How to Choose The Best Travel Daypack

What’s the best daypack for travel? While we’ve already discussed the best carry-on backpacks, these are for people who want to pack everything in one bag. One is your main luggage—a suitcase, duffel bag, or backpack—and the other is your daypack.

It’s a staple of everyday life, and it seamlessly transitions between exploring a new city, a short hike, or commuting to our favorite coworking space. A daypack is excellent for carrying a camera, laptop, map, headphones, and water bottle.

It’s easy to neglect the travel daypack, but it’s an item you should take the time to get right. After all, your favorite travel backpack or luggage will only be with you when you change locations, but a daypack can spend the whole day on your back while exploring a new city or deep in the jungle.

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The Best Daypack For Travel

These are our favorite travel daypacks for everyday use and navigating the urban streets. They won’t make you stand out like a sore thumb, and I find them more comfortable than their outdoor counterparts. The key detail of these daypacks for travel is their sleek design and stylish features. Modern-day travelers want to conquer pavement and airports, not mountains and hiking trails.

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Peak Design Everyday Backpack

MSRP: $259 | Weight: 3 lbs.| Capacities: 20, 30L

The Everyday Backpack is our favorite for travel, as it works well for both travel and everyday life. We love the gear we have from Peak Design, and it’s all exceptionally high quality. Their Everyday Backpack provides accessibility, organization, and quality we’ve seen in no other backpack.

It starts with the top access, which uses patented MagLatch technology, which is pretty nifty and makes for quick access. Access is not limited to the top, as both sides can open for quick access to your bag. You can organize the bag’s interior via padded sleeves, similar to a camera bag.

The side pocket also has additional pockets and storage, making it easy to organize. The tuckaway straps and integrated luggage carry system makes it easy to slip on top of a roller suitcase for travel. Adding a dedicated laptop sleeve for a tablet and documents completes it as a great daypack. One big negative of this pack is the price, as the sizeable 30L version is shy of $300.

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Nomatic Backpack

MSRP: $279 | Weight: 3 lbs. 10 oz.| Capacities: 24L

Nomatic is fairly new to the anti-theft backpack game, only getting started after raising over 5 million dollars on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. They claim to have created the “most functional travel bag ever!” Based on their design scheme, they might have.

They seem to have thought of everything with a roomy 40L bag, individual removable organization panels, headphone and charger cord pass-throughs, magnetic snap-back side pockets, and backpack-to-briefcase versatility.

It is a business/travel backpack with anti-theft features, such as RFID protection and lockable zippers, rather than being primarily called an anti-theft bag. It isn’t just great as an anti-theft backpack, but a general travel backpack.

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Pacsafe Venturesafe x30

MSRP: $180 | Weight: 2 lbs. 6.4 oz. | Capacities: 12L, 15L, 18L 24L, 30L, 40L, 45L

Most brands cater to world travelers and business-savvy tech lovers when it comes to anti-theft daypacks. Unfortunately, that can leave a large part of the spectrum underrepresented. What about outdoor enthusiasts who want the same peace of mind while hiking, climbing, or biking? 

Don’t worry; Pacsafe has you covered! Their VentureSafe x30 has combined all the comforts of a hiking pack – such as an aluminum-supported back frame, padded shoulder, hip, and chest straps, and a built-in rain cover that will keep your contents bone-dry when out in the elements. 

Now combine all this with slash-proof materials, lockable zippers, and even RFID protection, and you have a pack that gives you the best of both worlds! All of this in a stylish travel daypack makes for a winning combination. The Venturesafe comes in a wide range of sizes to suit your needs, from lightweight minimalist to full-time traveler.

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Patagonia Black Hole 25L

MSRP: $129 | Weight: 1 lb. 8 oz. | Capacities: 25L

Another one of those iconic best daypacks for travel. First things first, this pack is made by Patagonia, one of my favorite brands! Patagonia makes excellent quality gear and garments. Two years on the road, and I still have my Patagonia is showing minor wear signs. I continue to buy more of their products. Patagonia’s Black Hole is everything I have come to love about the company. It features a ripstop polyester with a water-resistant TPU laminate, making it waterproof and super rugged.

The pack has a great look. An inner padded pocket is inside to hold a laptop, making for a great bag in the city or out hiking in the woods. Another great feature is the daisy chain loops that allow for the attachment of a skateboard, yoga mat, or climbing gear. This travel daypack is a slam dunk, but some might not like the laminate materials look. Also, it lacks compartments in the interior for the organization of your gear.

