Backpack to go along with carry-on suitcase

I’m sure you will get a bunch of suggestions that fit what you’re looking for, so here’s one to start off.

https://www.bagsmart.com/products/blast-travel-backpack?variant=41122671820882

I bought this for my son in the basic 28l size and he thinks it’s the best travel pack he’s had. It stores so much and with the clamshell design, allows for easy access to everything. I bought it about two years ago in black before they extended their versions. It’s a great pack.

Look for a trolley strap to ride on the rolling suitcases. Is this a supplemental pack, an overhead bin pack, or an underseat bag? For underseat bag, stay with 27 liters or less. Look at Osprey tote backpack or similar. Look at budget airline bags like Wandf or ecohub on Amazon. I would go with a few simple pockets and larger internal volume. Do you need an organizer inside for pens, key clip, etc.? We need more info. here.

Take a look at REI. Their website shows alot of different styles and sizes of travel and day backpacks. Many have trolley sleeves. A brand that is frequently recommended here, including me, that I think meets your criteria is Cotopaxi.

I've shared my go-to previously:
https://portlandgear.com/products/cascade-backpack-compact
It is not cheap, but is really well made. It has a trolley strap and creates the brick function you want- it doesn't stick out past the edges of my wheeled (July) carryon.
I carry it over one shoulder usually if not using the trolley sleeve.
It has a unique top closing feature that somehow stays open while you access the interior but then also zips in such a way to create additional storage at the top.
It has minimal pockets but that's a plus for me. The only downside is it's 2 pounds, empty. On restrictive airlines the size works but it adds that extra weight to the combined allowance.

This is exactly what you didn't ask for because it hasn't got a lot of pockets meaning its full capacity is better utilized. It will work as a personal item on many airlines. And its $35. I havr used one for close to 15 years. This one.

Mr. E,
You forgot to list your recommended bag. Ooops!

Ooooops......

😱🤣. Quick fix, good rebound.

My husband uses the same bag that Mr. E posted. He likes the zippered pocket at the top for wallet, phone and passport when going through security checkpoints.

misstimetotravel, I second Mustlovedog’s recommendation for the Bagsmart backpack. I have that exact same bag and really like it. It’s exactly as you described in your wishlist. It has lots of pockets that are well placed, a sleeve on the side for a water bottle, and it is shaped like a brick that sits securely on your back and doesn’t protrude.

Honestly, I bought it thinking that I probably wouldn’t like it and was prepared to return it. But after my first trip, I really fell in love with it and now I can’t think of replacing it with anything else. It’s just such a practical bag and it’s very lightweight as well. And I love the clamshell opening, which makes it easier to organize everything.

ETA: I forgot to add that it has a laptop sleeve in a separate zippered section.

I just use a cheap Walmart backpack. They are of decent quality and really kind of generic.

Cotopaxi all the way.

Jeanm I carry my phone battery, sables and charger there. Then the front zipper has all my papers, confurmatiins, itinerary, etc. And the rear laptop pocket holds the quart bag of liquids cause it's easy to reach if I need to pull them out. I like the bag cause those pockets are thin and dont take away from capacity much.

trim backpack with a lot of pockets and room, but that is kind of brick-like in shape and doesn’t stick out too much

In other words rather like the Tardis, bigger inside than outside 😉 If you do find one that suits those criteria please do come back and post it will you? I'd queue up to buy one straight away.

I also have the bag Mr. E recommended. It is really well laid out and a nice backpack for the price.

It has some pockets (3 on the outside and 3 or 4 on the inside flap). I use packing cubes inside the bag to keep items organized when I fly.

I have two now. One is bug out bag and stays packed all of the time.

Wading Boots
Heavy wool knee length socks
Hip Waders
Rain shell
Aggie Cap
Orvis reel with 5wt line
Box of flies
4x, 5x, 6x tippet and leaders
Neck lanyard with the essentials
Magnifier polarised sunglasses.

Outside, held tight by the side cinch straps:
Tube holding an Orvis 7 piece 5wt rod
Folding net.

That one is my "carry-on", the other identical bag i have is packed with nothing but a clean set or two of quick dry clothes and is my underseat bag.

Even works on Wizzair and Ryanair.

Just a note that if you’re flying with your carryon and backpack, make sure to check the dimension restrictions. My trusty Patagonia 26 L backpack no longer meets them by 4 inches on the British and European airlines.

"Some" British and "Some" European airlines maybe no. Maybe some yes.

