What is the Best Travel Backpack for Budget Travelers?

If you’re tired of dealing with the stress of checking bags or dragging a bulky carry-on suitcase around airports, a carry-on backpack might be just what you need. Practical, functional, and easy to use, these backpacks can hold up to a week’s worth of clothes—depending on how well you pack. Whether you’re backpacking across Europe or heading out on a weekend trip, a carry-on backpack can make your travel experience smoother and more enjoyable.

We tested 90 carry-on backpacks through more than seven different tests in our New York City lab, including using a real airplane set with actual plane seats and overhead bins. After that, we took each backpack on a variety of trips over six months to see how they performed. Here are our top picks.

Best Overall: Cotopaxi Travel Pack

Why We Love It
This backpack is spacious, durable, water-resistant, and comfortable to wear—even when it’s packed full.

What to Consider
It’s one of the largest backpacks on our list, so it likely won’t fit under an airplane seat, only in the overhead bin.

Overview
Cotopaxi is known for its colorful outdoor gear and sustainable practices, and this travel pack is no exception. The 42L Travel Pack is an upgrade from its 35L version, with a larger capacity and better features. The pack includes durable materials, improved weight distribution, air mesh shoulder straps, a luggage pass-through strap, and an exterior water bottle pocket.

I personally tested this pack in our Travel + Leisure lab and found it to be very manageable to carry, thanks to the supportive straps and a new hip belt. While it’s on the heavier side, it’s much easier to move through an airport than a wheeled suitcase. Inside, it has a clamshell opening with mesh zippered pockets, smaller zippered compartments for quick-access items like your passport or phone, and a padded laptop compartment. While it could use a few more organizational features inside, I was able to pack enough for a five-day trip with room to spare.

Details

• 42 liters
• 22 x 14 x 11 inches
• 3.1 pounds
• Water-resistant TPU-coated 1000D polyester and 840D ballistic nylon
• 15-inch laptop sleeve

Also Read: Which Travel Duffel Bag is most recommended by Frequent Travelers?

Best With Packing Cubes: Asenlin 40L Travel Backpack

Why We Love It
It’s roomy and comes with three packing cubes to help you stay organized on the go.

What to Consider
After six months of use, the bag showed some noticeable scratches.

Overview
If you’re on a budget, the Asenlin 40L Travel Backpack offers great value. It’s comfortable to wear and comes with packing cubes in small, medium, and large sizes to help keep your clothes and essentials organized. The bag also includes a suitcase strap and a handle to hold it horizontally, making it easy to carry or slide onto a roller suitcase’s handle.

The design isn’t as flashy as some more expensive options, but it’s still durable and functional. Plus, you can wear it as a backpack, hold it like a briefcase, or use the trolley sleeve. A more adjustable chest strap would be nice, but overall, this budget pick is a solid choice for those who need a comfortable, spacious carry-on backpack.

Details

• 40 liters
• 18.5 x 12.5 x 9.5 inches
• 2.7 pounds
• Polyester
• 17-inch laptop sleeve

Also Read: What are the Best Travel Bags Under $50?

Best Expandable: Nomatic Travel Pack

Why We Love It
The expandable zippers add an extra 3.5 inches of space, increasing the capacity to 30 liters.

What to Consider
Some of the pockets may feel unnecessary.

Overview
The Nomatic Travel Pack is incredibly versatile, thanks to its expandable zippers that give you an extra 10 liters of space. This backpack is perfect for a weekend getaway or overnight trip. It has a variety of pockets and compartments to keep your shoes, clothes, accessories, and gadgets organized. While the number of pockets may seem overwhelming at first, it’s ideal for travelers who like to stay super organized.

The padded shoulder straps and comfortable handles make it easy to carry, and the small-to-medium size of the pack makes it feel lightweight and compact. We tested this bag on multiple international trips, and despite some rough handling, it still looks brand new.

Details

• 20 liters (expands to 30 liters)
• 18.5 x 12 x 6-9.5 inches
• 4.16 pounds
• Nylon and polyester
• 14-inch laptop sleeve

Also Read: How do I Find a Lightweight Yet Spacious Backpack for Adventures?

Our Testing Process

We tested over 90 carry-on backpacks in our New York City lab to ensure we selected only the best options. We even created a set that mimics a real airplane, complete with plane seats and overhead bins, to get a realistic idea of how each backpack would perform. After the lab tests, we sent the backpacks on real-world trips for up to six months, gathering feedback from travelers.

For capacity, we packed the bags with typical items like shirts, pants, a jacket, shoes, and toiletries, plus a dummy laptop if the bag had a laptop sleeve. We also rated the design based on how easy it was to use the zippers, buckles, and compartments. Comfort was tested by walking around with the backpack for 10 minutes, while durability was tested by throwing the bags or dropping them from a height.

After these tests, we gave each backpack an unbiased rating based on its overall performance, considering both quality and price. We continue to update this guide with new insights as we gather more feedback from real-world use.