Whether you're a writer, photographer, or just someone with a long commute to work every day, backpacks are the most efficient way to carry a full day's worth of gear without having to fuss with annoying rolling bags or messenger bags that wreck your shoulder. They're also a huge commodity, with thousands of backpacks to choose from, ranging from plain empty bags to more specialized options with dividers, pouches, and pockets galore. These are our favorite backpacks that cater specifically towards technology, although our favorite is the Peak Design Everyday backpack.
Best Overall: Peak Design Everyday Backpack v2
Peak Design makes one of the most instantly recognizable backpacks around. The San Francisco-based company makes backpacks that put an equal focus on both aesthetics and functionality. The result is a bag that many of us on the Android Central team use every day. The Everyday Backpack v2 is available in 20L and 30L configurations to accommodate different body types and carry needs.
The design is the same on either size bag, and starts with a magnetic latch on the top flap that allows for quick access and helps keep others out. That flap, along with the rest of the bag, is protected by a hydrophobic coating that keeps water away from your belongings. There are four metal bars along the front that you can attach the magnetic latch onto to adjust the storage capacity of the bag, doubling as a security measure that keeps passersby from easily getting into your bag.
No other bag is as easily adaptable as the Everyday Backpack.
Inside, there are several adjustable dividers that you can rearrange to fit your belongings perfectly, and the bag opens from the sides for easy access. The Everyday Backpack v2 is also covered in hidden compartments and expandable pockets that can hold everything from water bottles to small tripods. Peak Design even makes its own travel tripod that's specifically designed to fit in the Everyday Backpack's side pockets.
Compared to the original Everyday Backpack, the v2 brings with it a rounder, sleeker design with more flexible mesh compartments and smoother zippers that shouldn't break nearly as often. The straps have also been upgraded with considerably better padding, and new magnets keep the luggage passthrough and straps tidy when not in use.
The Everyday Backpack v2 isn't cheap by any means. But if you do a lot of travel and you need a durable bag that can hold up to regular use and adapt to your ever-changing carry load, it's a worthwhile investment.
Pros:
- Easily adjustable internal dividers
- Water-resistant coating
- Tons of hidden and expandable compartments
- Available in two sizes
- Plenty of theft-preventative features
Cons:
- Side openings are overly rigid
- Expensive for a backpack
Best Overall
Peak Design Everyday Backpack v2
The most adaptable backpack out there
The Everyday Backpack features expandable storage and adjustable dividers that let you organize your things any way you like.
Great Alternative: Lowepro Freeline
Lowepro is one of the largest brands in camera bags, and the Freeline is the company's take on Peak Design's Everyday Backpack. It's designed around a similar system of customizable dividers on the inside, with the same side access to everything at once. The big kicker with the Freeline? Those dividers attach to a removable back panel, meaning that if you just need a simple backpack for a day trip, you can quickly remove the dividers without affecting the arrangement.
There are other convenient features like an included tech organizing pouch, special slots in the side openings for essential items like SD cards, and straps on the front for carrying larger items like tripods externally. At the top is a broad, somewhat hardshell opening for safely carrying smaller items. The Freeline is considerably cheaper than the Everyday Backpack v2, and could be a better bag for some users.
Pros:
- Removable Quick Shelf system
- Side access to everything at once
- Included tech organizing pouch
- Water-resistant coating
- Hardshell top for protecting smaller items
Cons:
- Organizers aren't as flexible as Peak's
- No side handles
Great Alternative
Lowepro Freeline BP 350 AW
Lowepro learned from and even surpassed Peak
The Freeline's dividers can be removed along with the back panel, turning it into a more straightforward bag for short trips.
Best Value: OnePlus Explorer Backpack
OnePlus's Explorer Backpack has the slimmest profile of this list, but it's surprisingly roomy and full of handy pockets — eight of them, to be exact, and each is specialized to hold phones, wallets, passports, water bottles, and so on. There's even a hidden pouch on the back for discretely tucking away a spare phone or battery pack. The whole bag is water-resistant and opens via a magnetic latch, similar to that of the Peak Design Everyday Backpack.