From what I’ve experienced British Air, Swiss domestic, TAP, Iberia…no. So I’m on the hunt. Cotopaxi Allpa 20L is looking good.

You are right. I cant think of anyone that has let a 26" bag on in years. If ever. But among the airlne names you mentioned a quick check showed 3 different airline standards. Its not 20L you want, its the one with the physical dimensions that fits all of your flights that you want.

I also have the backpack Mr. E mentioned. The only reason I stopped using it is because it doesn't have an external water bottle pocket. I bring a Brita water bottle with me. Not because I'm worried about the safety of the water in many places but because of the taste. The water bottle helps to take out any bad tastes. (Mine is the European version and not the American version. Different filters.)

I also agree you should stick with the dimensions of the bag and not the volume. Three weeks ago I bought a new backpack measuring 40 x 30 x 20 cm. If I don't pack it too tight, and I use the external cinch straps, I can get the 20cm dimension down to 15 cm which is the requirement of many European airlines.

If you want to use it with a rolling suitcase, be sure you get one with a trolley sleeve. I have a beautiful roomy Quechua bag that I found at a great price in Ghana. I was so excited for the find, I neglected to check for the trolley sleeve. Now I have to use a tacky bunjee cord to attach it to the handle. Arrrrgh.

I use a Tom Bihn Synapse backpack. A splurge to be sure, however, they come in a couple different sizes (smaller are great for women), are extremely streamlined (that was key for me too!) but with plenty of pockets and great organization, contoured padded straps, belt, and removable back plate, center water bottle storage for balance, and a full panel to go over your suitcase handle. They thought of everything and it is SO comfortable I can wear it all day. Sturdy and will last forever. Highly recommended. Talked my sister into one and she loves it too.

Two of the catagories that I think these fall into are 1/ a bag for "stuff" and 2/ a bag for clothes. Then there is probably the one in the middle that does neither like an expert but does have the flexibility of doing a little of both. I dont have that much "stuff" so I go for the clothng bag end of the spectrum (clamshell opening like a suitcase so you can find things without digging everything out, few pockets because the eat up space, rectangular with no rounded sides or tapered shapes so I get the most volume. But for stuff it means things (stuff) floating all over the inside of the bag and having to buy a plane ticket for my man Jefferies so he can carry my water bottle.

Thanks everyone! These are all great suggestions. I am excited to try and figure out how to be happier with my organization and amount of weight while traveling this coming year. Lighter weight and trimmer backpack will help. We currently are traveling with RS’s carry-ons, which we will continue to do, and LLBean backpacks, which are spacious but stick out a lot to the rear.
I want a separate pocket for toiletries and first aid stuff. Am looking at suggested ones during the next few days.

Mr E, I am sure every bag of yours has an Aggie cap loaded and ready inside !!!

Absolutely. It doesnt happen terribly often, but by wearing it I run into people with shared interests ... and the locals know not to begin the conversation in the local language.

I am looking at the bagsmart backpacks now and the description does not say anything about its having a sleeve to connect it to a rolling suitcase. Can the people who mentioned this one tell me if it has this because we want this feature. Thanks! It was mustlovedogs and Mardee I think.

Not sure if it’s bags - Mart or bag - smart. Or, both!
Anyway, the blast travel backpack (basic), both the 28l and 38l mesh, have luggage trolley straps. In the 28 liter version, look at the little photos on the left. You can see it. Under 38l mesh, look under “details” on the right side of screen. It lists luggage trolley strap.

I'm not a backpack person, but from recent observations of backpacks in various airports it was obvious that the contents of many had sagged to the bottom, making them stick out more.

Looks like they needed some internal strapping or packing cubes to keep the contents evenly distributed.

okay for an under the seat back pack I have been loving this one from Beis!! So many useful pockets and the perfect shape: https://beistravel.com/products/the-expandable-backpack-in-maple. It keeps me super organized too!

I have been looking at bags mentioned here. Mr. E it looks like your bag is 17 liters. Is that big enough for many purposes or for one or two specific purposes? My current ll bean bag is 38 liters I believe.
Thanks.

Most airlines would consider a 38 liter bag a carry-on, not a personal item.

As mentioned, we have the same bag as Mr E. It's about 21 liters. My husband uses it as a personal item on the plane and we've shared it as an overnight bag when traveling the Nutshell in Norway. I don't carry a day bag, but it is light enough to be used as one when touring.

