What Is The Best Budget Travel Backpack For Your Trip?

The Best Budget Travel Backpack is an essential companion for exploring Vietnam, offering convenience and freedom. At SIXT.VN, we understand the importance of having the right gear, so we’ve compiled a guide to help you find the ideal backpack that combines affordability, durability, and practicality for your Vietnamese adventure. This guide will cover various backpacks, helping you choose the perfect one for your travel needs.

1. How To Choose The Right Travel Backpack?

Choosing the right travel backpack involves balancing several factors to ensure it meets your specific needs. The ideal backpack strikes a balance between functionality and simplicity, durability and weight, and capacity and carry-on compliance. Seasoned travelers know that smart design wins over feature overload.

Here are critical factors that should guide your backpack decision:

• Capacity: Aim for a 35-45L capacity, which is ideal for carry-on travel, providing enough space for your essentials without being too bulky.
• Weight: Opt for a lightweight backpack to make it easier to carry and keep more of your luggage weight allowance available for other items.
• Design: Choose a streamlined design with only the necessary pockets and features, avoiding unnecessary complexity that can add weight and confusion.
• Material & Build Quality: Ensure the backpack is made from durable materials and has reliable zippers to withstand the rigors of travel and last a long time.

1.1 Simplicity vs Complexity

Don’t be too impressed with backpacks that boast a zillion and a half different features. While these often look great in marketing videos, they usually aren’t so practical to use in real life! Having 6 distinct pockets is great — having 14 of them just makes you forget where you put all your stuff. A balanced design is usually better.

Tropicfeel Shell backpack

1.2 The Weight Advantage

A lower weight makes a pack easier to carry and leaves more of your precious baggage allowance free to use. When reviewing packs in person (and, if possible, on an actual trip) you can get a proper feel for the weight and handling.

1.3 Carry-On Optimized.

Traveling carry-on only offers incredible savings on airfare. Reducing your luggage to carry-on size will give you increased comfort and mobility.

1.4 Production Quality

The quality of the materials and especially the zippers is super important. A pack that is truly durable and weather-resistant will give you not just comfort on the road but also stay with you for a very long time.

Pacsafe Venturesafe EXP45 Anti-theft zipper

Pakt Travel Backpack Quality Materials

2. What Are The Top 10 Travel Backpacks (Tested & Traveler-Approved)?

Every travel backpack reviewed should go on at least one real trip. It’s hard to know a product just from unboxing it! As a professional travel blogger for over 10 years, with over 60 different travel backpacks used, here are some top picks:

(All backpacks here should be fine for carry-on travel, though some can optionally expand beyond carry-on dimensions — such as the Peak Design).

2.1 Quick Overview: Best Travel Backpacks

2.2. Peak Design Travel Backpack

Best premium carry-on

In a nutshell: Perfect usability, organization, and design. Just not ideal for extended outdoors/adventure use. Get this for air travel, holidays, digital nomading, or business travel. You’ll love it!

Sizes: 45L

Peak Design Travel Backpack

For a general-purpose carry-on backpack, I highly recommend the Peak Design 45L. Peak Design’s 45L Travel Backpack has been main luggage for 5 years, and consider it close to perfect.

What I love most about the Peak Design 45L is how it combines simplicity with innovation. The bag feels incredibly well thought out, from its magnetic pouches to hidden straps, and foldable origami-style dividers that make packing a breeze. Pairing it with some of Peak Design’s other accessories makes it even better — they’re designed to complement the backpack seamlessly.

The pack is pretty adaptable, with a default 35L capacity that’s perfect for carry-on limits, but can expand to 45L when you need extra space.

It’s also tough, thanks to its 400D nylon shell, which keeps the bag looking sharp even when it’s empty. It’s incredibly adaptable, making it ideal for short city breaks or longer trips.

The only downside of the Peak Design is that the shoulder straps are fairly thin, making it less suitable for very outdoorsy or adventure-focused trips. While it’s comfortable for, say, carrying it through a terminal to your next flight, you wouldn’t really hike with it or go backpacking. (For this, see my picks further down the page.)

This pack is no longer just in grey or black! Check the new Coyote color that was added in 2025.

Price: $240

Check at Peak design read full review

Why I like it:

• Versatile; carry-on size (35L) but can expand to 45L
• Incredible design with premium materials
• Optional accessories that are 100% amazing
• I’ve used it for 5+ years and it’s held up great!

What you should know:

• Thin shoulder straps, not ideal for long hikes.
• Water bottle pockets feel tight when fully packed

2.3. Tortuga Travel Backpack Lite

Best versatile budget-friendly carry-on

In a nutshell: A fantastic ‘multi-role backpack’ that can work for adventure trips, but equally for holidays or work. Get this if you’re not sure what type of trips you’ll do and you want to cover everything. It’s a great all-rounder that adapts well to different kinds of travel.

