The Journey Backpacks Our Editors Are Obsessed With After Months—and Even Years—of Testing

Every avid traveler needs a dependable sidekick—and I’m not talking about a human companion. The best travel backpacks are the ultimate buddies for big adventures, keeping you organized on busy days, taking a load off your hands while you’re on the move, and complementing your airport ‘fit all the while.
But not all travel backpacks are made equal, and this is something Condé Nast Traveler editors know all too well. We’ve carried dozens of knapsacks to hundreds of cities over the years, slinging them over our shoulders as we’ve traversed through jungles, hopped into safari vehicles, hiked across mountain ranges, and pulled up to five-star spa resorts. Any travel brand you can think of, we’ve probably tried its backpack—and we have thoughts.
The list below is made up of the 17 best travel backpacks on the market, according to our globe-trotting team. Years of rigorous testing have gone into making sure we stand by these selections, so you can shop—and travel—with confidence. Read on for the travel backpacks we keep going back to (no pun intended).

Calpak Luka backpack
16″ x 12″ x 7″
22L

Troubadour Apex backpack
18.9″ x 12.6″ x 5.9″
25L

Away Featherlight backpack
16.5″ x 11.8″ x 5.9″
18L

Bagsmart travel backpack
18.5″ x 12.2″ x 6.1″
40L

MZ Wallace Metro backpack
16.5″ x 12.2″x 6.9″
23L

This article is part of Condé Nast Traveler’s fourth annual Luggage Week, for which dozens of suitcases, backpacks, and weekender bags were road-tested by our editors. It has been updated with new information since its original publish date. Additional reporting by Madison Flager.

Source: www.cntraveler.com