Best Carry-On Travel Backpacks (2020)

Are you looking for a carry-on that’s ideal for one-bag travel, letting you save you money on airline check-in fees? Or do you just need a carry-on that’s perfect as a companion pack to your regular luggage?

Then you’ve come to the right place!

I’ve been reviewing backpacks for years now. I’ve been able to test many dozens of carry-on backpacks first-hand, leading me to shortlist a number of favorites that I think most people will love.

Of course, not everyone needs a carry-on backpack for the same reasons. A frequent business traveler is clearly going to want something different from a student heading off to backpack around Europe. That’s why I’ve included some versatile all-rounders as well as some more specialized bags.

Do keep in mind that carry-on size limits are not strictly standardized across every airline. Some lower-tier airlines use their own weird size restrictions. For example, RyanAir in Europe can have different restrictions from most other airlines.

That said, the backpacks on this page all conform to generally accepted carry-on size norms.

Elsewhere, I also have a guide on how to travel light with some neat tips on how to pack efficiently and minimally.

Note: this buyer’s guide is fully independent, i.e. no sponsorships of any kind.

Best general carry-on backpacks

Top pick Tortuga Setout

Tortuga Setout is the best all-purpose carry-on backpack that I’ve come across. This 45-liter pack has a clamshell design, giving you easy access to all your stuff. You will also find a ton of handy pockets and organizers inside.

The Setout is clearly designed to be a versatile tool, making it easy to recommend for any type of trip. If you’re using it mainly for urban or air travel, then that’s great! But if you want to take this on a more adventurous trip, then it’s equally suited for that as well.

The harness of the Setout is kind of a big deal for a travel bag. It has thick comfy straps, a back panel with proper padding and ventilation space, and even a hip belt with two spacious zipped pockets for quick access. (This is a feature normally found on trekking bags. But if you don’t like it, you can detach it.) A laptop or tablet compartment sits in the back, which is ideally placed for load balancing. On the side it has a large mesh bottle holder, which could also hold a small tripod.

A grey heathered material on the outside and a white interior make the Setout quite stylish as well — though without screaming “tourist” or drawing needless attention. The main material is 900 denier polyester which has a water-resistant coating.

Again, this bag is all about versatility. If you don’t want to carry it as a backpack, you can detach the harness and attach a shoulder strap. Ta-da: it’s now a duffel bag!

The Tortuga Setout currently retails for $199 (via Tortuga’s online shop), and I think in this price category it’s the best carry-on backpack you can get. You can also read my in-depth review here.

View at Tortuga

 

 

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Osprey Farpoint 40

The Farpoint 40 is one of the most popular backpacks around, and often seen in backpacker hostels all over the world. I myself traveled around South America and Asia with one of these continuously for two years. The Farpoint 40 is designed to be lightweight and budget-friendly, though I do think it also lacks a few clever organizational features found on other bags. I recommend adding some packing cubes to improve the internal organization.

The big selling point of the Farpoint 40 is its fully padded harness. This means the Farpoint 40 is comfortable enough to wear for extended periods of time, making it more than just a transit bag. This is why it’s popular with backpackers who may need to walk around town to find a place to stay or hike up to a hostel in the countryside. I even took it trekking in the Himalayas for a week and had no issues (even though it is not really a trekking backpack).

The design is quite appealing, though I do feel the internal lime green color is a bit over-the-top (apparently this makes it easier to find things, but I don’t know if this is worth it!). It uses a mix of 600D and 210D nylon which is fine, though these lighter materials might not quite satisfy the most hardcore travelers. The Farpoint 40 is best suited for light packers and for hostel-style travel.

The Farpoint 40 comes in S/M and M/L editions. As of 2017, there’s also the Osprey Fairview 40, which is the exact same bag but with a women’s specific fit and a different color.

View at Osprey

Osprey Porter 46

 

The Porter 46 is a duffel-style bag that also has a harness, allowing you to carry it as a backpack. It’s made of thicker material than the Farpoint 40 and has padded foam walls that stand up when empty. It has plenty of side-pockets and a built-in travel organizer. I think its harness is not quite as good or well-padded as other backpacks reviewed here, though it still makes for a good general purpose carry-on bag. It excels mostly with its great organizational features and neat protective shell.

The Porter 46 seems ideal for urban and air travel. If you’re going on very long or outdoorsy adventures, I would suggest getting a bag with a more advanced harness like the Farpoint 40 or Tortuga Setout. You can read my full review here.