Size: 40L

Tortuga Travel Backpack Lite

Tortuga released the 4th-generation Travel Backpack Lite—a lightweight, minimalist pack that is highly recommended for adventure travel, backpacking, or digital nomad life.

The brand got its start after its founders backpacked around Europe and realized there wasn’t a backpack that was ‘just right’ for this type of travel. They have since succeeded in creating what I think is the best all-rounder world travel backpack. This became even clearer to me while testing my Tortuga backpack, and the difference really stood out.

The best feature is the incredible harness. It’s extremely comfortable to wear, almost on par with hiking or trekking backpacks (while still being a regular travel backpack).

The suspension system is fully featured with a hip belt, sternum strap, load lifter straps, and a properly padded back — just what you need when you plan to travel by bus, train, or reach some places on foot.

If you were eyeing a premium backpack like the Peak Design but want it to be more structured like a backpacking pack with additional back and shoulder support, then this fits the bill. The Pro version even fully height-adjustable, so you can fit it perfectly to your torso height.

Organization is made easy with numerous pouches and zipped compartments, and premium materials are used throughout, including a highly weather-resistant SHELL200 exterior, weatherproof zippers, and soft fleece lining inside the laptop compartment. It has a Swiss Army Knife’s worth of features while getting all the basics just right.

Note that Tortuga only ships to US customers. If you’re not American, check out some other recommendations below.

Price: $250

Check at tortuga read full review

Why I like it:

• Balanced design with numerous storage options
• Amazingly comfortable straps and suspension system
• Durable and rugged materials; waterproof zippers

What you should know:

• Laptop compartment located against your back rather than in a separate quick-access area

2.4. Osprey Farpoint series

Best low-budget adventure pack for comfort

In a nutshell: a classic backpacker’s pack with a great price and an amazing suspension system. Best for adventurous and outdoor trips.

Size: 40L, 55L (a 40L + 15L daypack combo), 70L

Osprey Farpoint Daypack Combo

Osprey Farpoint 40 and Trek 55

The Farpoint mentioned online a lot, especially on backpacking blogs, because it offers amazing value and great quality across all sizes (40L, 55L, and 70L).

Comfort is the main benefit of the Osprey Farpoint 40. The ribbed back panel, trampoline surface, adjustment straps, and fully height-adjustable harness are features you might normally find on a hiking pack and not on a travel pack. They all help ensure the Farpoint 40 is extremely comfortable to carry, even for longer periods. This makes it a highly popular budget backpack for hosteling/backpacking in particular.

All packs in the series have a height-adjustable back panel. The larger 55L and 70L models offer additional padding in the hip belt for heavier loads, while the 40L maintains a streamlined profile.

In terms of storage, it’s best used with packing cubes. The Farpoint 40 doesn’t have as many pockets or clever features as some of those fancier one-bag air travel backpacks, but it’s a reliable choice for adventure trips. You can easily add some packing cubes for more internal organization if you’d like. The 55L and 70L versions include a detachable 15L daypack with a laptop sleeve.

For use as a carry-on, the 40L complies with most airline carry-on restrictions. The 55L can work if you detach the daypack (using it as your personal item), while the 70L is best checked as it far exceeds the carry-on limit. All Farpoint models are slightly heavier than an ultralight bag but work very well for a pack with full suspension, structure, and overall comfort.

Overall, the 40L is great if you’re packing light, heading out for a shorter trip, or need to stick to carry-on rules. If you’ve got a longer trip in mind—say a week or two—and like the idea of a detachable daypack, the 55L hits that sweet spot. And if you’re off on a big adventure or need to pack for all kinds of weather, the 70L’s your go-to.

choose the right Osprey Farpoint version.

Osprey Farpoint 40 price: approx. $185

Check Osprey Check on rei read full review

Why I like it:

• Lightweight (1.6kg / 3.5 lbs)
• Easy to use, opens like a suitcase
• Highly comfortable to wear even for extended periods
• Amazing value

What you should know:

• Only basic organizational features (needs packing cubes)
• Narrow water bottle pockets

2.4.1 Same pack — but a women’s specific fit

If you like the Farpoint 40, there’s also the Osprey Fairview 40—built with the exact same features but designed specifically to fit women better.

2.5. Cotopaxi Allpa

Best low-budget adventure pack for organization

In a nutshell: A fantastic alternative to the Osprey Farpoint; slight compromises on comfort, but many more organizational features than the Farpoint

Size: 35L, 42L

Cotopaxi Allpa backpack

Starting at $220, the Cotopaxi Allpa is one of the best-value backpacks around. I like its ‘just right’ balance between features and price – more affordable than the most premium backpacks out there, while still having one of the most rugged and durable designs. It’s especially great for backpacker-style adventure travel, but can work fine for city trips as well.

