The Best Laptop Backpacks for Work, Travel, and Everything Between (2026)

Though I’ve been working from home for the past 15 years, both freelance and full-time, this often means needing to be available 24/7, so I typically carry my laptop everywhere I go—including sports practices, day trips, and vacations. I have used many laptop backpacks in this time, and the dividing line between a work backpack that’s comfortable and fits seamlessly into your daily routine and one that’s aggravating at every turn is a fine one. If you’ve got limited closet space, it also helps if the backpack can pull double duty and be used for travel and/or hiking. The backpacks below are ones either I or another WIRED reviewer have used extensively in real life, taking on planes, hiking trails, vacations, and work trips. For more bag and backpack recommendations, Bag Check features WIRED staffers’ favorite totes, sleeves, and packs. For more portable gear, check out our guides to the Best Wireless Chargers, Best Bluetooth Trackers, and Best Travel Adapters. Updated September 2026: I've added the Paramount Daypack Lite 20L and the Navigator Backpack to my main picks. I've also included the Eagle Creek Tour Lite Travel Pack, North Face Base Camp Voyager Pro, Bagsmart Moss Backpack, Brown Buffalo Conceal Pack, and GoRuck G1 to our honorable mentions list. Featured Products Best Laptop Bag I took this backpack on a weeklong work trip, where I bitched about it endlessly to everyone who would listen. However, I must fairly and objectively conclude that this bag offers tremendous value for the money. It's a light, attractive, rucksack-style backpack that's sleek and understated enough for work, and it's under $120. The 27-liter capacity accommodated enough gear for a full day's worth of travel, from a scarf for the plane to a water bottle, snacks, and other in-flight accouterments. It has a slim profile and lies close to your back, so it's not hard to carry and won't swing into people on the subway. The pockets are very minimal—just an exterior laptop pocket, an interior tablet sleeve, an interior zip pocket, and two large catch-all pockets—but they work if you already put your belongings in pouches anyway. Certain design elements just felt cheap. I didn't like the curved zipper that gives you access to the main compartment—zippers that don't run straight are doomed to get stuck. One of the catch-all pockets is annoyingly located on the cover flap, where anything inside will flap and bang around. The luggage pass-through is a bare piece of webbing. However, it all works: it's light, affordable, and looks nice. The fabric is also water-resistant, so you can wear it in the rain! For most people, that's all that really matters. —Adrienne So | Capacity | 27 liters | | Weight | Not stated | | Materials | 100 percent recycled plastic | | Laptop size | Can fit a 15-inch laptop | | Warranty | None; 30-day returns | Best Laptop Bag for Commuting Thule's newest addition to its already solid backpack lineup was made specifically for schlepping gear to and from work on a daily basis, and it shows. The silhouette is sleek and aerodynamic, making it suitable for bike commuting (there's even a loop on the front to attach a bike light), and it's just big enough for a laptop, several notebooks, and maybe a jacket without feeling too big or bulky. The water bottle holder on the side is stretchy for a variety of sizes. I also love the amount of organization inside for smaller things like pens and notebooks (the flap folds down for access to the interior, too, so you can access these things next to your desk), as well as the hidden yet easily accessible small pocket under the flap for wallet, keys, and phone. It's not the roomiest pack, so you're not carrying gym gear in this or taking it on an overnight trip, but if you're just going to and from the office with basics and a laptop, this is the most well-engineered option I've tried. | Capacity | 20 liters | | Weight | Not stated | | Materials | Weather-resistant nylon | | Laptop size | Can fit a 16-inch laptop | | Warranty | Limited lifetime | Best Laptop Bag for Travel Aer has a lock on the tech-minimalist aesthetic with its no-frills, black Cordura bags; this is the larger version of the popular City Pack. Though there is a newer version of the Travel Pack—the Travel Pack 4 is supposedly more streamlined—my husband and I have both been using this bag constantly for two years and have zero complaints, which is rare. It's also still in pristine condition, despite going on at least 10 work trips between the two of us. Any backpack need you might have, the Travel Pack can probably cover it, from hiking to one-bag travel. The front zip pocket has built-in organization for all your pens, cords, and notebooks, and the main compartment opens clamshell-style for packing cubes or gym gear. It covers all the bases without feeling too fiddly. However, note it's not the lightest pack and would likely be frustratingly bulky for commuters. | Capacity | 35 liters | | Weight | 4.12 lbs | | Materials | 1680-denier Cordura