Peak Design 30L Travel Backpack Review
A stylish, well-organized, tech-friendly commuter and travel pack
The Peak Design Travel Backpack is a jet-setter’s dream–spacious, durable, sleek, and carry-on size. This pack is ideal for weekend getaways, though with conscientious packing, you could travel a week or so with this pack.
The Peak Design Travel pack is designed for jetsetters, commuters, nature photographers. Flying to another city for a conference? Wandering around a park for the day to snap photos of birds? Taking a train to work and grabbing drinks with friends after? Enjoying a weekend trip out of the city? This pack had us covered (and looking stylish!) through it all.
With weatherproof, DWR-treated fabric and ample storage space, this pack covered us throughout a lot of travel situations. However, we found it’s not ideal if you prefer separating your dirty laundry or shoes from your clean clothes (you’d need to pack your own storage solution for that), and finding something at the bottom of your bag can be a pain unless you’re able to unzip the whole pack, lay it on its side, or adjust the zippers to access the sides or bottom of the pack.
Travelers seeking a sleek, durable, travel pack for work, vacation, and day-to-day life will find a lot to love about the Peak Design Travel Backpack.
Peak Design 30L Travel Backpack
This story may contain affiliate links, which help fund our website. When you click on the links to purchase gear, we may get a commission without costing you an extra cent. This allows us to create reader-supported, objective gear reviews. Thank you for supporting our work and mission of outdoor coverage for every body! Learn more.
Peak Design Specifications
Volume: 30 L (also available in 45 L)
Weight: 3 lbs, 2.7 oz
Dimensions: 20.9" x 13" x 7"
Materials: 100% recycled 400D nylon Versa Shell; 900D waterproof bottom liner
Hip belt: Sold separately
Laptop compartment: yes
iPad/tablet compartment: yes
Number of exterior pockets: 3 + main compartment
Compression: zippers compress it from 33L to 27L
Carry system: Stowaway harness and sternum strap (hip belt sold separately)
Luggage pass-through for roller bag carry: yes
Sustainability: bluesign-approved (in Sage fabric), recycled materials
TSID registration: Included
Compatibility: Hip belt as an add-on, travel pouches, camera and travel accessories
Comparison table
| TRAVEL PACK | CARRY ON? | AVAILABLE VOLUMES | WEIGHT | WATER RESISTANT? | SHOULDER STRAPS STOWABLE? | HIPBELT STOWABLE? | EXTERIOR POCKETS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak Design Travel Pack 30 L | Yes | 30, 45 L | 3.17 lb. | Yes | Yes | No hipbelt | 3 |
| Cotopaxi Allpa 42 L Travel Pack | Yes* | 28, 35, 42 L | 3.13 lb. | Yes + rain cover | Yes | Yes | 4 |
| NEMO Vantage 30 L Pack | Yes | 20, 26, 30, 40 L | 3.06 lb. | Yes | No | No hipbelt | 3 |
| Fjallraven Raven 28 Pack | Yes | 20, 28 L | 2.21 lb. | No | No | No hipbelt | 5 |
| Osprey Sojourn Porter 46 Travel Pack | Yes | 30, 46, 65 L | 3.44 lb. | No | Yes | Yes | 3 |
Who it’s for
Those traveling by plane, especially for work trips or weekend getaways
Digital nomads
Work commuters
Minimalist travelers
Photographers
How we tested
We took the Peak Design Travel Backpack on trips that involved air travel, ferry rides, and other transit types. Photo by Jon Rudolph
We tested the Peak Design Travel Backpack 30L in a variety of use-case scenarios, including as a day pack around the city, an overnight/weekend bag for short trips, and on a flight for a weekend trip from Denver to Seattle.
After testing several other travel packs around the same 30L size, we directly compared its organization capabilities, how easily the same amount of items could fit in this bag compared to others, its comfort in transit, and how easy it was to use as a carry-on bag throughout an airport experience.
While you could take it on hikes–it’s weatherproof and comfortable–that isn’t this pack’s intended purpose. We found it great for nature photographers, but not for regular use as a hiking pack.
We tested the 30L size to maintain consistency with most other travel packs we’ve been testing, but the pack also comes in 45L. This would be great for longer trips, or even for weekenders going somewhere cold or who don’t want to have to pack as light (you could throw in a winter coat and another pair of shoes, for example).