The internal organization features are amazing, letting you get away with not buying any accessories like packing cubes or protective cases. Its harness with a height-adjustable hip belt is comfortable to wear for long periods of time, making it suitable for adventure trips.

The Allpa comes with its range of funky Andean-inspired colors, but if that’s not your thing, there is also an all-black version.

The Allpa is super easy to organize, with its clamshell design ensuring easy access. One side has a big open compartment for your bulky clothing, the other has three zipped cubes for storing smaller items. A rain cover is included as is a shoulder strap for duffel-style carry. Given its many organizational features, you may not need any packing cubes or additional accessories (apart from maybe a toiletries bag).

There is a 35L and a 42L size, both carry-on. Cotopaxi Allpa 35 is the best-selling option and recommended for most travellers. I quite like the Cotopaxi Allpa 42 as I prefer maximum carry-on size.

The one controversial aspect is probably the rubbery 1000D polyester outer shell, which can look a bit blobby if the bag is not full. This material is very sturdy however, so it will protect your gear very well.

Price: $250

Check at cotopaxi Check on rei read full review

Why I liked it:

• Fresh and colorful design
• Shoulder straps and raincover included
• Amazing internal organization (no packing cubes needed)
• Sturdy, reliable materials

What you should know:

• The rubbery 1000D polyester outer shell is love-it-or-hate-it

2.6. Salkan Backpacker

Best premium adventure pack

In a nutshell:My top choice for a backpacker-style pack that is comfortable, easy to organize, and absolutely stylish as well. A pack for a happy back but that looks the part too — yes, it does exist!

Sizes: 35L, 45L, 45L+20L daypack combo

Salkan Backpacker backpack

Salkan Backpacker looks and feels utterly like a retro canvas backpack, yet it’s made of a durable and rain-resistant polyester that emulates this look.

It has a 2-in-1 system, with a daypack and main pack that work seamlessly together. You can buy just the daypack or the main pack, or you can buy them together for a lower price. The main pack is 45 liters (expandable up to 55) and the day pack is 20 liters. Salkan has a customized backpack designer, letting you mix and match different colors and straps.

Salkan’s packs have a fully-featured suspension system with padded straps, a padded back, and a well-padded hip belt with zippers. I’ve found it comfortable to wear for longer periods of time, such as while navigating through a town or getting to an airport terminal.

The best thing about the harness is that you can fully adjust it to match your torso length. This is absolutely amazing for someone like me who isn’t of average height. (I’m 1.94m or 6’4).

I tested this backpack during a six-week island-hopping trip in the Canaries. While it only rained for a couple of days during my trip, I found that the Salkan performed well in any weather. Furthermore, its rain-resistant features make me confident to recommend it for any kind of trip.

Besides the original version, there is now also a slightly more snug 35L carry-on edition. I reviewed the Salkan carry-on in detail here.

Price: $315

Check at Salkan read full review

Why I liked it:

• 2-in-1 system (main pack + detachable daypack)
• Super stylish design
• Highly comfortable to wear
• Fully height adjustable
• Loads of space and pockets

What you should know:

• A bit on the heavy side

2.7. Peak Design Outdoor Backpack

Best tech+outdoor backpack

In a nutshell: A fantastic choice if you are looking for a tech gear / laptop / photography friendly pack that still performs very well in the outdoors or on a backpacking trip

Sizes: 25L, 45L

Peak Design Outdoor Backpack

Note: I’m travelling with this pack now! Separate review + photos forthcoming.

This pack is in a unique niche — sitting somewhere between tech bag and hiking bag. If you love to bring your electronics gear on your trips but also want to wear your pack for long periods of time and/or in the outdoors, then this may just hit a perfect sweetspot. It has a clean minimalist aesthetic while using rugged and weatherproof materials.

For years I’ve been saying the standard edition Peak Design Travel Backpack is amazing — with just one caveat. For adventure trips, it’s simply not ideal due to the thinner and less comfortable shoulder straps (among other things). At last, Peak Design created a new product line to address exactly this.

I love the attention to detail on the Peak Design Outdoor, such as the hidden compartment for a passport and the extremely clever top-access loop that lets you quickly grab things from your pack, as well as expand the top a bit to go beyond carry-on size. Having this extra bit of margin to play with I always find quite useful. Although it has a quick top access, it also has a regular clamshell-style opening for easy access to all your stuff at once.

It’s more serious about comfort than any other Peak Design pack, featuring an internal frame, full hip belt, load lifter straps, and wide and comfortably padded shoulder straps. I’ve had no complaints carrying this for several hours!

