good for up to five phone charges. A cable routed through the bag runs from the battery to a USB port in an external zippered side pocket, so your phone is still handy even while you charge. You can choose between a 10,000mAh power bank that comes with or without a built-in Bluetooth speaker. Each has a small solar panel charging port that slowly tops off its charge when not in use or can charge your phone in about four hours. The solar charging is far from the only feature, though. Though much of the bag's design remains the same as the original one launched on Kickstarter in 2016, the solar batteries and bag components have all been improved. There are two main storage compartments: One for your tech, which includes a suspended padded sleeve to protect it from drops, and other bulky items and a slightly smaller organizational section at the front. There are hidden pockets on the fronts of the shoulder straps as well as in the bottom of the back padding. The straps are comfortable, too, although there's no sternum strap to help with weight. To keep your stuff safe -- whether it's on or off your back -- this anti-theft backpack has an upgraded integrated retractable cable combination lock. And one last detail about this bag and Solgaard: The interior lining is made from recycled plastic bottles, and with every bag purchased the company helps remove 5 pounds of plastic from oceans. If you like clean, streamlined designs and bags that can shrink or grow depending on your needs on any given day, best business travel backpack you'll appreciate the Everyday Backpack. Peak Design got its start making camera accessories, which shows in the bags design and features like its origami-inspired removable dividers, but the stylish backpack is great even if you're not a photographer. Large zippered side panels give you easy access to everything inside regardless of where it is in the bag. Each side panel has separate zippered storage areas for accessories and a slim padded laptop compartment is accessible through a zipper at the top. It will snugly hold up to a 15-inch MacBook Pro. All the zippers are weather-sealed and the fabric is water-repellent, and a magnetic latch system lets you expand or shrink the top of the bag, so you can fill it to the top and still secure everything inside. External side pockets and hidden straps give you more storage on the outside.