What we liked
We flew from Denver to Seattle for a long weekend and were able to pack everything in the Peak Design Travel Backpack (plus a 3L Cotopaxi hip pack). Photo by Becca Downs
Sturdy, durable exterior keeps its shape
Tech compartments for laptop and tablet feel safe and secure
Comfortable straps
Expands for more room
Grab handles on all sides for easy carry
Carry-on compatible, even in expanded form
Best zippers of all the travel packs we’ve tested. They’re durable and don’t get caught
Stretchable side pockets for water bottles or similar-sized items
Sleek, stylish design
What could be better
Main compartment can be difficult to access without unzipping all the way
No place to stash laundry/dirty items (e.g., clothes you’ve worn on your trip, a pair of shoes)
Organization is simple–pockets are minimal compared to similar travel packs
Features
If you pack light, you can comfortably travel with the Peak Design Travel Backpack for a few days. Photo by Becca Downs
Carry system
The padded shoulder straps and padded back panel are comfortable over long days. Of the travel packs we’ve tested, this pack probably comes in second to the NEMO Vantage in terms of all-day comfort and breathability. It’s not quite as padded and doesn’t allow as much airflow as the NEMO pack, but it’s still designed with all-day comfort in mind.
The pack comes with stowable sternum straps, and you can purchase a hip belt separately. A hip belt might be more comfortable if you regularly navigate long travel days or have back/shoulder issues, but we found this pack secure and comfortable enough without it.
Removable sternum straps are included with the Peak Design Travel Backpack. Photo by Becca Downs
The shoulder straps can be tucked behind the back panel, which is convenient for preventing the straps from getting caught during travel.
In addition to wearing this as a backpack, the 360-degree handles allow you to carry it at your side from all sides of the pack. This can be particularly useful at airports.
Compression
This pack is sturdy and maintains its shape along all but the front side–not as much as hardshell luggage, but more than any other travel pack we tested. As a result, the pack is comfortable to carry even when it’s not full.
You can expand or compress the pack’s size with a zipper along the edges to shift from 27L to 33L in capacity. Both sizes are carry-on compliant. Depending on how full you pack it and the size of the plane, you may be able to stow this pack under the seat. If not, you can at least stow it in the overhead compartment.
Organization
A view of the tech compartment with a Macbook Air and charger inside. Photo by Becca Downs
The Peak Design Travel Backpack has one large main compartment with a divided and padded laptop sleeve, as well as four zippered mesh pockets along the sides and inside front panel. The zippered front pocket has a few small “stretch” pockets (that don’t stretch much) for organization and a zip pocket. It has two side pockets that stretch a little (enough for a 32-oz wide-mouth Nalgene bottle to fit).
In general, most things you travel with will be stored in the main compartment. While the interior mesh zippered pockets are helpful for organization, we found we didn’t actually use them much. You could theoretically use them for dirty laundry as you travel, but this doesn’t keep it as separate as the storage options of the Gregory Border Traveler 30, NEMO Vantage 30, or The North Face Base Camp Voyager Travel Pack do. They also aren’t large enough for shoes (unless they’re small, thin flip flops or something similar).
With packing cubes, however, this pack could be a traveler's or photographer’s dream. Since the pack keeps its shape, it's easy to add packing cubes and stay organized. That would be an extra purchase, though.
If you like a lot of smaller pockets to keep yourself organized, and/or have your own packing cubes you like to use, this pack is a good option for you. If you prefer larger compartments already determined for you, you may want to consider the Gregory Border Traveler 30, NEMO Vantage 30, or The North Face Base Camp Voyager Travel Pack.
Back panel
The padded shoulder straps back panel make the Peak Design Travel Backpack comfortable enough to carry on long travel days. Photo by Jon Rudolph
The back panel is cushioned and comfortable. It also slips over rolling luggage handles for easy airport navigating, though it’s comfortable enough to wear on your back for extended periods too. While traveling, especially flying, you can also rotate the shoulder straps and tuck them behind the back panel to prevent snagging.
Materials & durability
The bottom of the backpack has a waterproof lining in case you set the pack down somewhere wet. As you can see, the water beads and rolls away. Photo by Becca Downs
The exterior of the pack is made with 100% recycled 400D nylon Versa Shell fabric that is DWR treated and double poly coated for water resistance. The bottom liner is 900D waterproof. While we didn’t encounter rain or spills to test this, a shower test showed the water beaded up and brushed away. While the whole pack isn’t waterproof, this should work well if you set the pack on a wet surface. The interior is a high-vis gray nylon material, allowing you to locate items quickly even in low light.