There's a laptop sleeve inside the main compartment and a second laptop sleeve on the back for easier access. Speaking of easier access, there's also a storage compartment at the bottom of the bag. When the Explorer Backpack launched, it was frustratingly only available with an invite code from OnePlus. Thankfully the company has since made the pack available for purchase just like any other product on its site.
Pros:
- Deep main compartment with plenty of storage
- Eight specialized pockets
- Two laptop sleeves
- Water-resistant coating
- Well-padded shoulder straps and back
Cons:
- Fidlock latch doesn't always perfectly align
- Items in hidden pocket can dig into your back
Best Value
OnePlus Explorer Backpack
Affordable low-profile bag with plenty of space
The OnePlus Explorer has a spacious main compartment, plus a variety of specialized pockets and well-padded, comfortable straps.
Easily Expandable: Nomatic Travel Pack
The Nomatic Travel Pack is a gorgeous backpack that can expand from 20L to 30L, giving you the best of both worlds between small size and large storage capacity. With a quick unzip, the Travel Pack can go from a lightweight day bag for quick trips downtown to a travel-ready bag that can fit several days' worth of supplies with ease.
Along with storage expansion and great looks, the Travel Pack also features a laptop compartment that easily folds out to expedite TSA encounters, along with a protected pocket for tablets. There's a mesh dividing wall inside the bag for separating items, and the Travel Pack even supports compression packing cubes for storing things like small articles of clothing.
Pros:
- Expands from 20L to 30L
- Great-looking design
- TSA-ready laptop sleeve
- Mesh dividing wall for organization
- Cord passthrough for charging devices
Cons:
- Expensive
- Missing the useful removable panel of Nomatic's other bags
Easily Expandable
Nomatic Travel Pack
A stylish bag with expandable storage.
The Travel Pack can quickly expand from 20 to 30 liters and offers conveniences like RFID-safe pockets and a TSA-ready laptop sleeve.
Great for Students: Timbuk2 Authority
Timbuk2 has a wide range of backpacks at just about any price point, and the Authority offers a beautiful blend of affordability, style, and functionality. It's a reasonably slim bag with a variety of color options that, like many of the other packs in this list, is loaded with pockets large and small for organizing your things, including an expandable side pocket on the outside to hold a water bottle.
For added comfort, the Authority includes sternum straps that can be tucked back into the shoulder straps when you're not using them, along with a mesh back panel to help keep your back and shirt dry. Best of all, the Authority holds laptops as large as 17 inches, because — surprise! — not everyone owns a MacBook. There's also a spot for stowing away your keys while you're out, and compression straps at the bottom of the bag let you tote around a large jacket, blanket, or, well, whatever else fits.
Pros:
- Affordable option
- Stowable sternum strap and mesh backing for comfort
- Numerous pockets for organizing small items
- Holds up to a 17-inch laptop
- Compression straps for external carries
Cons:
- Fabric material scuffs easily
- No adjustable dividers inside
Great for Students
Timbuk2 Authority
A simple, efficient bag that easily accommodates larger laptops.
The Authority is a nice bag with a variety of color options and 28L of storage, with plenty of pockets for organizing small items.
If we were buying
Any of the backpacks in this list will serve you well, but if we had to choose, the Peak Design Everyday Backpack v2 remains at the top of our recommendations. Nearly half a dozen people on the Android Central team already use the Everyday Backpack because it's such a versatile bag, and works equally well as a camera bag or a light day pack.
For me, the collapsible dividers have been incredibly useful, since I can adjust the sub-dividers on the fly without having to remove and reposition the velcro walls, allowing me to safely stow away small lenses during travel and access them quickly when needed. The newly padded straps also make it dramatically more comfortable than the previous generation, which is especially nice when you're carrying loads of heavy gear.
There's no getting around that it's an expensive backpack, but that money is going towards a bag that you won't need to replace for years to come. If you're someone who uses their backpack a lot, and especially if you're a photographer or videographer who needs precise organization and quick access to their gear, the Everyday Backpack v2 is an investment well worth making.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Hayato Huseman is a recovering trade show addict and video editor for Android Central based out of Indianapolis. He can mostly be found complaining about the cold and enthusing about prog metal on Twitter at @hayatohuseman.
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