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Your compass can’t point you to the best travel backpacks for women, but we can! See the top 7 pack models with wanderlust-welcoming features that make getting there a little easier.
What Are the Best Travel Backpacks for Women?
- Look for travel-friendly features like locking zippers and stowaway straps
- Pick packs that fit your budget and capacity needs
- Keep general weight and size in mind for your frame and comfort
The best travel backpacks for women are specially sized for short, medium, or long trips with travel features like locking compartments, straps that tuck away, large access openings for easy packing, and lots of organization compartments.
Picking packs that fit your budget – whether it’s $35 or $325 – is also key. You’ll want to consider how big the pack is and how much it can hold to ensure it won’t prevent packing all your essentials.
Keep your frame (height and weight) in mind as well as your comfort level for carrying larger loads in mind. Bigger packs offer more room, but they’re also heavier and bulkier.
We’ve rounded up the 7 best travel backpacks for women and include options for every budget and travel need on our list.
The best travel backpacks for women are:
- Osprey Fairview® 70 Travel Pack
- Osprey Porter Travel Pack Carryon 30
- Osprey Farpoint® Fairview® Travel Daypack
- Tortuga Travel Backpack 30L
- Amazon Basics Carry-On Travel Backpack
- Kroser Travel Laptop Backpack
- Coowoz Large Travel Carry On Backpack
The 7 Best Travel Backpacks for Women
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Whether you’re looking for a small daypack that can be used as a lightweight carry on bag or a larger travel pack with enough room for a week-long trip, we’ve got you covered!
Keep reading to learn about the features and specs for each backpack to see which one will truly be the best pick for your next trip.
1. Osprey Fairview® 70 Travel Pack
- Ideal for all travel, including longer trips
- Lockable with stowaway harness/hipbelt
- Detachable daypack included
- More expensive than mid-range travel packs
- Larger capacity makes it bulkier and heavier
This all-in-one travel pack boasts a large 70L capacity for longer trips and is lockable for added security. With features borrowed from Osprey’s technical packs, it has a totally customizable fit and tons of compartments for organization.
The stowaway harness and hipbelt mean you can tuck everything away safely while it’s checked. A big access panel makes packing and unpacking easy – a huge bonus for travelers – and the detachable daypack make it easy to grab the essentials when you head out for daily adventures.
The only real downsides of this awesome pack are its size and weight at about 25″ x 15″ and 4.5 lbs (though ideal for longer trips) and the higher price point due to all the features and extras.
2. Osprey Porter Travel Pack Carryon 30
- Perfect for short to mid-length trips (1-3 days)
- Lockable with stowaway harness/hipbelt
- StraightJacket straps cinch down contents for compact carrying
- Less customizable fit than some Osprey packs
- Pricey compared to mid-range travel packs
Osprey’s Porter Travel Pack Carryon 30 is like a cross between a duffel and backpack, making it one of the best. It features a nice 30L capacity – enough room to pack 1-3 days of clothes, toiletries, and essentials for a quick trip. It’s lightweight at around 2.8 lbs and 20″ x 12″ size.
This lockable travel pack lets you conceal the straps and harness for easy checking at the airport and features StraightJacket straps so you can compress the pack’s contents into a compact load.
It’s not a cheap travel pack – the best travel backpacks for women never are – and the fit isn’t as customizable as you’ll find on more technical Osprey packs. But it’s a great value for the roomy compartments and duffel carry ability.
3. Osprey Farpoint® Fairview® Travel Daypack
- Extra lightweight (1.9 lbs) for day trips and short trips
- Lockable main compartment for security
- Padded laptop/hydration sleeve
- 15L capacity may not be roomy enough for all trips
- Less customizable fit than some Osprey packs
If you’re not traveling far or just want a small travel backpack, the Osprey Farpoint® Fairview® Travel Daypack packs a lot of features in a totally totable size. This lockable day pack is small and lightweight with no extra bulk to bring you down.
You’ll appreciate the padded sleeve in the main compartment, useful for laptops or hydration packs when you’re on the go. At about 18″ x 11″, it’s compact enough to wear anywhere and keeps your essentials close by with external organization compartments.