My current ll bean bag is 38 liters I believe.

Are you looking for a bag to use as a carry-on or as a personal item? I was assuming you had carry-on sized rolling suitcases so you wanted a backpack that would fit under the seat in front of you.

I also have this Osprey Daylite 26+6 Expandable Travelpack. This would be too big to use as a personal item for many airlines but I’ve seen people carry some pretty large ”personal items” on the U.S. airlines. It is a good size for a weekend trip.
https://www.osprey.com/daylitetm-expandable-travel-pack-26-6

It depends what you want to fit inside of Wandrid makes some that would work well and so does ThinkTank focuspoint rolltop 30 fits a ton, you can take out all the camera stuff and you are left with a large bag with 3 compartments. It flattens down pretty good.

Depends what your budget is, and how much you are trying to stuff in there

For a light weight budget pack I would recommend REI flash pack.https://www.rei.com/search?q=flash+18+pack

I've owned too many travel backpacks to list here. I have a few that are my go-to depending on type of trip.
For example, if I need to bring my laptop along on a work trip, or if I am just traveling with a backpack vs backpack+carry-on.

To answer the OP question about a light backpack to go with a carry-on, my recent favorite is the Osprey Daylite Expandable 26+6. I got it at great sale 2 years ago and got the black version. It is very comfortable and light, it can be expanded and I like the compartments it comes with. It also fits my water bottle which is a must for me. I didn't like the little pen slots on the top front compartment so I watched a hack video and removed the stitching of a few to combine the pen holder slot into a larger one. And the compartment at the front was pretty deep, so I could fit a lot. During my trip to Morocco last year, I kept my sunscreen stick, wipes, hand sanitizer and other loose toiletries needed throughout the day in that front compartment, and they were easy to grab.

This youtuber does great reviews of several backpacks, including the Osprey 26+6: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsUbex_ff80

@laura - I think the size is pretty good as personal item. I flew last year in 8 different airlines (US, Europe, Africa and South America), and placed it under seat in front of me. Size is not the issue but how much/weight is on it. If not expanded, it fits really well under seat.

I also own the Bagsmart 28L expandable already mentioned here but I use that in lieu of a roller carry-on. The one thing I don't like about it is the difficulty to lock the zippers.

I bought the EcoHub travel backpack off Amazon on sale for about $30. They have a 17” and 18” version if you’re concerned about size. My 18” was pretty full (though not stuffed) on a recent American Airlines flight and it fit under the seat.

I have a Sherpani Mia back pack that I really like. It does have a strap that is meant to be a trolly sleeve, and you can also carry it a couple different ways. It’s rectangular sized and fits nicely under the airplane seat. Lots of pockets to stay organized.
I also have an Osprey Fairview daypack. I think it fits your requirement of being rectangular shaped, not bulky. It has less pockets than the Sherpani but is comfortable to carry and doesn’t have trolly attachment capability. My husband has an Osprey Arcane daypack which is a similar shape and size.
All of the options are 20L or less, so smaller than what you’re used to.
I also agree with other posters that Cotopaxi packs may fit your requirements as well. I’ve noticed that they have a distinctive rectangular shape.

I've used the Biaggi carry cube backpack for my last few trips and find it a really versatile bag. not particularly sleek-looking but hold a lot of stuff, has good pockets for organization, etc. and also has a trolley sleeve. fits under most airplane seats, so it's my go-to personal item now.

@laura - I think the size is pretty good as personal item.

The Osprey Daylite 26+6 is technically too big (17H X 13W X 6D inches / 44 x 33 x 16 cm) as a personal item for many of the European airlines. For example, Lufthansa, BA, and KLM all have personal item limits of 40 x 30 x 15 cm. That is why I said it was too big as a personal item for many airlines. Now some airlines don’t enforce the standards and you might be able to fit it into a sizer if you don’t pack it full so I can see how some people would be able to use it as a personal item.

Blockquote
The Osprey Daylite 26+6 is technically too big (17H X 13W X 6D inches / 44 x 33 x 16 cm) as a personal item for many of the European airlines. For example, Lufthansa, BA, and KLM all have personal item limits of 40 x 30 x 15 cm.
Blockquote

Interesting. These are the same dimensions of some of the airlines I flew in Europe. They never asked me to place in sizing or questioned its size. I flew on Iberia, Air Maroc, SAS and TAP in Europe. And Delta, Air France, and a few smaller ones. But it wasn't expanded (except on last Delta flight).