Backpacks

The 8 Best Travel Backpacks and Bags

When it comes to travel, backpacks can make or break your trip.

A great backpack will fit everything you need without being too bulky or cumbersome. A less-than-desirable one will have you stuffing in all of your belongings, make you feel weighed down, or it will be uncomfortable to carry.

However, once you find the right backpack, it can last for many years. So taking time to research your options is a smart investment.

To help narrow down your search, we decided to put together some of the best travel backpacks and bags available right now.

All of these bags are comfortable, suit different needs (and budgets), and are environmentally friendly.

Let’s check them out:

1. Onya Backpacks (Made From Recycled Plastic Drink Bottles)

Our line of eco-friendly backpacks are made from rPET (recycled plastic drink bottles).

These great looking backpacks are extremely lightweight (90g). This makes them perfect for travel, as they minimize the strain on your back and the overall weight of the baggage you’re carrying.

When empty, they fold up into a tiny bag that’s easy to transport anywhere. This bag can be attached to another backpack, your belt loops, or secured to any looped item.

Onya’s rPET backpacks also come with a designated ipod/mobile device holder with a headphone porthole, so you can keep your device safe and listen to your music as you travel.

Check out our backpacks made from rPET (recycled plastic drink bottles).

2. Snow Leopard 40L Hiking Backpack

Snow leopard Backpack image

At 40 liters, the Snow Leopard by Ecogear is an excellent-sized travel bag. With some minimal packing, you’ll be able to fit all of your belongings without lugging around too much weight on your shoulders.

The Snow Leopard is made from REPREVE material. This material is a brand of recycled fiber made from recycled materials, including used plastic bottles. This helps reduce the need for new resources in the manufacturing of this backpack, and it keeps more plastic out of landfills (something we strongly support!).

Besides its environmental credentials, the Snow Leopard is a technically sound backpack. It comes ready to equip a water bladder for hydration, high density foam gives it a comfortable fit, and the adjustable straps make it available for all sizes.

Check out the Snow Leopard 40L Hiking Backpack

3. GreenSmart Vaquita Ipad Backpack

GreenSmart Vaquita Ipad image

If you’re looking for something smaller, the GreenSmart Vaquita Ipad backpack is one of the best small travel backpacks on the market.

It’s marketed as an ipad backpack, but it can carry anything around that size or smaller (small clothes, notebooks, laptops, etc). It’s also made from 100% rPET polyester.

The Vaquita comes with multiple pockets to hold your other devices or items, and it’s a stylish fit.

Check out the GreenSmart Vaquita Ipad Backpack

4. Black Rhino Laptop Backpack

Black Rhino Laptop Backpack image

One of the most annoying items to travel with is a laptop. It’s often the heaviest and most cumbersome belonging.

Any way you can make traveling with your laptop easier is going to add a lot of convenience to your trip.

The Black Rhino Laptop backpack is perfect for seamlessly carrying your laptop or large mobile device. They designed it specifically for business travelers who need to carry their laptops with them everywhere.

Knowing the struggles involved in this, the Black Rhino is TSA friendly, comes with a soft cushioned shoulder, and comes with two internal zip pockets for other items. It’s also made from eco friendly recycled material.

Check out the Black Rhino Laptop Backpack

5. GreenSmart 15.6 Inch Indri Laptop Backpack

GreenSmart 15.6 Inch Indri Laptop Backpack image

This bag from GreenSmart is the penultimate multi-use laptop travel backpack. It comes with a large compartment to fit your laptop or large mobile device, with extra space for other items.

The backpack also has an outer zipper pocket, and it comes with an air-mesh padded back and shoulder straps for breathability.

The interior and exterior fabrics are all made from recycled water bottles, and it’s extremely lightweight at only 1.7 pounds.

Check out the GreenSmart 15.6 Inch Indri Laptop Backpack

6. Rareform Backpacks

Rareform Backpacks image

Rareform makes some of the coolest backpacks around.

All of their backpacks and bags are made from repurposed vinyl billboards. Each bag is unique, stylish, and hand-cut into each design. And they all repurpose material that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill.

Vinyl is an extremely durable material, so all of these bags come long-lasting and waterproof. You can choose from any of seven different styles.

Check out Rareform’s backpacks

7. Looptworks Kasum Laptop Backpack

Looptworks Kasum Laptop Backpack image

The Looptworks Kasum backpack is nice and spacious. It comes with multiple pockets to hold all of your carry-on items, and it comes with a main pocket that can house your laptop.

Side pockets help you conveniently carry drink bottles, and the backpack itself is made from 100% upcycled materials, meaning that it was created using excess material from other manufacturing operations that would have entered a landfill.

(This bag saves 25 gallons of water and 2.5 pounds of excess material from going to waste.)

This bag is also surprisingly affordable at less than $50, and it’s TSA-friendly.

Check out the Looptworks Kasum Laptop Backpack

8. BigHorn II Backpack

BigHorn II image

The BigHorn II is a rugged and durable backpack for travel and hiking. Its multiple compartments and zipper pockets make it great for carrying a variety of items. It’s also big enough to accommodate long-term travel.

Made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles (rPET), this is one of the best eco-friendly travel backpacks. It also comes with ergo-padded shoulder straps for added comfort, a moisture wicking mesh back, and reflective piping to make you more visible at night.

“Recycle, reduce, reuse has never looked this good.” – Ecogear

Check out the BigHorn II Backpack

Over to You

No matter your style of travel, one of these backpacks should fit your needs and/or budget.

However, a backpack is your most important item when traveling. Make sure to go through this list a couple times before making a final decision.

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