With a 15L capacity, it’s not going to be the ideal choice for longer trips or areas where you need to carry a lot of gear. The fit isn’t as customizable as other Osprey packs, but you may not need that for day trips. Overall, it’s an excellent smaller pack with an affordable price point!
4. Tortuga Travel Backpack 30L
- Roomy mid-sized carry on for 2-5 day trips
- Front-loading style with padded laptop sleeve
- Lockable zippers with durable waterproof fabric
- 4 lb weight plus contents can make it heavy
- Premium price point isn't as affordable
The Tortuga Travel Backpack in the 30L size (it’s also available in 40L for longer trips) is roomy enough to pack 3-5 days’ worth of clothing, gear, and electronics. Ideal for mid-length trips, this waterproof pack keeps your stuff secure and dry in all conditions.
You’ll find lockable zippers that protect your belongings, a padded 16″ laptop sleeve lined with fleece, and a super-convenient clamshell-style opening that lets you see and access everything at a glance when unzipped.
The removable hip belt is designed to take 80% of the pack’s weight off your shoulders, which is nice because this bag isn’t lightweight at 4 lbs when empty. It’s pricey, but it’s the only travel pack you’ll need and comes with a Worldwide Warranty.
5. Amazon Basics Carry-On Travel Backpack
- Roomy 45L capacity for 2-4 day trips
- Lockable and fits most carry on specifications
- Expandable main compartment with compression straps
- Must pack minimally if you want to meet carry on depth requirements
- Flimsy hip belt doesn't redistribute weight well
The Amazon Basics Carry-On Travel Backpack is a good budget-friendly option and has earned a spot among the best travel backpacks for women with its surprising features.
With about 45L of capacity, you can pack for a 2-4 day trip and use the compression straps to cinch everything down for a snug, compact result.
Durable polyester means rips and tears won’t slow you down. You’ll find a zippered laptop sleeve in the main compartment, plus a mesh pocket up top and lots of pockets for organizing smaller gear and toiletries.
Padded shoulder straps help make it comfier, but at 3.64 lbs, it’s not really a lightweight pack. Reviewers note that the hip belt doesn’t do much for weight distribution and when packed to capacity, it’s too deep to fit carry-on specs. So pack light!
6. Kroser Travel Laptop Backpack
- Lightweight with roomy, separated compartments
- Fits up to two 17" laptops and has built-in USB port
- Lockable main compartment with RFID-safe pockets
- Separate compartments make packing clothing difficult
- Not as high quality as more expensive backpacks
The inexpensive Kroser Travel Laptop Backpack is perfect for short trips and day trips when you need to securely carry electronics and essentials in style. You can fit a lot into the 2 large compartments and extra pockets, and as expected, there’s a perfect spot for your laptop or tablet.
The lockable main compartment adds a little more security, and we like the secret zipper pocket on the back for important documents or smaller electronics. RFID-blocking pockets are perfect for your wallet. It’s not waterproof, but it’s water-resistant to keep your stuff dry.
The separated-compartment style of the backpack makes it less than ideal for packing days’ worth of clothing, but it works for packing workout clothes or a day or two of rolled clothing. Some reviewers had issues with the zippers and loose threads, but overall, it’s a great backpack for the money.
7. Coowoz Large Travel Carry On Backpack
- Lay-flat open design makes packing easy and accessible
- Durable and water-resistant with included wet bag
- Secret anti-theft pocket on the back for valuables and tech
- Weight distribution isn't great
- Stiff material doesn't expand as readily as other packs
The Coowoz Large Travel Carry On Backpack makes packing and unpacking easy for short trips (1-3 days). It’s pretty roomy inside with a shoe compartment, wet bag, and pockets for smaller items to stay organized. We like the anti-theft pocket on the back for phones and wallets.
The polyester material is super durable and water-resistant, but that makes the bag a little stiffer than the other packs on our list. It could be a plus if you’re looking for a structured bag, but it’s harder to stuff it full without the expansion ability of softer bags.
The weight distribution leaves something to be desired, and a few reviewers noted the chest strap was too high and tight to do much good. Still, the suitcase-style opening is perfect for accessing your packed items and works well for a short trip.
Women’s Travel Backpack Buying Guide
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Narrowing your choices to find the best travel backpack for your trip means knowing what to look for. Here are some helpful buying tips to point you in the right direction!