ballistic nylon | | Laptop size | Can fit a 16-inch laptop | | Warranty | Lifetime | Best Minimalist Laptop Bag I have never received as many approving comments on a backpack as I have when I tested this one on a three-day work trip (I was told by three people in a day that I sold them on it). It's a good-looking, structured bag with vegan leather accents and gigantic padded back panels and padded shoulder straps. There are little details like vegan leather pull tabs on the interior pockets, so you're not fumbling around for the pocket opening (I have never had this problem, but you do you). The fabric is also waterproof, and you can buy optional accessories like a rain cover. I really liked the interior organization—for example, the padded, suspended tech pocket has two pockets, one for your laptop and one for your iPad or Kindle. However, all those padded panels and good-looking accents come at a price—this bag is disproportionately heavy. I couldn't go on a 20-minute bike ride without stopping to give my shoulders a break. Other details seem like they were designed by aliens who had never seen backpacks before. My tiny 18-ounce Owala tips right out of the water bottle pocket because its lip slants forward. The capacity is surprisingly small for how bulky it is, and a 100-percent plastic backpack just should not cost $249. However, everyone else loves this backpack, so here it is. —Adrienne So | Capacity | 22 liters | | Weight | 2.69 lbs | | Materials | 100 percent recycled polyester with plastic accents | | Laptop size | Can fit a 17-inch laptop | | Warranty | 5 years | Best Trendy Laptop Bag Given that Comfrt is primarily known for its viral “airplane mode” hoodies, I was impressed with this au courant puffy backpack’s finish and construction for the price. (Though note there's no warranty, just a 30-day return policy.) My teen son has been testing it now for about three weeks, packing it to the gills and throwing it into his locker and on the ground for after-school sports. Though it looks like it might be fragile, the water-resistant polyester exterior still has nary a scratch or tear. The straps are well-padded, the laptop compartment in the back is lined with a minky fabric, and there's a hidden pocket for valuables. It's also got a luggage pass-through and two generously sized pockets on either side for water bottles or whatever else (my son keeps a Shark ChillPill in one). Best yet, this pack fits far more than it seems like it will at 25 liters—more than some of the similar-sized backpacks on this list. It's perfect for high school or college students who need to pack in textbooks as well as incidentals and gym clothes. Color options include black (shown), navy, espresso, and pink. | Capacity | 25 liters | | Weight | Not stated | | Materials | Polyester | | Laptop size | Can fit a 16-inch laptop | | Warranty | None; 30 days | Best Camera Bag Gear editor Julian Chokkattu tests dozens of camera bags, and this roll-top model is his all-time favorite. It's a 2025 update to Wandrd's popular Prvke (pronouned "provoke") line, adding zippered access to the rolltop, a larger side-access opening, and more internal organization. Julian likes that it never feels cramped like other camera bags. He also recommends pairing it with Wandrd's Essential Camera Cube (Photo Bundle) to get the most out of it. The straps and back are well padded, and he's been comfortable carrying it for hours. Best Laptop Bag for Organization The pockets on the front of this burly, workhorse are so versatile and accessible—five exterior organizational pockets, where most backpacks have one or two. You can access the laptop pocket from either the interior of the backpack or the side. There are internal compression straps, so you can tie things down or organize them inside the bag. It's made from PFC-free, Bluesign-certified, recycled, high-denier ballistic nylon. There are lots of thoughtful design details; for example, the water bottle pocket is in the center of the bag, and not the side, so carrying a full water bottle doesn't give you scoliosis after a long day. The zippers are YKK coil zippers, instead of toothed ones, so they don't get stuck or tear at your knuckles if you drag them against the zipper while rummaging around. I have two complaints, which is that the backpack itself is slightly too tall for the luggage pass-through to work with my carry-on. The handle doesn't extend all the way through the pass-through. Also, all this hardware and sewing comes at a price. It is heavy, and it's expensive. But it will last you forever. I have this pink one, and my spouse has a 10-year-old black Synik 22 that still looks brand-new. —Adrienne So | Capacity | 26 liters | | Weight | 2 lbs, 11 oz | | Materials | 620D ballistic nylon exterior, 210D nylon ripstop interior | | Laptop size | Can fit a 14–15-inch laptop | | Warranty | Lifetime | Retrofit an Existing Backpack WIRED's laptop expert, Luke Larsen, swears by this padded laptop sleeve if you don't need a full backpack or just want to add a bit more padding to your laptop (or multiple