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Travel in Comfort with One of These Backpacks for Women

A woman wears a small backpack, two people walk in Asia with backpacks on, two girls with backpacks sightsee
Dagne Dover/Osprey/Osprey

A durable backpack is essential when traveling. Unfortunately, finding one that fits a smaller frame both securely and comfortably can be a challenge. That’s why we scoured the web to find the best travel backpacks for ladies.

If you’re one of those brave souls who travels with just one carry-on bag, you need a backpack that doesn’t just hold all your stuff, but also sits comfortably on your body. Oh yeah, and it also needs to meet airline requirements.

We’ve rounded up the most popular, well-reviewed travel packs out there. Some are explicitly designed for women, or for anyone who has smaller shoulders and wider hips, but others will work for everyone. We’ve also included some daypack options for people who need to pack more stuff than one pack could possibly handle.

Most Durable: Tortuga Women’s Setout 35L

Someone packs a backpack like a suitcase and a woman wears a large travel backpack
Tortuga

If you want to travel with only one backpack as your luggage, you need one that stands up to travel wear and tear. This includes everything from being shoved repeatedly into overhead compartments on airplanes to serving as a footrest on long train rides to being repeatedly stuffed with as many items as it can fit.

One of the most durable bags on the market is the Tortuga Women’s Setout 35L. Its outer material is made from 900D polyester that’s derived from recycled plastic bottles for a durable and environmentally-friendly pack.

The interior material is ripstop nylon, which is another durable material that helps prevent tears. Finally, the entire bag is weatherproof, so you won’t have to worry about your stuff getting ruined if you’re caught in a rainstorm.

Best Value: Hynes Eagle 38L Weekender

A gray backpack with packing cubes and a black backpack on a white background
Hynes Eagle

The Hynes Eagle 38L Weekender backpack is perfect for people with big travel dreams but a small budget. It offers many of the same features as other travel bags for a fraction of the cost.

The 38L capacity is enough space for a week’s worth of necessities and has plenty of pockets and compartments to keep everything organized. Compression buckle straps allow you to shrink the width as necessary.

This unisex bag isn’t specifically designed for women, so it might not be the best option for someone with a short torso and smaller shoulders. Check the item’s return policy on Amazon before buying it and make sure that you get a size and color that you can return if you try it on and it doesn’t fit well.

Best Anti-Theft: Pacsafe Venturesafe EXP45 Anti-Theft Carry-On

A backpack opened like a suitcase and a close up view of two zippers locked together
Pacsafe

Many travelers are afraid of their stuff being stolen at some point in their trip. That fear understandably increases when you’re staying at a hostel that allows your backpack to be exposed to more strangers than you might be used to.

The Pacsafe Venturesafe EXP45 Anti-Theft Carry-On is designed with security in mind. The fabric is cut-resistant, and the zippers can’t be punctured. The zippers also have holes that allow them to be locked when you’re away from your backpack for a period of time.

Aside from the security features, it’s a great travel backpack. It has plenty of pockets to keep your things organized, padded shoulder straps for comfort, and a hip belt for even weight distribution.

Best for Organization: NOMATIC 40L Travel Bag

A gray travel backpack and a woman opens the backpack
NOMATIC

The NOMATIC 40L Travel Bag was born out of a Kickstarter campaign, with the goal of creating the perfect travel backpack. It boasts tons of great features, like a TSA-ready laptop sleeve and magnetic water bottle holders, but the true beauty of this bag is its organizational features.

This backpack has pockets for everything, and we mean everything. You’ll find a neat spot for your shoes, liquids, electronics, and anything else that you want to pack. It also has a water-resistant pocket to keep expensive items super safe and an RFID-safe pocket for your wallet.

Best for Organization

Best for Backpacking: Osprey Porter 46 Travel Backpack

Two girls look over a bridge wearing travel baackpacks
Osprey

The Osprey Porter 46 Travel Backpack is consistently rated as one of the best travel backpacks for its comfortable design, spacious interior, and ability to haul around a ton of stuff. It has a unique suspension system that allows it to be comfortable to carry around, no matter how many clothes you have stuffed inside.

This backpack is front-loaded, meaning that it can be packed like a suitcase, which allows you to use all available space and stay organized. It also has a hip belt for even weight distribution, which makes a huge difference when you’re lugging your bag all over London or Berlin.

Best for Backpacking

Best Daypack: Osprey Daylite Plus Daypack

A girl looks out at mountains and two people walk in Asia with backpacks on
Osprey

Daypacks are a great thing to have while traveling. Keeping your wallet and phone in your pocket leaves you open to pickpockets, and a purse is an easy target for thieves. Backpacks are harder to steal and allow you to hang onto everything that you’ll need for a long day of sightseeing.

When it comes to great daypacks, the Osprey Daylite Plus Daypack is hard to beat. It has a large main compartment, a few pockets to keep things organized, mesh pockets on the side for easy access to a few items, and comfortable padded shoulder straps.

The interior sleeve can either be used to hold a tablet or a hydration pack if you want to use this bag for hiking.

Most Stylish Daypack: Dagne Dover Dakota Neoprene Backpack

A light pink backpack and a woman carries a olive green backpack
Dagne Dover

It can be hard to find a travel backpack that’s cute and comfortable, but the Dagne Dover Dakota Neoprene Backpack manages to mesh the two pretty well. The chic design can be paired with virtually any outfit, while the neoprene material keeps things smooth and comfy.

This bag comes in a variety of colors, so you’re sure to find one that you love. You can also get it in three different sizes so that you can only pack around as much space as you really need.

And the best part? The signature key leash ensures that you won’t spend forever digging through your stuff to find your keys at the end of a long day.

Anne Taylor Anne Taylor
Anne Taylor is a writer with a BA in Journalism and a passion for storytelling. Her work has been published on a variety of websites including Mental Floss and Well + Good, and she recently published her first novel, What it Takes to Lose. When she's not writing, Anne loves to travel (19 countries and counting), spend time outside, and play with her dog, Pepper. Read Full Bio »
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