Gear up for a year of adventures with the best daypacks for travel of 2022. With vaccination efforts ramping up around the world we’re seeing more travelers getting back to the roads, skies, and seas. Get the most out of your upcoming trips with the right daypack.
We kicked off our Best of 2021 Travel Gear Guides with the must have accessories of the year, and this year we’re back with the best daypacks!
Why Travel With a Daypack
For days in transit and days out exploring, a great daypack is one of the most important and most frequently used pieces of travel gear. It holds all of your gear so you can get the most out of every experience. Available in a range of shapes and sizes, there’s a daypack suitable for any trip. When choosing the best daypack for your travel style, consider your destination, how much capacity you need, the material, carrying style, and any special features on the bag.
Highlights
For those who just want to cut to the most important part, here are the best of the best, the top daypacks in each category for 2021. To get the full details, top 3 products in each daypacks category, and to see how we came up with this list check out the rest of the article.
Best Daypack For Urban Travel: Sherpani Soleil Crossbody Anti Theft Travel Bag
Well designed and loaded with industry leading security features to keep your gear safe in crowded urban environments.
Best Sling Bag Daypack: Hadaki Urban Sling
A go-to travel companion on any trip! Easy to access, comfortable to wear all day, and beautifully styled.
Best Hiking Daypack: Caribee X-Trek Daypack Backpack
All around comfort and features to tackle any off-road adventure and trail.
Best Anti-Theft Daypack: Pacsafe Vibe Anti Theft Daypack
Setting the standard for anti-theft features and comfortable enough to wear all day.
Best Small Daypack: Jack Foster Waxed Canvas & Horween Leather Daypack
Handmade with top quality canvas and leather, this compact daypack is refined and gets better with age.
Best Sustainable Daypack: Ori Bags Finchley Sustainable Backpack
Sustainably made without compromising on comfort, organization, or style.
Best Daypack Backpack: Peak Design Everyday Backpack
Unmatched comfort and organization to haul your gear on any trip.
Best Packable Daypack: Chrome Industries Cardiel Roll Top Packable Backpack
The easiest to use and most comfortable packable daypack available includes features normally just found on regular backpacks.
Best Waterproof Daypack: Overboard Pro Sport Waterproof Backpack
100% waterproof protection keeps all of your gear protected in wet weather or on the water. Plus, the padded straps and harness system make it comfortable to wear all day.
Best Digital Nomad Daypack: Cocoon Innovations Slim Laptop Backpack
Organization for all your electronics and accessories in an ultra slim profile.
Best Overall Daypack: Hadaki Urban Sling
Style, comfort, and ease of use; this travel daypack has it all.
Best Daypack For Urban Travel
Best Overall: Sherpani Soleil Crossbody Anti Theft Travel Bag
Built-in anti theft features make the Soleil Crossbody Bag shine in a crowded urban environment. Busy subways and packed city squares are hotspots for pickpocketing but the Soleil leaves you feeling secure with RFID protection, double locking zippers, and anti slash material. It’s comfortable to wear and has a great urban inspired design. Plus, you can easily swap between 3 ways to wear depending on what you’re doing; either crossbody, backpack, or tote. This is our best daypack for urban travel thanks to the compact size, great looks, and unmatched security features.
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Runner-up #1: Ori Bags Bantry Compact Backpack Sleek, compact, and perfect for the city! The Ori Bantry Compact Backpack is available in a range of vibrant colors and perfect for urban travelers. Cruise through airports and city streets in style with your gear organized in the compact 7 liter daypack backpack. The unique colors and modern style are distinctly suited to urban travel and offer a perfect blend of fun and function. |
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Runner-up #2: Jack Foster Waxed Canvas & Horween Leather Daypack Simple style is enduring and the eye-catching Jack Foster Canvas Daypack will be with you for decades of urban adventures. Hand-made with beautiful waxed canvas and leather accents on a simple design, this bag shines in the city. Perfect for the plane, day trips to vineyards, or afternoons in a café. |
Best Sling Bag Daypack
Best Overall: Hadaki Urban Sling
Compact, lightweight, looks great, and easily accessible; the highly rated Hadaki Urban Sling checks all the boxes as the best sling bag daypack. This travel sling bag is the perfect size to carry everything you need for a day in the city including a wallet, sunglasses, guidebook, water bottle, and snacks. When you need to get something from the bag you simply swing it to your side and use the rear zippers to access the main compartment. With a range of colors to choose from there’s an Urban Sling for everyone!