View at Osprey

 

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Best duffel-style carry-ons

Peak Design Duffel 35L

If you’re looking for an affordable duffel carry-on bag then this is easily my top choice. I reviewed this and used it as a weekend bag for a while, before I got into the (admittedly pricier) Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack.

In terms of space, it offers one big main compartment that you can fill as you see fit. On the sides are a couple of sleeves and pouches for smaller items. But the Peak Design Duffel 35L is a fairly no-frills design, intended for quick packing and easy carry. At 35 liters, it is fully suitable for carry-on travel.

You can also wear this duffel as a backpack using the fully stowable straps. I’ve found this to be comfortable enough for short periods of time (for example to get to your gate at the airport), but don’t expect the comfort level to be that of a dedicated backpack.

At around $130, this is a great budget option while still having all the high-quality materials and production that Peak Design is known for.

 

Standard Luggage Co. Carry-On

 

This carry-on bag by Canadian manufacturer Standard Luggage Co. is also capable of being used as a backpack or as a duffel bag using a shoulder strap that’s included. This backpack has some great design touches that make it stand out from the rest. I like the color accents that are used, which can be changed between orange and blue (both are included).

The suspension system is deliberately kept a little basic in order to make it fully stowable, though it does include an adjustable sternum strap, two padded straps, and a nicely padded back. The bag has loads of storage spaces. The most notable pocket is the laptop compartment, which is better than I’ve seen in many other backpacks. You can put your precious laptop inside a protective sleeve, which in turn is held vertically by two straps, and this harness, in turn, sits inside the back compartment. Your electronics will be highly protected inside.

Osprey Transporter 40

Best for expeditions, storing climbing gear, sports equipment, etc.

 

This bag is not a race car nor an SUV; it’s a tank. Made of laminated 840D nylon and double-coated for weather-resistance, it’s designed to be a workhorse.

No, it doesn’t come with a laptop compartment or side pockets or little spaces to keep your pens or keys or whatnot. It’s not that kind of bag. It just gives you one big storage space with four big carry handles and a stowable backpack harness.

It’s designed to be thrown around and you can trust it to keep your gear secure and protected from the elements. It can certainly be carried on your back, but it would be equally at home in the back of a pickup truck or in a garage or on a boat. If you need to carry any sporting gear or expedition gear, this is your best bet.

View at Osprey

 

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Best premium carry-on backpacks

Top Choice Tortuga Outbreaker 45

Best for long-term travelers. 

The Peak Design 45L is my personal favorite premium backpack (by which I mean, my favorite among pricier backpacks using higher-quality materials and features).

Honestly, it’s close to perfect. Using it just feels good. All the little touches — like the magnetic pouches, hidden straps, and clever storage spaces — create a totally fluid experience.

Despite having lots of features, the Peak Design 45L doesn’t feel too cramped or overly heavy. This is in contrast to the Nomatic 40L or the Tortuga Outbreaker, for example, which feel very sturdy but are not as accessible as the Peak Design.

Its sturdy 400D nylon shell holds its shape when unloaded. The default capacity is 35L, staying well within any airline carry-on size limits, but it can expand to up to 45L. You can also read my full review here.

View at Peak Design

 

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Nomatic 40L Travel Bag

Ideal for businesspeople & digital nomads

 

The result of a popular Kickstarter campaign, the Nomatic travel bag has a clean look and numerous ways to manage your items inside. I think it’s a great bag in particular for business travelers and city-hopping digital nomads, as it invites you to pack minimally with just your laptop + electronics and a few neatly organized clothing essentials.

And yep, it is ridiculously clever and innovative. You’ll find way more packing features on the Nomatic Travel Bag than virtually any other backpack. You can even pimp it with optional accessories like a laundry bag, shirt organizer, toiletry bag, and vacuum compression bag — all designed to work as one integrated system.

The only downsides are its price and the potential for its design to be overkill for a casual traveller. The materials used are sturdy and durable, but an adventurous backpacker may want something a bit lighter or flexible. That said, I think this is a bag designed especially for the professional traveller.

With the added accessories it’s the perfect hotel/city backpack, thanks to the shirt organizer that keeps shirts wrinkle-free, the laundry bag (which you can hang on your hotel room door), the shoe compartment, compression bag, and so on.

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