laptops). It's got plenty of room for accessories like a keyboard or laptop stand, and he was able to fit a power adapter and cable. He was able to barely fit the 16-inch size inside his Herschel laptop bag, but if you have a smaller laptop, the 14-inch size may be a better universal fit for most bags. | Capacity | n/a (11 × 14.6 × 1 in for the 16-inch size) | | Weight | 13.4 ounces | | Materials | Recycled polyester and nylon | | Laptop size | Can fit a 14- or 16-inch laptop | | Warranty | 3 years | More Laptop Bags We Like Eagle Creek Tour Lite Travel Pack for $159: This rugged yet lightweight pack features a lifetime warranty, a generously sized water bottle holder, a strap for carrying it horizontally, and one roomy clamshell-style compartment with compression straps. The laptop compartment is divided and well padded, and the beefy straps make the whole thing feel comfortable and well balanced. There just isn't enough organization to make it practical for work. The North Face Base Camp Voyager Pro Travel Pack for $203: As an unrepentant overpacker, I love the modular system this bag is a part of—you can attach the either the smaller 15-liter Voyager Pro Lightweight Pack ($80) or Voyager Pro Crossbody ($75) to the front via clips and MOLL-E webbing, and the Base Camp Voyager Travel Pouch ($30) to one of the front straps for easy access to phone, keys, and passport. I carried both configurations around a weekend-long soccer tournament and felt like a decorator crab. (In the best way.) I did, however, find the larger and smaller backpacks a bit too big and small, respectively, for work, and the fabric to be a bit stiff and unyielding for daily use—it's likely best kept to outdoor pursuits. Bagsmart Moss Backpack for $90: Another thoughtfully designed pack from Bagsmart, with the softest, minkiest laptop compartment of any pack I tested. It's on the smaller side, but I carried it for 4 miles full of groceries and felt nary a pinch or strain. The only issue I had was with the appearance—I thought it looked like something a college-aged girl would carry, but partway into my test period someone asked me if it was a little kids’ backpack, and now I can't unsee it. The Brown Buffalo Conceal Pack for $239: Streamlined and sleek with a Cordura exterior, this bag features two pockets lined with a Velcro-type material to which you can affix organizers (not included), or you can slip a laptop into either one. I used this pack to commute to and from the hospital where my husband was having surgery, and because there's no smaller zip pouch, I wished I had one of the “Mods" to hold my phone and keys. I also had mixed feelings about the water bottle holder being inside the backpack, though it does make for a less lopsided carry. GoRuck G1 for $395: This is WIRED operations manager Scott Gilbertson's do-anything, go-anywhere bag. He says it's the best backpack he's ever used and has been a trusty and versatile companion for the past three years. While it's made specifically for rucking, it's also got a laptop compartment, so you can tote your computer while you're marching up hills with other heavy things. Janji Revy Pack for $198: I was going to include this as my best running backpack, since one way you can sneak exercise into your day is if you run to and fro from your home to your workplace, kids' school, or coffee shop. However, this backpack sold out before I could write about it, so the hunt continues. —Adrienne So Away Commuter Backpack for $182: We very much like everything Away makes, from carry-on luggage to toiletry bags. This bag is attractive, water-resistant, and full of organized pockets; the hardware also feels premium. But $225 is steep, and we have other options with similar functionality for cheaper. —Adrienne So Cotopaxi Allpa Travel Pack Del Dìa for $230: WIRED senior innovation writer Jeremy White loves Cotopaxi's Allpa Travel Pack so much he wrote an entire paean to it, praising the ethical manufacturing practices and ability to fill it with packing cubes. (It's also got a padded laptop slot.) Able Carry Daily Backpack for $139: This pack is thin, so you can stuff it to the brim before it starts to get bulky. And stuff it full you can, because it has a pocket for everything. The Thirteen Daybag for $158 is similar but slightly smaller. —Adrienne So Laptop Bags to Avoid Mission Workshop Rhake for $435: This roll-top bag has a ton of pockets, and its two-layer weatherproof construction and Velcro closures keep the contents dry. But those pockets aren't easy or fast to access, it's heavy, and it's even pricier than when we first tried it (and rising). —Adrienne So Adventurist Classic Backpack for $65: This affordable, attractive backpack rings in at well under $100, and for every backpack purchased, 25 meals are donated to families across the United States. It's pretty much just a leather pouch that you wear on your back; however, the showy leather straps were annoying and useless. —Adrienne So Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that's too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.