Best Laptop Bags & Backpacks for Digital Nomads (2025)

Three Bags. Four Years. Here's What I Learned.

Three bags. I've killed three bags in four years.

First was a $30 Amazon thing. Lasted one monsoon season in Thailand before the zipper just... gave up. Somewhere between Chiang Mai and Bangkok I'm safety-pinning my bag shut like some kind of hobo. Great look for client calls.

Second bag cost $150. Samsonite. Thought I was being smart. Nope. The strap padding turned to dust after eight months. Tropical humidity murders cheap foam apparently.

Third one was honestly my fault. Crammed way too much stuff in it for a Portugal trip and heard this... pop. That was that.

So yeah. I got a little obsessive after that.

Twelve bags. Six months. Three continents. Dragged them through airports, shoved them under sketchy bus seats, hauled them up five flights of hostel stairs because of course there's no elevator. The usual.

If you just want the answer: Nomatic Travel Pack. That's what I use. It's $299 which hurts, but it's survived about 40 flights now and still looks newish. If that's too steep, Targus Drifter II is $45 and honestly fine—just don't expect it to last more than a year or two.

Peak Design if you're a photographer or constantly grabbing stuff from your bag.

Okay. Let's actually get into this.

The Quick Version

Still here? Cool. Full breakdown below.

What I Learned About Bags (The Hard Way)

Gear blogs love specs. Cubic liters. Denier counts. Whatever.

Here's what actually matters when you're living out of a backpack:

The expandable thing is real. Some days you're just grabbing coffee with your laptop. Other days you're shoving three days of clothes in there for a weekend trip. Bags that go from 20L to 30L? Actually useful. Not a gimmick.

Laptop protection is mostly garbage. Cheap bags have this problem where your laptop sleeve touches the bottom of the bag. So when you set it down hard—and you will, eventually—your laptop takes the hit.

I watched a guy at a Lisbon coworking space drop his bag maybe two feet. Screen cracked. His laptop sleeve wasn't suspended. Fifteen hundred euros gone like that.

You want the sleeve padded AND floating. Sounds fancy. Just means the laptop doesn't touch the ground through the bag.

Too many pockets is worse than not enough. I once spent ten minutes looking for my AirPods in a bag that had like 47 compartments. I counted later. Forty-seven. I don't need forty-seven places to lose things.

Quick access for passport. Somewhere for the cable spaghetti. Maybe a shoe pocket if you're fancy. That's it.

Comfort matters more than you think. Airport terminals. City walking. That coworking space that's "only" a 25 minute walk from your Airbnb. You'll wear this thing for hours. Padded straps aren't optional.

Materials determine lifespan. Your bag gets thrown under buses. Dragged across hostel floors. Rained on. Stuffed into overhead bins by flight attendants who clearly have anger issues.

Cheap nylon dies in a year. Cordura and tarpaulin last.

The Bags

Nomatic Travel Pack

This is what's on my back right now. Has been for... I think eight months? Survived Portugal, Spain, Morocco, back to Thailand. Maybe 40 flights at this point.

The expandable thing actually works which surprised me. 20L when I'm just going to a cafe. Unzip it to 30L when I need to pack for a few days. Done a full week out of it when I packed light.

Opens like a suitcase which is weirdly important. TSA doesn't make me take my laptop out half the time because the whole thing just lies flat. Clamshell opening they call it.

There's a shoe compartment. Keeps dirty sneakers away from clean clothes. Simple but I use it constantly.

And it's genuinely water resistant. Got caught in a Lisbon downpour last spring. Everything inside was dry. That was nice.

The annoying parts: It's $299. That's real money. It's also 3.8 pounds empty which adds up when you're carrying it all day. And my 16" MacBook Pro doesn't fit—maxes out at 15.6". Had to get creative with that.

Oh and it looks... functional. Not ugly exactly. But not winning any design awards either.

Worth it though. For me anyway. The lifetime warranty is legit—heard from people who've actually used it.

Peak Design Everyday Backpack

Peak Design makes stuff for photographers. And you can tell.

The way this bag opens is kind of addictive? They have this magnetic latch thing—MagLatch—that you can open one-handed. Sounds small. Use it for a week and going back to normal zippers feels annoying.

But the real thing is the side access. You can reach into the main compartment from either side without opening the top. So if you're walking and need your camera or a lens or whatever, you just... grab it.

The dividers inside are configurable. Move them around however. Laptop here, camera there, lenses wherever. Photographers will get it.

Downsides: Also $299. And it doesn't open fully flat like the Nomatic so packing it like a suitcase is harder. Those dividers take up space too—less room for clothes and stuff.

Better for gear than for travel honestly. But if you're carrying cameras? This is the one.

Aer Travel Pack 3

Okay so if you're the type of person who has A Place For Everything and gets twitchy when things aren't in their place? The Aer.

Every pocket makes sense. Laptop sleeve that's suspended properly. Admin panel for cables. Shoe compartment with actual ventilation so it doesn't get funky. Water bottle pocket that expands. Quick grab pocket on top.