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Runner-up #1: Jetcet Ginza Travel Sling Bag When style is just as important as function, look no further than Jetcet’s Ginza daypack. Beautifully designed with vibrant color and attention to detail, this sling bag is a real eye catcher. It's lightweight, highly portable, and immediately elevates your travel style. |
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Runner-up #2: Chrome Industries Kadet Messenger Style Sling Bag The best selling Chrome Industries Kadet came out highly rated in our hands-on testing thanks to the extremely comfortable carrying style, durable construction, and unique urban design. With 9 liters of space there’s room for just about everything you need and the crossbody style keeps your back cool compared to a traditional daypack, even on the hottest days in a city. |
Best Hiking Daypack
Best Overall: Caribee X-Trek Daypack Backpack
When you need a classic hiking backpack with all around good style and practical features, the Caribee X-Trek has you covered. This versatile daypack backpack has everything you need for a day on the trails and we love how compact it is despite the 28 liter capacity. It's comfortable to wear, durable for the outdoors, and loaded with pockets & anchor points. This hiking daypack is great for any traveler and just about any hike. The top rated features propelled the X-Trek to the top of the list as the best hiking daypack of the year.
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Runner-up #1: Alps Mountaineering Hydro Trail For serious hiking and trekking, the Alps Mountaineering Hydro Trail will keep you going with all the features expected in the best hiking daypacks. The built in 3 liter hydration reservoir and drinking tube keeps you hydrated on the toughest days. This daypack is compact at 17 liters to keep you moving and loaded with all the essential features of a great hiking daypack including trekking pole loops, rain cover, and suspended back panel. |
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Runner-up #2: RMU Core Pack Performance Hiking Backpack Beautifully designed with extra durable weatherproof nylon, the RMU Core Pack easily doubles as your urban daypack when you’re off the trail. It's loaded with smart features that make it comfortable in every environment including a hydration sleeve, reinforced foam back support, and enough pockets to keep all your gear organized. For serious adventures, this is this hiking daypack best equipped to haul heavy loads over long distances. |
Best Anti-Theft Daypack
Best Overall: Pacsafe Vibe Anti Theft Daypack
The leader in anti theft bags, Pacsafe tops our list for the most secure daypack of the year. The 25 liter Vibe is loaded with industry leading anti-theft features to keep your valuables secure. Slashguard materials, RFID blocking, and innovative double secure PopNLock security zippers keep your gear safe. Plus, this travel daypack has practical organization pockets built in and padded back panel & straps so it's comfortable to carry all day.
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Runner-up #1: Sherpani Soleil Crossbody Anti-Theft Travel Bag RFID protection, double locking zippers, chair loop wire lock, and anti slash base & straps will keep all of your valuables safely secured in the Sherpani Soleil travel bag. But the Soleil doesn't stop at securing your gear; it's durably built, looks great, and offers 3 ways to carry to adapt to wherever your days take you. Travel confidently and comfortably through city squares, train stations, and night markets with all of your valuables protected. . |
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Runner-up #2: Sherpani Prima Anti-Theft Travel Purse All the same anti-theft features of the Soleil in a compact purse - the Sherpani Prima is the best compact anti-theft daypack for keeping your essentials secure. 3 liters of space gives you room for all the small valuables you travel with including cash, cards, wallet, passport, keys, phone, and sunglasses. The Prima is perfect for keeping the essentials secure in crowded outdoor environments. |
Best Small Daypack
Best Overall: Jack Foster Waxed Canvas & Horween Leather Daypack
Sometimes you can’t beat a classic daypack backpack; it's comfortable to carry all day, convenient to pack, and flexible to use just about anywhere. This handmade canvas daypack is built with top quality waxed canvas & Horween leather accents and holds its shape even when partially packed so it’s always looking great. 15 liters of packable space and a slim profile keeps it compact while offering room for all the daily essentials. Plus, it looks amazing and the beautiful canvas breaks in with use and gets better with age.
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Runner-up #1: Ori Bags Bantry Compact Backpack Add a pop of color and style to your travel gear with the Ori Bantry compact daypack. This small daypack is an updated take on a classic daypack backpack. It offers 7 liters of packable space in bright and weather resistant material that’s easy to clean. An array of pockets keep you organized making it perfect for the plane or city. |
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Runner-up #2: Cocoon Innovations Slim Laptop Backpack A small daypack with room for a laptop and all of your accessories & electronics; the Cocoon Innovations Slim Laptop Backpack is only 3.75” thick, even when fully packed. A minimalist and sleek design on the outside and unmatched organization on the inside with the Cocoon exclusive Grid It vertical organization panel - you’ll never have to deal with a messy bag again. |
Best Sustainable Daypack
Best Overall: Ori Bags Finchley Sustainable Backpack
Style, convenience, and sustainability - the Ori Finchley has it all. Every Finchley bag prevented 12-15 water bottles from ending up in landfill thanks to the RPET fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. The inside is loaded with pockets to keep you organized including a padded floating laptop sleeve, floating cell phone pocket, multiple small slip pockets, sunglasses pocket, and medium zipped accessories pocket. Available in two sizes and a range of vibrant colors, the Finchley is the best sustainable daypack to take on any trip.
