Large bags

Goruck GR3: The GR3 is almost worth the cost for certain people. It’s strong and simple and covered by an ironclad repair guarantee. The removable hip belt is comfortable to wear and good at displacing the weight of a 45-liter backpack. It’s a good backpack. However, after testing, we weren’t thrilled by the internal Velcro lining for compatible Velcro packing cubes. Velcro isn’t great; it wears out, it’s difficult to keep clean, and it clings to dirt. Fit’s a small compromise, but for the price, this bag should feel perfect.

Hynes Eagle 40L Flight Approved Carry-on: This is a very similar pack to the eBags TLS Mother Lode and the Cabin Max Metz models. It might be useful for a certain weekend traveler, but we don’t think it would hold up for longer trips.

Tortuga Setout Divide: We’re fans of the Tortuga Outbreaker and Setout travel bags, and we consider them both to be great maximum-size carry on backpacks. But the Setout Divide doesn’t quite live up to that legacy. The biggest flaw is that the main compartment is too shallow to be very useful. There is an expansion zipper, but it’s located on the front panel of the bag, which is less rigid and more difficult to pack than the main compartment. This bag is well-organized, and the straps were some of the most comfortable we tested, but for the price, we think you’ll be happier packing and carrying the AER or the Cotopaxi. With some small revisions, though, this bag could possibly be one of our top picks.

Trakke Storr Carryon: Travel-bag enthusiast Chase Reeves lists this bag as one of his top picks, along with the Minaal 2.0, for medium sized carry-on bags, and it looks very well built. But given that it costs (at the time of writing) 330 British pounds, it’s simply too expensive for most people.

Kelty Redwing 44: When we got our hands on it, we realized that the Redwing is closer to a top-loading light camping backpack than to the panel-loading packs we tested. It didn’t quite fit the scope of this review because of its design.

GeniusPack Travel Backpack: The GeniusPack is the only model we came across that tried to fit a suiter into a travel backpack. While some people might need that, we think most people who need to travel with a suit or clothes you need to keep pressed would be better off with a piece of carry-on luggage.

Cabin Max Metz (and the nearly identical AmazonBasics Carry-On): We’re pulling our recommendation of these bags. Their cheap, no-frills design is enticing for the price, but after comparing them to the TLS Mother Lode, we think you’re better off paying twice the price for way more than twice the value. The Mother Lode is more reliable, is built from stronger materials, and will hold more stuff comfortably than either of these bags.

Osprey Porter 46: This is a slightly larger sibling of our runner-up pick, the Farpoint 40. It’s about 2 inches longer and pushes right up to most airline limits. If you don’t mind possibly having to gate-check your bag at the last minute, this would be an excellent alternative to the Farpoint 40.

MEI Voyageur: There’s a lot to like about this bag, especially at the price: 1000D Cordura nylon, YKK zippers, spacious design, and decent shoulder straps. However, we’re still on the fence about recommending it. The lack of recent reputable reviews gives us pause, along with the sparse Shopify website. However, we’re impressed by the build quality and will continue to test this bag throughout the year. If the Tom Bihn Aeronaut is out of your budget but you want a sturdy shoulder bag, the Voyageur may be worth a shot.

Patagonia MLC: The MLC used to set the standard for shoulder bags of this size, but after years of testing and further comparison against dedicated travel backpacks and improved hybrids such as the Tom Bihn, the MLC is simply outclassed. By comparison to our top picks, the MLC’s straps are too slim and unsupported for its 45 L capacity, its lack of any framing gives the bag a soft and unsettling feeling if it’s anything but fully packed, and the lack of a hip belt (once a mere inconvenience when compared to the competition) is now glaring. That’s not to say it’s a bad bag. There are plenty of people who still love this bag and with good reasons. We’re considering the Patagonia Blackhole Duffle and cousin to the MLC for our duffle testing. But if you’re buying a new travel backpack this year, there are plenty of better options.

Small bags

Arc’teryx Covert Case: Costing a bit more as the Patagonia Headway MLC, this bag has less carrying capacity, no shoulder-strap compatibility, and terrible backpack straps. Of all the bags we tested, this was the most uncomfortable on our back, even worse than the Cabin Metz. It sure looks slick though.

Goruck GR2: I’m a big fan of Goruck bags, and I use the GR1 regularly as my daily work/travel bag. These bags will last a lifetime. However, the GR2 is too expensive ($500 as of this writing) and too large (a true 40 L) for many people, especially as it doesn’t come with a hip belt. We wish the GR2 had a removable hip belt, something similar to what’s on the GR3. That being said, this bag is simple, sturdy, and stoic. There is a lot to love about it. And, if you don’t mind the high cost, this bag will probably outlast your corporeal self.

Eagle Creek Global Companion 40L: This isn’t a bad bag. It’s protected by a decent lifetime warranty, though Eagle Creek stresses this means the projected lifetime of the product, not the lifetime of the owner, which is a polite way of saying it’s up to their discretion at a certain point. However, there are significant improvements if you pay slightly more for the Cotopaxi Allpa. The Allpa’s materials and construction are better. Its clamshell design is deeper and easier to pack. And the Allpa is more comfortable on your back. Best of all, Cotopaxi backs their products with a true lifetime warranty.

Eagle Creek Wayfinder 40L: The lack of any kind of clamshell or other full openings on this bag, which made it something of a large school backpack, knocked it out of the running fairly quickly. There are tons of better backpacks than this for travel. Almost everything in this competition list would be a better pick, and certainly our top picks would be likewise.

North Face Overhaul 40: There’s still a devoted following for this bag online, but it appears to be plagued by production issues. It’s simply not reliably in stock. Even if it was, I’m not sure it would make the cut. The bag opens in an unusual way, following the shape of something like a cobra head, which, once opened, leaves the bag splayed and difficult to pack. It’s probably decent at keeping the zippers out of the way of rainfall, but it felt finicky to us.

Minaal Carry-on 2.0: This bag was designed to be the absolute best travel backpack for business people. But if you’re a business person, you’re probably wearing at least a blazer, so you wouldn’t use a backpack in any case. But if you’re a business traveler who falls more on the casual end of the business-casual spectrum and you’re not worried about a budget, you should know that many travel writers have spoken well of this bag despite its high price. This does look to be a well-thought-out pack, but we think our picks are more versatile for world travel.