The construction of this pack is solid in that it maintains its shape and feels sturdy. I used this pack for an overnight stay in the city and took it to a DnD campaign the next morning (that’s right, some of us test outdoor gear and play nerdy games with our friends). One of my friends absentmindedly patted the top of the bag and was taken aback by how firm it was. (And for what it’s worth, the tech sleeve was perfect for storing my laptop and DnD notebook, and the front zippered pocket held my dice and snacks.)
The gold-rated leather detailing of the sage Travel Backpack makes it not vegan–choose the black color for a vegan-friendly option. Photo by Becca Downs
If you’re debating between colors, we recommend Sage. It’s the only color that is bluesign approved, with leather accents that are Gold Certified by the Leather Working Group. The other colors look nice too, but we appreciate the extra certifications that come with Sage. However, if you’re vegan, you’ll want this pack in Black as the other colors all use leather patches.
Zippers
The zippers can lock together to prevent the pack from opening while in transit. Photo by Becca Downs
I’m rarely excited by zippers and usually only notice them if they’re a pain or get caught a lot, but the zippers on this pack are so well designed they’ve become a standout feature.
The pack uses hefty #10 UltraZips with abrasion-resistant UHMPE thread, hypalon zip pulls, and reinforced stress points. You can even interlock the zippers to keep them together as you travel, which is a neat design feature.
In testing, these might have been the best zippers of all the travel packs we’ve tested, as they’re durable and don’t get caught.
Compatibility
Peak Design offers a compatible hip belt as an add-on, as well as travel pouches, and camera and travel accessories to personalize and optimize your organization and experience with this pack. While we didn’t test any accessories, the camera gear section of their website offers a lot of intriguing gadgets and accessories you can attach to this pack for a better photography experience.
Sustainability
The outer shell of the Peak Design Travel Backpack is made with recycled plastics. If you buy the Sage color, the external fabric is bluesign approved, and the leather accents are Gold Certified by the Leather Working Group. If you buy the Black color, the pack is vegan friendly.
On Peak Design’s website, you can read their 2023 impact report, which includes their B Corp status, how much they’ve donated through 1% For the Planet, a look at their Fair Trade Certified factories, and more. (On June 2, 2025, the company stated in a journal post that their 2024 impact report would be available in June–as of the publishing of this review, it has not yet been released.)
Should I buy the Peak Design Travel Backpack?
Buy if you want a sleek, durable, carry-on-compatible travel pack for work travel, weekend trips, commuting, or photography.
This travel pack is designed with jetsetters, commuters, and photographers in mind. The main compartment is spacious (and can be further reorganized with packing cubes), the tech compartment is cushioned, and the semi-rigid frame is durable and sleek. It’s carry-on compatible and easy to stow.
Skip if you want a travel pack that doubles as a hiking pack, or prefer more compartments for separating gear, clothing, or other items.
This design isn’t for everyone–some folks may prefer more compartments, a separate place for dirty laundry or shoes, or more external zippered pockets. Folks looking for a pack that can double as a hiking/outdoors backpack may want to look elsewhere, like the Gregory Border Traveler 30, NEMO Vantage 30, or The North Face Base Camp Voyager Travel Pack.
Where to buy the Peak Design Travel Backpack?
The Peak Design Travel Backpack has a simple and sleek design. Photo by Becca Downs
The Peak Design Travel backpack is popular among commuters and travelers, so you have options when it comes to retailers. Here are some of the pros of the retailers.
REI
Pros: 100% satisfaction policy for 1 year; 10% dividend for members.
Amazon
Pros: Free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime membership
Backcountry
Pros: Frequent sales for Expedition Perks members (free to join), fast shipping, Gearhead chat customer service is excellent
Similar products
NEMO Vantage 30L Endless Promise Everyday Adventure Daypack
Carry on? Yes
Available sizes: 20, 26, 30, 40 L
Weight: 3.06 lb.