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Runner-up #1: XACT Oxygen Laptop Backpack With top notch quality and construction plus unmatched organization and smart design features, it's easy to forget the XACT Oxygen Laptop Backpack kept 18 plastic water bottles out of landfills. The exterior material is made from recycled plastic water bottles that produce a unique fabric that is equally strong and lightweight. The ergonomic back panel and shoulder straps are among the most comfortable we’ve ever used. Every inch of this XACT daypack has features to make days exploring easier. |
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Runner-up #2: Chicobag Recycled Materials Packable Daypack We’re huge fans of packable daypacks and Chicobag offers a simple solution with all the features you’d expect - a zipped pocket, side water bottle holders, adjustable straps, sternum strap, and internal divider. It’s a smart choice for the sustainability minded traveler with fabric made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic water bottles. It's a low cost, ultra lightweight, and sustainable daypack that’s appropriate for just about any trip. |
Best Daypack Backpack
Best Overall: Peak Design Everyday Backpack
When you plan to be out for a FULL day, with loads of gear, you need capacity and comfort to carry everything. The Peak Design Everyday Backpack features the innovate flexfold layered packing system so you can stash every item inside. This daypack backpack is loaded with smart organization features and the flexible closure offers extra space when you need it most. Plus, the mesh back panel and pivoting shoulder straps make it a dream to carry. When you want the ultimate blend of style, durability, comfort, and organization, reach for the Peak Design Everyday Backpack.
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Runner-up #1: XACT Oxygen Laptop Backpack Sustainably made, smart tech & organization features built in, and possibly the most comfortable back panel we’ve ever used. The XACT Oxygen Laptop Backpack is unmatched for days in transit, digital nomads, and day trips in the city. This daypack backpack is built for the modern traveler or digital nomad with ingenious organization and ease of use features for all of your tech and electronics. Plus, it's sustainably made with recycled fabric. |
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Runner-up #2: Pacsafe Vibe Anti Theft Daypack Backpack The Pacsafe Vibe offers industry leading anti theft security with all the benefits and features of a great daypack backpack. Organization pockets, padded straps & back panel, and a sleek profile make it easy to travel with on virtually any trip. Layer on the innovative anti-theft features to keep your valuables secure and the Vibe will be your go to for countless trips. |
Best Packable Daypack
Best Overall: Chrome Industries Cardiel Roll Top Packable Backpack
The 25 liter Cardiel is leading the charge to redefine what a packable daypack can offer. A structured base on any backpack is a win but on a packable daypack it's a game changer, making the bag easier to pack and holding its shape when only partially full. Strong material, padded straps, and solid hardware make this bag just as comfortable as a regular daypack backpack but with the added benefit of packability when not in use. This best selling backpack is an updated version of the original Chrome Packable Daypack and the new features propelled it to the top of our list.
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Runner-up: Peregrine Flight Lightweight Packable Backpack The Peregrine Flight is a lightweight packable daypack built for the trails. This versatile hiking backpack is made from super lightweight material so it can easily pack away in a large bag or backpack. Break it out for summit chases or rely on it as your primary daypack on the trails. With multiple anchor points and pockets plus expandable storage, this packable daypack is ready for any off road adventure. |
Best Waterproof Daypack
Best Overall: Overboard Pro Sport Waterproof Backpack
Hiking to a waterfall, heading out on the boat, or expecting bad weather? The Overboard Pro Sport Waterproof Backpack provides 100% waterproof protection for all of your gear supported by an incredibly comfortable strap and harness system. The padded straps, lumbar support, adjustable harnesses, and organization pockets make this waterproof daypack perfectly appropriate for any outdoor adventure in any weather. The Pro Sport offers a perfect blend of top quality materials, 100% waterproof protection, and all the straps and padding needed to make it comfortable to carry all day.
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Runner-up #1: Peregrine Tataro Dry Bag Backpack Keep your gear dry and stay lightweight with this compact, packable waterproof daypack. The Tataro is ultra lightweight and packs up into a small pouch smaller than a fist so you can easily transport it and break it out when you’re adventuring into wet weather. |
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Runner-up #2: Chrome Industries Barrage Cargo Roll Top Waterproof Backpack The rugged and durable Barrage offers 100% waterproof protection with capacity for all the gear you need for a full day exploring. This waterproof daypack is designed to hold up to whatever gets thrown at it. From downpours in the city to muddy nights at the campsite, your gear will be protected from the elements. Plus, it features padded straps and expandable storage with the exterior cargo net. |
Best Digital Nomad Daypack
Best Overall: Cocoon Innovations Slim Laptop Backpack
Ultra slim and offering unmatched organization for gadgets and electronics, the Cocoon Innovations Slim Laptop Backpack is the best digital nomad daypack of the year. This compact backpack is only 3.75” deep when fully packed. It's sleek, maneuverable, and perfect to bring along on every working trip to transport your gear. The main compartment has storage for a laptop and various documents and the secondary compartment features the Grid It vertical organization panel. Stash all of your small accessories and cables in this innovative electronics organizer and you’ll never be searching for an item again.