1. Choose the Backpack Capacity You Need
Most travel backpacks for women are somewhere in the 15 liter to 70 liter capacity range. Knowing the general capacity you need for your trip makes narrowing your options down much easier.
- 15L-25L: Lightweight and perfect for daypacks and short trips where you won’t need to pack much (if any) clothing and just need room for your daily gear, electronics, and a water bottle
- 30L-50L: Ideal capacity for 1-3 day and weekend trips with room for clothing, toiletries, and daily gear and electronics; typically sized to meet airline carry on requirements
- 50L-75L: Heavier, but best capacity for longer trips from 1-2 weeks (the latter only if you pack light) with plenty of room for days’ worth of clothing, your electronics, daily gear, and more
If you find yourself traveling often, it’s worth it to spend more and get a larger bag with more capacity and room for your items. You won’t have to be as picky when you pack and it makes the whole process more enjoyable!
2. Check the Weight and Weight Distribution
The weight of your travel backpack can be the make-or-break specification. If it’s just too heavy to comfortably carry, you’ll find yourself going back to the ol’ duffel bag or buying another bag to replace it.
The best travel backpacks for women weigh between 1.9 lbs (like the Osprey Farpoint® Fairview® Travel Daypack on our list) and 4.5 lbs (like the Fairview® 70 Travel Pack).
There’s a tradeoff between the weight of the pack and capacity. The more room it has, the more it’ll weigh – empty and filled to capacity. If you need the room, it may be worth it to pick a larger, heavier pack.
Check the weight of the backpacks you’re considering and note that you’re seeing the weight when it’s empty. When you fill it up, you’ll be adding more pounds that can tip the scales from comfy to encumbering.
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3. Look for Travel-Friendly Features
While you can certainly take almost any backpack along with you on your travels, only a true travel backpack will come with features that make it suitable for using as a secure carry on or checked luggage.
The best travel backpacks for women will always include lockable zippers (some even feature mini combination locks) for the main compartments so you can lock it up before checking it or popping into the overhead bin.
Stowaway straps and harnesses are another key travel feature – you don’t want straps hanging out to get caught or snagged in transit.
Look for large compartments and openings that allow you to easily pack and access your belongings, much like a duffel bag. Slimmer vertical compartments make packing clothing difficult.
4. Consider Your Backpack Budget
Your budget for the trip can help you settle on the perfect travel backpack for the occasion.
We’ve included a range of the best travel backpacks for women on our list from $35-$325 to fit all budgets. So how much are you looking to spend?
If you’re looking for the best of the best, go with the Osprey Fairview® 70 Travel Pack – it’s pricey at over $200, but it’s everything you’ll ever need a travel pack to be with tons of room and amazing construction quality.
If you don’t need that much capacity but still want excellent quality, consider the Tortuga Travel Backpack 30L that comes in a little over $300.
For mid-range spending and great quality, Osprey’s Porter Carryon bag is priced closer to $160 and the smaller Farpoint® Fairview® Travel Daypack is budget-friendly at $65.
The cheapest options on our list are the Amazon Basics Carry-On Travel Backpack (about $50), Kroser Travel Laptop Backpack ($35), and Coowoz Large Travel Carry On Backpack ($37).
So, What Are the Best Travel Backpacks for Women?
We’ve shown you our list of the 7 best travel backpacks for women – 3 excellent picks from Osprey, a luxe option from Tortuga, and 3 budget-friendly packs you can grab for under $50.
With our buying guide, you can start to pare down your options to find the backpack that’ll truly be the best fit for your trip and budget.
Consider each backpack’s capacity in liters, and if that’s not available, check out the general size (height, width, and depth) to make sure it’s a good fit for you.
Check out the weight of the backpacks you like most, keeping in mind that most weigh between 1.9-4.5 pounds – and remember, the heavier it is, the roomier it is.
All the backpacks on our list come with travel-friendly features you should prioritize, like lockable zippers, secret anti-theft pockets, wide compartment access, and stowaway straps.
Finally, keep your budget in mind to make sure you’re settling on a backpack that won’t break the bank, but is sure to last you for a long time.
Whatever pack you decide on, may it accompany you on lots of awe-inspiring trips where you create lifelong memories!