However, keep in mind it’s not quite an expedition or trekking backpack like the ones Osprey or Deuter make. Peak Design has its roots mainly in photography and tech gear bags, which is clear from the feature-set and aesthetics. It’s a bit less optimized for outdoor readiness and more focused on tech features and usability. You can use all the modular Peak Design accessories such as the packing cubes, tech pouch, etc. with the Peak Design Outdoor Backpack.

The other downside is the price. At an RRP of $329.95 the price is definitely on the higher end for a travel backpack.

Peak Design Outdoor Small

Price: $330

Check at peak design

Why I liked it:

• Unique combination of tech and outdoor backpack design
• Extremely sturdy materials
• Streamlined design yet full of clever features

What you should know:

• Not quite a trekking or expedition-style backpack if this is what you seek

2.8. Pakt Travel Backpack

Best smaller carry-on backpack

In a nutshell: Not everyone needs a huge 40L+ max carry-on. This 30L has tons of clever features and is perfect for business travel, overnights, weekend trips, etc. Can also fulfill a support role in conjunction with rolling luggage

Size: 35L

Pakt Travel Backpack

At 35 liters, the Pakt Travel Backpack is smaller than the 40 to 45-liter backpacks mentioned so far. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a more streamlined size for shorter trips. The Pakt will fit within virtually all carry-on restrictions, even the more stringent airlines in Europe.

Superficially, the Pakt Travel Backpack may not immediately catch your eye. At least… if you’re looking only at its exterior design. I think it looks good, just not necessarily super unique or different. But what makes this backpack truly compelling is the sheer functionality you’ll find on the inside.

I love the internal organization. Most clamshell backpacks offer one deep main storage compartment, but the Pakt takes a different track by dividing this space into two halves. Sandwiched between them is the laptop compartment. I think this makes perfect sense for both security and comfort.

Due to the split main compartment, it won’t fit big boots or tall hiking shoes. However, this layout makes it way easier to keep your items organized. You can use packing cubes with the Pakt, but you can certainly go without them, too. In terms of comfort, access, and organization, this is my favorite 30L size backpack.

I went for the Black edition (as you can see in the photos), but it also comes in Ocean Blue and a Green that leans more toward khaki. You can check out all the colors here.

What I love most, though, are the little design details — like the quilted interior padding. It’s subtle, but it gives the inside this cozy, almost homey feel. Whether you’re packing or unpacking, the experience is just… nice.

Read my full Pakt Travel Backpack review here.

Pakt Travel Backpack Medium

Price: $325

Check at Pakt read full review

Why I liked it:

• Amazing internal organization
• Many unique features (waterproof compartment, secret pouch, waist strap can become a sling bag, etc.)
• Highly comfortable
• Waist strap cleverly doubles as sling bag

What you should know:

• 30L size too small for long trips
• Doesn’t easily fit big shoes due to central division

2.9. Tom Binh Techonaut

Best premium lightweight pack

In a nutshell: It doesn’t have as many zippers or clever features as some competitors, but it’s famed for its premium quality and low weight (2.2 lbs / 1kg), letting you save luggage allowance and travel minimalistically in style

Size: 30L – 45L

Tom Binh Techonaut backpack

The Tom Bihn Techonaut 45L is masterfully designed to address one of travel’s most persistent challenges: carrying everything you need while still fitting within most airline carry-on limits.

The 45-liter capacity is ideal for extended trips. If you wash your clothes during your trip and you know how to pack light, it can even be big enough to travel for months on end. If your travel style is based mostly on weekend trips, everyday carry, or commutes, then I would certainly look at the 30-liter version instead.

The pack’s sleek aesthetic is not as immediately eye-catching as some other brands out there, and the ballistic nylon isn’t my favorite looks-wise, but its practical design and functionality are what truly stand out.

The layout inside this pack is where it gets interesting. There’s a U-shaped main opening for easier packing, compression straps to lock things down, and a bigger end pocket that works great for shoes or dirty laundry. You’ll also find a spot for your water bottle, quick-access side pockets, and a top zip for stashing stuff you need on the go.

Quietly one of the best updates—this laptop compartment. It’s padded, suspended, and fits up to a 16” laptop in the 30L—bigger in the 45L. That feature alone pushes the Techonaut into a different category: a travel-and-work bag. And if you’re rolling through airports, there’s a passthrough sleeve so it slides neatly onto your luggage.

What’s interesting — and I believe unique to Tom Binh — is that you can beef up the suspension system with several accessories. You can actually separately purchase an internal frame that will add additional structure to the back panel. I haven’t tried it myself, but if you expect to carry heavier loads, you may find this a