Water resistant? Yes
Shoulder straps stowable? No
Hipbelt stowable? No hipbelt
Exterior pockets? 3
The NEMO Vantage 30L really wowed us as a thoughtfully designed, comfortable, versatile travel pack. We found this pack performed well for everything from weekend trips to a week abroad, work commuting to adventure travel, a day around the city, or 24 hours crewing an ultramarathon in a Mexican jungle.
With plenty of storage space, a thoughtful and useful organization setup, so many pockets we kept finding more each time we used it, immensely comfortable shoulder straps and back panel, and NEMO’s Endless Promise (meaning it was made from 100% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable at the end of its life), there’s a lot to love about this pack.
Both this pack and the Peak Design Travel Backpack are comfortable to carry on long travel days (though the back panel of the NEMO Vantage is noticeably more breathable). Both are durable and well designed. We’d say the Peak Design Travel Backpack is best suited for flying, work-related trips, and photographers, whereas the NEMO Vantage is a more do-it-all bag for travel, commuting, and days in the outdoors. For more, read our review of the Nemo Vantage 30L.
NEMO Vantage 30L Endless Promise Everyday Adventure Daypack
Carry on? Yes*
Available sizes: 28, 35, 42 L
Weight: 3.13 lb.
Water resistant? Yes + rain cover
Shoulder straps stowable? Yes
Hipbelt stowable? Yes
Exterior pockets? 4
The Cotopaxi Allpa 35 is a spacious, thoughtfully laid out, durable, and versatile travel pack. We tested the 42L Cotopaxi Allpa and found its size and organization ideal for about a week and a half overseas, traveling between airports, towns, buses, and hostels. It’s water resistant and translates well to days in the outdoors, making it versatile and useful in a variety of settings.
Cotopaxi’s distinct look is much different than the style of the Peak Design Travel Backpack–the Allpa has a more “outdoorsy” and colorful look whereas the Peak Design Travel Backpack has a more simple design with muted colors, so you may be drawn to one’s appearance over the other. This travel pack is also available in 28L and 35L, which are more comparable in size to the Peak Design Travel Backpack. For more, read our review of the Cotopaxi Allpa.
Cotopaxi Allpa 35
Carry on? Yes
Available sizes: 35, 45 L
Weight: 2.94. - 3.06 lb.
Water resistant? Yes
Shoulder straps stowable? Yes
Hipbelt stowable? Yes
Exterior pockets? 10
The Six Moon Designs All Day Carry (ADC) has similar carrying capacity as the Peak Designs Travel Pack, but is designed for adventure travel, such as the Camino de Santiago. It's lighter weight, but has a much more robust hip belt and shoulder straps for long days on your feet. The ADC also has an internal frame and adjustable torso length for maximum comfort. However, the Peak Design has more internal organizational sleeves than the ADC, so if you're looking for more of a pack for urban use, stay with the Peak Designs.
For more, read our review of the Six Moon Designs All Day Carry Travel Pack.
Six Moon Designs All Day Carry (ADC)
Carry on? Yes
Available sizes:30, 40 L
Weight: 2.5 lb.
Water resistant? Yes
Shoulder straps stowable? No
Hipbelt stowable? Yes
Exterior pockets? 3
The Gregory Border Traveler 30 zips open to butterfly into two main compartments–one of which is an ActiveShield zippered compartment with Polygiene StaysFresh technology, designed to keep dirty or wet clothing and gear separate and protect the rest of your items from odor or dirt.
Because of this feature, we love this pack for work-to-workout days, travel (especially without laundry facilities), or any trip where you may want to keep gear, shoes, or other items in an easy-to-clean compartment separate from everything else. For example, I use this bag when I go from working at a coffee shop to meeting friends at the crag to climb. My laptop can go in the tech compartment, my clothes can go in the non-ActiveShield main compartment, and my climbing shoes, chalk, harness, and other gear can go in the ActiveShield compartment.
This pack isn’t as firm or sleek looking as the Peak Design Travel Backpack, but it feels the most voluminous and is organized for adventure travel. I used it as my carry-on while traveling to Scotland and the Netherlands for a trip that ranged from backpacking in the highlands to a formal wedding and found it wasn’t quite as comfortable to carry as the Peak Design Travel Backpack, but it was better suited for the organization I needed.
Gregory Border Traveler 30
Carry on? Yes
Available sizes: 26, 35 L
Weight: 3.46 lb.