It's 35 liters which is bigger than most. Good for 3-5 day trips without checking a bag.

The material is 1680D Cordura which basically means you could probably drag it behind a truck and it'd be fine. Indestructible vibes.

Problems: 35L might be too big for daily coffee shop runs. Not expandable so it's either 35L or find another bag. And the straps aren't quite as comfy as Nomatic when it's loaded heavy. $249.

Thule Subterra

$179.

That's the pitch. Everything else is kind of secondary.

Thule makes good outdoor gear. The Subterra has padded laptop protection, decent organization, water resistant materials. Nothing fancy. Everything works.

It's 3.2 pounds which is lighter than most at this level. 25-year warranty which is basically lifetime.

What you don't get: No expandable capacity. No clamshell opening. No shoe compartment. 15.6" laptop max. It's the Honda Civic of laptop bags. Does the job. Nothing more.

Great first travel bag. Or if you're not sure you need $300 worth of features.

Tortuga Outbreaker

Some people pack light.

I am not one of those people.

The Tortuga Outbreaker maxes out carry-on dimensions. 35L or 45L versions. Full clamshell opening so you pack it exactly like a suitcase. Fits up to a 17" laptop which is rare.

If you're slow traveling for a month and refuse to check bags—this.

The sailcloth material is legitimately waterproof. Lockable zippers. Hip belt that actually helps distribute weight.

Catch: 4.4 pounds empty. Heavy before you put anything in it. And when it's full it looks... bulky. Not a daily driver. This is for trips.

$249 for the 35L, $299 for the 45L.

WANDRD PRVKE

Made for content creators. The roll-top design expands when you need capacity, compresses when you don't.

Side access lets you grab camera bodies without opening the top. Looks more like a lifestyle bag than a camera bag which is nice if you don't want to advertise "expensive gear inside."

The issues: Maxes at 15" laptops. Organization is loose—less structured than Aer. The camera cube that makes it useful costs extra ($84+). So the real price is more like $350.

Good if you're switching between camera days and regular days. Otherwise maybe not worth it.

Targus Drifter II

Forty-five dollars.

I keep coming back to this because not everyone should spend $300 on a bag. If you're testing the nomad thing for a few months? This works.

Padded laptop compartment fits 16". Organization pockets exist. Water bottle holders. Straps are padded enough.

Will it last five years? No. Will it last a year of regular travel? Probably. And by then you'll know if you want something better.

What you're giving up: Not water resistant. Laptop protection is basic—not suspended. Zippers feel cheap. No TSA-friendly design. Basically everything that makes premium bags premium.

But forty-five dollars. You could buy six of these for the price of one Nomatic.

Bellroy Transit

Bellroy makes minimalist pretty things. The Transit is the least "I live out of a backpack" looking bag here.

You could walk into a client meeting with this. Recycled materials. Leather accents. Hidden passport pocket. Clean.

The trade: Only fits 15" laptops. $249 for 28L feels expensive for what you get. Three-year warranty instead of lifetime. Less structure means less organization.

For consultants and designers who need something boardroom-appropriate. Everyone else probably wants something more functional.

Backpack vs Messenger vs Briefcase

People ask this a lot.

Backpack: Weight on both shoulders. Hands free. Most comfortable for hours. Get this for travel.

Messenger: Quick access. Looks okay in meetings. But one shoulder carrying everything destroys you after a few hours. Fine for short stuff.

Briefcase: Most professional looking. Ties up one hand. Smallest capacity. For business trips where impressions matter.

My setup: Good backpack for travel. Packable messenger sleeve for client meetings. Both cost less than one fancy briefcase.

The TSA Thing

"TSA-friendly" means maybe you don't have to take your laptop out at security.

Maybe.

What helps: Clamshell bags that lie flat. Laptop compartments that are separate from everything else. The Nomatic and Tortuga are good for this.

Reality: TSA agents do whatever they want. I've had the same bag get waved through one airport and fully unpacked at another. The design helps but nothing is guaranteed.

Anti-Theft Stuff

Most theft is someone grabbing an unattended bag or a pickpocket hitting an open zipper.

Lockable zippers help. Most premium bags have them.

Hidden pockets against your back are nice for passports and cash.

RFID blocking is built into some bags. A $10 sleeve does the same thing.

Slash-proof panels exist. Pacsafe makes them. Probably overkill unless you're in high-theft areas specifically.

Honestly? Keep your bag with you. Use hotel safes. Pay attention in crowds. That handles 95% of it.

The Actual Recommendation

After all that testing:

Nomatic Travel Pack for most people. It's what I use. Expandable, organized, durable. $299 hurts but it'll last.

Peak Design if you're a photographer or creative who's grabbing gear constantly.

Thule Subterra if you want quality without premium pricing. $179.

Targus Drifter II if you're broke or testing the lifestyle. $45. Works fine.

Pick one. Your laptop is how you make money. Protect it.

And if you're reading this on cafe wifi with your laptop sitting in some garbage bag... close the laptop and go fix that.