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Thule Subterra Backpack

MSRP: $139 | Weight: 2lbs. 8 oz. | Capacities: 23L, 25L 30L, 34L, 40L

Another strong contender in the field of durability is the Thule Subterra backpack. Like Osprey, Thule focuses on products for intense adventure and backcountry use. This daypack is made to travel and keep your laptop secure and safe for the entire trip.

The padded laptop sleeve includes Thule’s SafeEdge Corner Protection, which beefs up the padding around the edges and corners of your device, where damage is most likely to occur. The treated heavy-duty nylon material contributes to its protection by keeping water at bay, and the additional valuables and tablet pockets also feature added padding.

We are also big fans of the quality of this bag, as it stands out against most backpacks. It’s a daypack designed for travel and everyday use that provides easy access to your gear, a handy side zipper, direct access to your laptop when needed, and a nice luggage sleeve to secure on a roller bag. This bag has many Peak Designs Everyday Backpack features at a fraction of the price. Also, if you want a more stylish version, it comes in a rolltop style.

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Topo Designs Rover Pack

MSRP: $129 | Weight: 1 lb. 4 oz. | Capacities: 20L

Topo Designs makes some great backpacks, including one of our favorite travel backpacks for European travel. The interior features a double zipper U-entry, one large compartment, a medium-sized compartment, two small pockets, and two mesh pockets. The interior features a padded laptop sleeve. A nice-sized compartment with pockets and a roll-top entry for the main compartment is on the front.

The exterior is heavy-duty nylon, and the bag uses robust zippers that are the best we’ve seen on a travel daypack, albeit a bit clunky. I really enjoy the style of this bag, and the heavy-duty nylon feels excellent in person and will likely handle travel very well.

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Herschel Classics Little America Travel Daypack

MSRP: $99 | Weight: 1 lb. 8 oz. | Capacities: 25L

You’ve seen this daypack before. Herschel makes the Little America Eco Pack, drawing inspiration from mountaineering bags back in the day. The classic look and simple design make it a perfect daypack.

No, this isn’t a heavy-duty travel daypack meant for the mountains, but with a great look and affordable price, we love the bag. However, the polyester exterior also performs well regarding water repellency and durability. It’s a bag that holds up well to regular daily use.

We also appreciate features like the drawstring top, laptop sleeve, and dual water bottle pockets. Its roomy interior lacks organization, but it does have a dedicated 15″ laptop sleeve. It’s an excellent choice for a more affordable daypack for travel.

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Timbuk2 Robin Pack

MSRP: $100 | Weight: 1 lb. 15.4 oz. | Capacities: 20L

Yet another contender for stylish yet functional travel laptop backpacks is the Timbuk2 Robin Pack. While Timbuk2 has made a name by allowing almost complete customization of its bags, the off-the-shelf Robin Pack has a sleek appearance loaded with features that secure its place on our top backpacks list.

The laptop-specific sleeve is heavily padded and easily unzips to lay flat and roll through TSA screenings. The rest of the pack’s pockets have organization and compartmentalization in mind; you’re provided with spots for chargers, phones, glasses, passports, and any other gear you’d like to carry. This is encased in durable and weather-resistant nylon to keep the rain out. Please note that this particular bag is on the smaller side and only fits 15″ laptops and smaller.

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Knack Medium Expandable Backpack

MSRP: $225 | Weight: 2 lbs. 11 oz. | Capacities: 27-39L

Regarding design, the Knack Expandable Backpack is one of my favorite travel backpacks and the best daypack for travel. The exterior and design of the pack are overwhelmingly positive. Compared to any other travel-specific bags I’ve looked at, it delivers high quality with excellent features.

This pack’s design is innovative. I’m impressed with the small layout’s organization, number of pockets, and ridiculous features. Serious kudos to the designers of this pack. It has some surprising features for its size, such as a secret compartment and water bottle holder capable of holding our large 18oz Hydroflask water bottles.

It’s not well suited for those on long trips, but if you’re making a quick city escape for a long weekend or week in a town like London or Paris, this pack would be a tremendous decision. Furthermore, it’s professional enough looking for business travel.

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Jansport Hatchet Backpack

MSRP: $60 | Weight: 1 lb. 6 oz. | Capacities: 28L

I love the design of Jansport’s Hatchet Backpack. It drew from outdoor gear influences to create a stylish backpack that looks great in a modern environment. The pack features one main compartment with a series of sleeves perfect for organizing a travel laptop, notepad, and headphones. Several pockets are perfect for stashing your accessories or a pen and notepad on the exterior. It’s not the best daypack for travel on this list, but it’s affordable and stylish, so it gets high marks.