#MOST SPACIOUS CARRY ON LUGGAGE UPGRADE#
#MOST SPACIOUS CARRY ON LUGGAGE FULL#

We preferred bags that had a minimalist exterior style, but not all of our picks will please everyone.

Just having a waist belt is a plus, but having a padded and sculpted one-especially on bags with over 40 liters of volume-makes a world of difference.

Hip belt comfort and design: A hip belt transfers heavy loads from your back and shoulders onto your hips, letting your legs-not your back-bear the brunt of the weight.

“Good shoulder straps are the difference between an easy trip and a hard trip.” “Ideally, you want a bag’s shoulder straps to adjust to the angle of your shoulders,” said Eytan Levy of Snarky Nomad.

The more comfortable and well designed the straps, the easier traveling will be. Backpack strap comfort and design: You never know when you’ll be walking farther with your bag than you’d intended.Not everyone needs a dedicated laptop pocket, but we prefer the more secure feeling of bags that do. In its place, the company sells laptop sleeves (a fine version if you don’t have one) that clip into the bag’s central compartment. The biggest flaw, from our perspective-apart from the price-is that the Tom Bihn lacks a dedicated laptop pocket.

#MOST SPACIOUS CARRY ON LUGGAGE UPGRADE#

Even though everything about the Tom Bihn (the fabric, the zippers, the quality of construction) feels like an upgrade from other bags, it’s simply too pricey, and its design is too rarified and specific for most people. This all adds up on a bag that already costs $300.

#MOST SPACIOUS CARRY ON LUGGAGE FULL#

That said, for the bag to really stand out against other backpacks, and to take full advantage of its carrying adaptability, you need to buy the $30 internal frame, the $30 hip belt, and (if you’re traveling with a suit or jacket) the $30 shoulder strap (all prices at the time of writing). If you feel like you would struggle carrying a full-size travel backpack like this model, we strenuously encourage you to consider one of our more-manageable picks, like the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L.Ĭonsider the Tom Bihn Aeronaut-its reputation for durability, adaptability, and a low-key aesthetic make it a favorite among many dedicated one-bag travelers, and after testing it, we think it’s a great bag too. At 5.1 pounds, the Outbreaker is 2 pounds heavier than most of its closest competitors. The additional padding does add a lot of weight.

We’ve also fielded complaints from some testers that this bag was too heavy for them to carry, even with the padded hip belt and adjustable straps. However, if these mysteries beneath the airport also make you nervous, you might prefer one of our picks with easy-to-stow straps, like the Peak Design Travel Backpack. But the Tortuga appears to shrug it all off with ease. Personally, it still makes me nervous to see the Tortuga traveling on the luggage belt toward mysterious machines and conveyors beneath the airport-all of which, in my imagination, are waiting to tear the hip belt from the bag or slice open the sailcloth exterior. But after years of testing, traveling with, and occasionally checking our bag, we haven’t had an issue. Some people, especially those who are hard on their gear, may consider not being able to remove or stow the Tortuga’s straps (as they can with our other picks, like the Cotopaxi) a disqualifying factor. Across moderate distances, these straps do help with the bag’s overall weight. This design (with its included load-adjuster straps at the top, to prevent the bag’s weight from sagging toward your lumbar region) is the best of those we’ve tested at distributing the weight of an otherwise fairly heavy bag. Both sizes of the Outbreaker are adjustable for torso length, which means you can manipulate the location of the shoulder straps (video) to fit a wider variety of body sizes. The more-diminutive version is a decent choice for weekend travel or for minimalist travelers-but for this size, we prefer the space-saving profile of the Allpa. The Outbreaker is available as a 45-liter bag (the max space for a carry-on bag), which we tested, along with the 35-liter version, which is compliant with some intra-European flights. And that’s despite the bag’s hefty (just over 5 pounds) weight when empty-it’s roughly 2 pounds more than most of our other picks, except the Peak Design Travel Backpack. Just as important, thanks to the adjustable torso length, shoulder straps, and waist-belt system (borrowed from hiking backpacks), the Outbreaker is the most adjustable bag we’ve tested three years in a row.

Most spacious carry on luggage