Water resistant? Yes
Shoulder straps stowable? No
Hipbelt stowable? No hipbelt
Exterior pockets? 5
At 35L capacity, The North Face Voyager Travel Pack is more voluminous than the Peak Design 30L Travel Backpack. It also offers more organization options with its pockets and feels like a compromise between the Gregory Border, NEMO Vantage, and Peak Design Travel Backpack with its pocket and compartment placements, adjustable compartment divider to separate laundry, and comfortable shoulder straps and back panel.
One downside is it’s not guaranteed to work as a carry-on. The North Face does not advertise it as carry-on compatible, but we tried it anyway. Based on the dimensions (12'' x 6.3'' x 19.3''), it should be for most airlines, but not all. On most flights we were fine, but we were stopped by a gate agent before a flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam and required to check the bag. All other international and domestic flights we tried this on were fine. So, it’s carry-on compatible at your own risk.
The North Face Base Camp Voyager Travel Pack
Carry on? Yes
Available sizes: 30, 46, 65 L
Weight: 3.44 lb.
Water resistant? No
Shoulder straps stowable? Yes
Hipbelt stowable? Yes
Exterior pockets? 3
The Osprey Sojourn Porter combines the plentiful pockets and “outdoorsiness” of the Cotopaxi Allpa with the simpler and natural-colored exterior design of the Peak Design Travel Backpack. At 46L, it has much more carrying capacity than the Peak Design pack, and it costs under $200, making it a quality budget option.
Our tester loved the Sojourn Porter for its versatility from travel to work to days in the outdoors. If you’re looking for a travel pack that works well in a range of use cases, offers more capacity, and costs less, this pack is worth your consideration.
Osprey Sojourn Porter 46
FAQ
Taking in the ferry dock views on a travel day in Seattle. Photo by Jon Rudolph
-
Yes. Whether compact at 27L or expanded at 33L, this pack is carry-on compliant.
-
While hiking is not the primary purpose of this pack, you could comfortably hike with it on casual day hikes. The best outdoor use of this pack is for nature photographers who might spend the day outside, as this pack is reliably durable, designed with photographers in mind, and has plenty of storage for anything you’d need for a long day outdoors.
-
Absolutely. In fact, it was one of our favorite travel packs for tech storage as the padded tech compartment felt secure and safe. This is a great pack for work commutes, conferences, and work trips.
-
The Peak Design Everyday Backpack is similar to the Travel Backpack in its sleek design, carrying capacity, and use cases. However, its access points and interior organization are different and focus on photographers’ needs. It comes in 20L and 30L sizes and costs more than the Travel Backpack.
The Outdoor Backpack is a more rugged pack with an internal frame, designed for outdoor adventures. It still has a tech compartment (that could alternately hold a water bladder), and would be well suited for nature photographers spending most of their time outside. This pack is available in 18L, 25L, and 45L sizes. If you’re a nature photographer who might backpack overnight, the 45L would be a good option to check out.
-
No, but the DWR treatment helps resist light rain. You’ll likely be fine walking from your car to the office in light rain, but you may want to consider using a rain cover in wet conditions beyond that.
About the author / Why you should trust us
Becca Downs spends a lot of time on the go–from weekend trips on the road to backpacking trips in the mountains, from adventure travel abroad to visiting friends around the country, she’s accustomed to constant packing, unpacking, and repacking. Over the last couple years, she’s tested many travel packs in a variety of settings–commutes from work to trail runs or climbing sessions to happy hour, overnight trips in Colorado mountain towns, crewing an ultra in Mexico, spending a week adventuring around Ireland, and much more.
Becca also ran D1 cross country and track for Indiana University—Purdue University of Indianapolis (IUPUI) and continued racing everything from elite miles to ultramarathons in her post-collegiate years. She earned a USATF Level 1 certification and coached boys and girls high school cross country and track in Indianapolis for four years. Becca then joined the IUPUI women’s distance coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach in 2020-2021. Her years as an athlete and a coach included a lot of travel.
She geeks out on trail running, track and field, and cries every time she watches a marathon (they’re just so beautiful!). After notching a few small FKTs under her belt in 2020, she was diagnosed with hip arthritis and now channels her passion for running into coaching, writing, creating training plans for her friends, hiking, snowshoeing, and running when her hip allows it.
You can read more of Becca's work at her website or on her author page.
