You know the gate shuffle: phone in one hand with the navigation app up, coffee in the other, boarding pass somewhere (somewhere!), and a tote sliding off your shoulder every four steps. We love a tote. Peeking into a shoulder bag to confirm your keys are still there is a lifestyle. But when you need both hands and all your stuff, a travel backpack wins.

What should you look for in a carry-on backpack? Start with the straps. Adjustable straps make weight distribution way easier (a real lifesaver for our clumsier friends; we see you, we support you). Then there's space. Our travel backpack is a true carryall: 28L in a 13.39" x 18.11" x 7.09" frame, 2.56 lbs, with a lay-flat full-zip opening and a padded compartment that fits up to a 16" laptop. At $118 with a 4.8-star rating across 4,710 reviews, it's the anchor of our best travel backpack lineup.

These styles are sleek enough to double as an everyday bag. You can carry everything you need for the day (water, a camera, books, keys; never forget your keys, that's what the key leash is for!) without looking like a lost tourist. The fabrics are wipeable, lightweight, and, simply, look good.

And because we're suckers for versatility... Enter: the Expandable Backpack. It's $118 (currently on sale for $88.50), measures 13"W x 15"H x 5-7"D, and weighs just 1.67 lb. It holds 13.5L and zips open for extra room when your packing situation escalates. Mid-trip. As it does. Inside you get a padded sleeve that fits 13" and 15" laptops, straps that adjust from 19.7 to 33.5 inches, a tuck-away water bottle pocket, and a body and liner of 100% recycled poly.

Side note: we could never forget the parents and kids in our lives. With high-function styles designed for the little ones (and for those who take care of the little ones), there truly is a backpack for everyone. Meet our Kids Backpack and The Ultimate Diaper Backpack.

The cherry on top of all of this? Every backpack has a trolley pass-through that slides over your roller handle and makes traveling on planes, trains, and boats (hey, we don't know where you're headed!) that much easier.

From sleek nylon styles to compressible bags to pack and use once you arrive, there's a reason backpacks are one of the first kinds of bags we use growing up. From those early days at school to whatever travels you've graduated to now (headed worldwide, or to the coffee shop down the street), we've got a backpack for that.

Is an Expandable Carry-On Backpack Worth It?

Yes, if you fly with a personal item plus a carry-on and tend to come home with more than you left with. (Souvenirs are a love language.)

• The expansion. A zip-open gusset turns "packed perfectly" into "packed perfectly, plus the ceramics you swore you wouldn't buy."
• The straps. They adjust from 19.7 to 33.5 inches, so the bag sits exactly where your back wants it. Prefer extra cushioning? The Travel Backpack steps it up with extra-padded ergonomic straps.
• The value. At $118, one bag pulls triple duty: a personal-item-sized bag for the flight, a day bag at your destination, and an overflow bag for the haul home.

How much does it expand?

From 13.5L to 17L. The depth zips out from 5" to 7", so the extra room appears without any repacking drama.

Are the straps comfortable?

They adjust from 19.7 to 33.5 inches to fit your frame, and the bag itself weighs just 1.67 lb, so your shoulders start the trip ahead.

Which Travel Backpack Should You Choose?

1. The Expandable Backpack: $118, 1.67 lb, 13.5L with the zip-open expansion, and a padded sleeve for 13" and 15" laptops. The smallest, lightest pick, with a built-in escape hatch for overpackers.
2. The Travel Backpack: the roomier pick. The lay-flat full-zip opening lets you pack it like a suitcase, and it takes the biggest laptop of the lineup.

Packing for kids, or on their behalf? Our Kids Backpack is sized for the little ones and their very important cargo, and The Backpack Diaper Bag covers parent duty. Heads up: The Backpack Diaper Bag is currently waitlist-only, so sign up on its product page and we'll notify you when it's back in stock.

• If you pack light and want the smallest footprint for personal-item travel, go Expandable.
• If you one-bag a whole weekend or carry a 16" laptop, go Travel Backpack.

And the rest of the backpack universe? Ultralight packable daypacks weigh less and cost less, but they're unstructured and skip the padded laptop sleeve, so your tech rides unprotected. Large one-bag travel packs hold more, but they're heavier and often too big for stricter under-seat limits. Ours are designed for personal-item-style travel: structured, laptop-ready, and easy to live out of.

What Are the Downsides?

We'd be a bad travel buddy if we didn't flag a few things before checkout:

• Spot clean only. Both packs prefer a gentle wipe-down to a washing machine, so keep them off mystery airport floors when you can.
• Soft sides, softer protection. A soft-sided pack won't guard fragile finds the way a hard-shell roller does. Wrap the breakables in your coziest sweater and pack them dead center.
• Expansion has consequences. Zipping out to the full 17L (or stuffing the 28L pack to its limits) adds bulk that can nudge you past stricter under-seat allowances. 💡 Pro tip: check your specific airline's personal-item and carry-on policies before you head to the gate.
• The frequent-flyer fine print. Good Housekeeping's review of our luggage called the line an excellent investment for style-conscious, casual travelers, with one caveat: frequent flyers willing to splurge may want a more heavy-duty option. That verdict covers our luggage overall rather than these two backpacks, but if you're in the air more than you're home, factor it in.

The Bottom Line

If your trips involve a personal item, a maybe-too-full carry-on, and at least one "where did all this stuff come from" moment, the Expandable Backpack earns its $118 (and it's on sale for $88.50 right now, which we simply had to mention). Need more room or a bigger laptop bay? The Travel Backpack is your bag. Browse our backpacks, adjust those straps, slide it over your roller handle, and go. We'll see you at the gate, coffee in hand.

Sources:

• Good Housekeeping, Beis luggage review, goodhousekeeping.com/travel-products/luggage-reviews/a46867494/beis-luggage-review/
• The Expandable Backpack product specifications, beistravel.com/products/the-expandable-backpack-in-beige
• The Travel Backpack product specifications, beistravel.com/products/the-backpack-in-beige