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Runner-up #1: Ascentials Pro Meta 3 in 1 Business Laptop Backpack The Meta Laptop Backpack has a place for every piece of your gear with 22 liters of packable space split between 3 main pockets. The additional dedicated side access laptop pocket helps you fly through airport security. We love swapping the bag between backpack, brief, or crossbody mode depending on how we’re using it. And if you’re heading out for an overnight trip there’s enough space in the main compartment for a change of clothes, plus all of your work gear. |
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Runner-up #2: XACT Oxygen Laptop Backpack This laptop backpack is not only fantastic to use when you’re heading to a coworking office or coffee shop but it absolutely shines while you’re in transit. The XACT Oxygen stands out with the most comfortable back panel and straps on any laptop backpack we’ve used so it's comfortable to carry all day. The tech organization is seamless, whether you’re in transit or posted up for a day in a remote office. Plus, the lightweight material is sustainably made with recycled fabric. |
Best Overall Daypack
Best Overall: Hadaki Urban Sling
Our favorite to use and bestselling daypack, the Hadaki Urban Sling, is the best overall daypack of the year! This sling bag has everything we look for in the best daypacks. It's the perfect size to carry a day's worth of gear and we love the side access main pocket so you can easily access the contents by swinging the bag to your side. These side access zippers also offer a layer of theft prevention. It's comfortable to wear all day and made from durable & easy to clean material. We’ve taken this bag out countless times over the last year and continue to rely on it regularly. Pockets and additional convenience features make it easy to use and the great design complements any set of travel gear.
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Runner-up #1: Ori Bags Finchley Sustainable Backpack What better way to contribute to your sustainable travel style than with a beautifully designed and easy to use daypack. The Ori Bags Finchley Backpack is made from recycled fabric that prevented at least a dozen plastic water bottles from ending up in landfills. But this daypack doesn't stop there. Multiple pockets keep your organized, a unique design in a range of colors looks awesome, and the material is equally durable and lightweight so it will keep up with years of adventures. . |
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Runner-up #2: Ascentials Pro Meta 3 in 1 Business Laptop Backpack We consistently reach for the Meta anytime we’re traveling with a laptop, which these days, is quite often. The side access laptop sleeve keeps your device secure and makes TSA a breeze. This laptop backpack is loaded with pockets to keep every piece of gear organized. The pack easily switches between backpack, crossbody, or briefcase style making it extremely versatile. Plus, the main compartment is large enough for an overnight trip. |
How we Decided on the Best Travel Daypacks
Selecting the best travel daypacks of 2021 ultimately comes down to which items provide the most thoughtful design with high quality construction and materials. There are 6 primary areas we consider when determining whether a daypack is thoughtfully designed and worthy of a spot in our best travel gear of the year. Through our hands on use & testing plus customer feedback we’ve gone through all of our daypacks to highlight the best ones in 2021. Here is why these products made the cut:
Makes Traveling Easier: At their core, great travel daypacks should make travelers’ lives easier or more fun. All of these products make it easier to get out and explore, and contribute to a smooth trip.
Long Lasting Durability: Quality items that are well built and stand up to countless bumps and bruises on the road are essential. We value high quality gear that can be relied on for years of adventures.
Ease of Use: Practical features to stay organized and compartments & pockets that are easily accessible are paramount to a great travel daypack. A daypack shouldn’t slow you down, it should make your travel days easier so you can focus on the experience.
Design & Style: Purely functional packs no longer cut it, the best travel gear is wrapped in a great design and style. Travel daypacks get more use than just about any other piece of travel gear and will likely be with you from the moment you leave home through every day of adventures.
Comfortable to Carry: An uncomfortable pack can put a serious damper on a day of exploring. A bag can have all of the coolest features available but if it's not comfortable to carry for hours then it’s not going to get used, so we tested every daypack to make sure you can wear them all day.
Innovative Features: The top travel brands are designing exciting new products with innovative features. Our best travel daypacks include unique and innovative features to help you enjoy your travels to the fullest.
The Best Daypacks of 2021
Gear up for 2021 with these innovative and thoughtfully designed travel daypacks. To see more styles and options head over to our Travel Daypacks Collection. If you want more info on our best selling and top rated products check out our Travel Gear Guides that feature detailed product reviews, packing lists, and additional best of lists including the best travel accessories of 2021.