5 Best Laptop Backpacks for Travel

When it comes to buying a travel backpack for your laptop, you need to check a few things before you hit the Buy button. For one, it should be able to accommodate the laptop effortlessly. And at the same time should be durable to shield it from accidental falls and bumps. More importantly, a travel backpack for a laptop should have enough room to accommodate other essential items such as phone chargers, books, wallets, power banks, and of course, the laptop’s power adapter.

6 Best Laptop Backpacks for Travel

Apart from that, you’ll also want your laptop backpack to be weather resistant, not to mention lightweight and comfortable to carry. Long list, right?

If you want the right travel backpack for your laptop, here are our best recommendations. But first,

1. Nomatic Travel Backpack

  • Capacity: 30-liter

Nomatic’s travel backpack is a premium, low-profile backpack. It comes with a magnetic pocket for the water bottle and bundles around 20 pockets, a padded laptop compartment, and a cord passthrough. It is made with weatherproof materials to ensure the insides remain safe from water damage.

The laptop compartment has decent padding and is likely to protect it from bumps and falls. Interestingly, the compartment opens up clamshell-style, thereby giving you ample room to take your laptop out. Another interesting add-on is the back panel. The back panel has a small channel to maintain airflow.

As noted earlier, there are several pockets, and these let you organize your belongings effortlessly. There is a dedicated hard-shell sunglass pocket. Moreover, the magnetic pocket for the water bottle ensures that the bag preserves its low-profile look when the pocket is not in use.

It’s durable, and the rubbery surface makes for a better grip. At the same time, the YKK zippers are durable than some of their peers like Zoom zippers.

That said, it’s not without its issues. For example, the bag is a bit unwieldy to carry when it’s filled to its brim. Nevertheless, if you want to invest in a premium laptop backpack, this Nomatic pack is a good choice.

2. Incase ICON Backpack With Woolenex

  • Capacity: Up to 16-inch laptop

If you need a backpack that can survive both rain and snow, then you can’t go wrong with the Incase ICON Backpack With Woolenex (Yep, that’s the name!). The Woolenex material ensures that water and snow will bead and roll off from the bag’s exterior. It has a clever design and comes with an array of pockets and a padded laptop compartment.

The outer shell of this backpack is rigid and strong and is designed to protect the content at all costs. It has its limitation. For example, you can’t just stow this bag under your seat or in any random corner, all thanks to the rigid outer shell.

On the upside, the ICON backpack bundles several pockets (total 9), and you can carry your share of pens, smartphones, headphones, among others. More importantly, the laptop compartment is lined with a soft material that prevents any untoward scratches or marks on the laptop.

The only demit of this bag is the absence of a bottle pocket. Nevertheless, it’s durable, has ample storage space, and boasts of solid construction. If you are looking for a travel backpack that will last you years, the ICON backpack will have your back.

3. TIMBUK2 Authority Laptop Backpack

  • Capacity: 15 to 17-inch laptop

If you spend a considerable time traveling, the Timbuk2 Authority backpack will be your best bet. Timbuk2 is known for its durable products, and the Authority is no different. It brings an ample amount of storage space and a clean design to the table. The straight lines give this backpack an elegant look.

As you may have expected, this bag is also water-resistant. As per the folks at Life Wire, it performs well and repels water easily.

It has all the necessary features in place and even packs in a sternum strap for easy carrying. Some of the pockets are lined with elastic gussets to keep the contents from slipping out.

The padded laptop compartment is big enough to house a 17-inch laptop. However, if you have a big gaming laptop, you might find it a bit challenging to fit it in the slim compartment.

Other than that, it boasts of durable construction, and users are happy with its travel-friendly build, durability, and water-resistant nature.

4. SwissGear Scansmart Laptop Backpack

  • Capacity: 17-inch laptop

The SwissGear Scansmart Laptop Backpack is affordable and looks chic. It has a versatile appearance with a reinforced handle, separate compartments for tablet and laptop, and padded shoulder straps. The front pocket lets you store bus/train passes, pens, and smartphone chargers.

The reinforced handle is a clever add-on since it allows you to maintain the grip even when you fill the bag to its maximum capacity. Like the Nomatic travel backpack, the Scansmart also has a clamshell-like design for its laptop compartment.

Beyond that, it lets you carry plenty of your stuff—from books and papers to pens and smartphones, you can carry them all. At the same time, the zippers are big, which makes it easy to open the compartments when you are in a hurry. Plus, the padded shoulder straps add a touch of comfort.

However, the bag becomes a tad bulky when filled up. Plus, it tends to tip forward. It is not waterproof, and you may need to invest in a protective cover when traveling. The SwissGear Scansmart has been accepted well by its user base and has more than 18,000 user reviews to its credit on Amazon.

5. Matein Travel Laptop Backpack

  • Capacity: 15.6-inch laptop

The Matein Travel Laptop Backpack is one of the affordable and popular products on the list. This backpack is comfortable to carry and has a weight capacity of around 34-liters. This makes it great to carry your laptop and other items like books, notebooks, chargers, adapters, etc.

One of the highlights of this laptop backpack is its USB charger port. No kidding! So if you need to charge your smartphone (in your hand), you can easily connect your power bank to this charging port and charge your phone with it.

Like any backpack, it also comes with its share of mesh pockets and sleeves. And yes, you also get your hands on a ‘secret’ pocket on the back padding which can be used to keep cash and ID cards.

The Matein Travel Laptop Backpack is popular on Amazon and has seen a whopping number of reviews, primarily for its affordable pricing and solid build. It’s not waterproof, but it will protect the laptop in case of falls and bumps. At the same time, it has plenty of room and is lightweight.

Pack Them Light

Some of these backpacks are expensive. But these are some of the most durable laptop backpacks that you can buy for yourself. They do not crumble under stress and can stand up to rain and snow and still protect your precious laptop.

Last updated on 02 February, 2022

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